We arrived in India rearing to go, in pursuit of intrigue and
adventure... and were promptly met with a 3 hour wait to get our visa
“on-arrival”, much to Ben’s horror. A few Ganesh "obstacle removing"
mantra later and we were safely through customs and meeting our poor
driver who’d stayed up most of the night waiting for us. Soon we were
getting amongst the usual background Indian road accompaniments of
musical horns, flashing lights, tuktuks and meandering animals so
familiar to Nick on our drive to the hotel. It had been 2 years since
he’d done his 3 month medical elective at CMC hospital in Vellore and he
was stoked to be back in the land of the heart. After briefly meeting
our incredible guide, Perry (a ridiculously knowledgeable consummate
professional), we crashed into bed and slept like a log before kicking
off our itinerary the following morning.
An omelette, toast and masala chai later and we were straight into it. We began by visiting a local Sikh temple, the Sisganj urudwala temple in old Delhi. Here we were introduced to the Sikh religion and the three principles of Sangat (the sharing of knowledge), Pangat (contributing to the wider community) and Langar (the sharing of resources). Sangat is received through visiting the temple and hearing verses of the Sikh holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib. After listening to the singing of devotional verses, we then visited the kitchens to observe the Pangat principle. The first room consisted of large iron bowls of wheat heated together with sugar whilst being stirred continuously over an open flame using a massive stirring rod - the aroma was truly divine. At other stations, people assisted with the preparation of dahl (lentils) and roti (flat bread) in a veritable supply chain including kneading dough, rolling balls, flattening them out with a rolling pin and heating them on the hot plate, with a few artistic tosses chucked in for good measure.
Our visit to Gurudwara was followed by a trip to Jama Masjid, the oldest mosque in old Delhi. It’s high location provides panoramic views of the old city and various snapshots of daily life – from kids playing cricket (make no mistake - cricket is THE main religion in India!) in any space available with ANYTHING available at hand (jandals, bits of 4 x 2 etc etc) to people wheeling carts of fruit to sell to mechanics hammering away at old motorbikes. This was followed by a few minutes navigating the frenetic narrow alleyways of old Delhi dodging dogs, cows, cyclorickshaws, tuktuks, people spitting beetel leaves and ducking under numerous overhead wires to grab a divine stuffed parantha from a local kitchen.
Later that afternoon we caught the metro to Chandni chowk to visit the spice markets, walking through the famed chilli market whilst coughing and sneezing along with the locals. A quick photo stop outside the red fort and it was back to the hotel to catch our night train to Amritsar. Whilst waiting in the night for our train, Nick hit up the patrolling chai wallah for a truly amazing (and only 5 rupee or NZ$0.11!!) hot cup of masala chai, with Scotty soon following suit – beginning a love affair with masala chai akin to that experienced with the condensed milk-laden Vietnamese coffee. Scott’s night was made when a passing dude came up to him and told him earnestly ”you are beautiful”, much to the rest of the group’s amusement. We were beginning to think that perhaps the beard had magical properties…
We’d scarcely been
on the train 10 minutes when Ben had his beloved camera stolen, which
was a blow occurring so early on in our tour with so many sights
remaining…Please therefore excuse the quality of the photos which for
the remainder of our trip will be taken with our iPhones instead.
Arriving in Amritsar early morning we went to the local police station
to file our police report. After 2 hours watching the local Punjabi
channel whilst various officers milled around shuffling papers, we
finally wrote the report dictated to us which the head honcho then
signed before making our way to our hotel through a combination of car,
cyclo-rickshaw and good ol’ fashioned wai wai express.
That afternoon we visited the famed golden temple, consisting of white marble walls, a central lake ("Amritsar" meaning the pool of the elixir of immortality) and the central golden temple. You cleanse your hands and feet prior to entering the temple by washing them in pools, with the water overflowing onto the pristine white marble floors. Volunteer workers were throwing buckets of water and scrubbing the white marble floors constantly, giving it a radiant appearance. Walking barefoot around the central lake on cool, water covered white marble with the sun reflecting off the central burnished golden temple was an incredible experience...There is something truly peaceful about the place.
