Incredible India #5: The Taj Mahal and Acra

The next morning, we were awoken at six so that we could leave for the Taj Mahal by 7:30 and beat the crowds.  We again had a great buffet, including my now favorite breakfast bread paratha and a new fruit.  At first I thought the yellow-ish item was an underripe cherry tomato, but a fellow traveler born in India told me they it was a gooseberry.  It was different from gooseberries I had growing in my back yard in Spokane (and removed), and much more delicious.  Yum!!  It was good we tried them here as we did not see ripe ones again on our trip.

this time the paratha was stuffed with a bit of potato and onion--aloo pyaz paratha

We headed out early to get to the Taj Mahal before a lot of other visitors arrived, and it was definitely worth while!

Along the way we saw men getting an inexpensive breakfast on the street.

 Years ago, cars could drive to the entrance of the Taj Mahal, but because of pollution and damage to the historic buildings from gas and diesel vehicles, cars and buses must park at a distance, and passengers must get on small open- air, electric vehicles to get to the entrance.

Ramiro and others on such a van

Tourists pay significantly more than Indians, $16 US vs under $1 per US, so it is easily accessible to locals and the higher price for visitors helps cover the maintenance costs.  We did, however, get to go through a shorter line!

 We went through security here too of course.

Bhanu using the whisperer to communicate with us before we go through the main gateway of red sandstone.

 The Taj Mahal is considered the world's most balanced building.  The symmetry is incredible, both within the main structure and all of the surrounding layout.

The mosque on the left side of the south gate is balanced by a guest house on the right side.

The Taj Mahal is an ivory and white marble mausoleum on the south bank of the Yamuna River. It was commissioned in 1632 by the Mughul emperor Shah Jahan as a burial place for his 3rd and favorite wife Mumtaz Mahal who bled to death after giving birth to their 14th child.  She had traveled with him to battlefields when he went to fight.  The tomb was the centerpiece of a 42-acre complex.   The mausoleum was completed by 1643 but worked continued on other buildings for another ten years.  Shah Jahan never stopped mourning for his beloved wife.

Over 20,000 craftsmen worked to construct these amazing buildings. Bhanu told us that there was a legend that the hands of many of the craftsmen were chopped off so they could not replicate their work, but he believes that it is just a myth--untrue.

-The Taj Mahal has a built-in shock absorber under it so that it most likely will not be damaged in a major earthquake.  Eighty wells were dug out beneath where the building would be and then filled with stone and rubble.  The building was then constructed on top of it, maintaining the elasticity of the building in an earthquake.

Our first view of this magnificent structure

The spectacular hollow marble dome makes the building look larger.  It is 115 feet high and topped with a lotus design to accentuate its height.    

The minarets are cleaner than the dome.   Half of the Taj Mahal complex has been cleaned recently, including the minarets,  in a special way required by the World Heritage organization, with no chemicals.  It needs to be done once in every 15 or 20 years to keep the buildings sparkling.

The Taj was designated a World Heritage site in 1983 and was designated a winner of the New seven  Wonders of the World competition in 2007.  It is considered by many as the pinnacle of Mughal architecture.  If you want to learn more about the design, click on the blue underlined links like this one to the Taj Mahal.  

Then continue to enjoy the photos.  

With the reflection in the pond below

One of the functioning minarets used to call Muslims to worship, 130 feet (40 m) tall

Calligraphy done in Arabic by a famous Persian calligrapher

The empty looking designs at the top of the above photo were filled with draperies or other decorations

Amazing precious stone inlays

We didn't have time to go inside unfortunately.  

The Taj Mahal was neglected over time and the British in the 19th century ordered a restoration.

 Monkeys on the north side of the structures, next to the river, often chasing the little ones

Kites circling above looking for food below

We also saw wild parrots near the mosque flying between the trees and the buildings.

Cattle grazing on the other side of the fence above the river

After passing the mosque above, we continued walking and came to the Taj museum, which came into existence in 1906..  It had some interesting exhibits including details on the different kinds of precious stones and where they came from.  Unfortunately, we could not take pictures inside. Stones included coral from Iraq, summog (?) from Arabia, green jade from China, and 13 more.  I found the picture below on the web.  

We didn't have enough time here, but after we exited, we were soon climbing on the bus to get to Kalakriti Marble store, an amazing company that makes fine items of marble and inlaid semi-precious stones.   

A modern bus with air conditioning and seat belts, but no bathroom, tho we made regular pit stops while traveling.  Posing outside is our super assistant to the driver.  He daily passed out water bottles with us and when we got back on the bus was outside to offer us a huge dollop of hand sanitizer.   He also counted heads to see if we were all onboard, and Bhanu then counted after him!

As we walked to the bus, we saw someone petting a local cow.

  The Taj Mahal inspired the Kalakriti family to become the manufacturer of fine inlaid marble work, and they are known for their museum quality of their work.  The company has 470 families working from home to do this highly skilled work.  It is passed down from father to son.  We saw a video of the Mines of Makrana and how the marble was harvested in the past and the process now.  

harvesting large chunks of marble

The old way of transporting marble, with camels pulling carts

Using modern machinery to hoist and move marble

Using tractors to pull large chunks of marble

We saw six men who came from their homes to give us a demonstration on how they worked. 

