The Taj Mahal

Delhi was fun, but the true reason for our trip was to get to the Taj Mahal.  We hired a car and drove four hours to Agra, where we stayed overnight and rose early for a morning viewing.  As we approached the site, these women were chanting outside the gates.

Everyone was herded like cattle to get inside.

This building serves as an entryway to the Taj.  We caught a glimpse over the wall:

 

There it was!

Our first full viewing:

The hotel in which we stayed in Delhi scheduled a tour guide to show us around Agra.  He was big on pictures.  Here is our first:

And here are some more:

This, apparently, is the "Lady Di" bench.  

 

Lady Diana posed here in 1992:

 

People say that of all India's over-promoted sights, the Taj Mahal is the one that never disappoints.  We certainly felt that way.

As we approached from the side we noticed an empty cart. 

It wasn't empty for long.

Note the footwear.  Everyone who enters the Taj Mahal is required either to leave their shoes at the gate (go watch Slumdog Millionaire for inspiration on how that scenario may end) or to don these fashionable shoe covers.

The shaping of the marble was astounding.

All over the marble, these precious and semi-precious stones were set in.  The stones were each individually shaped, their precise shape was etched into the marble, then the stones were glued into place.  A flower the size of an average human first may contain as many as 30 individual pieces of stone.

Here are views from the back of the Taj:

 

And the back of the Taj itself:

Verses from the Koran were cut in ivory and laid into the marble.  The artistry was remarkable.

The Taj is flanked by identical buildings.  Apparently, according to the Koran, paradise is described as a place of symmetry.  One is a music building and the other is a mosque.  This is the music building.

I loved these guys posing:

Even the paths to the building were serene.

One last shot:

Or just one more:

Camels hung around outside!  We thought they seemed more like giraffes up close.

Next we were taken to a tourist trap that we ultimately enjoyed immensely.  These men demonstrated how precious stones were shaped to adorn the Taj.

Here are some of the stones with which they work:

This guy was charged with etching the stone shapes into marble.  They dye the marble top with henna so that the etchings stand out, then wipe it clean after the stones are set.  I was amazed that the marble could ever return to its original shade of white.  Apparently it does so easily.

Here's an example of what a fist-sized flower would look like.  Imagine how much work went into just this portion.  (You can also see where someone has begun to polish away the henna.)

The shaped stones are tiny:

These men kindly let us try our hands at shaping stones.  Using these simple machines (literally) we pushed the wooden poles back and forth to move the metal wheels against the stones, shaping as we went.  Every few seconds the stones are dipped into the blue water to remove particles that have been etched away.

That was the Taj Mahal!

Stay tuned for Agra Fort.

Delhi

I spent my penultimate Indian weekend with a few friends in Delhi and Agra.  We all agreed that we'd kick down doors for jobs were IJM to open a Delhi office.  The traffic engineering was remarkable, the people were friendly, the sights were beautiful, the food selection left us slack-jawed, and the shopping was fantastic.  Here are some of the sights:

The Baha'i House of Worship:

Also known as the Lotus Temple.

Auto rickshaw drivers eagerly followed pedestrians.  They were great buisnessmen.

Danny and Voratida did an excellent job negotiating prices and distances.

We also saw India Gate:

...where Danny posed with police officers.

We tried to check out some government buildings...

but the gates were closed to us.

Everyone took pictures this way.

They came out like this.

Looking back down the hill, we had a great view of India Gate and the peaceful surrounding parks.

The grounds were immaculately kempt.

These heavily-shaped trees were everywhere, casting round respites from the sun.  Everyone seemed to have the same idea about what to do with that.  Plenty of lovely fountains, too:

The home of Indira Ghandi, India's first female prime minister, is now an excellent walk-through museum.  This is the sari Indira Ghandi was wearing when assassinated.

Outside Indira Ghandi's home, a crystal path commemorates her final walk prior to assassination.

This glass marks the spot where she fell after being shot.

 The home in which Mahamta Ghandi spent his last 144 days has also been made into a museum.

We enjoyed the World Peace Gong outside. 

(Everyone pointed out the flag for their nation of origin.)

We all agreed that this was one of the best executed museums we'd ever experienced.  Throughout the home, larger-than-life replicas of Ghandi's face were posted on walls.  The eyes in each face were made of small screens depicting scenes from his life.

The museum came complete with lifesize wax models of Ghandi and his wife.  When picture time rolled around, I missed the stoic instruction.

The steps here mark Ghandi's last walk before his assassination, just outside the house.

This gazebo marked the spot where Ghandi fell after he was shot.

Here's the view from the back of the house:

Afterward we found a fantastic Italian restaurant.  We all agreed we felt as though we were sitting somewhere in Europe.

In perhaps the greatest thrill of the day for me, though, I saw this shirt pass me in a mall:

This guy didn't know what his shirt meant!  I tried to tell him all about the SEC...he was something short of enthused.  I gave him the whole story anyhow; perhaps he'll pass it on.

 

Another piece of home: T-Pain, Tallahassee-bred rapper, was in Delhi the same day we were.

My time in India has been thrilling and fulfilling.  Still, one sight upon which I've had my heart set since entry eluded me: a cobra charmer.  Lucky for me, this guy appeared out of thin air in a parking lot!

That was Delhi.