Read Udaipur & Bharatpur details before this post ..After the Mehendi, we were off to Agra for the wedding on 22nd. The next morning was again foggy .. Our Tour guide suggested we visit Fathehpur enroute to Agra.

Trip to Fatehpur Sikri and Agra

We need to park the car and then take an auto Rickshaw to Fatehpur Sikri, Uttar Pradesh – Archaeological Survey of India

.. tip #1 Negotiate a ride .. to n fro costed us 60Rs. and after that too you need to walk 100 mtrs in absolute muck.

This was built by Akbar to honor sufi saint Salim Chisti and was the Mughal capital for a long time.. Right now it lies in a very pathetic condition. The surrounding areas are very smelly and dirty.. and the interiors too are hardly maintained. After visiting Udaipur, this was a shock to us.. We have to leave our footwear outside and we did so with great reluctance. The whole fort is littered with bird poo.. and I kept getting distracted with that more than the magnificent monument. tip #2 – Wear socks inside – n then once u are out ..chuck them !

There is the Bulund Darwaza , Diwan e khas, Diwan E Aam, and the Tomb itself..

You can buy beautiful carved stone artifacts inside .. I picked up this tea light holder for myself. Tip #3 – Negotiate – start with 50%

We had lunch at the Taj Mahal hotel and then checked in to the fabulous Mansingh Palace

From there we went to see the Taj .. Agra was chilly and the fog just seemed relentless.. We went by Electric jeep upto the main gate .. the Taj is a beautiful place and it was fitting that we got to spend some time here as a 6th anniversary celebration.. We were late for the marriage and hurried out .. longingly looking at all the taj memorabilia being sold there Tip #3 – Keep some time to check the shops around the gate. You find lovely macrana work products and tiny tajmahals to carry back home with you.

and then it was time for K’s marriage…The arrangements were really grand and I got to witness my first north Indian wedding.. My god what a lavish setting.. and my friend K looked gorgeous.. Don’t u think so? I have intentionally left out pics which show her face clearly..

The marriage rituals ended at 4 AM.. .. n next day we started for Ranthambore. ..

Comments

Za faran says

December 4, 2011 at 7:55 am

Reading ‘Enchantress of Florence’ by Salman Rushdie now,so,I was quite happy to see your pictures. These neglected forts, once known for their grandeur,lie sadly neglected now. Yet, their majesty manages to awe us even today.
The bride looks great!

R's Mom says

December 4, 2011 at 11:13 am

wow! superb pictures

and yaa your friend looks gorgeous 🙂

RS says

December 5, 2011 at 5:33 am

Pictures of the Taj in fog are just Wow! And it IS a fit place for anniversary 🙂

And bride – sigh! She looks so beautiful…

Priya says

December 5, 2011 at 7:04 am

Lovely vacation you’ve had Shruti. Warmest anniversary wishes to you 🙂 The pics are lovely!!
I too was to go to a friend’s wedding in Rajasthan in mid Nov but things didnt fall in place..
Look forward to the tales of Ranthambore 🙂

Shama Nagarajan says

December 5, 2011 at 8:37 am

nice info dear…planning for our trip….thank u dear

Manasi says

December 5, 2011 at 11:22 am

Lovely pics, brought back memories from a trip to Agra I’d made with my parents and sister the year before I got married- coincidentally we were also going to attend a wedding, my brother in law’s wedding in Delhi and we made a quick trip to Agra as well. Your post made me go down nostalgia lane 🙂

Swaram says

December 5, 2011 at 7:03 pm

Oh she looks gorgeous indeed!:)
And thanks to the decor lover in u, we get to see how beautiful the hotel rooms are too 🙂

Patricia Torres says

December 19, 2011 at 4:25 am

Oh.. lovely.. lovely… The pics are simply stunning.. And the bride… *sigh*.. so lovely!!

Trip to Fatehpur Sikri and Agra

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