Monday 1st October: Royal Heritage Haveli, Jaipur to the Trident Hotel, Agra
Armed with a packed lunch we headed for Agra a few hours down the road. The scenery was again full of crops of all sorts, small towns and a couple of enormous holy statues. ( I feel as if many of my India photos feature electricity lines: totally unavoidable!)
Then in Agra we saw some delightful children waving in front of some shacks right on a very smelly part of the river. They are refugees from Bangladesh and have been there for some time. We have not visited some of the poorer parts of India so it was sad to see such primitive conditions and children.
After arriving at the Trident Hotel we threw our bags in the door and jumped on the bus headed for the central Agra market. As we approached we realised we would have to decant into bicycle rickshaws, and as most of us are not 'slim and sylph-like' as my Aunt used to say, we were rather concerned about whether it was appropriate to expect very wiry older Indian men to peddle us around!
They weren't at all concerned and ushered us - in pairs! - into their rickshaws. We did have to squeeze in as I'm sure they weren't designed for backsides of our size!
The market was fascinating and included a delightful empty old mosque, chili-eating ferocious monkeys, an ancient temple some metres below street level, an ayurvedic medicine seller, various fried food sellers and, of course, every sort of fabric ribbon and cotton alongside clothes, wedding decorations and toothbrushes!
As we were wandering along a narrow section of one of the lanes I noticed men on either side sitting on the ground with baskets in front of them.
I was horrified when I realised they were snake charmers and the baskets contained cobras. The guide was very nonplussed when we all looked concerned and assured us that they had no venom. We didn't hang around to find out!
Then it was back on the rickshaws and the bus to head for the Mehta Bagh gardens for a first glimpse of the Taj Mahal.
As we waited for sunset a herd of cows wandered past in the marshes. We were all pleased to be seeing it - the first time for many of us.
The gardens were built by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, who built the Taj as he enjoyed looking at it during sunset across the river. Because it is symmetrical it looks the same from every side. Whilst it is supposed to turn golden at sunset it didn't become too golden with the cloudy skies, but was still very beautiful.
As you can see it is as beautiful as the postcards, white and ornate.
Shah Jahan built it in 1632 to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. And a very lovely tribute to her it is.
The story goes that the King who built the Taj was sitting in the gardens on the banks of the river and noticed a dark reflection of the Taj in the river water. He decided that it was a sign to build a black marble version of the Taj, but died before building it.
As darkness fell it was time to return to the Hotel for another multi course dinner before rolling into bed ready for another look at the Taj up close.
your excited correspondent
Dianne
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| More ornate pink Jaipur buildings: the pink is usually painted here because a King many centuries ago painted the palace pink and everyone followed suit. The pink sandstone in Jodhpur was natural. |
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| Shiva |
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| Lentil crops |
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| The old Mosque buildings now used as a school |
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After arriving at the Trident Hotel we threw our bags in the door and jumped on the bus headed for the central Agra market. As we approached we realised we would have to decant into bicycle rickshaws, and as most of us are not 'slim and sylph-like' as my Aunt used to say, we were rather concerned about whether it was appropriate to expect very wiry older Indian men to peddle us around!
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They weren't at all concerned and ushered us - in pairs! - into their rickshaws. We did have to squeeze in as I'm sure they weren't designed for backsides of our size!  |
| The wares of the ayurvedic medicine woman: twigs, shells, roots, powders..and guaranteed to fix just about anything. |
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| A decorative collar presented to grooms made of money, literally! |
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As we were wandering along a narrow section of one of the lanes I noticed men on either side sitting on the ground with baskets in front of them.
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| A below ground temple with devotees placing offerings of flowers, sweets and coconut shell candles |
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| A small street shrine to the gods including the black faced Kali , wife of one of the Gods, who fought demons and ended up drinking their blood and turning black! |
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| For your own home temple you can buy a replica of a God - or Kali in this case- and dress it in elaborate costumes and jewels |
As you can see it is as beautiful as the postcards, white and ornate.
Shah Jahan built it in 1632 to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. And a very lovely tribute to her it is.
The story goes that the King who built the Taj was sitting in the gardens on the banks of the river and noticed a dark reflection of the Taj in the river water. He decided that it was a sign to build a black marble version of the Taj, but died before building it.
As darkness fell it was time to return to the Hotel for another multi course dinner before rolling into bed ready for another look at the Taj up close.
your excited correspondent
Dianne
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