Agra: Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Train Transport & the Passing Scene

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The Taj Mahal is indeed impressive with its massive marble structure looming large against a blue sky backdrop and looking different depending upon the light of day. The Taj was built on the banks of Hinduism's second holiest river, Yamuna, by Emperor Shah Jahan as a memorial for his second wife who died giving birth to their 14th child in 1631. Construction began in the same year and was not completed until 1653- 22 years later - and took over 20,000 people to build. Pictures don’t do justice to this overpowering monument, but hopefully you will get an idea of the dominance of the Mughal Muslim empire. We also visited the Agra Fort (a World Heritage Site), another Mughal built fortress, which was massive with many interlocking rooms and terraces surrounded by a moat.
Even more fascinating than the Taj Mahal was the people watching which we did from a street café at one of the busiest intersections in the Old City Section of Agra. We had a light lunch- a Thali which is rice, dahl, chapatti, and yogurt for a grand total of about $1.50- but the feast of sights passing by was priceless. We sat there for a few hours taking shot after shot of every type of vehicle coming by, all sorts of people coming and going, camels and horse drawn carriages, bicycle powered carriages, people selling fruit, trucks, school kids going home for mid day meal, families walking by, cows roaming aimlessly. It was such a window into the diverse population of India- various religions including Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Sikkhism, Jainism; fair skin and dark; green eyes and black; a potpourri of colorful saris & scarfs - all going into that extravagant variety that forms the incomparable beauty of India. How many stories there are in this world and in India which has 1/6th of the world’s population.
To top off the day was the train trip to and from Agra. India has the largest railroad system in the world with thousands of people using it every day to go to every corner of the country and carrying everything from wheat and bamboo to tomorrow’s meal. Because of the many classes of train travel, you will see an economic cross section in the stations. Watching the porters use their heads to carry several pieces of luggage made me want to get a neck massage.
It was a long day. A 6:15 AM trip to Agra and a returning 8:30 PM trip with meals on board, a real plus. We got back into Dehli at 10:30 PM exhausted. The cab ride home woke us up as we screamed through the city passing every vehicle while we were in the wrong lane most of the time. The method of driving in India involves the taxi getting as close to the slower vehicle in front, blasting the horn (this is constant) until the slower vehicle moves a few feet over, passing through an impossibly small space or in the other lane if need be, and then starting this all over again with the next slower vehicle. But such is driving in India.

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Photos

Workers Fixing dome of Taj
They are way up there!

Taj Mahal
Saying Good bye to this great Monument.

Agra Fort
Another Mughal Fort Guarding the City,

Agra Fort
Viewing Area Inside Fort

Agra Street Scene
Camel drawn carriage

Train Station Dehli
Passengers waiting with cargo

Dehli Station-
Head Carrying Portage

Comments

[sarai]

that's my parents
wow... keep snapping away and writing... i love getting updates... lOve you! sarai

[Mary]

Chilling at the Taj
You two look thrilled to be there, whether in the streets or at the momentous Taj Mahal, your words and photos bring me there in spirit. It is hard to imagine what it's really like being there amidst the masses of people who live large outdoors.

[viktor]

Why is the Taj on the banks of Hinduism's second holiest river, Yamuna.
Please visit this site to find out: http://www.stephen-knapp.com/was_the_taj_mahal_a_vedic_temple.htm