Unveiling Uttar Pradesh
Trip Start
Jan 18, 2008
1
2
11
Trip End
Feb 02, 2008
Agra,
India
Friday, March 21, 2008
Mathura Mayhem!
After a late brekkie of delicious Aloo Parathas (flat bread fried in pan, stuffed with mashed potatoes), and freshly made yogurt plus a cup of masala tea at a roadside cafe, the Hari Om Dhaba, we continued on to Mathura, (50 kms N/W of Agra) where it's reputed to be the birthplace of Lord Krishna. The Keshav Dev Temple was built in ancient times on the site of Krishna's legendary birthplace (an underground prison) - Sri Krishna Janmbhoomi.
I was glad that we weren't there for long, as apart from it being crowded, particularly with touts, rickshaw drivers and people and children wanting us to buy anything they had to offer (and were very persistent, continuously following us before and after we entered the temple/site), our 'guide' wanted to double the amount as we neared the end of our little tour to what we had agreed to pay him prior!
We drove on, enjoying Sanjeev's Punjabi and Bhangara music (which was a good thing as it was quite loud).
On the outskirts of Agra...
As we neared the outskirts of Agra, and passed the elaborate gate of the Sikandra Fort, we decided to stop for some lunch and have a look at the Agra Sikh Temple, as we were approaching these magnificent temple buildings. Sanjeev knew about the Sikh religion practices and culture, and we all needed to wear head scarves and as with most temples and places of worship, we took out shoes off as well before entering. What a special 'blessed' time we experienced there - firstly entering the 'prayer' room and being blessed by the 'priest' and joining in with the proceedings (with guidance from Sanjeev). We then entered the 'hall' (and kitchen area) and were guided to an area to sit on the floor mats (in rows) along side other people from all sorts of backgrounds and religions (mostly Indian) and were served water in a metal cup (Janice and I had bottled water, as Indian water is not good for Westeners' stomaches), a ladle of rice, chick peas 'stew', and flat bread on a thali plate (large metal plate with divisions). Everyone ate with their fingers and there was plenty of food - all good! Everyone washed their plates (and cups) when finished in a trough of hot water and detergent, then rinsed them, ready to re-use for the next diners. On your way out you could make a donation for the meal if you wished to.
We then continued on to find accommodation in Agra (the only place we hadn't pre-booked, as we thought our driver would know of some good value budget hotels/guest houses in the area), before visiting the marbleous Taj Mahal just before sunset.
Our accommodation in Agra...
Sanjeev's interpretation of 'good value accommodation with a view of the Taj up to 1200 rupees' was quite different from ours!
Sanjeev did try to book us at a hotel with a Taj view, but the one he had in mind was booked out, so instead of mentioning that to us at the time and consulting further with us, he booked us a room at the Hotel Chanakya, (all good intentions) but it's not near the Taj and rooms had no Taj view. It's rated 3 stars and 'offers all modern living comforts with facilities...running hot and cold water, telephone room service...' and so forth (as printed on their brochures). Well, we went to the hotel and, as we were short of time (to allow us enough time to visit the Taj before sunset), we made the mistake of not checking the room out first. Yes it looked OK from the outside (though your typical touristy, white painted, 3 story motel you could find anywhere in cities of the world) and there was parking for the car. The staff at the reception desk were polite, (the Manager spoke reasonable English) but very matter of factly (not welcomely friendly). We had to 'sign in' (and show our passports as we did in Delhi - a standard requirement for any accommodation for overseas visitors in India) and our luggage was delivered to our room. We had a choice of a lift to the 2nd floor or stairs and when we entered our 'Standard' white room, (with ensuite) it was plainly furnished (slightly cleaner and larger than Namaskar Hotel), with a cold white marble floor, and no character or warmth what so ever, though it did have large windows (looking out to a hotel's balcony across the road). We both thought it was very average for the price of 1500 rupees ($47. AUD). Anyway, we tipped the 'porter', freshened up and were looking forward to our Taj Mahal visit.
The Exquisite Taj Mahal...
It is truly a magnificent white marble building (symmetrical, and with ornate and patterned carvings, inlaid artwork and beautifully painted artwork), which was built in the 1600's in memory of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan's favourite wife - Mumtaz Mahal. The complex has a mosque on 1 side of the impressive tomb with it's 4 minarets, and an identical building (Meeting house) on the other side. A large mughal landscaped garden with water features extends from the entrance gate to the tomb.
We took nearly 2 hours to view it all and luckily, it wasn't too overcrowded. Apparently allot more people visit the Taj from sunrise to mid morning, and waiting in queues to see inside the tomb building can be very time consuming, so a couple I met later informed me.