 First they drew a design on a piece of marble and then chiseled it out.  Then they cut out the semi-precious stones in such a way to fit into the marble.   Then a glue made from an ancient formula using 17 different ingredients is used to put the stones in place.

Many pieces of stones are used to make one picture.  They come from different places:  lapis lasuli from Argentina, malachite from South Africa, Zaire and Zimbabwe, and most of the rest from India.

 Emory powder and sap is used to make the stone wheel to polish the stones.  

Very special tools were used in the process and it is exacting work. 

By the way, the "table" the man above used to set his work on was very versatile, often serving as a chair in many places that we visited but also used as a table.

The picture on the right above was stunning and took hundreds of hours of work to complete

Over time, the men have arthritis and vision issues so by 40, many no longer work on smaller inlays.  Women sometimes work on very delicate items as they have smaller hands.  

The marble is very special: unlike Italian marble, it is not porous. After serving us drinks and some delicious appetizers, our host poured Coke on it, and the liquid stayed on top.  

This special marble is very hard, strong, and does not break or scratch, so it does not need to be sealed.  (Italian marble should be sealed every 3-4 months.) 

Some in our group bought stunningly beautiful tables.  I bought a $10 example to show others when I return home.  Later I bought another one at a stop and the marble was no where near as nice.

Our third powerful experience of the day was to the Agra Red Fort, yet another World Heritage Site.

This fort was the main residence of the rulers of the Mughal dynasty until 1638 when their capitol was moved from Agra to Delhi. In the 17th century, it belonged to the richest emperor in the world.    Shah Jahan, the builder of the Taj Mahal and the grandson of Akbar who had recaptured the area and partially restored the fort, was the Mughal leader who reconstructed the fort to the form we see today.  When he continued to spent huge amounts on the Taj Mahal in memory of his dead wife, one of his sons (from a different wife) deposed and imprisoned Shah Jahan  in the Agra Red Fort, until that shah died eight years later.

Moghuls introduced gun powder into India from China in 1526.

This fort was impenetrable.  It has two moats before the draw bridge, only one of which is still visible.  It is one of the few forts on flat land.  Twists and turns to enter the fort make it very hard to break in and conquer.  If one could get past the two moats, a draw bridge, and three security gates, then boiling oil would be poured on the invaders, and a last resort would be to use gun powder.

The large cut out areas would have had ornate draperies or other coverings on them

A monkey searching for food in a garbage can near the entrance to the Red Fort

In order for us to hear Bhanu, he used a special microphone that was connected to battery operated "whisperers" that we carried with us.

Nava holding her whisperer.

The limestone Hall of Public Audiences had a specially designed outside area where the ruler held public audiences to hear grievances of the citizens.  The columns were constructed in such a way that he could see the speakers but few of them could see him.

Hall of Public Audiences

Notice the double row of columns on the outer edges and the single rows inside

Complex water works at the Fort

Woman weeding the lawn by hand, mostly taking out moss

A ceiling, I believe

More beautiful carving

The far left corner where Shah Jehan was kept under house arrest until his death

 The building to the left is where the former Mughal leader was kept under house arrest for the rest of his life.  You can see a close up of it below and part of the interior.

A closer look at Shah Jehan's prison

And inside it....gorgeous inlaid semi-precious stones 

  In 1857 after a revolt, the East India Company left the area, and the fort became a British garrison.

Under the palace there were about 250 rooms that housed staff and security personnel.  Those rooms were the reason the palace was higher by the river in its heyday.  The fort held thousands of soldiers. 

This is Jahangir's huge bathtub, 5 feet high, 8 feet wide and 25 feet in circumference
(1.6 m x 2.5 m, and 7.5 meters around), now residing in a courtyard of the Red Fort

On our way back to the hotel, we saw cattle walking down the road right next to our bus and amidst other traffic.  

After this full day, Nava and I treated ourselves to great massages!   Thanks to Blanca for the suggestion!

Then we decided to head out to the Taj Mahal restaurant for dinner on Bhanu's recommendation.  We had planned to walk the mile to the restaurant, but it was dark, the road was busy, and the sides of the road were bumpy so we decided to take a tuktuk.

We first bargained with two tuktuk drivers after Bhanu had told us the cost.  The first wanted more than double than what  Bhanu had suggested and would not come down much.  When he left, another driver approached us, settled with us on an agreeable price (140 rupees), and insisted on staying taking us back for the price.  The dinner was delicious.  We ordered bartha (an eggplant dish) and chicken biriyani (a rice dish with some chicken and veggies in it), and our total bill came to just 800 rupees, or about $12 (including water and tip/taxes). 

Spice seeds (anise was one), small pieces of sugar, and toothpicks for refreshing customer's breath and cleaning teeth
 after eating

Others in our group had told us about a puppet show and a magic show at the hotel, so we went to check  out the former.  The show was cute, and the puppeteer and his assistant then wanted to sell less ornate puppets for $25 a pair, I believe.  (Bhanu had told us we could get them for no more than $3 a pair in markets, so we waited.)