Agra Fort and palace was the seat of power for four generations of Mughal emperors. They ruled northern India from early in the sixteenth century until the early 1800’s when the British ruled. The shah and his harem lived here.
Then we visited the Marble Art Palace. Here we saw artists chiseling intricate designs on round slabs of marble. Some were cutting gemstones that would fit into the chiseled designs. This technique was used on the walls of the Taj Mahal, and the process is becoming a lost art.
After the demonstration, we went into the showroom where we we could see various sizes and shapes of marble products all over the room. We were very impressed and made a purchase.
Some of us went to Sheros’ Hangout, a small cafe run by victims of acid attacks. We saw a short film about the women who had been victims of acid attacks. We could order food and talk with some of the victims. The experience was heart wrenching.
On the way back to the hotel we stopped at a large store that could be called an Indian equivalent of Walmart. When walking there we stopped at a pharmacy and passed numerous fruit and vegetable vendors. A couple of cows were lying in the parking lot surrounded by motorcycles.
Later we went to our Ranvir’s room to sample some Indian rum. Then we had dinner in a hotel hotel dining room.