We once more observed the 3 principles of Sangat, Pangat and Langar. After observing Pangat with a suitable Pavlov dog response, we were more than ready for Langar – the food prepared entirely through volunteer endeavour is served in a vast dining hall in rapid rotating 5 minute dining sessions. You take your seat, promptly have a tray given to you and then have about 3 seconds to prepare yourself before large canteens of Dahl, Kheer (rice pudding) and baskets of roti come careering past you as yet more volunteers frantically dole out large spoonfuls on either side. The food is absolutely delicious and the kheer served was the best we had all trip!!
We returned to the golden temple at nightfall to observe the ceremony held every evening to return the Sikh holy book to its night resting place. A parousel is blessed and covered with flower wreaths whilst mantra are chanted and then a procession is conducted to collect the book and place it inside before it is carried to a different temple to be stored overnight. Everyone wants to have the honour of carrying the book, so the book is borne via parousel amidst clamouring legions of constantly shifting shoulder-bearers underneath.
The following day we had a good rest before visiting the sombre Jallianwala bagh memorial and the India Wagah border. The Wagah border flag ceremony, where the India-Pakistan border (line of control) is closed each evening and both respective flags taken down for the day, made for quite a spectacle. There was a very sportsmatch-like atmosphere about the place, with both sides having MCs to fire up the crowds, cheering, singing, dancing and cranking loud music, with each side aiming to drown out the other. The Indian side seemed much more lively – kids took turns running the Indian flag up and down the narrow strip and all the young girls started their own spontaneous dance party in the middle of the strip whilst the military men stretched and swung their legs against trees in the background.
When it got down to business time, both sides
straightened their uniforms and flared hats before marching purposefully
to their respective positions. This was followed by a loud drawn out
call (which would be immediately echoed by the opposite side, with each
side trying to out-last each other) followed by a brisk, rigid march to
the gate (arms swinging from the sides to above the head) followed by
the best part of all – the emphatic swinging of the legs above the head
and several pointed stamps at the point of meeting to show your
opponent they are worth less than the ground beneath your feet, before a
readjusting of one’s hat and promptly taking your place beside the
border.
After the ceremony, we all partook of a limca (lemonade) from the local army canteen – served in a recycled glass bottle which looked like it hadn’t been washed since its inception and probably in its 15th generation of use before heading back to the hotel for a solid sleep before our long drive to Dharamshala the following morning – the mountainous region where the majority of the Tibetan populace sought refuge at the start of the communist revolution in China and which now serves as the Dalai Lama’s headquarters.
After a long journey, we finally arrived in Dharamshala in the early evening just in time to grab some Tibetan tsampa before turning in for the night. The following morning we spent visiting the Dalai Lama’s residence and surrounding temples before exploring the rest of Mcleod Ganj (upper Dharamshala). We navigated our way through the numerous stalls of enterprising young Tibetans selling everything from clothes to traditional handicrafts to turquoise jewellery, small roadside cafes and numerous yoga and meditation classes.
Afterwards we went on to the “Dalai Lama walking
trail” which winds around the mountaintop affording great views of the
surrounding countryside. The Himalayas provide a beautiful backdrop,
with green stepped wheat fields embedded in the mountainsides down to
the river and Kangra village below and hawks circling lazily on the
surrounding thermals. Cows meander peacefully amid layers of colourful
Tibetan prayer flags, which disintegrate on the breeze, simultaneously
carrying mantras of compassion and serving as reminders of impermanence.
Turning wooden prayer wheels as you follow the trail, admiring the view
and breathing the crisp alpine air, it’s easy to find a measure of
inner peace...
