Taj Mahal - August 21, 2011

Video of our early morning visit to the Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal



Had to get this picture!





Our last day in India began with a sunrise trip to the Taj Mahal. As one travel writer said, "even the most jaded and cynical of travellers can't help but be awestruck by the beauty of the Taj Mahal." I concur!



Outside of Hotel Siris 18 in Agra waiting for Mintu to pick us up to to see the Taj Mahal.



This might look like a postcard,
but I took this picture




Even though the Taj Mahal looks pristine white from afar, the incredible inlaid semi-precious stones are beautiful and colorful up close.

 

The "Lady Di" bench was in constant use,
this was the next best option.



August 21 – Rajastan and the Road to Agra

We left our palace in Jaipur on a sunny, hot morning. We had several stops on our agenda so we headed out early.

 

Our first stop was at a beautiful Hindu Temple dedicated to Shiva. Just as we were getting out of our car we saw a couple from France that we had met the day before at the Amber Fort in Jaipur. We were happy to have the chance to see Philippe and Amandine again and exchanged email addresses and promises to keep in touch.  They, too, were headed to Agra and we laughed that we’d probably be making all of the same stops along the way.

I think our next stop might have been one of the best monuments of the whole trip. The Chand Baori (Stepwell) in Abhaneri was built over a thousand years ago.

Chand Baori is a famous stepwell situated in the village Abhaneri near Jaipur in Indian state of Rajasthan. This step well is located opposite to Harshat Mata Temple which shows that there must have been a religious connection with the step-well. The well is 35 m on each side with steps leading down from each side and water can be drawn from any level. This is one of the deepest and largest step wells in India. It was built in 9th century and has 3500 narrow steps and 13 stories and is 100 feet deep. The arid climate forced the locals to dig deep for a dependable water source, one that would last throughout an entire year. It is a fine example of the architectural excellence prevalent in the past.

This is an important archological site and the stone carvings  came from the Harshat Mata Temple nearby. This temple was destroyed by invading forces but the carved stone still remains.

Our next stop was Fatehpur Sikri.

Built during the second half of the 16th century by the Emperor Akbar, (grandfather of Shah Jahan, who had the Taj Mahal built) Fatehpur Sikri (the City of Victory) was the capital of the Mughal Empire for only some 10 years. The complex of monuments and temples, all in a uniform architectural style, includes one of the largest mosques in India, the Jama Masjid.

By the time we reached our hotel that evening we were well and truly worn out but looking forward to sunrise at the Taj Mahal on Monday.

August 20 – Jaipur: The Amber Fort and Jantar Mantar

 

Today we were definitely being the tourists.

We started our day looking at the Wind Palace with its elaborately carved stone “screens” behind which the royal ladies could watch the goings-on in the market area without being seen.

Then it was on to the Amber Fort – a huge palace set up on a hill about 10 miles outside of Jaipur.

 

Heading back in Jaipur:

Water Palace - Georgeous!

 Block printing is a Rajastani specialty and we visited a “factory” where they showed us how it’s done.

 

We got up close and personal watching a man weaving a carpet on a loom.

Our last stop of the day was Jantar Mantar. This is a fascinating place, but I really don’t understand it. This was definitely for Keith, Mr. Science. (See explanation from website  http://www.jantarmantar.org/). 

Between 1727 and 1734 Maharajah Jai Singh II of Jaipur constructed five astronomical observatories in west central India. The observatories, or "Jantar Mantars" as they are commonly known, incorporate multiple buildings of unique form, each with a specialized function for astronomical measurement. These structures with their striking combinations of geometric forms at large scale, have captivated the attention of architects, artists, and art historians world wide, yet remain largely unknown to the general public.

Tomorrow it's on to Agra seeing stepwells along the way. Monday at sunrise: Taj Mahal!

August 19 – The Road to Jaipur

"Rest area" on the road to Jaipur

The road south from Delhi to Jaipur was definitely better than the route to Rishikesh and we arrived a mere 4 hours and 45 minutes after leaving Shafi’s home. Of course, since we are officially “the bringers of rain”, as soon as we got into the city the monsoon downpour began and flooded several roads almost immediately. I will never use the term “monsoon rain” lightly again! But we had Mintu on our side and we made it safely to our beautiful hotel in time for dinner.

