Day 5 & 6 - Agra and the Taj Mahal - A love story!

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Namaste!

I thought I had seen it all when it came to Indian traffic, then I came to Agra. Delhi has some form of structure in comparison. There are silent rules in play in Delhi which don't seem to exist in Agra, or maybe they just have their own rules. Chaos.

Arriving in Agra at around 2pm, I was taken to a local restaurant which came with a multicuisine and a nice price tag. I got stuck into a large Kingfisher beer and a Thali straight away (Thali is a bit like a tasting plate - usually a curry, dahl, rice, salad and yoghurt served with naan). Finishing my beer accompanied by a cigarette outside, I was joined by the owner. We chatted for a while after which I noticed he was looking at my hand. He said "You finished your education early? No Masters?" He was reading my palm.

My Business line is good - I will have success in own business. Luck line is poor - I'll have to work hard for what I want. But being born in October makes me a number 3, a fighter! Health line is good (phew!)

The next morning was time to finally experience the Taj. A hefty 750 rupees later (but totally worth it) I was walking up to the gate entrance of the Taj. The gate itself is pretty impressive and a very apt entrance to the wonder beyond. For some reason I became a little nervous upon entering the Taj. I think it might have been the expectation from hearing so much about this wonder and finally being there in person, but it definitely has an energy about it. Walking through the gate you can see the Taj Mahal beyond, which looks deceivingly closer than it actually is. 'Optical illusion' my guide called it.

And what a wonder it is! Shah Jahan created this beauty in memory of his third wife who died during the birth of their 14th child. Described as 'a teardrop on the cheek of eternity' or 'the embodiment of all things pure' - Shah Jahan himself said it made 'the moon and the sun shed tears from their eyes.' He was so distraught by his wife's death that his hair is said to have turned grey overnight. Romeo and Juliet - eat your heart out!

Outside the romance, the Taj is an architectural masterpiece. It's made of white marble, patterned with intricate floral designs, not painted, but imbued with precious gems, which sparkle in the sunlight. The Taj and the grounds surrounding it is completely symmetrical with the centre line dividing it into two identical halves. This includes the fountains in the courtyard grounds which run to the gate. The only thing not symmetrical in the whole building is Shah Jahan's tomb, which is placed next to his wife's - Mumtaz Mahal.

Unfortunately, video camera's are only allowed to a certain point near the gate and my photo camera annoyingly ran out of battery so I could take photo's up close. I'll just have to come back to do that!

After the Taj, I had 11 hours to spare before my train to Varanasi departs at 11:30pm. Having been so protected with the tour, I panicked slightly as to what to do with myself, having already checked out of the hotel and knowing that it will be dark in a few hours. My driver took me to the "mall" and we arranged to meet at a restaurant at 9:30pm.

Well, the "mall" was just not what we would call a mall. I spent about 5 mins window shopping at the 3-4 sari shops and left. I took my lonely planet and headed to the Taj Ganj - an area off the South gate of the Taj that's slightly touristy. Walking through the tiny streets, I realised how protected I had been during the tour and how much I've been missing from discovering the more local area's of cities. Super characteristic tiny streets, again shared with all sorts of animals, mopeds, motorbikes, cars, tuk tuk's, cycle rickshaws and people. I stopped by a rooftop cafe, sipped on a coke and admired another view of the Taj before heading on.

I got into a cycle rickshaw and felt slightly sorry for the old man having to cycle my arse around, then I saw a whole family on one and felt better. He took me to the market area of Sadaar Bazar, which I found average, then to the Tourist Rest house. Contrary to it's lame name, it actually had a lovely courtyard where I drank chai and wrote.

The rickshaw driver waited outside for me for 2 hours then took me back to the restaurant. With another 4 hours to spare after dinner, I went back to the palm reading guy's restaurant for beers. He wasn't there, but I sat outside drinking beer with his business partner discussing our cultural differences (I was the only one drinking beer). At about 10pm his friends came and it became a bit awkward. I hopped back on with my trusty rickshaw driver (who was still waiting) and went back to meet my driver. Being 45mins late, the poor guy was almost having a heart attack and scolded me like a father as he was so worried. I said sorry and 3 seconds later it was back to normal and I was at the station waiting for my train to Varanasi.

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Comments

[sunharra]

inspiration for building Tajmahal . From where did the emperor got the inspiration.
Do u know that the emperor of Delhi ,Shahjahan who built the Tajmahal in memory of his queen Mumtaj , got its inspiration from udaipur. the story is ..... Shahjahan rebelled against his father emperor Jahangir. so his father was after him. the young shahjahan went for shelter to king of udaipur . The king of Udaipur , Maharana Jagat singh asked shahjahan to hide himself in the island palace of lake pichola , the jagmandir situated just behind the kings palace.this jagmandir palace was totally built of marble. shahajahan stayed here for many months . during his stay here only that he got inspired to make a similar structure of marble