TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25TH 2008 – AGRA AND THE TAJ

 

 

 

 

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 25TH 2008 – AGRA AND THE TAJ

We got up at an ungodly hour to reach the Delhi train station in time for a 6:30 am departure. Even though we were in the capable hands of “our man in Delhi”, Virender Pandey, the train station was still a confusing and overwhelming experience. As we made our way through the dense crowd, I became aware that the long gray “lumps” I was stepping over were actually people sleeping on the ground, wrapped from head to toe in woolen blankets. I suppose they are either waiting for trains, or work at the station, or ???

We waited on the platform and watched the cleaning process for the overnight sleeper car still on the track. Every few minutes someone threw from each door along the train a pile of sheets and red blankets onto the train platform. The piles grew larger and larger as we waited. I would love to know (or maybe I wouldn’t) where all of these sheets and blankets were headed to be cleaned. I had visions of women “breaking the rocks at the river” (as Mark Twain said) with those sheets. We had reserved seats in a first class car and were served Nescafe and a light breakfast before arriving in Agra two hours later.

I hadn’t really realized how much there is to see in Agra beyond the Taj Mahal so we were thrilled by our day. We had a terrific guide, Assam, who recommended that we visit the Taj first before it got too crowded. We were a little skeptical about how we’d react to the Taj, having seen so many photos of it and it is such an iconic place, but as we approached we were shocked by the building’s beauty and pristine whiteness. We were also touched by the romantic story of love that Emperor Shah Jahan had for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, for whom this mausoleum was built upon her death in 1631 (it was not completed until 1653). Our guide gave us an in-depth tour of the inside of the Taj and taught us about the intricate inlay work of semi-precious stones. He shone a flashlight on the marble and on the cornelian inlay to show the translucence of each material. He also happened to be a pro at photography and posed each of us at strategic spots. Thanks to him we have a few people photos. Thank you Assam.

Then to the Agra Fort and best of all, “the baby Taj”, aka by its proper name Itimad-ud-Daulah. This is another tomb built between 1622 and 1628 which is Persian influenced and is decorated with exquisite inlaid stones and designs. Many of the design elements foreshadow the Taj Mahal, but in many ways the “baby Taj” is even more beautiful.

At sunset we drove across the river and walked along a funky dirt path to reach the opposite side of the river from the “big” Taj. There we got a gorgeous view of the Taj reflected in the river at sunset. As an extra bonus, a cremation was taking place downriver and the smoke filling the air and sounds of people make the moment seem alive and enchanting. From the sublime to the ridiculous was a drive back over the river across a narrow two lane bridge filled to capacity with auto-rickshaws, ox-carts, bicycles. I videoed almost the entire ride across because it was the quintessential face of India. Amazing.

We were exhausted by this point and our guide dropped us off at a nice hotel where we could freshen up and cool off at the bar. Then off to the train station at 8pm for a return two hour trip back to Delhi. You know you’ve been in India a little too long when for amusement (mixed with a bit of horror) we watched an entire rat family eating some kind of meal that was being fed to them on the railway platform. These rats were too horrible looking; they looked more like big mice, but still! If they weren’t Ganesha’s conveyances I wouldn’t have been so tolerant.