Agra, Uttar Pradesh

It was late afternoon when we arrived after a long hour of driving from New Delhi. Crossing the long bridge covered by the rays of the feisty sun, It looked like a gloomy painting while watching the black birds flying over the bridge, and there I was, excitedly looking forward to seeing the famous Taj Mahal.

And we moved to the town proper, where the combination of beauty and human imperfection resembled. Self-realization stroked my thoughts: I was heading to see the most beautiful thing built by humanity, yet, also to see the most unacceptable consequence of modern civilization, poverty. I have seen the same faces of poverty in my own country, but this time, it stroked my inner sensibilities, because I was not expecting to see jolly underprivileged kids and old folks again, not in a majestic place like Agra.

The mood changed when I entered the regal Jaypee Palace Hotel. I felt like royalty, perhaps a prince, greeted by a servant in a regal-looking Indian dress. When he slightly bowed and said, Namaste, I thought I was in a different dimension. The memories I had seen earlier were suddenly erased by a different picture of Agra, a place of luxury, a hidden paradise from a vulgar reality just a few meters away.

After dinner, it was time for us to experience the real Agra. With my good friend Dominick, we went out at night and rented an Indian tricycle for 600 rupees (450 pesos) that brought us around the city. It was 7 p.m.; the weather was cold, and some parts of India were snowing. Most of the city streets were dim, but we felt very safe. I got my first haircut in a traditional Indian barber shop; they were surprised to have their first-ever Filipino customer, and modesty aside, they thought I looked like the famous Shahrukh Khan. The highlight of the night trip was our everlasting curiosity about meatless McDonald’s and KFC’s, both of which still served fried chicken.

And here’s the highlight! We woke up early in the morning and started queuing around 6 a.m. at the entrance of Taj. Tourists from all over the world flocked to the gate, waiting to see a revelation of what human creativity can offer, in the name of love. It was guarded by high walls and fortresses, decorated by small minarets. The huge, uncovered gate, inside the complex, which looked like a window from a Persian palace, was the final entranced to the Taj. From the outside, I got a magical glimpse of Taj, slightly covered by mysterious fog. The view starting from the gate was heavenly-like. It was more than magical; it was surreal, but it was real.

My admiration for Taj never ended. The symmetrical garden took my breath away; it gave me superb excitement about what to expect inside. When I was nearer to the Taj, I felt it was a gigantic artistic creation that fell from the sky. It’s twice the height of Manila’s CCP. The Qur’anic calligraphy all over the mausoleum was an extremely out-of-this-world creation; not even a genius can ever do that kind of art, style and dedication.

Taj Mahal was only a glimpse of what Agra can offer. Not so far away was another UNESCO heritage, the Agra Fort or the Red Fort. It’s a huge, walled city where inside were former palaces of Muslim emperors. It’s the place where Emperor Shah Jahan, builder of the Taj was kept in prison by his own son, due to differences in religious thoughts. He was kept in a room, where he could see his beautiful Taj Mahal. Upon entering the Fort, I realized that those huge walls and huge gates of kingdoms and walled cities I have seen in the LOTR trilogy, Troy, Gladiator, and other similar movies were all real.

Suddenly, I was facing an ancient city. It was an unbelievably perfectly organized and planned city on top of a hill. It was another world-heritage site, the Fatehpur Sikri, where small palaces of the emperor’s wives—one Hindu, one Christian and one Muslim—lived together in a community. Each palace represents a tremendous showcase of ancient art and design—a replica of their religious beliefs.

Agra is guarded by gigantic walls, composed of different walled cities. From Agra’s golden years until today’s overly-meaningful world, Agra still manage to give beauty, inspiration, and the opportunity to learn knowledge from the past – it’s a triumph, it’s sorrow, and most of all, the immortal power of love.

I almost forgot the hassles and haggles outside those gigantic walls. #

The traditional Indian barber shop. They put too much ointment, but it was really fun

My friend with the tricycle driver

The hotel at dawn

Early morning scene outside Taj gate

Friends in front of the grand gate to Taj

Look at that amazing view from the gate’s door

Reflection

And that’s me

And another me doing the jump shot

Our head shot. LOL

Look at the Quránic verses, inside and outside of Taj

And me doing some stupid pose

At the back of Taj is a river

The symmetrical graden, a view from the Taj

The Agra Fort

The huge gate of the Fort

This one is like a scene in a Hollywood movie

Indian school boys bumming in Agra Fort

Watch out for Indian paparazzis, they will secretly take a photo of yours, and when you go out, there is no way but to pay and take that photo as a souvenir

At Fatehpur Sikri

One of the ancient drawings of the Hindu wife

The city center of Fatehpur Sikri

Amazing interior of a restaurant where we had our lunch