We wake up at 6 am to go to Fathepur Sikri – small town 40 km far from Agra. Why so early? It is getting increadibly hot around noon especially this time of the year, so we want to manage as much as we can in the morning.
When we get to the bus stand at 7 am, two different people tell us, that the bus to Fathepur won’t leave before 8. Ok, let’s go to get some breakfast then. However there was nothing we would like anywhere close to the bus stand so we decided to get on the bus (which was already waiting there) and eat some bisquits.
It wasn’t even 10 minutes after we have got on the bus and it started moving! It’s around 7:15 and we are leaving the bus stand for Fatherpur Sikri.
Fathepur Sikri monument consists of a mosque, fort and a complex for wifes. It is all made out of red sand stone by Akbar about 100 years before Taj Mahal was built. Akbar abandonned Fathepur after water disappeared and he moved to Agra. However today the monument is a vibrant tourist place with abundance of souvenir sellers (among others) and the old city is a place neglected by the tourists with an authentic indian atmosphere.
View from the bus stand
Inside the holy place
Altar for offerings - fabrics and flowers. It will be later given to the poor. After having offered you can tie a small thread at the stone "window" and make 3 wishes - one for every knot.
at the fort
Goats everywhere
Followed by child seller
Kofta. The first and so far the best one. It is made from potatoes stuffed with paneer, keshu, vegetables, etc. - depending on the particular type
After having returned to Agra around 3 pm we really needed some rest before further sightseeing. The next sight for today was Idma-ud-dula (Baby Taj). The entrance fee is „only“ 10 times more than for the locals here. But to make it less pleasant for us they suspected us from shooting a video (probably they didn’t trust my DSLR to be „just“ a camera and not a video camera for which you need to pay extra). We even started reconsidering our plans for Taj Mahal tomorrow. Is it really worth the 750 Rs?
Evening was a good time to go. Both the light and the temperature were pleasant.
Even now, we are still not sure if it was worth it. Taj is beautiful, true. The surrounding gardens are beautiful and the pictures are also beautiful. Even the guide, who took us later to the shops that pay him commission, was actually nice. But the difference in the entrance fee is simply disgusting and the worst thing is that it did not finish with the price. But let me start from the beginning.
We left around 6:30 in the morning. We had payed the ridiculously exagerated entrance fee and got some „V.I.P.“ half litre of water and shoe covers, so that we do not have to take off our shoes when entering the main building (what a gifts!). We continued to a security check and there they wanted to trash our mini stativ! Not even in the wildest dream can the 15 cm plastic tripod be considered a security thread. But order is order.
By that time a local guide had started taking care of us. He was really helpful and took Petr to a safety deposit to leave the tripod there. In the meantime I managed to find out that in our astronomical entrance fee is not included audioguide. And if by any chance you would prefer an audioguide in english rather than in hindi, it will cost you 2 to 3 times more. I have never experienced anything as unfair as at Taj Mahal and other governement run monuments.
Taj Mahal did not beat the bitter taste from the fact, that they openly shave you from your money and after they do not even think about TRYING to make it up by a slighly better service (how much can cost you to provide the audiogide?). I do not regret going there but it was not an ideal experience. Especially when I realized that about one fifth of Indians, who pay 20 Rs, is equally or much more wealthy than I am, another fifth is slightly worse off and those, who are really poor most probably won’t go to visit Taj Mahal.
Tell me now: Do you really think there is a moral duty of „wealthy“ Europeans to help the „poor“ India? In India there is more than enough wealthy Indians. Let them begin to care more about their country and how it really is like. It changes my point of view when I am the only one in the office who takes public transport because unlike the others I can’t afford to pay for the autorickshaw regularly and afterwards their governement takes the tax of 500 Rs on one entrance fee because I am the wealthy tourist.
But let’s have a look at the pictures now to improve the impression :-)
I thought wearing a saari would by stylish
The whole India is little bit upside down...
...you would not believe where you have to go for a good picture.
The beautiful flowers and ornaments are not painted - it is made from semiprecious stones. 3 stones shine in the sun (black onyx, white marble and green malachit) and 3 in the moon. That is the reason for the full moon night visits of Taj Mahal. Surprisingly enough Indians pay the same money as foreigners for those.
Inside the mausoleum. Officialy you should not take pictures there... but no one seemed to care. At least I took them without the flash
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