THE ROAD TO AGRA and the Taj Mahal
The next morning I got up at 0530. I quickly packed my suitcase. Most of the clothes I washed the evening before were dry. I went down to the dining hall and had breakfast and then got someone to help me haul my suitcase down to the lobby. I had a little bit of time before Subhash was going to be there so I tried to use the internet service in a side room off the lobby but had no luck. I checked out of the hotel and went out in front to wait for Subhash. One of the bellhops stayed with me to put my bags in the car. The hotel workers at this hotel were especially nice and helpful. There were quite a few of them standing around infront of the hotel waiting for people to arrive. They insisted that I sit down in a chair in the shade of a nearby tree while I waited for my ride.
At 0900 Subhash arrived and we were off in the direction of Agra. It was going to be a several hour drive. It was all the way across the northern part the the country. This only meant that I was going to get a good look at the country side like I did on the way to Jaipur from New Dehli.
Truck with Men
You see alot of swastikas in India painted on trucks like the one above and on Buddhist statues and other places. It is an ancient symbol that means peace,harmony and good luck. In the western world there is still a stigma attached to this emblem. It is engraved in our minds of the hatred of the German military under Hitler when they tried to exterminate a race from off the face of the earth.
On the way out of Jaipur Subhash pointed out some ruins of some old buildings that were quite famous in their time. In olden times this was a resort for the people associated with the palace court in Jaipur. They came there to rest and relax in a different environment for a while.
After a few hours of driving we stopped at a resturant/gift shop. Again, because of the heat I wasn't too hungry so I had a small bowl of mushroom soup and some tea. Since we were away from everything Subhash sat at the same table with me and had lunch. He ordered regular Indian food and ate it with relish. We had a little conversation about various customs in this part of the world.
After this quick bite to eat I went into the gift shop and looked over some of the Mugal paintings that were there. There was quite a large collection of them. I spent quite a little time looking through them trying to find a few that weren't too expensive. I found a few that I purchased. After that we left.
Singing Sage at the Front Door of the Resturant
Most of the landscape we were driving through was farm country. The houses were grass huts probably with a dirt floor. It was harvest time and some of the fields had stacks of corn or millet in them. There was cattle in many places. Mostly cows walking in a line down the side of the road. Every once in a while we would come to a village where people were more consentrated and there were a few stores. And of course we passed many Hindu temples.
Hindu Temple
The people out here in the rural areas collect the dung of their animals and store it in little buildings made of grass. After the dung is dried out they use it for cooking fuel.
The Real India
As we were driving along their was a girl walking along the side of the road with a couple of pots balanced on her head. "Quick, take a picture", Subhash exclaimed. "That's the real India". I agreed and got the picture.
There was one place we went through, a lady was throwing some of her grass under the wheels of cars as they passed. I guess she was using a natural resource to help thresh whatever it was these thick stalks were. Nobody seemed to mind. Subhash thought it was amusing and was quick to point it out.
Old Temple on the side of the Road
Before arriving at Agra we were schedualed to stop at an abandoned fort that was built by Akbar several hundreds of years ago. While we were driving along Subhash's cell phone started to ring. He answered it. It was the guide we were to be meeting when we got to the outskirts of Agra. He wanted to know what was taking us so long. He was anxious for us to pick him up so he could show me the old fort. We had stayed too long at the gift shop. That's why we were late. After this Subhash started driving a little faster. That was ok with me since I had confidence in him that he knew what he was doing. After a little while we came to a little store. We stopped and picked up the guide. Not far down the road we got to Fatehpur Sikri.
The Abandoned Fort of Fatehpur Silri
Fatehpur Silri is located forty-three kilometers from Agra. It is the best example of architectural achievement during Akbar's reign. In other words this was the best fort he had built in his lifetime. Most of the buildings were built in the Persian style. There are some that are built in other styles such as; a palace built in the Hindu temple design, and another was built after the pattern of a Buddhist Vihara.
Construction began in 1569 AD and was completed in 1584 AD. It was intended to be the capitol of the district with public buildings, schools, palaces, mosques, terraces and gardens. Akbar was known for his broadmindedness concerning religion and during his lifetime he attempted to unite the prominent religions in India at the time; Hindu, Christian, Muslim and Buddhism.
The sandstone fort was built in gratitude of a local saint. Shortly after it was built it had to be abandoned because there wasn't enough water in the area to sustain the people living there. There is an inscription on one of the portals of a mosque there called Baland Durwaza. It reads; "So said Jesus on whom be peace; the world is a bridge; pass over, but build no house on it".
After spending what seemed like hours there and the guide explaining every detail about it we left and started toward the city of Agra.
Man and his Monkey
AGRA
I checked into the Amar Agra Hotel and was shown my room which was one floor below the lobby. It was nice though because there were windows and a good view of a nearby river. After I was there for a little while there was a knock on the door. I answered it. It was the guy who showed me the room earlier. He wanted to let me know that they had hot water twenty-four hours now. He said this in a very excited way, his voice raised a few octives and he had a prepetual smile on his face. Then he left. I started putting my stuff away then he came back to let me know that breakfast would start at 6 AM. I told him I had to leave at 6 AM. This made him grin wider.
