Rural India.

The Countryside

We make our way through the Rajasthan countryside, bouncing and jostling over the rough roads. It does not help that our driver loves to pass on the right driving on the curb of the road, half off the broken pavement. He weaves in and out of traffic like an Indy 500 driver.

 

The countryside here reminds me of the Prairies almost a century ago. The small dusty fields are tended by hand. Here they grow crops like chick peas, mustard, lentils on small plots of land. In the fields men and women hoe the dry, dusty soil. There is some irrigation because it is near the river and the water table is quite shallow.

 

 

In one area the people throw the cut crops into a pile with pitchforks. A machine that resembles a small threshing machine sits nearby. On another farm loose hay is stacked on an old hayrack. We notice small huts on most pieces of land. We are told the walls are made of cow dung mixed with clay and this hut is where they store the cow pies used for fuel in the cold season. I remember my dad talking about doing that in the 30’s.

 

Women and girls, orange saris wrapped around their heads to protect them from the hot sun, squat in the fields picking some type of vegetables in straw baskets.

Men guide little herds of goats or water buffalo to the river for water.

It is not unusual for a cow or water buffalo to be wandering alongside the multilane highway as vehicles honk their horns and screech by. They seem to know they are safe.

 As we near our destination in rural Rajasthan we pass a gypsy camp, also commonplace here.

 Finally we arrive after a gruelling 7 hour bus ride. But it is worth it as we pile out of the bus and are greeted by the welcoming staff of the Talabgoen Castle, our home for the night.



It is a real castle, built 200 years ago and is still owned by the same noble family. When India declared independence the nobles lost their positions and much of their land. The smart ones became entrepreneurial, turning some of their estates into museums and heritage hotels to preserve them and have a source of income.

 

We gather in the inner courtyard where are treated to a refreshing drink while our luggage is gathered and we are assigned our rooms. I am in 207. The room is spacious with a large luxurious bed draped in rich fabrics. Windows surround on two sides draped in heavy silk draperies. Pulling these aside I see that I am facing west through the magnificent arches of the front gate. A window seat is nestled into the alcove of windows on the north wall. Rich woolen rugs line the wooden floor and a massive antique wardrobe graces the opposite wall.



My boudoir at the Castle... La De Da!



 

I nestle into the cozy alcove with a cup of steaming tea and a plate of cookies and pull a soft woolen wrap around me. It is deliciously quiet after the day spent in traffic and I feel like a princess, or perhaps an Indian Maharani.

 

Come With Me......

 

The Taj Mahal!!!!!!

Taj Mahal...

The alarm jolts me awake. It is 4:30 am and the room is still black.  I shake away the last cobwebs and I remember. I jump out of bed, excited now, eager to begin the day. For today I will visit the Taj Mahal. Our little group of photography and travel writing buffs hurriedly throw some water on our face, pull on some warm clothes and grab our cameras.

The best time to photograph this magnificent monument is at daybreak as the sun begins to rise, and before masses of people descend.

We walk through the dark streets of Agra by the light of our cell phones, hurrying to secure a prime place at the front of the queue. Although the temple does not open till 6:45 we are there by 5:30 and are rewarded by ensuring our place in line.

As we wait we chat with a small Indian man. He is the gatekeeper, the man with the giant key that will open the gate. His name is Anwar Han, but he is known as Mr. Don. He has held this post since 1975 and takes his responsibility very seriously.

Promptly at 6:30 Mr. Don turns the magic key, the gates open and the crowds, now assembled, surge forward. We enter through the magnificent arches and I stop dead in my tracks, there are no words to explain the sight before my eyes. It takes a moment to comprehend. This is it. The Taj Mahal, the most magnificent building on earth. The size alone impresses, but far beyond that. The sheer beauty, every detail deliberate and exquisite. The long reflecting pools are still in the early morning light and the temple is reflected perfectly in the water, a mirror image.

Once inside we rush toward the courtyard. We have been told there is small bridge that provides the best photo opportunities and we head single-mindedly to that spot. From this vantage point we crouch, grab our cameras and shoot, capturing this magical moment on disk, although it is unnecessary, it will forever be emblazoned in my mind.

Construction of the Tag Mahal begin around 1632 commissioned by the Moghul Emperor, Shah Mahan.  It is really a love story. The Emperor had three wives, his favorite and the love of his life was Mumtaj Mahal (meaning “Beloved Crown Jewel."  Their love was an unbreakable bond to the point that she would often accompany him on his campaigns and journeys so they did not have to be apart. She bore him 14 children in 18 years, but after the last she became ill and died. Her last wish to him was to care for her children and to build a magnificent monument in her honour. He was devastated and sought out the best architects and engineers to create a monument worthy of her memory. That monument is the Taj Mahal where her ashes are buried, and later his alongside.

It is indeed a work of art. Passing through the massive arched gate you look over the gardens and pools facing onto the Tomb. To the left is the Mosque and to right an identical building used as a guest quarters. Inside is the Mausoleum that holds two tombstones – hers and his.

 



The Gate.

 

Agra .... taking our life in our hands!

Heading out of town .....

It is early when we hit the road. We are leaving Delhi and head toward Agra.

Agra is the city where the Taj Mahal is located and I am very excited to see this famous place.

Delhi is huge and it takes a long time just to pass through before we head out. But it turns out this was the easy part.

