India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) - Keith Bain [381]
It was Jahangir’s third son, Shah Jahan (not incidentally born of Nur Jahan), who came to power—apparently after murdering his two elder brothers, their two children, and two male cousins. Known as the ”architect” of the dynasty, the fifth Mughal emperor began renovating the Agra Fort at age 16, but achieved the apotheosis of Mughal design when he built the Taj Mahal for his beloved Mumtaz (the niece of Nur Jahan). Bored, he moved the capital to Delhi when he was 47, building an entirely new city from scratch, designing modern geometric palaces (including a separate royal apartment for his favored daughter, Jahanara Begum) and beautiful gardens within the new Red Fort. But he was to pay a bitter price for the favoritism he showed Jahanara and his son, Dara Shikoh. His pious third son, Aurangzeb, aided by Roshanara Begum (Jahanara’s embittered younger sister), seized the throne by betraying and/or murdering most of their siblings. Aurangzeb, the last of the great Mughal emperors, became the most repressive ruler North India had yet seen, destroying Hindu temples and images throughout the region and banning the playing of music or any other form of indulgent pleasure. Known as much for his cruelty as his ambition, Aurangzeb allegedly poisoned his ally Roshanara when he caught her in an illicit liaison in her quarters at the Red Fort. Having imprisoned his father in Agra Fort, Aurangzeb sent him a platter upon which he garnished the head of his favorite son, Dara. According to legend he instructed his servant to present it with the words, “Your son sends you this to let you see that he does not forget you.”
ESSENTIALS
VISITOR INFORMATION The Government of India Tourist Office is at 191 The Mall ( 0562/222-6368; goitoagr@sancharnet.in; Mon–Fri 9am–5:30pm, Sat 9am–2pm). A 24-hour Tourism Reception Centre is at Cantonment Railway Station ( 0562/242-1204). Not as much on the ball, the U.P. Tourism Bureau is at 64 Taj Rd. ( 0562/222-6431; Mon–Sat 10am–5pm; closed second Sat of the month).
GETTING THERE & AWAY By Road Agra lies less than 4 hours away, on a good two-lane highway from Delhi. Many Delhi operators offer bus tours to Agra; see “Essentials” in the Delhi section, above. If you don’t mind being part of a bus tour, a good option is to take a day trip from Delhi with TCI (see “Guided Tours” below); alternatively, hire a car and driver. Should you need to stop for refreshments, the Country Inn at Kosi, 99km (61 miles) from Delhi, is a good bet.
By Air At press time, the only flights into Agra are charters; it is unknown whether commercials flights (suspended several years back) will ever resume.
By Train The Bhopal Shatabdi leaves New Delhi at 6am daily, arriving at Agra Cantonment Railway Station ( 131 or 133 information, or 0562/242-0998 reservations) at 8am; it returns to Delhi at 11:05pm. Alternatively, you can catch the Taj Express, which leaves Delhi’s Nizamuddin Station at 7:15am, returning to Delhi at 10:05pm (book the A/C Chair Car, which should run you just under Rs 300). The station has a prepaid taxi/auto-rickshaw service (Rs 50–Rs 150) to take you the 2km (1 1⁄4 miles) to downtown; you can also book a city sightseeing tour here. Note: Trains arriving from Rajasthan pull in at the Agra Fort Station. (If arriving from elsewhere, avoid inconveniently located Agra City Station.)
GETTING AROUND By Taxi & Auto-Rickshaw As is the case everywhere in India, make sure you negotiate your taxi or auto-rickshaw rate upfront (or use the prepaid facility).