THE TAJ MAHAL
The next morning I got up around 4 AM and gathered all my clothes that I had hanging everywhere around the room and threw them in my suitcase. I had let the fan run all night hoping they would all be dry by morning. Most of them were.
Subhash and the guide came at 6. By this time I found out that the guide's name was Bilal. The early morning air was a little crisp but it was still warm. Traffice wasn't too bad. We made it to the entrance of the Taj Mahal where we had to go through security as is usual at most major landmarks around the world. It was very crowded. finally after a little wait we started walking toward an enormous gate that is the entrance to the Taj Mahal. After that we walked half the distance of a football field and came to another gate. We went inside and then through the door at the other end of a room. I got my first glimps of the great Mahal. It was beautiful. I stepped out the door and took a long look at it.
Man Selling Cucumbers
The Taj Mahal is made of pure white marble of fine texture and was brought over from Rajisthan. It is a structure where all its parts are in perfect proportion. It's design is square. The central dome has the appearance of an inverted lotus. There is a mineret slightly slanted on the four corners of the tomb and is surrounded by gardens pools and fountains. The interior and exterior of the main building are decorated with screens, calligraphy and in-lay work of semi-precious stones. Inside are octagonal chambers connected to each other by diagonal passages. It took 22 years to complete this almost perfect structure. The pattern of the building is similar to Humayun's tomb in New Delhi but is complete both inside and out.
Taj Mahal
The guide and I spent some time first walking along the outside of the building. He was explaining to me the calligraphy that is written all over the outside which are passages taken out of the Koran. There is a mosque built on either side of the Taj. One of them was only partially finished. Two of them were built so that there would be a sense of simitry to the over all design of the complex. Two mosques were not needed, but are there for looks only.
After this we went inside and looked around a little bit, then came out and walked around the grounds a bit and then left.
RUG SELLERS
After this I was taken to a place where they try to sell you rugs. I told them from the start that I wasn't interested in buying a rug, but I went through their sales pitch anyway and drank tea while young dudes brought out rug after rug and spread them out before me to examine while they were telling me of their magnificent quality and handmade craftmanship and the skill that went into making them. I agreed with them that their product was great. I just had no desire to buy any of them. I went through this charade for awhile till it became ridicules and then left.
The next morning I got up at 0530. I quickly packed my suitcase. Most of the clothes I washed the evening before were dry. I went down to the dining hall and had breakfast and then got someone to help me haul my suitcase down to the lobby. I had a little bit of time before Subhash was going to be there so I tried to use the internet service in a side room off the lobby but had no luck. I checked out of the hotel and went out in front to wait for Subhash. One of the bellhops stayed with me to put my bags in the car. The hotel workers at this hotel were especially nice and helpful. There were quite a few of them standing around infront of the hotel waiting for people to arrive. They insisted that I sit down in a chair in the shade of a nearby tree while I waited for my ride.
At 0900 Subhash arrived and we were off in the direction of Agra. It was going to be a several hour drive. It was all the way across the northern part the the country. This only meant that I was going to get a good look at the country side like I did on the way to Jaipur from New Dehli.
Truck with Men
You see alot of swastikas in India painted on trucks like the one above and on Buddhist statues and other places. It is an ancient symbol that means peace,harmony and good luck. In the western world there is still a stigma attached to this emblem. It is engraved in our minds of the hatred of the German military under Hitler when they tried to exterminate a race from off the face of the earth.
On the way out of Jaipur Subhash pointed out some ruins of some old buildings that were quite famous in their time. In olden times this was a resort for the people associated with the palace court in Jaipur. They came there to rest and relax in a different environment for a while.
After a few hours of driving we stopped at a resturant/gift shop. Again, because of the heat I wasn't too hungry so I had a small bowl of mushroom soup and some tea. Since we were away from everything Subhash sat at the same table with me and had lunch. He ordered regular Indian food and ate it with relish. We had a little conversation about various customs in this part of the world.
After this quick bite to eat I went into the gift shop and looked over some of the Mugal paintings that were there. There was quite a large collection of them. I spent quite a little time looking through them trying to find a few that weren't too expensive. I found a few that I purchased. After that we left.
Singing Sage at the Front Door of the Resturant
Most of the landscape we were driving through was farm country. The houses were grass huts probably with a dirt floor. It was harvest time and some of the fields had stacks of corn or millet in them. There was cattle in many places. Mostly cows walking in a line down the side of the road. Every once in a while we would come to a village where people were more consentrated and there were a few stores. And of course we passed many Hindu temples.
Hindu Temple
The people out here in the rural areas collect the dung of their animals and store it in little buildings made of grass. After the dung is dried out they use it for cooking fuel.
