"A teardrop on the cheek of eternity"

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The Taj Mahal has been described as many things but the most poignant, in my opinion, is "a teardrop on the cheek of eternity" by Indian poet and philosopher, Rabindranath Tagore.

Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal as a memorial to his beloved wife after she died giving birth to their 14th child. It is one of the most romantic stories of all time, if you can get past the fact that the laborers who worked on the Taj had their hands chopped off so that another similar monument could never be built. It took so many thousands of men 22 years to complete this amazingly beautiful marble masterpiece.

The train journey from Sawai Madaphor to Agra was a beautiful route through lush green fields and small Rajasthani villages. The 6-hour journey was filled with frequent stops. Each station would come alive as the train pulled up alongside the platform: coolies dressed in red ran to pick up luggage, vendors selling chai, fruits, soda, samosas, pakoras, newspapers, etc. would line up along the platform; each vendor yelling at the top of his voice trying to persuade passengers to buy his products.

After visiting Fatehpur Sikri, it was too late for us to catch a bus so Homyar and I decided to take a jeep back to Agra. It was about 60km, which took about an hour. A jeep that was meant for 10 or 12 people, became transport for about 22 people. There were 6 of us plus 2 babies crammed into the back seat and at least 4 guys hanging off the back of jeep! It was times like these that made me feel like I was experiencing the true essence of India 😊

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Photos

Free toilets for foreigners!!
This was the first time something was free for foreigners! The difference in price was ridiculous - entrance fees for Indians were 20 rupees versus a whopping 300 rupees or more for foreigners. I had to use this bathroom just because it was free :) I didn't pay the foreigner fees but still, I feel for my fellow travellers.

Comments

[Bapsy]

Taj Mahal
Hi Jen, Beautiful pictures of Taj Mahal. Good to know you are seeing so many different places in India. Have a good time and be happy. ILU :)