Camels along the way

We are staying at Mahal Khandela, a Heritage hotel, in Jaipur. The Heritage hotels are former residences of the noble families who couldn’t sustain these luxury residences after the Indian government abolished royal titles after India gained independence in 1947.



Keith and Mintu

"Mahal Khandela " was the town home of Rajkumar Jait Singh, 14^th descendent of Raja Raisal & a cadet son of Raja Sajjan Singh, the last ruling chief of Khandela before the agrarian reforms were applied.  Thakur Hanwant Singh the present incumbent, now has "Mhal Khandela" a hotel with the ambience of a lived-in home of a Rajput family. It is built in the traditional medieval-style, a synthesis of Hindu and Mughal architecture.

We had a really wonderful Indian dinner and then were treated to a traditional puppet show in the courtyard. The puppets are a unique craft in this area of Rajastan and are really beautiful. The show was accompanied by a couple of musicians playing a dholak, a two-headed Indian drum. Of course, there was a “sales pitch” at the end of the show, but it was still a lot of fun.

 

After a little planning with Mintu about what we’d be doing the next day, we all retired to our rooms for the evening.

August 18 – A “five hour” trip to back to Delhi – well more like 7

On Thursday morning we awoke to rain and, fearing another insane drive if the roads washed out again, we decided to head back (one day early) towards Delhi.. Mintu was ready and off we went making a side detour to the holy city of  Haridwar.

Haridwar was the site of the large Kumbh Mela festival in 2010. Kumbh Mela is a mass Hindu pilgrimage in which Hindus gather at the Ganges river.

From Wikipedia:  

The normal Kumbh Mela is celebrated every 3 years, the Ardh (half) Kumbh Mela is celebrated every six years at Haridwar and Prayag, the Purna (complete) Kumbh takes place every twelve years, at four places (Prayag, Haridwar, Ujjain, and Nashik). The Maha (great) Kumbh Mela which comes after 12 'Purna Kumbh Melas', or 144 years, is held at Allahabad. The last Ardh Kumbh Mela was held over a period of 45 days beginning in January 2010, more than 70 million Hindu pilgrims took part in the Ardh Kumbh Mela at Haridwar, and on January 15, the most auspicious day of the festival of Makar Sankranti, more than 5 million participated. The Maha Kumbh Mela, held in 2001, was attended by around 60 million people, making it at the time the largest gathering anywhere in the world in recorded history.

Since we left a day early from Rishikesh we didn’t have a place to stay in Delhi on Thursday night.  Luckily, my wonderful friend Shafi came to our rescue invited us to stay overnight there.

When we arrived at Shafi's gorgeous home at about 6:30pm, her two sons, Saurin and Sachin, were fabulous hosts (Shafi was at Parent's Night at Saurin's school). We had a delicious pasta dinner and great conversation, even singing together a jingle we all knew from the British sitcom "IT Crowd." We were fast friends after that! 

Our plan was to leave the following day (Friday) to Rajastan (again, a day early) so that we could see more of the sites, however, Keith’s stomach had other plans! He was so ill overnight that I thought we’d have to find a doctor in the morning. Shafi, again, came to the rescue, and with good food and the right medicine we were able to push off by 12:30 in the afternoon.

Next: The palace in Jaipur where we are staying Friday and Saturday nights.

August 17: A Beautiful Day in Rishikesh

Even after the 11 hour drive the day before, our first day in Rishikesh began quite early. We were up with the sunrise and listened and watch the devout and faithful walk to the temples to perform their morning aarti (chants and rituals).






The monkeys get chased away all day long, but this early in the morning they were enjoying themselves near the restaurant at our hotel.





After breakfast, Keith and I took a two and a half hour walk around Rishikesh. Really cool!

Very cute monkey guarding Laxman Jhula bridge. You'll recognize the Gita Bhawan temple in the background from the picture on my blog.

Crossing Laxman Jhula, one of two suspension bridges over the Ganges in Rishikesh.

Bathing in the Ganges River.

Shopping in one of the Rishikesh markets.













Hanging with the cows!

Divine Resort: Our room was on the 3rd floor (think 4th level up - ground, 1st, 2nd, 3rd)

In the picture below: Our hotel as seen from the other side of the Ganges River. We were VERY far up!