Well, we did it, we've seen the Taj Mahal.
Our train to Agra arrived at 10:30 pm and we had a room and were falling asleep by midnight. The next morning we woke up at 5 am to see the Taj at sunrise. It turns out that it does not open until 6:30am and the sun does not rise until 7:00 this time of year (how was I supposed to know that its winter when its 25 degrees Celsius) so we sat and had breakfast at a nearby restaurant waiting for the Taj to open. When it was finally open we bought our tickets (750 rupees for foreign tourists and 20 rupees for Indians, under 15 years, free no matter what nationality.) We went inside through the tight security behind a tough looking Russian guy wearing his matching patterned “Om” pyjamas. On my first glimpse of the Taj, I have to say, I was awestruck. It is bigger than you'd think and it really is one of, if not the most beautiful building in the world. The marble is surprisingly still white and the marble inlay with pictures of flowers and verses from the Qu'ran is just icing on the cake. It was especially nice at sunrise. It is incredibly symmetrical; in fact when they built the mosque beside it they built another identical building on the other side that serves no purpose other than symmetry. On the Taj platform everyone was wearing these funny little red booties, including my parents. I saw the ugliest bird ever, sitting on the most beautiful building. The bird was huge and when I took its picture it hooped off and swooped down right over my head, it was quite frightening. The Taj was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan as a tomb for his favourite wife, Mumtaz, Shah Jahan is buried inside as well. The Taj is definitely one of my highlights of India.
Right now I am eating a late breakfast and a cow just walked into the restaurant, it is sniffing the bags of the people beside us, just a note.
When we left the Taj we were immediately accosted by swarms of hawkers telling us all the benefits of owning a Taj snow globe and wondering why on earth we would not want to buy a magnet for the low price of 50 rupees. With one guy I tried the polite method, I said that I knew he was doing his job but we just wanted to be alone and if he could leave then that would be wonderful. He just kind of stood there not knowing what the heck just happened and then said bye and kind of wandered away confused.
That afternoon we went to Agra Fort. The fort was used by the Mughals and today is still mostly used by the army, however the impressive palace complex is open for all (who are willing to pay) to see. There was some really impressive sandstone carving and marble inlay and the historical significance was huge as well. One of the most interesting things to see was the tower where Shah Jahan was imprisoned in by his son for the last years of his life. It has a great view of the Taj.
On our second day in Agra we went on a day trip to Fatephur Sikri, an abandoned Mughal city. The palace complex is kind of eerie because of all the restoration work. It is as if the royals left last week and took all the furnishings, doors, widows, etc and left all the stone work and terraces as they were. It is not at all overgrown. There was also a huge mosque which was full of hawkers and there was a guy who would touch your head with a feather if you gave him 10 rupees. The whole place was very beautiful and worth the trip.
Varanasi
We are now in Varanasi, one of the holiest places in Hinduism and the holiest place to die. To die here is to achieve “Moksha” liberation from the cycle of birth and death. The old town is an insane tangle of “galis” tiny lanes and alleys too small for cars or rickshaws. The city’s focal points are the “ghats” steps leading down to the holy river Ganges. Varanasi` is very indiscreet, the rituals of life and death take place before your eyes. This is most obvious at Manikarnika ghat, the main burning ghat and the holiest place for a Hindu to be cremated. The ghat is surrounded by huge stacks of wood and on the ghat itself there are numerous fires where you can see people being cremated. Occasional you get a glimpse of a blackened leg or head and when they bring the bodies down and place them in the fire you get a whiff of burning flesh. It is an eerie place yet you still get the sense that it is a holy place and it was very spiritually enlightening and humbling.
I can hear the wheels turning when you saw the tower in Agra, Sam. Remember, in Canada that sort of thing (imprisoning your father for the last years of his life) is frowned upon. You can, however, have your dad committed to a personal care home. Maybe if you tip the staff well, they will tie him into his broda chair for hours on end. But no matter when you send him, the view won't be as good.
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