.....Resumes.....
0330h: The alarm rings and I can not hear the rainfall outside. Having gone to sleep while it had been pouring, it meant probably Rain God had finally decided to take a break. A quick SSS (S..., Shave and Shampoo) and it was time to wake Czia up. And as always, she was up in minutes, without any fuss or issues. And if at all there were any, the sound of TAJ MAHAL was enough to boost her up. She, in any case, gets up whenever she is woken up (though she does not fall asleep easily). And yes, when we came out at 0400h, it was dark (obviously), cloudy (in order) but not raining (thanks to Heavens!). And we had to start this early because of little princess's plan to visit Taj and that too on a Sunday.
Allahabad looked so serene and calm at an early hour but not because people had been sleeping. There were people all around but somehow the place had a peaceful disposition.
A charm of its own
A whole lot of tents and arrangements had been made. Beyond the peaceful road, one can see a colony of tents
And who says that Kumbh means taking a dip only at Sangam?
Railways guys also decided to do something, finally!
Thank God, they thought about such things; there were many such basic amenities
Even cops were alert at 0400h
The easiest thing in life is to be critical about practically everything but there are times when one needs to appreciate the good work done by some people. Rains and flooding notwithstanding, administration appeared to be effective and a sense of purpose was apparant. And when you have some one from a different religion as the man-in-charge of such a ritual, the real strength of our nation, however beleaguered it may appear to be today, stands out.
The city was quiet and peaceful too. Look at this Church near Civil Lines..
The school affiliated with this church had put up a banner for accommodation of pilgrims.... another strength of our Indian way of Life
As part of heavenly blessings on such occasions, concerned places do get a face-lift and that does well for the natives. This road looks fresh and neat.
150 Kms through a dark, cloudy morning brought us back to the same place where we had our break the previous day. It had stopped raining sometime during the night and while clouds looked equally threatening, we did not face any showers beyond a very light sprinkle and that too for a shortwhile.
We had been stuck at a place some 120 Kms short of Itawah in 2002 and situation had been pretty alarming that night. Things have changed but guns are still around. Not in this pic, another guy had a carbine on him; though not in any kind of uniform, he appeared to be someone's body guard
Some more accidents, some more dead animals, some slush (no water though) and half-sleep populace enroute brought us to Agra yet again. Suddenly, we were crawling in slow traffic but we did manage to reach Taj's south end parking by 1100h. Hopped on to the eco-friendly transport..
Good initiative this... the electric rickshaw
There was loooooong queue for tickets and another looooooooong one for entry from the south end. Our guide, Akram, offered to guide us via eastern gate through Labour Colony. We saw the logic and found lesser crowd there. Lady and Czia simply walked through while I joined them a bit later. The guide did nothing else after that since our own knowledge about the place seemed to be more sound than that of him. BTW, I had spent two months at Agra in early 1990s, while on a course. Our favourite past time, during that era of slower life, would be to enter Taj at 1545h or so on a weekend and then stay on till full moon spell. They would, instead of clearing people from inside the area, change the ticket rate from ₹5 to ₹100 (night special) at 1600h. So, we would pay ₹5 and stay on to enjoy the views till late in the evening before hitting one of the five star hotels for a meal. All big hotels there offered (and offer even today) 50% discount on eats and snacks to my community (liquor was allowed to be brought in; only service charges would be taken).... those were the good'ol days!
Our guide turned out to be a novice so we turned him into a photographer for this pic (wonder what makes the gate behind us look skewed a bit!)
Taj looks magnificient as it begins to come in full view
Intricate and yet beautiful
A thing of beauty is joy forever..... have included the human beings here to give it a feel of a real pic. Any angle; any camera and beauty is so very perfect, always!
Massive and beautiful
It is not that THEY dirty less than us; it is just that their ticket is pretty fat and, thus, they have been exempted from paying.
