Agra Archives - Wanderwiles

The high-speed Gatimaan train from Agra to Delhi

Waiting on the Gatimaan Express at Agra Cantt train station

We wanted to make the trip from Agra to Delhi on our own, so I began researching Indian trains. Right away, the relatively new Gatimaan Express train caught my eye. The Gatimaan Express makes the trip from Agra to Delhi (and vice versa) once per day in each direction. The Gatimaan actually goes beyond Agra to Gwalior and Jhansi, but it seems largely geared towards people in Delhi wanting to see Agra and the Taj Mahal on a day trip. The Gatimaan leaves Delhi’s Hazrat Nizamuddin station at 8:10 am IST and returns from Agra in the evening at 5:50pm.

Whenever train travel is on my radar, The Man in Seat 61 is one of my first Internet go-to sites. As always, I found a wealth of information on the site. But, I also found some concerns. Stories of problems abounded: with the Indian Railways website, with using non-Indian addresses and credit cards, with fake security guards at the train stations, with luggage hijacked by porters, with train station taxi scams, and on and on. Oh, India.

I’m happy to report that I had no problems creating an account directly with Indian Railways or with buying our tickets online with an American credit card. The Man in Seat 61 had suggested an easier-to-use intermediary agency, but if my experience is any indication, Indian Railways has ironed out the kinks. I received our tickets promptly by email and was asked to take a screen shot of them and not to print out the tickets “unless extremely necessary.” I booked the highest class (Executive Class) because at 2990 INR ($41.93 US) for both of us, why not? Seats become available 120 days in advance and reservations are necessary. Popular routes do book up on the high-speed trains. I calendared the day tickets were to open and booked ASAP. This is one of those situations where planning makes things a lot easier and cheaper.

Despite warnings, we had no issues at Agra Cantt station. It’s a busy place, but it’s India so pretty much everywhere is busy. The train was on time and our car was comfortable if not luxurious. We were served a hot meal that was tasty and filling if not gourmet. The ride itself was smooth and uneventful. I enjoyed chatting with an extended family of Indians living overseas in France and Spain who’d returned to India to celebrate a major anniversary of the matriarch and patriarch of the clan.

Executive Class dinner on the Gatimaan Express from Agra to Delhi

At speeds of 99mph, travel on the Gatimaan Express from Agra to Delhi takes 1 hour 40 minutes and reaches Delhi’s Hazrat Nizamuddin station at 7:30pm, which means we arrived after dark. Thankfully, we heeded warnings and had a good grip on our luggage as the train pulled into the station. Sure enough, would-be porters streamed aboard, blocking passengers attempting to exit and trying to wrest our luggage away from us. It took some pretty harsh refusals to get them to accept rejection and get out of the way.

Our next challenge came in getting a ride to our hotel. I’d read many warnings about taxis in Delhi and a favorite scam whereby passengers are told the street on which their hotel sits is blocked for a festival so the driver will have to take them somewhere else. Basically, passengers have ended up getting “kidnapped” and either pay a hefty sum to be returned to their original destination or coerced into using the services of scam “travel agents” and different hotels. (The 20-something son of the lady seated behind me on the train had a friend who’d endured this particular scam as well.) My original plan had been to use a transfer service offered by the Gatimaan Express, but the link to that service on the Indian Railways site was broken and no one on the train had heard of it. My back up plan was Uber which had worked like a champ in Jaipur. No such luck in Delhi. In our three stops in Delhi, Uber never worked. The app would find a ride, say it was attempting to book it, then fail to do so. Great.

Eventually, we resigned ourselves to the taxi/tuk tuk gamble and braved the throng waiting at the front of the station. After some haggling, we were led to a taxi operated by a taciturn Sikh who delivered us to our hotel in Connaught Place with no hassle save for the perpetual Delhi traffic.

Note: Per the email I received with our tickets, ” E-Ticket can be cancelled online till preparation of charts (which is normally 4 to 6 hours before the scheduled departure of the train from the originating stations. (For trains starting up to 12 noon the chart preparation is usually done on the previous night)) OR 4 hours before the scheduled departure of boarding the train in case of confirmed ticket OR 30 minutes before the scheduled departure of boarding the train in case of RAC/WL whichever is earlier.”

Agra: Agra Fort and a homestay

Viewing the Taj Mahal from the Agra Fort

We arrived in bustling Agra in the afternoon after spending the first part of the day touring our way from Jaipur via Chand Baori and Fatehpur Sikri. Our driver threaded his way through the jumble of vehicles, pedestrians, cows and trash as we headed straight to Agra Fort. Hurrying to meet a waiting guide, we didn’t even have time to drop off our luggage.

