Into the Heartland

Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan’s ode to love for his queen Mumtaz dazzles you, no matter how many pictures you may have seen of it. Set at the end of a representative Islamic “Garden of Paradise, beneath which rivers flow”, the tomb has many anecdotes and intricacies going beyond the obvious, which our knowledgeable historian-guide will reveal on a lingering walk.

Besides, we will show you views from across the river Yamuna, on the banks of which it stands, arrange an ethereal full-moon tryst (date allowing), and show you the mausoleum’s “baby cousin” built in another part of the teeming city, commissioned, this time, by a grieving woman for her soldier husband.

In this small town, on the way from Delhi to Agra, is practiced a craft called phool patti (lit. flowers and leaves) embroidery, so called after the delicate floral patterns hand stitched on soft, light cloth. The artisans are women, mostly from under-privileged Muslim families, who work under the guidance and care of a lady entrepreneur from a local family. Collaborating on producing homeware products with the phool patti ladies of Aligarh is an on-going Adya project that gives life to our vision and has its own story.  

Tourists don’t go to Aligarh. However, we’d very much like our guests to meet and know these quiet, dignified workers who live in small-town India and create the beauty that brings us joy.