But WE are US! The care-takers, while not allowed to charge foreigners (and charge only ₹2/- from us), play their own games. Firstly, the loo inside is water-free one and does not need flushing. But comodes and our rituals necessitate washing. So, they simply tell you that there is no water inside - two effects: 1. Indians prefer to go elsewhere, especially, if they intend using comodes. So, low profit client is discouraged. 2. Foreigners are handed over a bottle, some napkins and sanitisers, if they want to use these items. So, high value customers are fleeced in the process. All this happens in open and we claim ATHITHI...whatever!
Woken up at 0345; does she look tired?
Any doubts about the energy levels?
Shah Jahan wanted the monument to be Unmatched, Unparalleled and Everlasting..... how many of us actually see our wishes come true! This spot is for reflection viewing
Why this TILT de? Well, the outwardly tilt in the minarets was incorporated to make sure that in the event of a devastating earthquake that could bring these structures down, they would fall away and not on to the main building...... a bid to ensure its longivity (Everlasting) after craftsmen were able to meet first two expectations of the emperor (Unmatched and Unparalleled)
Girls' talk and I am not privy to the contents
Czia tries her hands at a Pan-shot
See from any cardinal direction; it looks the same
Another factor for longivity of Taj and it explains the selection of this site..... This course of Yamuna had not changed over centuries while every flooding season would bring a new course for the river everywhere else (ie when Yamuna was alive and kicking). It means that this area will never be dry or without water. The foundations of Taj are based on sand filled, wood rafter covered wells and as long as these components remain moist, they would be effective as anti-earthquake measures
Taj is also unmatched in a way that unlike all other Mughal era monuments, it stands at an end of a garden and not in the middle of four lawns or gardens. The latter is a typical layout followed in all other monuments of that era
Does it look different?
We said bye bye to a useless guide once we entered the monument; here, our young photographer is at her best
But this photographer has a huge cost; something that money can not compensate
Fourth attempt and she got it right!
If Heavens were to be on earth; this would be the place
By using another of eco-friendly mode of transport (horse drawn), one contributes to a bigger cause
The Journey Continues..... Insha' Allah!
Stats : - Total Distance Covered (ex Dwarka, New Delhi) - 1522 Kms
Rough KPL - 13.3 KM/ltr of Diesel.
Total expenditure - Approximately 15K
Experiences - Priceless!
0330h: The alarm rings and I can not hear the rainfall outside. Having gone to sleep while it had been pouring, it meant probably Rain God had finally decided to take a break. A quick SSS (S..., Shave and Shampoo) and it was time to wake Czia up. And as always, she was up in minutes, without any fuss or issues. And if at all there were any, the sound of TAJ MAHAL was enough to boost her up. She, in any case, gets up whenever she is woken up (though she does not fall asleep easily). And yes, when we came out at 0400h, it was dark (obviously), cloudy (in order) but not raining (thanks to Heavens!). And we had to start this early because of little princess's plan to visit Taj and that too on a Sunday.
Allahabad looked so serene and calm at an early hour but not because people had been sleeping. There were people all around but somehow the place had a peaceful disposition.
A charm of its own
A whole lot of tents and arrangements had been made. Beyond the peaceful road, one can see a colony of tents
And who says that Kumbh means taking a dip only at Sangam?
Railways guys also decided to do something, finally!
Thank God, they thought about such things; there were many such basic amenities
Even cops were alert at 0400h
The easiest thing in life is to be critical about practically everything but there are times when one needs to appreciate the good work done by some people. Rains and flooding notwithstanding, administration appeared to be effective and a sense of purpose was apparant. And when you have some one from a different religion as the man-in-charge of such a ritual, the real strength of our nation, however beleaguered it may appear to be today, stands out.
The city was quiet and peaceful too. Look at this Church near Civil Lines..
The school affiliated with this church had put up a banner for accommodation of pilgrims.... another strength of our Indian way of Life
As part of heavenly blessings on such occasions, concerned places do get a face-lift and that does well for the natives. This road looks fresh and neat.
150 Kms through a dark, cloudy morning brought us back to the same place where we had our break the previous day. It had stopped raining sometime during the night and while clouds looked equally threatening, we did not face any showers beyond a very light sprinkle and that too for a shortwhile.