The following day we went to visit the Norbulingka institute, set up in Dharamshala for the preservation of Tibetan culture. We were able to view traditional Tibetan teak wood carving, thangka artwork, museum displays of traditional Tibetan costume and brass metalcraft as well as enjoy the tranquil grounds and a delicious vegetarian noodle lunch.
That afternoon we walked around the northern
end of Dharamshala on a mini day hike up to the local waterfall, with
the downstream portion serving as a central laundry and washing base for
the Tibetan locals.
After Dharamshala it was another early morning start and long roadtrip to our next destination - Shimla, capital of Himachal pradesh and location of the Viceregal lodge. We spent the first afternoon there visiting Jakhoo temple dedicated to Hanuman (the monkey god, 11th incarnation of Lord Shiva) who’s said in the Ramayanam epic to have stopped off there searching for a Sanjeevani herb to cure Lakshman (Ram’s brother), who was injured by an arrow in a fight with demon king Ravana. We spent most of the journey avoiding the numerous monkeys roaming wild around the place whose cunning, daring and bravado knows no bounds. They’ll steal anything not held tightly and close to your body – hence the many locals toting lathis (long sticks) for protection.
The following day an early start brought us to the Viceregal lodge, a sight of significant historical and political importance for India (and indeed where the plan to partition India was submitted). The former residence of the British viceroy of India, statesman Professor Radhakrishnan had the foresight to donate it to the Ministry of Education and it now currently serves as a postdoctoral research university, the Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS), dedicated to the humanities and social sciences. After our visit it was on the road once more for a long drive back to Delhi on a brief stopover (with a quick sightseeing stop at the India gate and Indian parliamentary house) before our train to Varanasi later that evening.
We arrived in Varanasi, jumped off the train and into our jeep before making our way to the hotel. We were stoked to have arrived in the “real India”, Shiva’s city of life and a veritable hive of activity – the oldest continually inhabited city in the world, a true mélange of culture and religion and a place where every Hindu is meant to visit at least once in their lifetime.
That afternoon, we went for a walk
exploring the numerous ghats and the Vishwanath (golden) temple (where
queues already extended for kilometres) before jumping on a boat to go
see the Manikarnika funeral ghat. Here a continually burning flame
serves as the source for the constant cremations occurring riverside. It
is said that to be cremated in Varanasi upon your death this lifetime
grants you moksha - releasing you from the cycle of death and rebirth
and returning you to the five elements from which you were formed
(earth, air, fire, water and sky).
On our way to the Dasaswamedh ghat, we lit our own small marigold light offerings before offering them to the river. Next it was on to the evening aarti at the Dasaswamedh ghat, joining the throngs of other boats to witness the offering of light, music and incense as we bade the gods goodnight.
The following
morning was an early start as Mahashivrathri was upon us - being
incidentally both Perry’s birthday and Shiva being his family deity,
being both in Varanasi and for Mahashivrathri to fall on a Monday
(Shiva’s day) for the first time in 237 years, it made for an incredibly
auspicious occasion indeed.
We jumped back on our boat and sailed upriver past numerous devotees taking their early-morning holy dip, people practising yoga, kids playing cricket and dhobi’s washing clothes on the banks to find a peaceful, quiet spot. Here both Perry and Nick were overjoyed to partake in both a water offering and a holy dip in the sacred (and surprisingly clean!) waters of the ganga-ji. Afterwards we returned to the Dasaswamedh ghat to enjoy the morning aarti, bidding the Gods good morning.
That evening it was back to the train
station and on an overnight train to Agra, home of the legendary Taj
Mahal. Arriving mid next morning, we dropped our gear off at the hotel
before setting off to our first sight – Itimad ud-Daulah, affectionately
known as the “baby Taj”, built by Nur Jahan (Mughal emperor Jehangir’s
Persian wife) as a mausoleum for her father.
The place is famous for its delicate screens, each carved from a single piece of white marble and featured golden leaf covered ceilings, marble inlay and decorated with inks created from semiprecious stones including blue lapis lazuli, green malachite and orange carnelian. The grounds are beautiful with well maintained gardens and tiny squirrels running throughout.
