I'd heard before I went to see the fort
and the Taj that once Shah Jahan (builder of the Taj) lost power to
his son, his son was kind enough to let him live in a cell in the
fort with a single window facing the Taj. Turns out that wasn't
exactly right (the guys at work still argue it). Shah Jahan got to
live out his remaining years here. It wasn't a cell and it
wasn't a single window. It was this beautiful veranda called
Muasamman
Burj.
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Yes it had a view of the Taj Mahal (in the
distance)
. Every
Thursday Shah Jahan was allowed to leave and visit the Taj. There he
stayed the night, worshipped at the mosque on Friday (Muslim holy
day), then came home. He traveled by boat via the river. The
original moat used to connect to the river by a gate. A road now
runs through the spot and the connection to the river is
gone.
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Semiprecious stone
inlays at the
fort.
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More
inlays.
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This
was the aquarium. Before it was grass, it was actually full of water
and colorful fish. Again they had the ability to put canopies over
it for
shade.
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Besides the cool
parrot, you'll also notice the copper rings. These were located
throught on various walls. Ther purpose was to hold tapestries
adding to an already beautiful
setting.
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Here's a close up of some inlays falling
apart. The
fort hasn't gotten nearly the same respect the Taj has, so people
have tried stealing the inlays. You can see where the marble
was carved out for the stem of the flower. You can also see
where two other flowers have been completely removed and replaced
with plaster.
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This is a shot of the eyelets around
the aquarium used to hold the poles for the
canopies.
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This is the courtyard where the king addressed
the public. Maybe not the everyday public, but dignitaries and
leaders from all over could come and stay in this courtyard while
waiting to meet with the king. The area in the middle with all the
columns was where the king actually made himself present. Opposite
this area was a really cool well. I didn't quite understand what the
guide was saying and should have asked him to clarify, but it was a
huge hole in the ground that would fill up with water (duh, like a
well). In times when the water was low, they actually had access to
the bottom, where they could go down and fill buckets to bring up.
At least that's what I thought I understood. It was really cool, but
pictures would not have done it justice. It reminded me of the well
King Leonidas in 300
kicked the dignitaries
into.
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Inside and at the back of the above pavilion
was where the king would "hold court". It was a raised and recessed
platfom decorated with semiprecious stone
inlays.
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