The splendour of the Mughals

Today we got caught in the Sunday traffic and had to give way to a herd of water buffaloes. The leader pushed his/her way in front of our car; previously we had given way to no vehicles,  even if it meant driving on the wrong side of the road. Our destination was Fatehpur Sikri, the city built by Akbar, the grandfather of the famous Shah Jahan. I had seen a sloppy film about Akbar wooing his Hindu bride, played by the beautiful Aishwarya Rai. I cannot remember who played Akbar but he was equally good looking and perhaps taller than the 5ft 3 inches of the real Akbar. The film did not say that  Jodha was one of three wives (a Christian and a Muslim also) and about 300 concubines. Of course, he loved her the most and she did produce a son for him. I may be coloured by the fictional film, but I cannot help feel that she must have been lonely in her vast set of rooms in a strange culture.

Akbar's mausoleum lies at Sikandra and it is equally spectacular. Of course he built it himself as I presume he could not be sure if his son would build him something quite so lavish. His tomb is simple white marble but it is housed in a beautiful Mughal palace. I want a disposable cardboard box.

Akbar's heavenly home 

The is a wonderful festival taking place in Agra at the moment called Taj Mahotsav. It is a. Else ration of culture, cuisine and crafts from all over India. It is noise and colour and smells and we dined there for about $8. Young boys run around finding you spaces at tables and conjure up chairs