The Real India
As we were driving along their was a girl walking along the side of the road with a couple of pots balanced on her head. "Quick, take a picture", Subhash exclaimed. "That's the real India". I agreed and got the picture.
There was one place we went through, a lady was throwing some of her grass under the wheels of cars as they passed. I guess she was using a natural resource to help thresh whatever it was these thick stalks were. Nobody seemed to mind. Subhash thought it was amusing and was quick to point it out.
Old Temple on the side of the Road
Before arriving at Agra we were schedualed to stop at an abandoned fort that was built by Akbar several hundreds of years ago. While we were driving along Subhash's cell phone started to ring. He answered it. It was the guide we were to be meeting when we got to the outskirts of Agra. He wanted to know what was taking us so long. He was anxious for us to pick him up so he could show me the old fort. We had stayed too long at the gift shop. That's why we were late. After this Subhash started driving a little faster. That was ok with me since I had confidence in him that he knew what he was doing. After a little while we came to a little store. We stopped and picked up the guide. Not far down the road we got to Fatehpur Sikri.
The Abandoned Fort of Fatehpur Silri
Fatehpur Silri is located forty-three kilometers from Agra. It is the best example of architectural achievement during Akbar's reign. In other words this was the best fort he had built in his lifetime. Most of the buildings were built in the Persian style. There are some that are built in other styles such as; a palace built in the Hindu temple design, and another was built after the pattern of a Buddhist Vihara.
Construction began in 1569 AD and was completed in 1584 AD. It was intended to be the capitol of the district with public buildings, schools, palaces, mosques, terraces and gardens. Akbar was known for his broadmindedness concerning religion and during his lifetime he attempted to unite the prominent religions in India at the time; Hindu, Christian, Muslim and Buddhism.
The sandstone fort was built in gratitude of a local saint. Shortly after it was built it had to be abandoned because there wasn't enough water in the area to sustain the people living there. There is an inscription on one of the portals of a mosque there called Baland Durwaza. It reads; "So said Jesus on whom be peace; the world is a bridge; pass over, but build no house on it".
After spending what seemed like hours there and the guide explaining every detail about it we left and started toward the city of Agra.
Man and his Monkey
AGRA
I checked into the Amar Agra Hotel and was shown my room which was one floor below the lobby. It was nice though because there were windows and a good view of a nearby river. After I was there for a little while there was a knock on the door. I answered it. It was the guy who showed me the room earlier. He wanted to let me know that they had hot water twenty-four hours now. He said this in a very excited way, his voice raised a few octives and he had a prepetual smile on his face. Then he left. I started putting my stuff away then he came back to let me know that breakfast would start at 6 AM. I told him I had to leave at 6 AM. This made him grin wider.
THE TAJ MAHAL
The next morning I got up around 4 AM and gathered all my clothes that I had hanging everywhere around the room and threw them in my suitcase. I had let the fan run all night hoping they would all be dry by morning. Most of them were.
Subhash and the guide came at 6. By this time I found out that the guide's name was Bilal. The early morning air was a little crisp but it was still warm. Traffice wasn't too bad. We made it to the entrance of the Taj Mahal where we had to go through security as is usual at most major landmarks around the world. It was very crowded. finally after a little wait we started walking toward an enormous gate that is the entrance to the Taj Mahal. After that we walked half the distance of a football field and came to another gate. We went inside and then through the door at the other end of a room. I got my first glimps of the great Mahal. It was beautiful. I stepped out the door and took a long look at it.
Man Selling Cucumbers
The Taj Mahal is made of pure white marble of fine texture and was brought over from Rajisthan. It is a structure where all its parts are in perfect proportion. It's design is square. The central dome has the appearance of an inverted lotus. There is a mineret slightly slanted on the four corners of the tomb and is surrounded by gardens pools and fountains. The interior and exterior of the main building are decorated with screens, calligraphy and in-lay work of semi-precious stones. Inside are octagonal chambers connected to each other by diagonal passages. It took 22 years to complete this almost perfect structure. The pattern of the building is similar to Humayun's tomb in New Delhi but is complete both inside and out.
Taj Mahal
The guide and I spent some time first walking along the outside of the building. He was explaining to me the calligraphy that is written all over the outside which are passages taken out of the Koran. There is a mosque built on either side of the Taj. One of them was only partially finished. Two of them were built so that there would be a sense of simitry to the over all design of the complex. Two mosques were not needed, but are there for looks only.
After this we went inside and looked around a little bit, then came out and walked around the grounds a bit and then left.
RUG SELLERS
After this I was taken to a place where they try to sell you rugs. I told them from the start that I wasn't interested in buying a rug, but I went through their sales pitch anyway and drank tea while young dudes brought out rug after rug and spread them out before me to examine while they were telling me of their magnificent quality and handmade craftmanship and the skill that went into making them. I agreed with them that their product was great. I just had no desire to buy any of them. I went through this charade for awhile till it became ridicules and then left.
posted by THE REAL MIKE BAILEY at 9:47 PM
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