A UNESCO World Heritage site, Agra Fort was the main residence of the emperors of the Mughal Dynasty until 1638, when the capital moved to Delhi. The semi-circular fort occupies 94 acres and sits behind 70′ walls on the Yamuna River. Part of the fort is occupied by active military so tourists only see a small portion of the huge complex. From the main tourist courtyard, we could see soldiers atop the wall separating us from the military area.

Agra fort is impressive with multiple royal residences, courtyards, massive gateways and public buildings, but for us, the highlight was our surprise first glimspe of the Taj Mahal 2.5km away. What a moment! (The ladies in the top photo above are enjoying the same view.)

Probably the most beautiful portion of Agra Fort is the Musamman Burj, the elaborate marble apartments of Shah Jahan, builder of the Taj Mahal. Shah Jahan spent the last years of his life under house arrest here, held prisoner by his son, Aurangzeb. The story goes that his son imprisoned him to prevent him from bankrupting the country by building a proposed black marble twin to the Taj Mahal as a burial place for himself. According to legend, Shah Jahan envisioned his black tomb sitting across from the white tomb of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Shah Jahan lay on his death bed in the Musamman Burj gazing at the Taj Mahal.

After leaving Agra Fort, our driver drove us the short distance to Coral Court Homestay, our lodging for the next two nights. I’d read great things about this homestay, liked the idea of a family-owned homestay, and the location was ideal, within walking distance to the Taj Mahal.

The first turn onto the Coral Court’s street was less than encouraging: a dirt road, free roaming livestock. Our guide and driver seemed a little concerned when we pulled up to the locked gate. This turned out to be “Coral House Homestay,” belonging to a relative of our host, but not affiliated. The owner sent us a few doors down to Coral Court Homestay. Our guide went in and came back, much more satisfied, with someone to help with our luggage.

Despite the dirt road and cow, the Coral Court Homestay street and neighborhood turned out to be fine. (And it’s a short walk to the paved road and wide sidewalks leading to the Taj Mahal entrance.)

We were shown to a cheerful, turquoise-walled waiting area and offered refreshment while we filled out the necessary paperwork. Then, we were led through the dining room and upstairs to our room. We ended up really enjoying Coral Court Homestay. The delicious vegetarian food was made in the kitchen adjoining the dining room and served at communal tables. We made friends at dinner with two Frenchwomen from Asnières-sur-Seine and laughed when we found out we’d all stayed at the same wonderful hotel in Jaipur. (I blogged about Pearl Palace Heritage Hotel earlier and really recommend it for both amazing design and great value.) The rooms (we tried two due to availability issues when I booked) were comfortable and spotless. The walk from Coral Court Homestay to the Taj Mahal was easy and down a wide, limited-access road that kept the usual throngs of hangers-on blissfully at bay. There are several restaurants and shops along the way, too. We enjoyed good, reasonably-priced Thali lunches at two of them.

The rooftop area at Coral Court Homestay really made it for us, and we even ended up skipping a final wander before catching our evening train to Delhi, preferring to lounge on the roof and watch nearby neighborhood life. One evening, David hammed it up with kids playing in a courtyard below, one boy flexing his muscles and waiting for David to copy him before laughing and striking a new pose for David to mimic. Another group of older boys and young men were occupied shoeing large flocks of pigeons attempting to roost inside open buildings. The white domes of the Taj Mahal gleamed in the golden sunset.

Rooftop view from Coral Court Homestay in Agra

It’s funny, I’d expected to like Jaipur more than Agra, to find the former more elegant and the latter more rough-and-tumble, but I came away really liking Agra and actually preferring our time there. I’m sure a lot had to do with Coral Court Homestay and its neighborhood.

Practical info:

Agra Fort is open sunrise to sunset. The entry fee is 550INR/adult ($7.67). We found our guide to be informative and useful, but a guide isn’t necessary, especially with a guidebook, info on cell phone, etc.

At Coral Court Homestay, we paid 4718.82INR ($65.83 US) for a “King Suite” and 2799.10INR ($39.05 US)for a “Deluxe Double Room.” Both prices include goods and services tax. I booked using Booking.com through Topcashback for a rebate. (I get extra cashback if you use this link and you can get $10. As of today, I’ve gotten $833.40 from Topcashback on hotels and purchases I would have made anyway. I’ve got more ready to claim and more beyond that pending confirmation. It’s an easy and fun way to save a little cash.)