After the baby Taj, it was on to spend the afternoon at the real thing. The Taj Mahal was built by Emperor Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his wife Mumtaz mahal, who died whilst bearing his 14th child (no less!) in 1631 whilst he was away fighting. This left him so heartbroken it is said he withdrew from battle immediately and his hair turned grey overnight. Commissioning more than 20,000 artisans over an 8 year period, the immense undertaking created a truly legendary monument to love and conferred immortality to their life story.
We entered the Taj via the East gate and made our way through the large sandstone entrance gate before the ethereal beauty of the famous white domes and accompanying minarets met our eyes. There are beautiful ornamental mughal gardens laid around a central waterway with a marble fountain serving as the intersection point. After exploring the gardens, we made our way inside to admire the craftsmanship of the inlaid marble, carved marble screens and domes inscribed with verses of the Quran. The 4 corner minarets bestow a lovely aesthetic balance to the whole structure and are famously directed outwards so that in the event of an earthquake, they would fall away from and thus protect the central domes.
As the late dusk sun began to fall, we spent the rest of the afternoon admiring the burnished rose reflection off the domes from one of the quiet park benches.
The following morning we set off early to visit the Agra fort, an important military base begun by Emperor Akbar and continued through the generations including Shah Jahan (his grandson and builder of the Taj Mahal). The fort complex contains a triple moat (1 consisting of crocodile infested waters, a further one consisting of a jungle patrolled by panthers and an inner one manned by the army) and numerous internal counter-assault measures including rolling boulders down ramps and holes to pour boiling oil down on foes.
The white marble khas mahal was the site where Shah Jahan was imprisoned under house arrest shortly after completing the Taj Mahal by his own third son, Aurangzeb (who killed his 2 older brothers in order to seize the throne), left only able to view his magnificent creation from a distance. Numerous innovative architectural techniques were employed in the creation of the fort, including water cooled false walls and soaked hanging carpet curtains as a form of air conditioning plus angled walls to project accoustic whispers from one end of the room to another, providing a means of surveillance and allowing scheming officials to be overheard...Our favourite was Jehangir’s alarm clock – ankle bells would be tied around 50 harem women and they were made to run backwards and forwards in a small passage surrounding his sleeping chamber – the jangling noise made as they ran past would serve to wake him gently from slumber.
Later that afternoon it was back into the car and on to our final India destination, Jaipur, the "pink city" located in the state of Rajasthan. Arriving mid afternoon we settled in and went for a quick walk around the block, smashing an amazing roadside sweet lassi from a terracotta cup before heading to the local Raj Mandir cinema (dating back to 1976 with a real 70’s feel inside) to catch a Bollywood flick, Aur gangster - the usual collision of family politics, hatching plans, love and honour.
The following day it was up bright and early for a quick photo stop visit to Hawa mahal (the palace of the winds), which unfortunately was undergoing restoration at the time and covered in scaffolding. It is a beautiful building facade designed to provide one way viewing for the ladies of the court sitting behind the screens on to the hustle and bustle of the city life below.
From there it was on to the amber fort, a mastercraft of indo-islamic architecture. Upon entering the vast public audience courtyard, with a wave from Perry to the musicians located up on the walls, we were greeted with thundering drums and horns as we drank in the crowd, numerous touts selling postcards and the multitude of elephants marching up carrying tourists from below.
We headed up to the Diwan-i-am (hall of public audience) containing double pillars employing both hindu and Islamic motifs such as lotus, elephant head and symmetrical floral elements. The Jai mandir (victory hall of mirrors) is a sight to behold with silver reflective mirrors on the roof and inlaid marble decoration lining the walls.
After exploring the mughal garden in front, we then proceeded on to the zenana (women’s quarters), with the maharaja’s room located conveniently above providing a bird’s eye view of the surrounds. His room is connected to each of his concubine’s chambers by a passage which is not visible to any of the other chambers, allowing him to choose discretely whom he will visit each night.
