Sunday, January 21, 2007

Fatehpuri SikriAnother day of sightseeing in Agra as my train back to Delhi wasn’t leaving until 8:30pm. First to Fatehpuri Sikri, which was the capital of the Mughal empire in the 16^th century. It consists of red sandstone palaces, pavilions, and various other types of other structures. The intricacy and design of the stone carving is phenomenal. The tenaciousness of the guides and those who Fatehpuri Sikriprofessed not to be guides (“I work for the mosque”) is also phenomenal. A ghost town like this really requires peace and quiet to appreciate it; I couldn’t imagine anything worse than having a guide talking at me and deciding what I should see and when.

There were two dogs at Fatehpuri Sikri, a brown male and a white female, who had recently had puppies. I gave the male some cookies and he became my guide for a while, following me around. But he didn’t try to spout made-up histories about the buildings, so his company wasn’t unwanted.

Mom and puppiesLater I saw the puppies I suspected existed in the garden with the gardener. Eventually the mother came running over to see who was photographing her puppies.

Nearby is the Jama Masjid, a still-used mosque. In the center is a tomb with curving brackets and latticework screens.

Unofficial guideAlong the road on the way back from Fatehpuri Sikri, which is about a 45-minute drive, I saw a dead donkey or pony as well as dead dogs. Sad.

In the afternoon I visited Agra Fort, by far the most peaceful (in spite of the crowds) monument in Agra I had been to so far.
Three dogs lie in wait for family to finish their picnicThere were plenty of benches where I could sit and write while listening to the parrots chirping away in the trees. There were 3 scrawny dogs scavenging for food, but all too fearful to approach me when I offered a cookie.

Wacky bracketsFrom the terrace overlooking the Yamuna River, you could see the Taj Mahal off in the distance. There were some wild ornamental brackets in a few of the structures. I hung out there for several hours before heading to the train station to wait for several more hours.