Jayita Ekka goes on the road in the most famous city of India - taking auto rickshaw joyrides through narrow lanes, discovering the stunning monument of love - and realises that there are more hotels than people in the city!
This was my first official trip to Agra or for that matter anywhere and my second trip to Agra after a classic 14 years! Having gone there as a child, I din't have a prominent recollection of the city but yes, the Taj Mahal was distinctly imprinted in my memory and my visit there only glorified it.
Since we (my colleague, Shweta and I) had only three days in hand, we had
planned our schedule strategically so that we could combine ourofficial trip with a little sightseeing of our own. So we boarded the Taj Express from Nizammudin Railway station early in the morning (6.30). We settled ourselves (Shweta took the window seat!) comfortably and decided that we will not let the journey go waste and would click photographs on the way. Four hours later I opened my eyes with a jolt to realize that we had already reached our destination...Agra Cantt.! After haggling with the cab drivers, we settled on a pre-paid taxi and headed towards our hotel on Fatehabad road, our home for the next two days. The journey was short and we passed through a stretch of beautiful green patch. The internal roads are narrow and lands pretty empty. A few constructions, maybe houses or who knows hotels (I think there are more hotels in Agra than the population!!) were underway. Most of the houses there are big bungalows or small habitats of the lower working class. After checking in, (Mr Gomes the manager was really nice and helpful) we started with our task - survey of the hotel. The next two hours were interspersed between jotting notes and taking photographs of the entire hotel. Then Shweta and I split and we decided to go our ways to other hotels for the survey.
As I passed by the Agra roads, I realized that most of the hotels were situated in one line next to each other. No matter how good the hotel, the outside was not that appealing. It did not matter to anyone that the premises outside was dirty and crowded, with stinking garbage and pot holes full of water. Apart from that, there is lots of greenery in Agra, perhaps a conscious effort to reduce pollution, especially near Taj Mahal, but the 'still developing' town probably makes it impossible for the authorities to focus on that aspect at the moment!! In the evening, we decided to see Fatehabad road as we had seen quite a few curio shops. Apart from the constant nagging of the rickshaw and auto drivers, we had a pleasant time.
Next morning we were again busy with the review of hotels. An unforeseen situation after I completed my last quota of hotels, actually led to a pleasurable experience. I was to meet up with Shweta in one the hotels she was surveying, so after completion of my work, I thought of hailing an auto and meeting her. But to my disappointment, there were no autos. A group of youths were whiling away their time in an abandoned auto and little kids were playing with the remnants of a discarded tyre. While I desperately hunted for an auto, I was told by a cycle mechanic that I could take a rickshaw to the nearest bus stand and take an auto from there. So I hailed one and started on my detour journey. We crossed vast stretches of agricultural land lying barren, and just as I was just about to revel in free space, I got a whiff of cow dung lined out on the road. As we turned round the corner, I realized that we had entered into a colony inhabited by the lower Muslim community. The place had a charm of its own...old women and men were guarding the loitering children and goats sitting on a charpoy smoking tobacco, while some men were playing cards in front of a 'pan' shack. I didn't see any women on the roads though. Either they are not allowed to come out or were too busy with the household chores.
However, I reached an empty red light crossing and was lucky to get an auto. I jumped into it and asked him to take me to VIP road near the Taj Mahal. After a joyride through crowded meandering streets, and an old market of hardware stores, I reached the eastern gate of the Taj Mahal. So I took another detour and somehow managed to reach my desired destination/hotel. Come evening and we decided to go on an eventful trip to the Taj Mahal. The route to the Taj was not very exciting as we navigated again through crowded and dirty streets, and to add to our irritation the tourist guides really kept pestering us on how important it is for us to go on a guided tour. The entrance to the Taj Mahal was packed to the hilt and after a series of misadventures; we finally stood facing the monumental Taj Mahal. The view was spectacular against the setting sun.
On our third day in Agra, we decided to survey the local market. Most of the people we asked suggested Sadar Bazar, so went to explore the market. We were a little disappointed, because we expected a small market, full of artifacts and I don't know, 'Mughalish'? Instead, Sadar Bazar turned out to be a full fledged retail market with showrooms of big brands such as Koutons etc. Nevertheless, we dug out a few great shops selling marble carvings, Mughal miniature paintings, embedded gem work in marbles, leather goods etc. We also sampled the 'Panchi Pethas', a famous sweet delicacy of Agra and 'Dalmoth' mixtures.
We befriended a very friendly auto driver on our way back from Sadar Bazar who took us to the U.P state leather factory located in a corner of the town. We found leather goods ranging from belts, wallets, shoes, sandals to jackets. We couldn't help thanking our stars for meeting this sweet old man, but later got to know that he gets some commission for taking tourists to the factory outlet!! Anyways, another place that deserves mention is the U.P state handloom store (govt. outlet) located right on Fatehabad road. One must visit this place to avoid getting duped by the local artifact sellers. The handloom store houses marble work, silk sarees and kurtis made by the inmates of the Tihar jail, pashmina shawls etc.
Worn out, we retired for the night for we had to catch a train back to Delhi early next morning.
About the author
Jayita Ekka is a self proclaimed foodie. While travelling she scours recipes that she tries at home. She also likes reading and classic rock music.
This was my first official trip to Agra or for that matter anywhere and my second trip to Agra after a classic 14 years! Having gone there as a child, I din't have a prominent recollection of the city but yes, the Taj Mahal was distinctly imprinted in my memory and my visit there only glorified it.
est bus stand and take an auto from there. So I hailed one and started on my detour journey. We crossed vast stretches of agricultural land lying barren, and just as I was just about to revel in free space, I got a whiff of cow dung lined out on the road. As we turned round the corner, I realized that we had entered into a colony inhabited by the lower Muslim community. The place had a charm of its own...old women and men were guarding the loitering children and goats sitting on a charpoy smoking tobacco, while some men were playing cards in front of a 'pan' shack. I didn't see any women on the roads though. Either they are not allowed to come out or were too busy with the household chores.
