Travelling In India with your Mother

December is Mother Month for many expats.  The Christmas/New Year period combined with good weather provides an ideal opportunity for family members to visit.

My Mum arrived two days before Christmas and, after enjoying Christmas with the kids followed by Christmas lunch with about 50 expats and other visiting mothers at the Hyatt, we set off for Delhi and Agra.

Now Agra is a place that everyone should visit once and never go back.  The sights are amazing but the city itself is one of the worst in India.  Fortunately for me there was couple of sights that I didn't see in my last visit and I was determined to tick them off this time. I had one day of work in Delhi and in that time my Mum visited the Red Fort and the main mosque.

The following day we drove to Agra starting with Fatehpur Sikri which served as the Mughal Emperor Akber's capital from 1571 to 1585 before it was relocated due the need to Akber to be located closer to unstable regions in Afghanistan and the Deccan plateau. Who can build cities when there are wars to fight ? By the turn of the century a lack of water condemned the City to be abandon as an Imperial facility.

The 57 metre high gate, tallest in India

The same from behind

Village life goes on

The complex has an adjacent village and, although it relied almost exclusively on tourism, it ensured that Fatehpur Sikri did not feel disconnected with everyday life as is sometimes the case with significant historical sites.













The sandstone buildings are, as with all Mughal structures, spectacular, thoughtfully designed and full of religious significance.  I didn't get the chance to visit the full complex but I will if I am ever forced to go to Agra again.

Mughal's certainly had a sense for the dramatic

Much larger crowds than the last visit

While touring Fatehpur Sikiri we were advised by the Guide to visit the Taj that afternoon as the day had been clear which meant heavy fog tomorrow.  It was sage advice.  That afternoon we visited the Taj.  It was much busier than my previous visit and and you can never have too many photos of the Taj.

East Gate Entry makes India look clean and orderly

The following day we had a quick visit to the Agra Fort in the fog, theory being is is easier seeing a red sandstone fort in the fog than a white marble mausoleum. This logic proved to be sound.

Mum getting the hard sell on the value of an older guide

On the way to the Yamuna expressway I stopped off at the Baby Taj, the mausoleum for the main financial adviser of Shah Jahan who built the Taj.  It shows that high public service in the 15th century reaped high personal dividends in much the same way as modern India!

White buildings in the fog...... not so good

The gardens were beautiful and the inlaid marble was spectacular.  Shame about the fog.

On our way to the Airport in Delhi we stopped to visit the tomb Humayum's, father of Akber.

The workers gate, first time I had seen use of
grey quartzite

Noting the type of stone is the rock climber coming out

This was an early Mughul mausoleum and was the first use of significant marble in the dome and was a precursor to the Taj.  Construction started in 1565, took nine years and over 50 of the Mughal royal family are buried in the tomb.

The newly motivated subsidiary domed roof

The 30 acre garden organised as a quadrilateral in Persian style was quiet and contemplative with a complex fountain/irrigation system.
























This was a great escape from the hustle and bustle of Delhi which, at the time has a heavy presence due to protesters in the centre of the city who were protesting against the status of women in India. This was prompted by the gang rape and death of a local female medical student. It was a somber reminder of the challenges facing India and a contrast to the reminders of past glories which perhaps also locks India into outdated attitudes.