The Taj Mahal!!
After a grueling seven hour car ride we finally made it to our hotel in Agra. The drive was horrible with constant stopping and going, near death experiences and a driver that had one thing on his mind - "dump the stupid tourists in Agra and get back to Jaipur ASAP." It took me at least an hour to un-tense my body and un-clench my teeth after that ride.
However, going to the observatory tower of the hotel and seeing the Taj Mahal in the distance got me excited and I quickly forgot about the tortuous time trapped in the ancient car.
Our travel agents wanted us to leave at 9 am to see the Taj but I pushed for 6:45 am and was finally obliged. This paid off because we had a great view of the mausoleum and as we were leaving around 8:45 the whole place was hidden in fog. There was still a lot of fog around when we were there but it cleared enough to see the impressive sight.
It is an amazing feeling to stand in front of a sight that you have grown up looking at in pictures and TV. This is someplace so far away that I never thought I would see in person. Seeing the Taj Mahal is the highlight of the trip and made the whole thing worthwhile.
It is huge and beautiful outside with perfect symmetry and gorgeous gardens. It is actual the burial site of the mughal Empress Mumtaz Mahal. This is a Muslim site. Unlike all the Hindu temples we have seen the Taj actually has the body of the empress laid to rest under the center of the large dome. The Hindu people cremate their dead and usually build temples over this site.
Mumtaz Mahal was the second and favorite wife of Shah Jehan the mughal emperor. He built this monument to her out of his great love and her dying wish. You can read the whole story here. http://rubens.anu.edu.au/student.projects/tajmahal/hist_sign.html
After the Taj we toured another Muslim mausoleum and Agra Fort which is pretty impressive in its own right. The day before we also saw the Red Fort, a deserted mughal fort/palace built by Akbar who also built the Agra Fort and is the predecessor of Shah Jehan who built the Taj Mahal.
Click here to see some of the images from the Taj, including some attempts at artsy fartsy-ness, and the forts.
We were supposed to take a train to Delhi this evening but it was delayed meaning we wouldn't get in till 2 am. We reluctantly agreed to take a 4 hour car drive instead. While in the business of the Delhi rush hour someone apparently bumped into us from behind. I think that the driver let go of the clutch. Anyway, we lurched forward and there was a big bang.
Tomorrow we will tour Delhi then we fly to Varanasi the day after, then back to Delhi to fly to Nepal for three days. Then the journey home via Bangkok overnight and LAX!
After a grueling seven hour car ride we finally made it to our hotel in Agra. The drive was horrible with constant stopping and going, near death experiences and a driver that had one thing on his mind - "dump the stupid tourists in Agra and get back to Jaipur ASAP." It took me at least an hour to un-tense my body and un-clench my teeth after that ride.
However, going to the observatory tower of the hotel and seeing the Taj Mahal in the distance got me excited and I quickly forgot about the tortuous time trapped in the ancient car.
Our travel agents wanted us to leave at 9 am to see the Taj but I pushed for 6:45 am and was finally obliged. This paid off because we had a great view of the mausoleum and as we were leaving around 8:45 the whole place was hidden in fog. There was still a lot of fog around when we were there but it cleared enough to see the impressive sight.
It is an amazing feeling to stand in front of a sight that you have grown up looking at in pictures and TV. This is someplace so far away that I never thought I would see in person. Seeing the Taj Mahal is the highlight of the trip and made the whole thing worthwhile.
It is huge and beautiful outside with perfect symmetry and gorgeous gardens. It is actual the burial site of the mughal Empress Mumtaz Mahal. This is a Muslim site. Unlike all the Hindu temples we have seen the Taj actually has the body of the empress laid to rest under the center of the large dome. The Hindu people cremate their dead and usually build temples over this site.
Mumtaz Mahal was the second and favorite wife of Shah Jehan the mughal emperor. He built this monument to her out of his great love and her dying wish. You can read the whole story here. http://rubens.anu.edu.au/student.projects/tajmahal/hist_sign.html
After the Taj we toured another Muslim mausoleum and Agra Fort which is pretty impressive in its own right. The day before we also saw the Red Fort, a deserted mughal fort/palace built by Akbar who also built the Agra Fort and is the predecessor of Shah Jehan who built the Taj Mahal.
Click here to see some of the images from the Taj, including some attempts at artsy fartsy-ness, and the forts.
We were supposed to take a train to Delhi this evening but it was delayed meaning we wouldn't get in till 2 am. We reluctantly agreed to take a 4 hour car drive instead. While in the business of the Delhi rush hour someone apparently bumped into us from behind. I think that the driver let go of the clutch. Anyway, we lurched forward and there was a big bang.
Tomorrow we will tour Delhi then we fly to Varanasi the day after, then back to Delhi to fly to Nepal for three days. Then the journey home via Bangkok overnight and LAX!
posted by Tammy at
8:33 AM
1 Comments:
Wow! The Taj is beautifull!!!!!
Stacy
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