Memoirs of Rangoli ... (p44) - Agra ... the lost kingdom of Mughal (cont.)

Taj Mahal, 

Yamuna River, Agra, 

Uttar Pradesh, India

February 2016

i ticked and marked the completion of  'a visit to Taj Mahal' that has been on my bucketlist. i guess i was satisfied with the accomplishment, even though, it left me with a bit of 'meh' expression as i couldn't stomach the mixed stories of its pride and tales, its reason for being there etc. i know, i am exaggerating and sounds pathetic. but i am that kind of traveler that some time sounds like the karl pilkington who unable to appreciate the reason why people 'worship' the historic monuments etc. pardon me.

should you go and pay a visit? obviously yes! it is Taj Mahal.

we went an early morning visit to the riverbank of Yamuna River, to view the iconic monument from afar. and i guess, looking it from afar like that, without so any crowd ( we were the only group there, and a lady traveler) let my 'meh' went away for a while. we were a bit unlucky, as that winter marked a dry season for Agra, which was more that usual as the river was almost non-existent from where we viewed Taj Mahal. the dry land in front of us, somehow disappoint my intention to memo-graph the place with its reflection.

anyway, we noted that the riverbank, as well as the garden next to where we freely view the place were normally a spot to watch the Taj Mahal during sunset, instead of sunrise. the Taj Mahal was told best visited and viewed during the sunrise.  ah...i calculated, the plan wouldn't fit with our schedule, as it was Friday morning, where Taj Mahal is closed to public and only opened for Friday prayer, which could only be attended by locals. 

we left the place around 8am, and then went to visit Agra Fort, another iconic monument that is recommended to visit in Agra. well...perhaps...it was because i had enough fort visited for the past few days, plus i had Taj Mahal visited the day before to mark the ultimatum of my India visit. Agra fort seemed unable to caught my interest that much, but then it was still a pleasant experience, to wander around. (it was already part of my travel package). 

can you believe it that the fort was actually a 'prison' where Shah Jahan was held by his own son who took over the ruling from him? and the definition of prison was really underrated.

anyway..enjoy the pictures.

tbc.