After taking our photos and the time to appreciate this amazing construction and grand scale of it all, we headed back to where Sanjeev and his friend, Panditjig (a local, who informed us more about the Taj) was waiting and we then drove around to where we could view the Taj from a distance just after the sun had set.
Later in Agra...
We had an inexpensive yummy dinner - a thali consisting of: 3 portions of different vegetarian meals (including dahl, chick peas 'stew', and assorted spiced veggies 'stew'), rice and round flat bread; and we also had Vineer Tikka - oven roasted cottage cheese pieces marinated in tandoori mix, and with some roasted veggies, and all finished off with a bottled mango juice!
After dinner we headed back to the hotel, and thought it'd be a good idea to shower/wash my hair. No hot water, no matter how long I waited and what I tried. As I couldn't phone through to reception (phone didn't work!) I went down to reception twice to ask advice from the Manager (who came up with excuses and kept telling me it'll work soon and try in 30 minutes..., (which was repeated again to me after no luck the first time, to no avail.) and eventually offered a solution: 'we can bring a bucket of hot water soon'. An hour later, I had my bucket shower and managed to wash my hair without my teeth chattering!
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The 'Ghost' city of Fatehpur Sikri
After a reasonable night's sleep, we left Agra and had some breakfast (Dosas - an Indian crepe/pancake) at Sher-E-Punjab cafe in a village, near the ancient 'Ghost' city of Fatehpur Sikri, (a World Heritage Site) approx. 38 kms S/W from Agra.
After breakfast, we were met by Joshi, our Guide, who was genuinely friendly, very informative, spoke good English, and ready to show us the splendours of Fatehpur Sikri. We traveled to this ancient city's huge entrance gate by horse and cart. This abandoned, innovative city (constructed from 1569) was the third Mughal's emperor Akbar's capital for approx. 12 years, till water became scarce and the population moved to Agra and other areas. Akbar's 3 wives (each of a different religion) had their own palaces within the city. The amazing architecture in the different buildings within the fort, the temples, residences and palaces, varies using styles such as Gujarati, Bengale, Hindu and Jain and Islamic craftsmanship. The building material predominantly used is red sandstone, quarried from the same rocky outcrop on which it is situated. White marble, carved out of solid blocks was used to construct the Tomb of Salim Chisti which is centered in the mosque's courtyard and 'graveyard'.
It was all very fascinating, and the trees and gardens are well maintained. In fact Janice and I were even more impressed with Fatehpur Sikri than the Taj! The only down side, was the usual touts, 'stall holders' and boys mostly, selling their wares at high prices within the complex right near the tomb in the mosque courtyard.
We were invited to buy a piece of material (various sizes and fabrics at various prices) to place (as an offering for good luck, good health and good fortune) on top of actual tomb 'bed' of Sheik Salim Chisti, where pilgrims and believers will pray and also offer flower petals (yellow and orange) and also tie a length of yellow, orange and red strings around designated carved screens of the tomb, again for good health and good luck. A large percentage of the proceeds from the fabric pieces go to charity for the poor communities, so with that reason in mind, we bought 1 fabric piece each.
After 2 and a half hours of exploring, and also buying some beautiful, ornately hand carved marble pieces at reasonable prices on the outskirts of the city, we headed back to the Sher-E-Punjab again for some lunch - good food, good value. After lunch we continued on to Jaipur, (4 hours away) only stopping for a cup of Chai and some Indian snacks (for next to nothing) at a little roadside stall.
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Comments:
The highway (mostly expressway) from Delhi to Agra is 4 - 6 lanes wide and our average speed was 85km p/hr. once outside suburbia Delhi, before we neared Mathura. If traveling by taxi (or even motor bike), you will come across toll ways (at major highways) and booths on the roads where tax is paid by the driver to enter each Indian state. Sometimes you may queue up and come to a stop, and at railway crossings also if a train is crossing further in front of you. If this is going to happen, and your in a car, I'd advise you to make sure your windows are properly wound up, as 'professional' beggars, men with 'performing' monkeys and cobras (with their mouths partly stitched up neatly - so they don't bite) in the middle of the road or medium strips, and people (and children) wanting to sell you all sorts of things will come to the car and surround it and yell/talk to you/knock on the windows to get your attention. Shake your head 'no' and try to ignore them, even read anything that you have with you so as you're not looking at them, till you can be on your way again.
Price Guide:
Admission to: Taj Mahal (and incl. Agra Fort, Itimadud-Daula, Sikandra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri if you visit these places on the same day) - 750 INR ($21.50 AUD) incl. camera fee. Fatehpur Sikri admission price was $8. AUD.
Useful Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taj_Mahal Lots of info, pics (incl. interior) and floor plans of the Taj Mahal
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fatehpur_Sikri Info and pics of Fatehpur Sikri