Our bus driver has nerves of steel and is very aggressive on the road. Imagine a highway with three lanes. There are actual white lines on the road but they mean nothing. Traffic jostles back and forth , floating over the lines as though they are not even there. Vehicles look for any small space and gravitate toward it, no matter that the space is only a tiny opening and you are driving a bus. There are no signal lights... only horns.  The driver glimpses an opening, hits the horn and bulldozes into the space between trucks, lorries, other buses, cars and motorbikes. Its a continual game of chicken, each betting the other will pull back,  As we jam into tiny spaces other vehicles are a fraction of inch from our window. Our driver is a master. It is an urban symphony at the decibel level of a jumbo jet. We dare not look.

After several hours we near Agra but we have to make our way through that city now to our hotel.   We hit rush hour, or at least the type of traffic that you associate with rush hour  --- gridlock. We ever painstakingly slowly make our way across the city. Here we add a few more factors into the traffic equation. In addition to the cars and trucks and buses, etc. there are now cows, water buffalo and horse carts. Plus tuktuks jammed with at least a dozen people.

It is a slow and painful journey, but every now and then we rewarded with a glimpse of the Taj Mahal or the Red Fort in the distance. At last we arrive at our hotel, miraculously without a scrape or dent.

 

 

 

The Red Fort or Agra Fort.

 

Sitting high atop a hill overlooking the river and the city bf Agra sits the majestic Red Fort, so named because it is built from red sandstone. Built in1654  by the same Moghul Emperor who built the Taj Mahal  it is a UNESCO world heritage site and more of a walled palatial city than fort. It is a massive structure with a perimeter of over 2 kilometers. It was the capital of the Moghul Empire.

A moat surrounds the fort, no longer filled with water. A massive draw bridge which once protected the fort remains open, the giant mechanisms still visible within. At one time there was a huge door equipped with giant spikes at the level of an elephant’s head. If invaders tried to enter the fort, they would use elephants to batter down the doors, these spikes would be an effective way of immobilizing this threat.

The fort is in immaculate condition given the age. We make our way up a long sloping ramp into the fort. Inside the fort are The Glass Palace (dressing room), a white marble palace, two mosques and a tower. It was both a strategic military fort and a royal residence.

Palace, mosque, gardens….. 

The moat still surrounds the fort although it is dry.

Three domes of the mosque.

 

 

 
 
 

 

 

And tomorrow..... Tan Mahal..... Come With Me!

More about Delhi....

 

Sunday, November 15th.

 

More About Delhi....

 

 

 

It is Sunday and a nice day here, there are actually mostly blue skies today and it is sunny and quite warm.

 

Today we head out early for Qutab Minar, a world heritage site and the oldest mosque in northern India, built in 1198 under the Afghan Islamic dynasty.

 

The first thing you notice here is the beautiful tower that dominates the square. It is a mix of red sandstone and marble. Prior to the Islamic rule India was Hindu and there were 22 Hindu temples. These were all knocked down and used to build the new mosque. A characteristic of the Hindu architecture is the columns while the Islamic style is the curved lines. Here you see the outer perimeter lines with columns which came out of the destroyed Hindu temples. In the centre is the tower. It is 72.5 metres high and 14 metres across at the base. There are 379 steps that take you to the top although these are no longer used. This mosque is no longer used for religious ceremony, it is now a monument.

 

A mix of architectural style... the HIndu columns, the Islamic tower, the Arabic engravings...

 

 














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In the  centre is this iron pillar, there for 1600 years withstanding all types of weather... rain, sun, etc.
It has never corroded or rusted but remains in perfect condition.
Researchers and scientists have studied it but cannot determine why it has been able to tolerate and withstand the elements.



We meet at Kunzum Travel Café for our next writing class and are privileged to have a joint session with two successful travel writers who make their livelihood in the industry. It is interesting, fascinating and motivating and we come away with great ideas and tips that we can use.
Here travels can take a break, meet, socialize and perhaps update their blog. They are served coffee, tea and cookies. Guests pay whatever they feel. Ajay uses it also as a gallery for his travel photography and a home base for his writing and blogging.

 

We are in Hauz Khans Village, a mix of 14th to 16th century Islamic ruins and an upscale modern market with restaurants, galleries and shops.  We wander the narrow lanes and streets, poking in the shops and stopping for lunch at a lovely little café.

We continue on, now to Humayun's Tomb. This is another UNESCO World Heritage Site built under the Mogul dynasty. It is a beautifully preserved and restored mausoleum containing the tombs of a number of Mogul leaders. It dates back to the 16th century and sits on 30 acres of beautiful land and park in the centre of Delhi. Just the land value is now worth over $1 B.

There are gates on each of the four sides, leading to the Tomb and a wide sandstone pathway with a waterway and pool for cleansing one's feet before entering. Then surrounded by lush green lawns. This the most well maintained and manicured monument we have seen. The domes are clean and the grounds and well cared for.

As we leave the sun is beginning to set and reflecting the warm shades onto the marble domes.

We make our way back to the hotel where we must pack up and be ready to leave early in the morning. We will spend one more day at the end of our trip but I have learned so much about this country, its history and its people. It is a place I knew little about and feel I have gained a much better understanding of its culture and traditions.


On to Agra where we will see the Taj Mahal.... I can't wait.

Come With Me.......