We had been stuck at a place some 120 Kms short of Itawah in 2002 and situation had been pretty alarming that night. Things have changed but guns are still around. Not in this pic, another guy had a carbine on him; though not in any kind of uniform, he appeared to be someone's body guard
Some more accidents, some more dead animals, some slush (no water though) and half-sleep populace enroute brought us to Agra yet again. Suddenly, we were crawling in slow traffic but we did manage to reach Taj's south end parking by 1100h. Hopped on to the eco-friendly transport..
Good initiative this... the electric rickshaw
There was loooooong queue for tickets and another looooooooong one for entry from the south end. Our guide, Akram, offered to guide us via eastern gate through Labour Colony. We saw the logic and found lesser crowd there. Lady and Czia simply walked through while I joined them a bit later. The guide did nothing else after that since our own knowledge about the place seemed to be more sound than that of him. BTW, I had spent two months at Agra in early 1990s, while on a course. Our favourite past time, during that era of slower life, would be to enter Taj at 1545h or so on a weekend and then stay on till full moon spell. They would, instead of clearing people from inside the area, change the ticket rate from ₹5 to ₹100 (night special) at 1600h. So, we would pay ₹5 and stay on to enjoy the views till late in the evening before hitting one of the five star hotels for a meal. All big hotels there offered (and offer even today) 50% discount on eats and snacks to my community (liquor was allowed to be brought in; only service charges would be taken).... those were the good'ol days!
Our guide turned out to be a novice so we turned him into a photographer for this pic (wonder what makes the gate behind us look skewed a bit!)
Taj looks magnificient as it begins to come in full view
Intricate and yet beautiful
Massive and beautiful
It is not that THEY dirty less than us; it is just that their ticket is pretty fat and, thus, they have been exempted from paying.
But WE are US! The care-takers, while not allowed to charge foreigners (and charge only ₹2/- from us), play their own games. Firstly, the loo inside is water-free one and does not need flushing. But comodes and our rituals necessitate washing. So, they simply tell you that there is no water inside - two effects: 1. Indians prefer to go elsewhere, especially, if they intend using comodes. So, low profit client is discouraged. 2. Foreigners are handed over a bottle, some napkins and sanitisers, if they want to use these items. So, high value customers are fleeced in the process. All this happens in open and we claim ATHITHI...whatever!
Woken up at 0345; does she look tired?
Any doubts about the energy levels?
Shah Jahan wanted the monument to be Unmatched, Unparalleled and Everlasting..... how many of us actually see our wishes come true! This spot is for reflection viewing
Why this TILT de? Well, the outwardly tilt in the minarets was incorporated to make sure that in the event of a devastating earthquake that could bring these structures down, they would fall away and not on to the main building...... a bid to ensure its longivity (Everlasting) after craftsmen were able to meet first two expectations of the emperor (Unmatched and Unparalleled)
Girls' talk and I am not privy to the contents
Czia tries her hands at a Pan-shot
See from any cardinal direction; it looks the same
Another factor for longivity of Taj and it explains the selection of this site..... This course of Yamuna had not changed over centuries while every flooding season would bring a new course for the river everywhere else (ie when Yamuna was alive and kicking). It means that this area will never be dry or without water. The foundations of Taj are based on sand filled, wood rafter covered wells and as long as these components remain moist, they would be effective as anti-earthquake measures
Taj is also unmatched in a way that unlike all other Mughal era monuments, it stands at an end of a garden and not in the middle of four lawns or gardens. The latter is a typical layout followed in all other monuments of that era
Does it look different?
We said bye bye to a useless guide once we entered the monument; here, our young photographer is at her best
But this photographer has a huge cost; something that money can not compensate
Fourth attempt and she got it right!
If Heavens were to be on earth; this would be the place
By using another of eco-friendly mode of transport (horse drawn), one contributes to a bigger cause
The Journey Continues..... Insha' Allah!
Stats : - Total Distance Covered (ex Dwarka, New Delhi) - 1522 Kms
Rough KPL - 13.3 KM/ltr of Diesel.
Total expenditure - Approximately 15K
Experiences - Priceless!
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