Agra Fort
Agra,[1] Monday morning 8 o’clock, Laurie’s hotel.
As we don’t breakfast till 8:30 & this is special (9 is the appointed hour) but we are going out early for a drive & want to set out at 9, & see what was omitted yesterday, & we leave at 2:30 p.m. for Cawnpore[2] due there 11:46 p.m., well I take the advantage of the few minutes to yesterday’s [sic] sight seeing, Sunday tho’ it was, but!! We breakfasted at 8:30, set out at 9 for the fort, & here we could have spent a day. So much to see & interest. The old Palace of the Kings & such magnificent marble halls, all beautifully inlaid with precious stones & golden scrolls of the most lovely designs. Beautiful gardens also around which are the zenana courts. The whole place is a marvel of splendour & as I said to one of the soldiers, “you seem to dwell in marble halls” & he replied “Yes Sir”. The song “I Dreamt I Dwelt in Marble Halls” every now & again came into my mind for every one of these old palaces contain marble halls. The walls surrounding the fort are in good preservation & the gateway a stupendous work, & even within the main entrance there are gateways to pass through, & even some parts of the walls are doubled, this near the gateways. The view from the fort across the river is fine but a plain, the water bed of the great river is broad & only 1/3 filled at present, & the water very muddy. Hundreds of natives all day long washing clothes in the river & doing their ablutions.[3] Also, they stand in the water & beat the clothes on large stones, no scrubbing or soaking, but dashing the very substance out of the garments, [2:39] & this so far has been the universal custom on the journeys wherever water was to be seen. Even in vile pools there were the natives at their washings. They seem to have a change of cloth, the one to relieve the other, & others washed all they had & waited for it to dry. None of them have much & many carries [sic] all with them, & this a kind of old mat or[4] which forms their bedding, & they sleep any & every where. We visited many very lovely tombs, especially one at Sekandra where Akbar,[5] the last ruler, lies, & the beautiful marble work in these tombs is almost beyond my power to describe, & so much of it. Size & splendour seems to have been a passion, & these will endure for ages. Every item of the marble is perfect, whereas in some of the gorgeous palaces the gold, diamonds, & other precious stones has been removed by invaders & our government during the Mutiny, but in most of them our government has restored just a section to shew what they originally was [sic]. This, like Delhi, is a place of tombs.[6] The wealth represented can’t be figured. Then the “Taj Mahal”, wonder of wonders. You pause as you first behold it. Its splendour & solidity, all marble inlaid & scrolled, is a great sight & will always be printed on my mind. We went there at 12 & the full blaze of sun upon it with a sky such as we never see at home, but a glorious vision of it. I thought it was not an inappropriate day to look upon such a structure containing the tombs of the dead. I got a few views & hope they will prove true. Lovely gardens & quite a show place & we visited it again at 6, just as the softening of the setting sun fell on its side (all 4 sides are alike), & the beauty was indescribable. Then many resident Europeans were there, a resort evidently for society.
[2:40]
Monday 3:15 p.m. at a railway junction named Timla, where we await the main line train for Cawnpore.[7]
Well, to finish about Agra, during the afternoon we drove out to Sikundra,[8] 5 miles from the city, where there is a very grand tomb & in it lies the body of Akbar. The architecture & splendour is very similar to others we’ve seen, but what impresses me is the value these rulers have put upon the sacredness of their last resting places. We also visited a carpet weaving factory,[9] all done by children, no machinery, & the work & designs most lovely. They are costly, up to 25/- per yard. Also, we visited marble works & saw the natives doing the beautiful inlaid work, also embroidery making shops & this work was very interesting. Then we drove through the city for 3 hours this morning, viewing here & there, & returned to hotel for tiffin & came away for the train.
The country is very similar to what I’ve already described. It is very hot today & I expect as we get Calcutta-wards it will be very hot.
I purpose posting this portion of diary at Benares to catch the mail from Bombay at end of week. I’ve run short of films & used the last I have with me for Agra yesterday, however I’ve more in my portmanteau that I sent on to Calcutta from Bombay. I bought a few photos at Agra this morning & may get more developed at Calcutta & send home from there.
[2:41]
[1] Inserted on facing page: “Taj Mahal built by the Emperor Shah Jehan for himself & favourite wife to be entombed in. 20,000 men were employed incessantly on the building of the Taj Mahal for 22 years.
Agra Fort, marble mosque (Pearl Mosque), moti mosque.
Tomb of John Russell Colom, died in the fort Sep 9/1857, Lt. Governor of NW Province of India.”
[2] Also known as Kanpur. Site of a brutal massacre of British citizens in 1857 during the Mutiny.
[3] Washing themselves
[4] Illegible word here.
[5] Most likely the Mughal Emperor Akbar I.
[6] Inserted on facing page: “Agra tombs & wealth”.
[7] Inserted on facing page: “Timla junction for Cawnpore”.
[8] Inserted on facing page: “Sikundra”.
[9] Inserted on facing page: “Carpets”.