Day 5!

We started the day with breakfast before heading to our coach to travel to Agra, the land of marble, textiles, Mughals and of course, the Taj Mahal.

There was a quick pit stop to take photos of some camels who had dressed up for the occasion then in no time we had arrived for lunch. The food was great, but the noodles were by far the best part!

Once done we drove just down the road, and took a quick shuttle up the hill, we arrived at Fatehpur Sikri (City of Victory), a historic city built by Emperor Akbar in 1569. It is often referred to as a called a ‘ghost town’ because it was abruptly abandoned by the Emperor within a few years of being built as his capital. This was mainly due to a shortage of water in the area, forcing the court to relocate to Agra by 1585 and leaving the city empty.

This has been my absolute favourite place to visit so far, and with large palaces built for each of the Emperor’s favourite wives within the walls, there is no end of things to see!

From the moment I walked through the entry gates I could vividly picture the royal life that would have been a daily occurrence at this stunning location. With everything made of the most rich red sandstone and some beautiful gardens, I could have more than happily spent days exploring this fascinating place!

There is even a life sized Pachisi Court (a game similar to ludo or chess) which the Emperor was believed to have played with ladies instead of pieces. As they moved around the board they would dance and sing to keep him entertained! 

The history of the place is so fascinating and this is definitely a location that I am excited to learn more about.

Finally we checked in to our hotel and enjoyed champagne on the roof terrace with views overlooking the Taj Mahal. I couldn’t ask for more than this!

Tomorrow will be the anticipated visit to the Taj Mahal and I can’t wait!

Laura xx