Advertisement
Published: January 27th 2007
Edit Blog Post
Agra - Sunshine Taj Mahal
This is the postcard shot.. taken in the height of the afternoon sun to give that brilliant white glow... pretty special... Guys im so far behind with my blogs that the next couple are gonna have to be more like photo diary as i'm now in Jaisalmer and have been to Agra, Pushker, Udaipur and Jodpur!!!! (Next Is Dehi!!)...
All these are in Rajistan in the north west of India and i feel i'm experiencing one of the most magical sides India has to offer... It's increasingly difficult to tare myself away from each place but i'm managing to stick to my 5 days maximum just!!!!!...
Unlike most places here, Agra is the one place you don't bother reading about to see if it warrants a visit, as its the home of the Taj Mahal, the one and only tourist must see!!! Which is good for Agra as a town, as on its own merit it would stuggle to get 10 visitors let alone the millions it has passing through each year!!!! The town is a dirty tired little place that smells and has no appeal!!! couldn't get my head round it to be honest??? they are missing a trick!!!... So apart from the backpacker most visitors are in and out in the same day... I stayed for two nights
Pushker Bizaar...
This was the hub of the main street leading through Pushker paralel with the lake edge... Spent many an hour both in the day and night around here chating and people watching... and the messy little place did grow on me a little but i wont be back....
I arrived on a Friday and not having read the bible (Lonely Planet!!) i failed to know that this is the only day the Taj is shut!!!! So i visited the Fort instead which was very impressive but didn't hold much charm... That came the following day with a 5am alarm call to catch the sunrise over the Taj... The place is very pricy as far as India's treasures go at 750rps a ticket (thats about 9quid and the locals pay 20rps 24p which is a bit anoying as most are from overseas anyway!!!!).... I stayed for an hour or so as bloody freezing!!! Yes thats another thing! now i'm this far north the nights are freezing cold and the days in the sun are perfect!! Hot but not unbarable... I popped back at about 3pm to get the taj in a different light, its possible to get Yellow in the morning White during the day and pink with the sunset... this is due to the marbels used in its construction. The Taj Mahal was constructed using marbel from all over India and
Agra - Taj Mahal
Quite Beautiful... And considering the time less than 70 peolpe in the grounds.. Asia, Over 1,000 elephants were used to transport building materials during the construction. The translucent white marble was brought from Rajasthan, the jasper from Punjab and the jade and crystal from China. The turquoise was from Tibet and the Lapis lazuli from Afghanistan, while the sapphire came from Sri Lanka and the carnelian from Arabia. In all, 28 types of precious and semi-precious stones were inlaid into the white marble.
"Taj History" The Tāj Mahal (Hindi: ताज महल) is a mausoleum located in Agra, India. The Mughal Emperor Shāh Jahān commissioned it as a mausoleum for his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Construction began in 1632 and was completed in 1648. Some dispute surrounds the question of who designed the Taj; it is clear a team of designers and craftsmen were responsible for the design, with Ustad Isa considered the most likely candidate as the principal designer.
The Taj Mahal is considered the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements of Persian, Indian and Islamic architecture. While the white domed marble mausoleum is the most familiar part of the monument, the Taj Mahal is actually an integrated complex of structures. It was listed as a
The Ever Changing Traveler!!!
"Here Comes The Wise Man, There Goes The Fool... Cause He Built That World That He's Living In... He Don't Need To Ask For The Rules...." UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 when it was described as a "universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage"
The name Taj comes from Persian, the language of the Mughal court, meaning crown, and Mahal, also Persian, means place, area, or neighborhood. Together, the term Taj Mahal translated into rough English from the original Persian means "Crown Place" or "The Place of the Crown." Some sources suggest that Taj Mahal is a shorter variant of Mumtaz Mahal, the formal court name and title of Arjumand Banu Begum, meaning First Lady of the Palace. As early as 1663, the French traveller François Bernier referred to the place as Tage Mehale.
