India: Uttar Pradesh: Agra / Varanasi / Sarnath

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Uttar Pradesh

25/09 to 26/09: Agra: The Taj Mahal

Beautiful monument and great at sunset, it has been build by Shah Jahan as a memorial for his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal who died giving birth to their 14th child in 1631!

A World Heritage Site since 1983, it looks immaculate as when it was first constructed. Non-polluting vehicles have been introduced around the site to avoid pollution and preserved the Taj. To be truthful visiting the Taj Mahal felt more like a chore than a real desire - until we encountered the beauty of this wonderous complex. It was simply stunning...

27/09 to 30/09: Varanasi :

Regarded as the holiest indian city, you will love it or hate it. Wandering in the little alleyways around the ghats, people watching sitting on the steps of the ghats, offering Puja on the river Ganga, watching a cremation, watch buffalo bathing, people bathing...

Hindus come here to wash away their sins or cremate their loved ones. Being crematd in Varanasi does liberate Hindi's from the cycle of death and rebirth. The wood used to burn the body can be expensive as it takes more than 3 hours to be reduce to ash. Dogs are sniffing around hoping for some flesh to be left. The cremation is open to public and touts are asking for donation. The people turning the wood are part of the Untouchable cast. More impressive than the smell is the explosion of the intestine and stomach that create a shock. No picture is allowed of course for privacy of the family and respect. Certain types of people can't be burned and therefore are 'Cremated at sea/river' into the Ganga: Pregnant women, Children under the age of 10, Lepers, Saddhus are including in the list of 'Exceptions'

When the river is not high, you can easily walk along the ghats, there are 80 in total. The famous one are Manikarnila for the funeral procession on the streets: body are walked on the streets to the Ganga, and Dasawamedh ghat for the prayer/offering ceremony.

Sarnath:

Buddha came here to preach his message of Nirvana and monks did live here in large monasteries. Muslim invaders ransacked the town and Sarnath disappeared being discovered by the British archaeologists in 1835. Stupas and Monastery Ruins are found here. Definitely worth a visit.

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Photos

Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal