Once inside the Taj Mahal, which is a glorious mausoleum from a king to his wife, it is striking how small it is. I was expecting a large open space like the Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, but instead there were small walkways for viewing the tomb.
It was dark inside as there is no light, except for one fixture that hangs over the queen's tomb.
It was hot and stuffy because of the mass crowds inside. The cooling relief came when we stood on the back side - the back porch, if you will - overlooking a river. Then there was a marvelous breeze.
Again, comparing it to the Grand Mosque, I was expecting the exterior marble to be snow white. It's not. It's speckled tan, made from translucent marble that shows variation of color when the sun hits hit. I was there at sunset, when at first it seemed beige, then it had an orange tint, followed by a reddish tint.
Just beautiful!
There is an ornate symbol on the top that represents the three dominant religions in the region - Hinduism, Islam and Christianity.
Switching gears -
Every local person I have met has been kind, gracious, and welcoming. There were teenagers hanging out at one of the monuments, they were on holiday from school because of the festival, and they were horsing around, like kids everywhere. The guide kept admonishing them to behave in front of guests (mostly me).
After visiting the Taj, I went home and sleep hard. A bed has never felt so good.
The next day, we visited Agra Fort, which is really a walled city. It was massive, and pristinely kept. It sits on 94 acres and its walls are 70 feet high. It is surrounded by a moat that was filled with alligators, as their first line of defense from invaders.
It was extraordinary!
We left there and visited craftsmen, whose ancestors worked on the Taj. One place worked with inlaying marble - incredible work, and the other with intricate embroidery. In the later, I saw a hand-embroidered rug that was inlayed with precious stones that was on display at the New York Metropolitan Museum in 1987. At that time, it was worth 1.5 million dollars!
I know these posts from India have been longer than usual. Thanks for hanging in there with me. I'm having a wonderful time, and like a kid at Christmas with a new toy, I want you all to see and share these experiences with me.
I'm in Jaipur today for a city tour, and then I'll board a train at midnight tonight for Jaisalmer which is a 12 hour train ride!
More soon!
It was dark inside as there is no light, except for one fixture that hangs over the queen's tomb.
It was hot and stuffy because of the mass crowds inside. The cooling relief came when we stood on the back side - the back porch, if you will - overlooking a river. Then there was a marvelous breeze.
 |
| Thousands of Indians waiting to enter. They have a different entry. |
Again, comparing it to the Grand Mosque, I was expecting the exterior marble to be snow white. It's not. It's speckled tan, made from translucent marble that shows variation of color when the sun hits hit. I was there at sunset, when at first it seemed beige, then it had an orange tint, followed by a reddish tint.
Just beautiful!
There is an ornate symbol on the top that represents the three dominant religions in the region - Hinduism, Islam and Christianity.
Switching gears -
Every local person I have met has been kind, gracious, and welcoming. There were teenagers hanging out at one of the monuments, they were on holiday from school because of the festival, and they were horsing around, like kids everywhere. The guide kept admonishing them to behave in front of guests (mostly me).
After visiting the Taj, I went home and sleep hard. A bed has never felt so good.
The next day, we visited Agra Fort, which is really a walled city. It was massive, and pristinely kept. It sits on 94 acres and its walls are 70 feet high. It is surrounded by a moat that was filled with alligators, as their first line of defense from invaders.
 |
| View of top of fort |
 |
| Landscape view of entryway |
 |
| Colonnade where the king held court |
 |
| Landscaping in one of the courtyards that looks like a puzzle |
It was extraordinary!
We left there and visited craftsmen, whose ancestors worked on the Taj. One place worked with inlaying marble - incredible work, and the other with intricate embroidery. In the later, I saw a hand-embroidered rug that was inlayed with precious stones that was on display at the New York Metropolitan Museum in 1987. At that time, it was worth 1.5 million dollars!
 |
| 75 year old craftsman. It was his father who made the priceless rug. He has 11 children and all of them are craftsmen. |
 |
| Hand-embroidered picture of the Taj. It is layered and textured and absolutely beautiful! |
 |
| This is a closeup of the piece above. The pictures don't do it justice. |
I know these posts from India have been longer than usual. Thanks for hanging in there with me. I'm having a wonderful time, and like a kid at Christmas with a new toy, I want you all to see and share these experiences with me.
I'm in Jaipur today for a city tour, and then I'll board a train at midnight tonight for Jaisalmer which is a 12 hour train ride!
More soon!
No comments:
Post a Comment