Agra: the Taj Mahal at last!

Admiring the Taj Mahal from the shade of the southern portico

Our guide from the previous day’s visit to Agra Fort met us at Coral Court Homestay to walk with us to the nearby entrance to the Taj Mahal. Visiting the Taj was a highlight of this 3-month travel extravaganza, but I worried a little that the iconic landmark would be a let down after the countless images I’d seen over my lifetime. I needn’t have worried. The Taj Mahal was spectacular and we loved every minute of our leisurely visit on a gorgeous day.

View of the huge gateway leading to the Taj from the grassy courtyard just inside the main entrance gate

We opted to skip sunrise at the Taj, something that’s touted a lot, but which sounded to me like a gimmick…and I just plain didn’t want to get up that early. Besides, we’d put off our visit to the Taj until this year so that we’d see it just after the major cleaning that had its domes covered in purifying mud for much of 2018. I had no particular desire to see it turned pinkish by the rising sun. I wanted to see its freshly-restored gleaming white. The choice turned out to be a good one. We chatted with fellow guests at Coral Court Homestay who got up for a sunrise visit and said they were disappointed to find the entrance queue long and the Taj Mahal grounds crowded. They said it was pretty, though. We arrived around 10am to find only a short line and sparse crowds. And the Taj a brilliant white in the sunshine. The April weather was ideal, too: warm in the sun, cool in the shade. Fantastic!

Just beyond the gateway shown in the previous photo

Our guide, paid for and included in the Jaipur to Agra drive and touring we’d hired from Pushpendra (see my earlier post), had tried to talk us out of using his services at the Taj. We’d arrived too late from Jaipur the day before and had only been able to tour Agra Fort, having to put off the Taj Mahal for today. Despite the guide’s obvious reluctance (Why work another day when he could pocket the pay and do nothing?), he turned up to walk us to the Taj then provided cheerful and informative service. He delighted in posing us for what seemed like dozens of touristy photos and tended to speed along when I wanted to just stop and gape and take my own photos. We were glad we insisted on using him, but also happy to send him on his way after we toured inside the mausoleum so we could just stroll and sit and admire the incredible beauty around us.

We mounted stairs to the vast raised plaza where the Taj Mahal mausoleum sits, flanked by two mosques (one in use and the other primarily for symmetry and show). Separate tickets were required to enter the mausoleum and we joined a short line to file through. Photographs weren’t allowed inside the mausoleum where two replica cenotaphs sit in an ornate upper room of intricately carved marble and semi-precious stones. The real sarcophagi are in a lower room at garden level.

Back outside, we explored the wide terrace with its view of the river below and park across the way. Large flocks of black kites, eagle-like birds of prey, swirled and glided around the towers and central dome of the Taj. Indian tourists in an array of colorful regional clothes added to the overwhelming beauty of the place.

Black kites (birds of prey) circling a Taj Mahal minaret

Colorful locals near one of the identical mosques that flanks the Taj Mahal

View from a mosque flanking the Taj Mahal

After a quick visit to the mosque, we bid good-bye to our guide and set out to explore the square gardens with their central fountain and a small museum on the west side of the complex. We ended up strolling a long red stone portico that joined with the grand entrance at the south end of the gardens. Exhibits depicting historic and architectural sites around India lined the portico. We enjoyed browsing the exhibits, then gave over to the ultimate pleasure of the place: just sitting in the shade admiring the Taj Majal.

Red stone portico connecting to the grand gateway leading to the Taj Mahal. The *exhibits depict architectural and historical sites around India*.

Practical info:

Taj Mahal tickets are available at both the Western Gate and the Eastern Gate (where we entered) from one hour before Sunrise up to 45 Minutes before Sunset. Tickets are 1100INR ($15.34 US) for foreigners plus another 200INR ($2.79) to enter the mausoleum. There’s a 50INR (70¢ US) discount on the general ticket for buying online. We found the guide informative and helpful, but not a necessity. Allow plenty of time just to bask in the beauty. The Taj Mahal is not the place to rush.

En route from Jaipur to Agra: Chand Baori and Fatehpur Sikri

We opted to hire a driver to take us from Jaipur to Agra, splurging a bit for an SUV so David could stretch his legs. I wanted to make two stops en route: Chand Baori, an ancient step well and Fatehpur Sikri, a town founded as the capital of Mughal Empire in 1571 by Emperor Akbar and later completely abandoned in 1610.