Having visited the amber fort, we had a quick photo stop at the summer lake palace on the way to the city palace museum. Here we visited both the Diwan-i-Khas (containing snapshots of everyday royal life, royal portraits and tapestries depicting Krishna and Radha) and the Diwan-i-Am, where the two giant silver vessels used to carry sacred Ganga-ji water for use in rituals by Maharajah Madho Singh II during his trip to England are displayed.
Next up was the Mubarak mahal containing a collection of various royal costume and attire from clothes worn in polo matches to gold thread embroidered kurta to pashmina worn by ladies of the court. From there we proceeded to the Rajput armoury, containing an impressive display of Rajput weaponary including everything from Buj axes to katar daggers with pistols incorporated into the handle to blunderbuss rifles. Finally we visited the Pitam Niwas Chowk, with four courtyard gates themed according to the seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter.
After a full day we had an epic sleep before rising early once more to make the 6 hour drive back to Delhi for our flight out to Dubai. A fortuitous halfway stop near a bookshop allowed Nick to pick up Amish Tripathi’s “Immortals of Meluha” Shiva trilogy before we jumped on our plane, bid farewell to the land of the heart and flew on to a city straight from the future...
Cameras stolen: 1 *sniff sniff*
Maximum number of passengers seen in a single tuktuk: 15
Masala chai consumed: 50 cups
Smells experienced: 1,000,001
Senses blown: 5
Coliform bacteria ingested: 10,000,000,000
Good karma points accumulated: ∞
An omelette, toast and masala chai later and we were straight into it. We began by visiting a local Sikh temple, the Sisganj urudwala temple in old Delhi. Here we were introduced to the Sikh religion and the three principles of Sangat (the sharing of knowledge), Pangat (contributing to the wider community) and Langar (the sharing of resources). Sangat is received through visiting the temple and hearing verses of the Sikh holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib. After listening to the singing of devotional verses, we then visited the kitchens to observe the Pangat principle. The first room consisted of large iron bowls of wheat heated together with sugar whilst being stirred continuously over an open flame using a massive stirring rod - the aroma was truly divine. At other stations, people assisted with the preparation of dahl (lentils) and roti (flat bread) in a veritable supply chain including kneading dough, rolling balls, flattening them out with a rolling pin and heating them on the hot plate, with a few artistic tosses chucked in for good measure.
Our visit to Gurudwara was followed by a trip to Jama Masjid, the oldest mosque in old Delhi. It’s high location provides panoramic views of the old city and various snapshots of daily life – from kids playing cricket (make no mistake - cricket is THE main religion in India!) in any space available with ANYTHING available at hand (jandals, bits of 4 x 2 etc etc) to people wheeling carts of fruit to sell to mechanics hammering away at old motorbikes. This was followed by a few minutes navigating the frenetic narrow alleyways of old Delhi dodging dogs, cows, cyclorickshaws, tuktuks, people spitting beetel leaves and ducking under numerous overhead wires to grab a divine stuffed parantha from a local kitchen.
Later that afternoon we caught the metro to Chandni chowk to visit the spice markets, walking through the famed chilli market whilst coughing and sneezing along with the locals. A quick photo stop outside the red fort and it was back to the hotel to catch our night train to Amritsar. Whilst waiting in the night for our train, Nick hit up the patrolling chai wallah for a truly amazing (and only 5 rupee or NZ$0.11!!) hot cup of masala chai, with Scotty soon following suit – beginning a love affair with masala chai akin to that experienced with the condensed milk-laden Vietnamese coffee. Scott’s night was made when a passing dude came up to him and told him earnestly ”you are beautiful”, much to the rest of the group’s amusement. We were beginning to think that perhaps the beard had magical properties…
 | |
| The beard...THE BEARD... |
That afternoon we visited the famed golden temple, consisting of white marble walls, a central lake ("Amritsar" meaning the pool of the elixir of immortality) and the central golden temple. You cleanse your hands and feet prior to entering the temple by washing them in pools, with the water overflowing onto the pristine white marble floors. Volunteer workers were throwing buckets of water and scrubbing the white marble floors constantly, giving it a radiant appearance. Walking barefoot around the central lake on cool, water covered white marble with the sun reflecting off the central burnished golden temple was an incredible experience...There is something truly peaceful about the place.
