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Uttar Pradesh |  |
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We arrived in Delhi
from Leh @ around 9 am on August 15, India's Independence Day. Given that we
were still reeling from only having completed our 8 day Himalayan trek the day
before and that we had only been able to obtain a semi-nights sleep due to our
5am wake up time .... add to this the fact that Bobbi and I we were due to
catch a plane that night to take us onto Abu Dhabi (where I was then to return
to San Francisco the very next day); this would have been the ideal day for a
rest. Instead though, we had one more magnum opus that had to be seen in order
for our trip to India to really be complete ..... the Taj
Mahal. Left: Unfortunately we couldn't get a very good photo of the Uttar Pradesh hills as this big bloody marble building was constantly in the way. |
| Now this presented one problem,
the Taj Mahal is located in Uttar Pradesh (aka UP), close to the southwest
border of Rajastan - some 204 km and 4 hours drive away from Delhi. So this of
course meant no rest for the wicked, as we also wanted to make a moratorium to
Fathepur Sikri - southwest UP's other eminent tourist spot. We rushed from the
airport to our hotel (where Dusty and Vance were to reside for the night) to
leave our bags and was in the taxi and on our way out of Delhi in no
time. Right: As public motorized vehicles have been banned from coming to within 1 km's radius of the Taj Mahal. Other modes of transport must be used - such as the camel. |
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The city of Agra was the capital of the Moghul Empire during the 16th and 17th centuries. Akhbar, Jahangir and later the conspicuous Shah Jahan all governed their vast empires before Shah declared Shahjahanabad (Old Delhi) his capital city. Built by Akhbar Jahan in 1571, to commemorate the famous Sufi Saint, Salim Chishti- Fathepur Sikri was the Mughal capital for 14 years until it was peculiarly vacated, many say due to an abundance of water. Still the ghost city makes a memorable visit, reminiscent of the Alhambra in Grenada, Spain - only with a delicate blend of Hindu and Islamic architecture and of course, without all of the ponds. The Panch Mahal - a five storey open sandstone pavilion and the Kwabgah - the emperor's private sleeping quarters were my favorite points of interest. Left: a scene from Fatehpur Sikri |
And of course this now brings us to India's most treasured monument, the Taj Mahal. It was a fitting way to bring the sparkling but all too short vacation to a close. I have to admit it, I was getting a little paranoid that we were going to somehow miss out on the Taj Mahal altogether. To go to India and not see the Taj Mahal is a crime on par to going to Paris and "avoiding" the Eiffel Tower or going to Moscow and "skipping" out on St. Basil's Cathedral. As it was, we got there just before sunset - the perfect time to see the Taj Mahal. We had to take a camel - pulled cart as motorized vehicles are not allowed to come within a 1 mile radius of the Taj - I guess to avoid pollution damage. After bypassing the pesky tourist parasites and paying the ridiculous $20 (non-Indian) entry fee (although, I must say it was worth every penny....), we entered the gardens of the Taj Mahal. |
 Above: the view of the courtyard, from the Taj Mahal |
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I must admit the Taj Mahal is
every bit the majestic vestige it is rumored to be. To say it's one of the most
beautiful things I've ever seen might sound a little corny but this splendid
pure white marble mausoleum certainly is one of the most distinctive and
illustrious sights in the world. Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal for his wife
Mumtaz after she had died whilst giving birth to their 13th child. Mind you,
while the views from the outside are spectacular from every angle, the
experience of the interior is a bit dismal. The tombstones of Mumtaz and Shah
are placed side by side on a raised platform while the bodies are buried under.
Still the lighting is very dim and there really is not that much to see. That
was no cause for concern for us though, as it only meant more time to bask in
the beauty and glory of one of the world's most famous relics from the outside.
This is just what we did as we watched the sunset and reflected on what had
been two unforgettable weeks in India. Left: The Stevens family pose one last picture. Probably united for the last time with your's truly sporting yellow hair and Vance sporting any hair .... ha ha! |
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