The Taj Mahal

Agra - Day 2

Oh joy – the weather is clear and we’re off for our Taj day!  Our driver, Ashok, takes us to the main gate where we buy our tickets.  From there it’s a short walk to the actual Taj.  On the way in, we meet an Indian family who are taking photos (the son is) and I offer to take a photo of the whole family.  They’re so happy they give me their toddler and insist on a photo of me holding him!

 The Taj . . . nothing can prepare you for the sheer, astonishing beauty of it.  Whoever described it as ‘the most beautiful building in the world’ was not exaggerating.  It is almost unreal – seems to hover above the earth (it’s on a plinth) and sit suspended in space.  The Yumuna River is in the background and all you see is this shimmering structure.  It is esthetically delightful and, of course, the story of its origin and building makes it all the more heart-stopping. 

The sheer size of it is evident when you realize that those black specks are people walking around the outside.

We read that the four pillars are actually built with a slight outward tilt so that if anything were to happen, they would fall away from the monument.

A word of advice – don’t go inside.  There’s really nothing to see, it’s dark and very, very crowded.  We were elbowed, pressed, and pushed around (always left to right) in this mob, and I couldn’t wait to get out!  Tim was jabbed in the back and when he turned around, it was a tiny elderly woman who was making her way and herself felt!! 

Fortunately, you’re issued booties so there’s no leaving the shoes (there would be thousands of them!) as with other holy sites.  And there’s a ‘composite ticket’ for foreigners that includes admission to Agra Fort.  Pretty reasonable – around 250 rupees – about $4!  Indians get in for 20 rupees which we both thought was terrific; probably 90% of the tourists were Indian.  Some photos of us with locals!  And a couple we asked others to take of us.

Believe it or not, this is the Assam Girls Rifle Team!!  We also met the Assam Girls Dagger Team but they didn't want their photo taken with us!  (Assam is a part of India we didn't even know existed - way to the East, close to Bangladesh and China.)

 Looking back from the Taj to the grand entrance arch.  The reflecting pool was being cleaned so we didn't get to see the iconic image of the Taj reflected in it.

And, yes, bulls/cows!  Interesting, this is a Moslem holy site and they have cows but they're yoked, tied to posts, made to work rather than wander the streets fouling them and traffic.

On to Agra Fort.  I’m sure you know that Shah Jahan commissioned the Taj after the death of his third wife, Mumtaz, while giving birth to their 14^th child.  It took 20 years to build but partway through, Jahan’s son (Dova?), the designated heir, took over because Jahan's health was failing.   It's a myth that this same son imprisoned him.  Actually, three other sons ganged up on the designated heir, defeated him, and then imprisoned their father, Shah Jahan.  The designated heir was killed and Shah Jahan spent the rest of his life at Agra Fort where he watched the completion of the Taj. 

Now he wasn’t in some mean cell, eating moldy bread, and drinking foul water.  His Fort digs were pretty regal (forts meant something more than a military garrison).  Some photos from the Fort and what the Shah saw.  

Entrance to the fort.

The Taj is just visible through the mist.

Better.

Another one with the Taj barely visible.

Next stop the ‘baby Taj’ where the Shah’s parents (?) are interred.  Interesting because you can see a lot of the same architectural themes, lots of marble but it’s just not the same.  It’s as if it was a warm-up for the Taj Mahal.

And the last stop, the view from the Taj from across the Yumuna River.

 We met our fellow home stay pals, Evo (l) and Davide here.  Yes, this is a river and when the monsoons come it will reach past where the guys are now standing.

Evo's professional photo of us!

Beautiful day!!

Looking for Tigers

Kajuraho - Day 3

(This post is out of sequence!  Holding a baby and meeting Deepu's family trumped everything - but we had one last Kajuraho adventure.)

There is a Nature Preserve and Tiger Park about a half hour drive from us and although we know there is a slim chance of seeing a tiger, we decide to do the early morning tiger hunt.  Just after 5:30 a.m. we’re fetched in a Jeep by Khan and, like so much that has happened to us in India, we’re not certain how much this going to cost or exactly how it’s going to play out but so far everything’s been just fine . . . and this will be too!

At 5:30 it’s flippin cold.  We’re wearing every warm thing we can layer on and are still freezing.  We get to the Park, and this is nothing short of hilarious – there are no less than nine Indian men (I think they were guides or drivers or who knows what) clustered around the check-in counter, all talking at once, one woman clerk attempting to get things sorted.  

Tim and Khan spend some time in the clot of males and Tim emerges having paid half of what we expected to pay clutching the magic entrance ticket. 

  

We didn’t see a tiger.  We drove around for almost 4 hours (3 of them freezing our buns off in our jeep which has been converted into an open-air viewing vehicle).  We did see:  spotted deer, antelope, some spectacular birds, monkeys, hyenas, and one crocodile (I’m still not sure about that sighting – I’ve never heard of crocs living in non-estuarine rivers).   Great guide from the Park, Singh, very articulate and eagle-eyed.

 That's supposed to be a croc lazing on the far bank. (I know, I couldn't see anything either!)

A hyena who appeared to be finishing his breakfast.

Our wonderful guide, Singh - very knowledgeable - his English was excellent and he had a bird book (Audubon in Hindi?).  We had no idea there were so many gorgeous birds here!

We are grinning because the sun is finally out and we have stopped shaking!!

End of Kajuraho, town of sweet surprises . . . off to Agra early tomorrow morning.