We once more observed the 3 principles of Sangat, Pangat and Langar. After observing Pangat with a suitable Pavlov dog response, we were more than ready for Langar – the food prepared entirely through volunteer endeavour is served in a vast dining hall in rapid rotating 5 minute dining sessions. You take your seat, promptly have a tray given to you and then have about 3 seconds to prepare yourself before large canteens of Dahl, Kheer (rice pudding) and baskets of roti come careering past you as yet more volunteers frantically dole out large spoonfuls on either side. The food is absolutely delicious and the kheer served was the best we had all trip!!
We returned to the golden temple at nightfall to observe the ceremony held every evening to return the Sikh holy book to its night resting place. A parousel is blessed and covered with flower wreaths whilst mantra are chanted and then a procession is conducted to collect the book and place it inside before it is carried to a different temple to be stored overnight. Everyone wants to have the honour of carrying the book, so the book is borne via parousel amidst clamouring legions of constantly shifting shoulder-bearers underneath.
The following day we had a good rest before visiting the sombre Jallianwala bagh memorial and the India Wagah border. The Wagah border flag ceremony, where the India-Pakistan border (line of control) is closed each evening and both respective flags taken down for the day, made for quite a spectacle. There was a very sportsmatch-like atmosphere about the place, with both sides having MCs to fire up the crowds, cheering, singing, dancing and cranking loud music, with each side aiming to drown out the other. The Indian side seemed much more lively – kids took turns running the Indian flag up and down the narrow strip and all the young girls started their own spontaneous dance party in the middle of the strip whilst the military men stretched and swung their legs against trees in the background.
 |
| Jai ho India! |
After the ceremony, we all partook of a limca (lemonade) from the local army canteen – served in a recycled glass bottle which looked like it hadn’t been washed since its inception and probably in its 15th generation of use before heading back to the hotel for a solid sleep before our long drive to Dharamshala the following morning – the mountainous region where the majority of the Tibetan populace sought refuge at the start of the communist revolution in China and which now serves as the Dalai Lama’s headquarters.
After a long journey, we finally arrived in Dharamshala in the early evening just in time to grab some Tibetan tsampa before turning in for the night. The following morning we spent visiting the Dalai Lama’s residence and surrounding temples before exploring the rest of Mcleod Ganj (upper Dharamshala). We navigated our way through the numerous stalls of enterprising young Tibetans selling everything from clothes to traditional handicrafts to turquoise jewellery, small roadside cafes and numerous yoga and meditation classes.
 |
| Mcleod Ganj |
The following day we went to visit the Norbulingka institute, set up in Dharamshala for the preservation of Tibetan culture. We were able to view traditional Tibetan teak wood carving, thangka artwork, museum displays of traditional Tibetan costume and brass metalcraft as well as enjoy the tranquil grounds and a delicious vegetarian noodle lunch.
 |
| Enjoying the noonday sun... |
After Dharamshala it was another early morning start and long roadtrip to our next destination - Shimla, capital of Himachal pradesh and location of the Viceregal lodge. We spent the first afternoon there visiting Jakhoo temple dedicated to Hanuman (the monkey god, 11th incarnation of Lord Shiva) who’s said in the Ramayanam epic to have stopped off there searching for a Sanjeevani herb to cure Lakshman (Ram’s brother), who was injured by an arrow in a fight with demon king Ravana. We spent most of the journey avoiding the numerous monkeys roaming wild around the place whose cunning, daring and bravado knows no bounds. They’ll steal anything not held tightly and close to your body – hence the many locals toting lathis (long sticks) for protection.
