Red sandstone walls rise out of the Yamuna floodplain at Agra, and for a moment they seem to have been put there to distract you from the Taj Mahal. Agra Fort is a very different thing from its famous neighbour, two and a half kilometres downstream. It is a palace-city, a military stronghold and a seat of government, begun by the emperor Akbar in 1565 and completed over several generations, with high double walls, a moat and gates that climb in zigzags to slow down attackers. UNESCO listed it in 1983.
Inside, the buildings change character as you walk. Akbar's red sandstone halls, carved with the confidence of a young empire, give way to the white marble of his grandson Shah Jahan, the builder of the Taj, who added the Pearl Mosque, the Hall of Public Audience and the Hall of Private Audience. Shah Jahan ended his life here, imprisoned in a marble pavilion by his son Aurangzeb, and he is said to have spent his last years looking across the river at the tomb he built for his wife Mumtaz Mahal. Whether or not the story is exact, the view from the pavilion, through a haze of dust and woodsmoke, is the right place to understand it.
Riding to Agra from Delhi is not a gentle introduction to India. The fastest route, the Yamuna Expressway, is generally closed to two-wheelers, so riders use the older national highway through Mathura, which is crowded with trucks, buses, tractors, cows and other things that do not follow lanes. Keep left, expect the horn to be a means of communication, and avoid riding after dark. Winter, from November to February, has the best weather but can bring thick morning fog, and the summer heat is extreme, often above forty degrees.
Agra has a big appetite for sweets, and petha, a translucent candy made from ash gourd, is sold everywhere. Mughlai food, with rich curries and kebabs, is the local style, and the leather and marble crafts are the traditional trades.
Agra has well over a million people, so fuel, food and accommodation are everywhere. Arrive at the fort early, since the day heats up quickly, and carry water.