Chand Baori is located in a small village a short distance off Hwy 21 that connects Jaipur and Agra. We’d heard mixed accounts of the road in India, but this stretch of Hwy 21 is modern, wide and in excellent shape. The road out to the village of Abhaneri where the step well is located is good, too. Our driver dropped us off just at the entrance of Chand Baori, parking to wait for us at a market set up across the street. Surprised to find free entrance, we ignored the many guides hawking their services and entered to stroll around the 100 ft. deep well, admiring its 13 story depth and 3500 steps. Architectural stone artifacts lined porticos around the well. The oldest parts of the well date to the 8th century, but upper parts date back to the Mughal period in the 18th century. Chand Baori has appeared in several movies, including the The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

The turn-off to Abhaneri and Chand Baori is only about a third of the distance between Jaipur and Agra, so we settled back in to continue our journey. Our driver stopped at a large, mostly empty, but tourist-oriented spot for lunch and a bathroom break before heading on to the main attraction before Agra: Fatehpur Sikri.

Fatehpur Sikri is not far from Agra, maybe 5/6 of the distance we traveled from Jaipur and just off Hwy 21. There’s a lot to see here and we could have spent a lot more time, but I was focused on the red stone palace complex where Emperor Akbar built three palaces which legend claims to have been for each of his three favorite wives, one Hindu, one Muslim and one Christian. Architecture in the palace complex is an intriguing mix of the three cultures.

The minute we pulled into the parking lot, we were approached by tuk tuk drivers wanting to take us to the palace complex which is not within walking distance from the parking lot. I’d read that there was a cheap shuttle bus and didn’t like the idea of putting ourselves in the hands and vehicle of a stranger, so we declined and made our way along a wide sidewalk past several booths selling souvenirs to a parking lot with buses. We found the shuttle which was about to leave. We boarded with a crowd of tourists, asking about a ticket, but being waved on. We descended in a similar melee and were once again waved on by what appeared to be the guide for a tour group. Since no one would sell us a ticket, we got a free ride to the nearby palace. We weren’t going to raise a fuss over that so moved on to buy an entrance ticket to the palace complex.

We entered into a vast paved courtyard, a kingfisher bird perched on the wall making an iconic adornment to the elegant buildings. Again, we were approached by would-be guides, but plaques in English offered ample explanation for us, so we declined. The first building we came to was the Diwan-i-Khas or Hall of Private Audience, a square building with a famous octagonal central pillar carved with bands of geometric and floral designs. It supports a circular platform for Emperor Akbar, which is connected to each corner of the building on the first floor, by four stone walkways. Here the emperor listened to representatives of different religions discuss their faiths and gave private audience.

Carved central pillar in the Hall of Private Audience at Fatehpur Sikri

We wandered the complex exploring palaces and treasury buildings, pools and courtyards. We could only see a portion of the hilltop complex in the time we had, but we saw a lot and enjoyed the visit. With Agra and a visit to the Agra Fort yet ahead, we decided to head back to our driver. Things didn’t go as smoothly on the way back and we waited 15 minutes or so for the next shuttle bus back to the parking area. We had to pay this time, too, but the price was negligible.

Practical info:

Chand Baori was free when we went there, but I have read that the Indian government plans to start charging a 200INF ($2.80 US) entry fee for foreigners.

Entrance to Fatehpur Sikri is 550INR ($7.70 US) for foreigners. It is open sunrise to sunset. The shuttle bus from the parking lot is 10INR (14¢ US). The ride is 5 minutes or less. You could walk, but it’s a fair distance, uphill and hot. Take or buy water.

The driver I hired was supposed to be “Pushpendra” with Jaipertraveling.com, highly recommended on Tripadvisor. It turned out that he sent another driver. I booked well in advance and Pushpendra was very accommodating when PayPal would not let me pay a requested deposit in rupees. He took my reservation on faith, letting me pay on arrival. While that was good, communication was lacking when we got to Jaipur and I had some concerns although our driver showed up as promised. Also, there was some confusion as a guide was promised, but that turned out to be a guide we would meet in Agra for the Agra Fort and the Taj Mahal. Our driver spoke virtually no English which caused some confusion about the day’s plans and we had no guide for either Chand Baori or Fatehpur Sikri although that turned out to be no big deal at either place. The SUV and driver were not cheap by Indian standards at 8000INR ($112 US), but the driver was good and the vehicle new, spacious and immaculate. The non-stop drive alone is 4h30 and our driver waited patiently for us at three long stops, then had to drive back to Jaipur. Also, this included fuel and the guide in Agra, who ended up coming back the next day to take us to the Taj. Pushpendra later apologized for the communication gaps, and in the end, all was very satisfactory.