Vrindavan, Fatehpur Sikri, Agra Fort and the Taj Mahal

I'm on a blogging roll this week. The determination to catch up from the previous weekends before I head to Amritsar tonight is providing ample motivation. And I promise I will post photos soon as I'm sure you're all more interested in photos than all my babbling.

On my fifth weekend in India, I finally made the journey to the Taj Mahal. It was early on Saturday morning (3:30 am to be exact) when Akarsh (Akarsh leads tours with Delhi By Cycle, but he also owns his own tourist company called "I Am Adventure" and he turned out to be a wondeful guide!) picked me up in Noida and we set off to pick up 4 other LC students who would be joining in the trip. Despite the early hour, most of us did not sleep and instead we chatted away while we drove along the Indian highway. The road to Agra is part of the golden triangle, so it is in much better condition than the road to Ranthambore and given the early hour there was not as much traffic.

At about 7 am, we stopped in Vrindavan to visit a Hindu temple that is devoted to Lord Krishna. The temple in Vrindavan is given special significance because the city (and the nearby city of Mathura) is thought to be the actual location of Lord Krishna's transcendental abodes. When we first arrived, the temple was not open so we partook in some street food. The food was delicious and because it was piping hot and cooked right in front of us, we deemed it relatively safe. The food would have been more enjoyable if there were a few less flies swarming around - and I have a feeling that had the food cart not been parked directly over a pile of "holy shit" (ie. cow pies - cows are sacred here so their shit is as well) then there might have been a few less flies. After eating our breakfast, the temple opened so we went to enter. There we learned that we would need to remove our shoes. Removing your shoes is typically required at temples in India, but usually you are at least allowed on the premises where the ground is a bit cleaner. Here we were made to remove our shoes on the dirty road and walk a short distance before reaching the temple premises.

The temple was incredible, and because we were there as it opened we were able to witness the waking of the gods and the other early morning spiritual rituals. The sweet smell of incense permeated the air, the sound of chanting and drums enveloped the air within and occasionally we felt drops of water land on our skin as a man passed back and forth shaking holy water. Despite the number of people at the temple, it was relatively calm and serene. An ambience that fit well with the white marble facade and intricate carvings of peacocks and other designs. In one area of the temple, curtains would be moved aside revealing various carvings depicting Lord Krishna in various scenes.

After spending some time there, we got back in the car and travelled a little further down the road. Our goal was another temple. Because the other temple was down a series of narrow alleys, we were made to park the car and follow a guide through the streets. The guide warned Dustin, Nolan, and Matt (who all wear glasses) that they should remove their glasses or they would risk losing them to the kleptomaniac monkeys that we would pass. Nobody lost their glasses or other possessions.

At the end of a short walk, we reached the other temple. This temple was the polar opposite of the temple we visited earlier. The temple was unassuming and the entrance hidden among other buildings. Where the other temple had been peaceful, serene and white this one was loud, colorful, and crowded. Swastikas formed of "holy shit" were affixed to the door frame and people stopped to pour milk or kiss the door frame in a sign of religious servitude. We pushed our way inside (where we were not allowed to take photos) and were greeted with the sight of throngs of people pushing their way towards the front - trying to catch a glimpse of the idol. The priest would occasionally pull back the curtain revealing the idol and the crowd rejoiced. As we departed the temple, we were blessed and yellow bindi was painted on our foreheads.
It was still early morning when we left Vrindavan and headed to Fatehpur Sikri. Once in Fatehpur Sikri we climbed to the Jama Masjid and viewed both the mosque and the tomb of Salim Chisti. The mosque and the tomb were impressive, but the experience at the Fatehpur Sikri was disturbed by the numerous touts offering to be guides or to sell certain wares. Despite having our own guide, the men were relentless and would not offer you a moments peace. Had Akarsh not been there, I'm sure the experience would have been much worse as he was at least able to tell them that we were "cheap" foreigners who had not purchased anything despite his week-long persistance (lies, of course).

Once our viewing at Fatehpur Sikri was completed we headed to Agra. In Agra Akarsh was hassled by the police because he was driving a brand new car - they were trying to shake him down for a bribe and wanted to know why he was with 5 foreigners. Again he had to lie to say we all worked for British Airlines and that we were friends of his that he was showing around. His lies worked and we were allowed to pass and head for our hotel. The hotel provided us an opportunity to freshen up.

From there we headed to the Agra Fort. As much as I was unimpressed by the Red Fort in Delhi, the Agra Fort was a spectacular sight to behold. It was impressive, well cared for, and there was an audioguide available for rent. We all made our way through the grounds, listening to the history of the fort and the Mughal emperors. We finished our tour just in time - the rain started to pour. We hopped back in the car and found respite at a nearby coffeeshop.

We waited out the rain at the coffee shop and then headed back to the Agra Fort for the sound and light show. The sound and light show provided more interesting history, but it was not what I expected. I had anticipated images flashed on various portions of the building much like a movie. Instead, various portions of the Fort would light up while the narrator provided an account of the history of the emperors.

Dinner was chinese food at a nearby hotel and then, exhausted, we all crashed at the hotel.

Early on Sunday morning, we woke up and departed for the Taj Mahal. Like every other sight in India, tourists pay 25 times more to enter than Indians do. At the Taj at least you are given a bottle of water, a ride in an electric vehicle (the area surrounding the Taj prohibits vehicles in order to cut down on pollution), and you can use the toilets free of charge. These "perks" certainly do not add up to the difference in the admission fee. I also feel I should mention that the men at the ticket counter were most unhelpful and rude. It was first thing in the morning and they refused to accept our entrance fee unless we provided exact change! This made the start of the experience a bit difficult and left the group of us scrambling to come up with exact change among us.

Like the Agra Fort, the Taj Mahal offers audio guides and they are well worth it. The information they provide is wonderful and I'm certain it is much more accurate than the average guide you find at the Taj would provide.

The Taj is impeccable and viewing it makes you realize the enormity of the love that Shah Jahan had for his wife Mumtaz Mahal (he built it in memory of her after she died giving birth to their 14th child). There is a reason it is considered one of the seven wonders of the world.