A Weekend Trip To Agra
A few months ago I decided to change the way I spend my weekends and follow the secret of successful people. I found 9 things that the successful people do on their weekends and decided that I will incorporate as much as I can from these 9 tips. One of the tips was to travel and explore. I have always loved traveling to new places but that used to be once in a year and sometimes twice. The rest of the times my weekends were just boring and lazy. So finally I decided that other than the long yearly vacation I will also work taking the small breaks every month and explore the little places in and around my city.
So for the first month, I decided to choose the most famous monument in the world. Millions of people come to visit this monument from all over the world which is just about a journey of 3 hours from my home, but for some reason, I had never been there. So visiting the Taj Mahal was long overdue.
We left Delhi by a morning train and reached Agra by 10 in the morning. As we had already booked a hotel online and requested an early check-in we were all set in an hour to see the Taj Mahal - one of the seven wonders of the world. But there was something else that we had to do and that was breakfast. One of the locals had suggested a breakfast point to us which served quite a different kind of pudi-sabji, popularly known as Bedai Kachori along with potato curry. This place was near the famous St. John College in Agra. My personal opinion - don't miss this breakfast. It may taste a little spicy to some ( it did to me ) but this is a unique item and you must try this. There are no seating arrangements available here. There are no seating arrangements, you have to stand outside the shop and eat.
After breakfast, we were on our way to the Taj Mahal. Though the Taj Mahal holds quite a few secrets and the construction of it is still quite debatable, in popular belief, this is a symbol of love which was constructed on orders of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Begum Mumtaz Mahal. Taj Mahal is perceived as a symbol of love by the world and is counted in the Seven Wonders of the world. Visiting it at the time of Taj Mahotsav is the best. Taj Mahotsav is an annual ten-day festival that takes place in Agra. The festival showcases an outstanding variety of art and craft, dance and cuisines of artisans from different regions of India.
The second on my list was the Agra Fort. It was the main residence and base of operations for the Mughal rulers till 1628. Inside the Agra Fort are Jahangir's Hauz, Diwan-e -aam, Diwan-e Khas, Angoori bagh, Shish Mahal and a lot of other visiting sites. Akbar's Harem which was popularised by the movie and tv series on Jodha Akbar is in ruins though. Shish Mahal is mostly closed for repairs. You will be lucky if you find it open and can visit.
As we had crossed lunchtime already we decided to grab a bite first. We had heard of this Cafe in Agra which was run by acid attack survivors name Sheroes Hangout. This is an amazing place with so much energy and inspiration. The food was good too.
As we had been up quite early in the morning we were quite exhausted by the time we had finished our food. It was already so late that we did not bother to have a proper dinner and just went back to the hotel.
The next day we got up at 6 a.m and were ready for a nature walk. Taj Nature Walk opens a 7 a.m. and the best time to visit is as early as you can. It had lush green lands, picturesque view of the Taj Mahal, peacocks, parrots, and many other birds. The terrains have ups and downs which gives a little climbing feels.
After having a good breakfast+lunch and checking out from our hotel, next on my list was Akbar's Tomb. The tomb of the Mughal emperor Akbar was built by his son Jahangir. This is another place that comes under must-visit places in Agra. It has gardens with deers and beware, also monkeys. It's a nice place to spend some time in good weather. It is located in Sikandra on Mathura road.
The Tomb of Mariam -Uz- Zamani is not far away from that of her husband. Located around a kilometer away from Akbar's tomb, the Mariam Tomb is an underrated and Undermaintained monument. Mariam-Uz-Zamani was a Rajput princess of Amer married to Akbar. She was the mother of Jahangir the next Mughal Ruler. She was a person of high importance in the time of Jahangir's Reign.
By the time we had visited both these places, we were not left with much time to both eat and visit the Bachcha Taj so we decided that it is eating that is our priority and left Bachcha Taj for our next visit to the city. The target was not to cover all the places but to enjoy ourselves as much as we can.
We went to the Chaat Gali in Sadar bazaar. This place was just amazing. So we had golgappas, bhel, papdi chaat and also ice golas. From there we had to get back to the station and catch our train back to Delhi.
A weekend well spent and I realized how amazing it felt for the whole week. This little vacation filled me with energy and helped me move through the whole week and was so much better than just binge-watching-and-eating-pizza weekend. So I have decided to spend at least one weekend of my month exploring a new place whether in my city or outside.