The following day an early start brought us to the Viceregal lodge, a sight of significant historical and political importance for India (and indeed where the plan to partition India was submitted). The former residence of the British viceroy of India, statesman Professor Radhakrishnan had the foresight to donate it to the Ministry of Education and it now currently serves as a postdoctoral research university, the Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS), dedicated to the humanities and social sciences. After our visit it was on the road once more for a long drive back to Delhi on a brief stopover (with a quick sightseeing stop at the India gate and Indian parliamentary house) before our train to Varanasi later that evening.
We arrived in Varanasi, jumped off the train and into our jeep before making our way to the hotel. We were stoked to have arrived in the “real India”, Shiva’s city of life and a veritable hive of activity – the oldest continually inhabited city in the world, a true mélange of culture and religion and a place where every Hindu is meant to visit at least once in their lifetime.
 | |
| Mad skills... |
On our way to the Dasaswamedh ghat, we lit our own small marigold light offerings before offering them to the river. Next it was on to the evening aarti at the Dasaswamedh ghat, joining the throngs of other boats to witness the offering of light, music and incense as we bade the gods goodnight.
 |
| Row, row, row your boat... |
We jumped back on our boat and sailed upriver past numerous devotees taking their early-morning holy dip, people practising yoga, kids playing cricket and dhobi’s washing clothes on the banks to find a peaceful, quiet spot. Here both Perry and Nick were overjoyed to partake in both a water offering and a holy dip in the sacred (and surprisingly clean!) waters of the ganga-ji. Afterwards we returned to the Dasaswamedh ghat to enjoy the morning aarti, bidding the Gods good morning.
 |
| Morning marigold offerings to the Ganga-ji |
 |
| Water offering to start... |
 |
| The proof! (Dr Ingram, please look away :P) |
 |
| Karmically cleansed - Om namah Shivaya... |
The place is famous for its delicate screens, each carved from a single piece of white marble and featured golden leaf covered ceilings, marble inlay and decorated with inks created from semiprecious stones including blue lapis lazuli, green malachite and orange carnelian. The grounds are beautiful with well maintained gardens and tiny squirrels running throughout.
After the baby Taj, it was on to spend the afternoon at the real thing. The Taj Mahal was built by Emperor Shah Jahan as a mausoleum for his wife Mumtaz mahal, who died whilst bearing his 14th child (no less!) in 1631 whilst he was away fighting. This left him so heartbroken it is said he withdrew from battle immediately and his hair turned grey overnight. Commissioning more than 20,000 artisans over an 8 year period, the immense undertaking created a truly legendary monument to love and conferred immortality to their life story.
We entered the Taj via the East gate and made our way through the large sandstone entrance gate before the ethereal beauty of the famous white domes and accompanying minarets met our eyes. There are beautiful ornamental mughal gardens laid around a central waterway with a marble fountain serving as the intersection point. After exploring the gardens, we made our way inside to admire the craftsmanship of the inlaid marble, carved marble screens and domes inscribed with verses of the Quran. The 4 corner minarets bestow a lovely aesthetic balance to the whole structure and are famously directed outwards so that in the event of an earthquake, they would fall away from and thus protect the central domes.
As the late dusk sun began to fall, we spent the rest of the afternoon admiring the burnished rose reflection off the domes from one of the quiet park benches.
The following morning we set off early to visit the Agra fort, an important military base begun by Emperor Akbar and continued through the generations including Shah Jahan (his grandson and builder of the Taj Mahal). The fort complex contains a triple moat (1 consisting of crocodile infested waters, a further one consisting of a jungle patrolled by panthers and an inner one manned by the army) and numerous internal counter-assault measures including rolling boulders down ramps and holes to pour boiling oil down on foes.
