Day 7, Tuesday - Bharatpur
and Agra
If it’s Tuesday, it must be Bharatpur. Arrive
at 06.00 hrs at a royal kingdom where the Jats, rather than the
Rajputs, ruled. Bharatpur’s Jat history is not too old, with
Suraj Mal establishing a firm stronghold in a region contested by
both the Rajputs and the Mughals. Suraj Mal’s exploits are
legendary, and the fort, Lohargarh, or Iron Fort, has a history
that recounts it with pride. The only fort in the state to have
bastions of mud, these proved meritorious because they simply swallowed
up the cannon shells, not allowing them to impact.
However, it is not for its fort, or palace, or even the close by
fortified resort of Deeg that passengers of the Palace on Wheels
are here; Their attention is drawn to the bird sanctuary, one of
the finest in the world. The Keoladeo Ghana National Park was developed
by a royal edict when dykes were created so that water could be
canalized for the hunting preserve at the maharaja of Bharatpur
wished to create. In the early decade of this century, Bharatpur
became famous among visiting British royalty and aristocracy for
the amount of game the visitors bagged. These days, thankfully,
only shooting by cameras is permitted in this sanctuary with over
three hundred species of birds, many of them migrant species that
come from parts as distant as Siberia and China.
After visiting the sanctuary in the morning, visitors travel by
coach to Fatehpur Sikri, the red sandstone city build by Emperor
Akbar on a lavish scale, but which he had to abandon soon after
because of shortage of water. From here to Agra, first stop for
lunch at Welcome Group Mughal Sheraton and then for a visit to the
world’s most well-known monument and well worth its fame;
The Taj Mahal. Built in the memory of his beloved empress by Emperor
Shah Jahan, this marble mausoleum is the greatest gesture of love
known to mankind, and is breathtakingly, bewitchingly beautiful.
Land for the building of the Taj Mahal in Agra came from the maharaja
of Jaipur and the marble used in its construction was from the mines
of Makrana, also in Rajasthan. The precious stones used in its inlay,
and the craftsmen employed for the twenty-two years its construction
took, came not only from India, but from all over the World.
The Taj Mahal is the perfect finale to your Royal Sojourn.
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