So for the first month, I decided to choose the most famous monument in the world. Millions of people come to visit this monument from all over the world which is just about a journey of 3 hours from my home, but for some reason, I had never been there. So visiting the Taj Mahal was long overdue.
We left Delhi by a morning train and reached Agra by 10 in the morning. As we had already booked a hotel online and requested an early check-in we were all set in an hour to see the Taj Mahal - one of the seven wonders of the world. But there was something else that we had to do and that was breakfast. One of the locals had suggested a breakfast point to us which served quite a different kind of pudi-sabji, popularly known as Bedai Kachori along with potato curry. This place was near the famous St. John College in Agra. My personal opinion - don't miss this breakfast. It may taste a little spicy to some ( it did to me ) but this is a unique item and you must try this. There are no seating arrangements available here. There are no seating arrangements, you have to stand outside the shop and eat.
After breakfast, we were on our way to the Taj Mahal. Though the Taj Mahal holds quite a few secrets and the construction of it is still quite debatable, in popular belief, this is a symbol of love which was constructed on orders of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Begum Mumtaz Mahal. Taj Mahal is perceived as a symbol of love by the world and is counted in the Seven Wonders of the world. Visiting it at the time of Taj Mahotsav is the best. Taj Mahotsav is an annual ten-day festival that takes place in Agra. The festival showcases an outstanding variety of art and craft, dance and cuisines of artisans from different regions of India.
The second on my list was the Agra Fort. It was the main residence and base of operations for the Mughal rulers till 1628. Inside the Agra Fort are Jahangir's Hauz, Diwan-e -aam, Diwan-e Khas, Angoori bagh, Shish Mahal and a lot of other visiting sites. Akbar's Harem which was popularised by the movie and tv series on Jodha Akbar is in ruins though. Shish Mahal is mostly closed for repairs. You will be lucky if you find it open and can visit.
As we had crossed lunchtime already we decided to grab a bite first. We had heard of this Cafe in Agra which was run by acid attack survivors name Sheroes Hangout. This is an amazing place with so much energy and inspiration. The food was good too.
As we had been up quite early in the morning we were quite exhausted by the time we had finished our food. It was already so late that we did not bother to have a proper dinner and just went back to the hotel.
The next day we got up at 6 a.m and were ready for a nature walk. Taj Nature Walk opens a 7 a.m. and the best time to visit is as early as you can. It had lush green lands, picturesque view of the Taj Mahal, peacocks, parrots, and many other birds. The terrains have ups and downs which gives a little climbing feels.
After having a good breakfast+lunch and checking out from our hotel, next on my list was Akbar's Tomb. The tomb of the Mughal emperor Akbar was built by his son Jahangir. This is another place that comes under must-visit places in Agra. It has gardens with deers and beware, also monkeys. It's a nice place to spend some time in good weather. It is located in Sikandra on Mathura road.
The Tomb of Mariam -Uz- Zamani is not far away from that of her husband. Located around a kilometer away from Akbar's tomb, the Mariam Tomb is an underrated and Undermaintained monument. Mariam-Uz-Zamani was a Rajput princess of Amer married to Akbar. She was the mother of Jahangir the next Mughal Ruler. She was a person of high importance in the time of Jahangir's Reign.
By the time we had visited both these places, we were not left with much time to both eat and visit the Bachcha Taj so we decided that it is eating that is our priority and left Bachcha Taj for our next visit to the city. The target was not to cover all the places but to enjoy ourselves as much as we can.
We went to the Chaat Gali in Sadar bazaar. This place was just amazing. So we had golgappas, bhel, papdi chaat and also ice golas. From there we had to get back to the station and catch our train back to Delhi.
A weekend well spent and I realized how amazing it felt for the whole week. This little vacation filled me with energy and helped me move through the whole week and was so much better than just binge-watching-and-eating-pizza weekend. So I have decided to spend at least one weekend of my month exploring a new place whether in my city or outside.
What an awesome visit it must have been. I am so glad you went to Sheree’s Cafe. I have never been to Agra but have a heard a lot about Sheroes Cafe.
ReplyDeleteI loved both the Taj and the Red Fort when I went, absolutely amazing monuments. But would have loved to go to Akbar's Tomb too.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! You have me wanting to go to Agra even more than before! xx
ReplyDelete