The white marble khas mahal was the site where Shah Jahan was imprisoned under house arrest shortly after completing the Taj Mahal by his own third son, Aurangzeb (who killed his 2 older brothers in order to seize the throne), left only able to view his magnificent creation from a distance. Numerous innovative architectural techniques were employed in the creation of the fort, including water cooled false walls and soaked hanging carpet curtains as a form of air conditioning plus angled walls to project accoustic whispers from one end of the room to another, providing a means of surveillance and allowing scheming officials to be overheard...Our favourite was Jehangir’s alarm clock – ankle bells would be tied around 50 harem women and they were made to run backwards and forwards in a small passage surrounding his sleeping chamber – the jangling noise made as they ran past would serve to wake him gently from slumber.
 |
| Shah Jahan's house arrest quarters |
Later that afternoon it was back into the car and on to our final India destination, Jaipur, the "pink city" located in the state of Rajasthan. Arriving mid afternoon we settled in and went for a quick walk around the block, smashing an amazing roadside sweet lassi from a terracotta cup before heading to the local Raj Mandir cinema (dating back to 1976 with a real 70’s feel inside) to catch a Bollywood flick, Aur gangster - the usual collision of family politics, hatching plans, love and honour.
 |
| Just another day at the office... |
The following day it was up bright and early for a quick photo stop visit to Hawa mahal (the palace of the winds), which unfortunately was undergoing restoration at the time and covered in scaffolding. It is a beautiful building facade designed to provide one way viewing for the ladies of the court sitting behind the screens on to the hustle and bustle of the city life below.
From there it was on to the amber fort, a mastercraft of indo-islamic architecture. Upon entering the vast public audience courtyard, with a wave from Perry to the musicians located up on the walls, we were greeted with thundering drums and horns as we drank in the crowd, numerous touts selling postcards and the multitude of elephants marching up carrying tourists from below.
We headed up to the Diwan-i-am (hall of public audience) containing double pillars employing both hindu and Islamic motifs such as lotus, elephant head and symmetrical floral elements. The Jai mandir (victory hall of mirrors) is a sight to behold with silver reflective mirrors on the roof and inlaid marble decoration lining the walls.
After exploring the mughal garden in front, we then proceeded on to the zenana (women’s quarters), with the maharaja’s room located conveniently above providing a bird’s eye view of the surrounds. His room is connected to each of his concubine’s chambers by a passage which is not visible to any of the other chambers, allowing him to choose discretely whom he will visit each night.
Having visited the amber fort, we had a quick photo stop at the summer lake palace on the way to the city palace museum. Here we visited both the Diwan-i-Khas (containing snapshots of everyday royal life, royal portraits and tapestries depicting Krishna and Radha) and the Diwan-i-Am, where the two giant silver vessels used to carry sacred Ganga-ji water for use in rituals by Maharajah Madho Singh II during his trip to England are displayed.
 |
| Maharaja residence |
Next up was the Mubarak mahal containing a collection of various royal costume and attire from clothes worn in polo matches to gold thread embroidered kurta to pashmina worn by ladies of the court. From there we proceeded to the Rajput armoury, containing an impressive display of Rajput weaponary including everything from Buj axes to katar daggers with pistols incorporated into the handle to blunderbuss rifles. Finally we visited the Pitam Niwas Chowk, with four courtyard gates themed according to the seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter.
After a full day we had an epic sleep before rising early once more to make the 6 hour drive back to Delhi for our flight out to Dubai. A fortuitous halfway stop near a bookshop allowed Nick to pick up Amish Tripathi’s “Immortals of Meluha” Shiva trilogy before we jumped on our plane, bid farewell to the land of the heart and flew on to a city straight from the future...
Cameras stolen: 1 *sniff sniff*
Maximum number of passengers seen in a single tuktuk: 15
Masala chai consumed: 50 cups
Smells experienced: 1,000,001
Senses blown: 5
Coliform bacteria ingested: 10,000,000,000
Good karma points accumulated: ∞