There is an often-repeated story that Lord William Bentinck, governor of India in the 1830s, planned to demolish the Taj Mahal and auction off the marble. In some versions of the tale, the demolition crew were ready to begin their work but were stopped only because Bentinck was unable to make the scheme financially viable. There is no contemporary evidence for this story, which may have emerged in the late nineteenth century when Bentinck was being criticised for his penny-pinching Utilitarianism, and when Lord Curzon was emphasising earlier neglect
"Little Angel"
Local street child... who managed to get both a Chai and half a bar of Dairy Milk out of me (yes i ate the other half!!! Teaching Kids To Share Is An Impotant Lesson...lol...)... of the monument, and presenting himself as a saviour of Indian antiquities. According to Bentinck's biographer John Rosselli, the story arose from Bentinck's fund-raising sale of discarded marble from Agra Fort and of the metal from a famous but obsolete Agra cannon.However, others, led by the Archaeological Survey of India, still believe and argue that a sale by the British East India Company was planned under Lord Bentinck watch, though no satisfactory buyers were found.
"Pushker" I'd been traveling the 1000's of mile up to Rajistan from the south at quite a pace and my body was telling me to chill out a bit!!!! So when my Eyes and my mind stumbled upon Pushker it all became very clear!!! This would be my home for the next week... Its a charming little place surrounding a holy lake and the white and blue buildings that restict the size of the narrow streets give the place a sort of Arabian Nights feel to it... The monent i got into my hotel i unpacked every like thing out of my rucksack onto small marbel shelves and settled in... The vibe here is lovely, no student tourists atall just lots of
Room With A View!!!!
This is the view from my hotel in Agra, Hotel Host... Nothing else to say check the picture!!!... Israili's and the true backpacker along with the more than accasional one who has been stuck here by choice for more than a couple of months!!! met one guy who'd been here for 7 years!!!!... The markets are a calidascope of rainbow colored silks in everything from a babies mobile to an umbrella skirt, and i had to shop a little!!! brought about 25 beautiful bags and at least 40 skirts (and Adel i found the only 5 Sunday/Monday tops in the same style that exist!!! so i got them all!!!!).....
Being a holy place there were certain holy rules to be adered too!!! The main 3 being:- No Alcohol, No Meat & No Eggs!!!! but like any rules they were there to be broken, it just put a different light on the criminal fraternity when your quietly told by a shifty looking waiter "We Have Eggs!!" or the new name for a kingfisher beer "You Want Cold Coffee"... The one thing that was quite openly tolerated and partisipated in by both the locals and tourists was the smoking of Hashish, whcih filled the air on most every corner...
I spent most days walking around the lakes and
Taj Mahal & Me..
Not the Diana bench but didn't wanna queue for that.... watching the world go by, the evening however were my favourite time as being very cold at night the street cafes would all light small fires within a big metal dish and anywhere from 6-10 of you would sit chatting the night away with either traveling experiences or view on life, then you would get the token musical tourist who'd been carrying his guitar around the world turn up for a sing song (i always thought these people were idiots!!!! they look so stupid carrying these huge things on buses and rickshaws with their overproctive attitudes as if they are delivering it to the king on a special mission from god!! Stupid Idiots!!!! "Watch the guitar will you" "No leave the guitar at home you muppet your travelling!!! if ya wanna write songs use a pen and paper!!!!!!!")...
I stayed for 6 nights and left feeling happy, refreshed and with a smile on my face for a different side of India that i loved!!!!!!!!!
Well that it a little more than a photo diary but i just got going and dadaaa...
Peace to you all...
As Ever More Pickies On Page 2...
Love To You
Pushker Ghats...
Love This Shot...Indians bath in the holy Ghats.. I was dieing to have a swim but the water was a bit like Abington Park Lakes (Green Soup!!)... All...
Im Off On A Camel Safari..
Goodbye To You All....
...xx
Advertisement
Tot: 0.064s; Tpl: 0.015s; cc: 10; qc: 19; dbt: 0.03s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Explore the Taj Mahal
non-member comment
An Online (free) Virtual Tour with 360° panoramas
A free, online Virtual Tour of the Taj Mahal in India, with 360° panoramas (including two from the ROOF), slide shows, music, maps, and narration. Explore the Taj Mahal http://www.taj-mahal.net Also includes downloadable text for use by schools and students. " WOW ! ... Thrilling ... Exotic ... Ravishing ... Sumptuous ... 5 Stars ! " - The Sunday Times, London " THE most sophisticated virtual tour..." - The Daily Mail, London