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India
Assignment 3
Travel to Agra and visit the Taj Mahal
Before you continue your journey to Orissa, you have time to visit the city of Agra, home of
the Taj Mahal, one of the world’s most famous buildings.
Find out how to get to the Taj Mahal by phoning New Delhi Railway Station. Rehearse the
conversation with a friend until you remember it.
Telephone call:
– New Delhi Railway Station. Good morning.
– Good morning, can you please tell me when the train for Agra leaves?
– Let’s see. There are several departures to Agra every day. There is the A.P. Express departing New Delhi at 05.45
– How long is the journey and how much does it cost?
– This train is direct and fast, it takes 2 hours and 50 minutes. Including the reservation
fee, the cost for a one-way ticket is 520 Rs.
The journey to Agra
It’s time to leave New Delhi and travel to Agra. You will take the express train, the A.P. Express, which leaves New Delhi Railway Station at 05.45.
Find your way to the station with the help of the city map. Walk north from Connaught
Place along Chelmsford Road until you come to the station, which is on the right hand side
of the road. This should take around 20 minutes.
Finally, you arrive at the ticket desk. There are huge crowds, despite the fact that it is early
in the morning, but eventually you manage to collect the tickets you reserved.
Write a cheque for 520 Rs. Convert this expense to your country’s currency and enter it in
your cash book. Then figure out your arrival time.
On the train journey, you read ‘The Fantastic Story of the Taj Mahal’.
The Fantastic Story of the Taj Mahal
When Mumtaz Mahal, wife of the powerful Mughul Emperor Shah Jahan, died at the age of
39, he became sick with sorrow. She passed away after giving birth to their fourteenth child,
and Shah Jahan’s hair turned grey overnight. He swore to fulfil the final wishes of Mumtaz -
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she asked him to show the world how much they loved each other. Shah Jahan
decided that the place where Mumtaz was buried should become the most beautiful building the world had ever seen.
Architects and artists from countries like Iran, Syria, Turkey and Egypt all came to Agra to
help. Shah Jahan ordered 20,000 men to build the Taj Mahal, and made 1000 elephants
walk the 300 km from the marble quarry to bring marble to Agra, day in day out. Precious
stones from all over Asia were purchased, and the construction work continued for 22
years, from 1632 to 1654.
Shah Jahan’s son Aurangzeb believed that his father had gone mad, so he imprisoned him
in the fort of Agra. From a distance, through the bars on his window, Shah Jahan could
watch the completion of his masterpiece.
In the end, Shah Jahan was buried next to his beloved Mumtaz.
Assignment 3 Taj Mahal
When you arrive at the Taj Mahal, find the tourist information desk.
Make sure you get a drawing of the Taj Mahal and the Mahal geometry assignments.
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