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Published: April 25th 2007
Jodhpur-Delhi-Agra
Sion and Niki The Taj Mahal What can you say? The pictures really don't do it justice, and words cannot explain the rush of adrenalin and emotion that consumes you as the magnificent beauty is revealed beyond the cover of the main gateway. No longer a 2-dimensional picture on a postcard, the Taj comes to life as a living monument with an imposing and overwhelming presence. The world's greatest labour of love is indeed an insurpassable feat, and every bit as simple as it is intricate and architecturally complex. The mind-boggling accuracy and symmetry of its design and construction, the gleaming and constantly-changing colours of the pristine marble exterior, to the delicate carved latticework and bursts of sunlight that seep into the interior mausoleum truly does take your breath away. Inside the mammoth dome lies the tombs of Shah Jehan and his wife Mumtaz, for whom he built and dvoted the Taj, although only the fake decoy tombs are open to a public audience, the experience is certainly one of awe and amazement.
Visiting the Taj for the second time in my life was every bit as enthralling and inspiring as the first, and although that last visit was over 13 years
ago, as i stepped out in front of her, i felt as though i had never left. As Dad would say, 'he can remember the post-office burning down as though it was only yesterday', well, this was a similar feeling. It goes to show that once you have seen the Taj with your own eyes, it is an experience that will never leave you, and one that I'm lucky enough to have seen twice.
Although the Taj Mahal is one of the most popular tourist spots in the world, and although the government charges 750rps ($25AUS) entry fees (its okay you get a free 500ml bottle of water and some paper shoe covers) there seems to be little evidence that any of this money is being distributed back into the local infrastructure or economy. Agra is by far the most polluted of India's cities that we have so far visited, it also proudly boasts no less than 20 or 30 power outages each and every day, meaning that everyone in the city who has the money owns a generator, which, whilst solving the problem of the power cuts, does very little to aid in the reduction of the pollution.
If thats not enough, because Agra's tourist area is so small, you can walk pretty much anywhere, which means that the rickshaw-wallahs don't get much business, which seems to make them a little pushier, and a little more aggressive (and also a little more drunk) than their fellow countrymen across India. There is also another downside to walking everywhere, for the lack of public funding means that there is nobody to fix the potholes and missing paving stones on the roads and pavements, so if you're not obscenely careful, you could find yourself swimming around in India's luscious open sewers. Which is no laughing matter, a 12 year old boy recently died after falling into an uncovered manhole just last week elsewhere in Uttar Pradesh, the very same state, run by, surprise, the same government that is neglecting its duties in Agra. one gets the feeling this would have been a much nicer place in Mughal times, with gardens and streams, palaces and massive public works such as the Taj and Agra Fort to beautify and secure the city.
You may notice on our route map that we've already done Delhi, we only spent two days there, as we
couldn't get a direct train to Agra, we stayed in the Tibetan refugee colony Majnu-ka-Tilla on the first night, which was really pleasant, if not a little strange, i can't quite explain the confusion you get looking off of the terrace of your hotel in the capital of the world's second most populous country to see rice-paddies and tibetan farmers everywhere, not an Indian in sight. Although it was nice, it is definitely a bit too far out of the way, (50rps Auto-Rickshaw to get into Central Delhi) so we moved into the travellers hangout in Paharganj, just near the train station and full of the usual tourists and tourist-oriented businesses, but nice and central. We've got a room booked there already for when we return tonight so at least we don't have to go through all of the hassle of finding a hotel, which is a relief. Well, we'd better keep on moving, next stop Delhi, then Varanasi, then off to Rishikesh to see Sexy Sadie, see if we can't be made fools of.
Adios
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Dad/Kev
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Burning Post Office
What an excellent blog. 'I remember the post office burning down as though it were yesterday', 'It was yesterday you silly old fool' I remember the hassle at Agra Station being very full on and Angela sold her camera at the back of the Taj for more than she paid for it. Love ya Dadxxx