The Browns in Delhi: Agra

The "baby Taj" A very quiet day, and a lovely beginning to our site seeing in Agra.

Agra Fort - getting a bit busier here!! A riverside Fort with exquisite palaces and mosques made of red-sandstone.

Our friend, Eric, and his chipmunk - A big 'charmer' charmed a chipmunk (he was really hoping to see a Cobra!!)

An amazing view from the roof restaurant of the hotel Kamal situated in the 'heart' of Agra. Having been in RK Puram and Ekta Vihar in Delhi now for a while, the 'heart' of Agra seemed like home!!

An opportune moment as we walked along a narrow street on our way to the Taj, to jump into a school room. The door was ajar and I couldn't resist peeping in and then being invited by the teacher to join them. I would have loved to have been able to stay and sing songs with the children, they all greeted me with 'Nameste Ma'am'. The teacher instantly offered me the 'collection box for the poor children of Agra' and although a round of 'Heads Shoulders Knees and Toes' would have been fun, perhaps they will gain something from my donation!!

Heather at the Taj Mahal (this was a quiet day!) It is a stunning monument - built for love. Emperor Shah Jahan built it as a memorial for his second wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died giving birth to their fourteenth child in 1631. It was completed in 1653. 20,000 people worked on it. It is all marble with fine carvings and inlays made with thousands of semiprecious stones - so beautiful - also very cool inside on a warm day.


The Taj Mahal stands on a raised marble platform. Raising the Taj up means that the backdrop is only sky - a master stroke of design. On either side are slender white minarets. It seems that they were designed to slightly lean outwards, so that in the event of an earthquake, they would fall away from the precious Taj.