Our day started early again. And by that, I mean I woke up at 4:54am for no apparent reason. The room was decently warm so I slept above the covers. Amber and I were given a king bed, since for most people here it is unfathomable that a man and woman traveling together aren’t either dating or married. Also, it means that a. Indian’s aren’t familiar enough with gay people to realize I am obviously gay or b. I am not as obviously gay as I thought. My money is on option a.
The day of touring started early enough that waking up that early wasn’t that bad. This was the day that we would see the sun rise over one of the modern wonders of the world. I feel that I have to designate this as a modern wonder because growing up, the seven wonders of the world were always referring to the ancient wonders like the pyramids and the Colossus at Rhodes. However, Amber disagreed. And to her credit, a google search of the terms “wonder of the world” does bring up the list of modern wonders.
Domestic squabbles aside, we were both incredibly excited for this. A friend of mine who had recently been to India with his husband gave us the advice to forgo trying to get a photo of the Taj Mahal from the reflecting pool as the sun rises. He said the fog wouldn’t clear and you wouldn’t be able to get “the shot” anyway. Instead, he suggested walking right up to the building and seeing it up close. That was fantastic advice (thanks Cam!).
The Taj Mahal, for those with inquiring minds, was built by Shah Jahan for his third and favorite wife, Mum Taj. Mahal means palace, so this was her palace, though it was never intended for her to live in. It would be her eternal palace, her mausoleum. To the left, as you’re looking from the reflecting pool towards the white edifice, is a mosque since she was Muslim. And the similar looking building on the other side was a guest house.
Sahil, our incredible guide, and notice how I am saying guide this time, took us to the Mosque. He fed us information about the creation of the Taj Mahal, some history of Shah Jahan and his wife (she had fourteen kids in nineteen years, dying in childbirth. Only six of her children survived), and then allowed us to explore on our own. And by explore on our own I mean live our best Instagram model influencer lives.
I don’t think of my self as particularly photogenic, but holy (pardon my French) fuck did those photos turn out well. I cannot stress enough how wonderful it is to have a travel companion who likes to be behind the camera as much as I do. It was refreshing to have her tell me where to go and how to stand. And her photographic eye was clearly evident in the plethora of perfect pics she snapped of me.
We probably spent an hour taking photos from various angles of the complex, with and without human subjects. To say this was a once in a lifetime experience may be wrong. I would love to come back here one day. But to share this with my best friend, capture incredible photos, and see the sun rise over the building was truly something special.
When we finished our photo shoot, we met back up with Sahil. He was going to take us in to the building itself. I didn’t know what to expect going inside. As you enter, you pass through incredibly beautiful and ornate stone work. Sahil mentioned (several times) that the structure only took one year to complete and the masonry carving and inlay took the remaining twenty-one years.
Since this was a Muslim Mausoleum, there is no non-abstract art. As is tradition in the Muslim faith, the edifices of every inch of the mausoleum, both inside and out, were decorated with either Islamic calligraphy or geometric patterns. Once inside, you pass through the vestibule into the main chamber. The Indian Archeological Survey, the part of the Indian Government that runs the Taj Mahal has recreated the actual tomb of Shah Jahan and Mum Taj for all guests to admire on the ground floor, while the actual tomb is below. The real tomb is only open to the public on July 7 (maybe it was July 6… I can’t remember).
As you walk clockwise around the main chamber, you see that the ornate decoration extends to literally every inch of the building. Once you’re opposite the entry door, as you look through the center of the room, you see that Mum Taj’s final resting place is in the exact center of the complex.
Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take any photos inside. Sahil explained that in the Muslim tradition you can take photos of a man’s burial place but not of a female’s and since this was for Shah Jahan’s wife, we were following Islamic customs.
Once back outside, Sahil said that we could take the remainder of the three hours our ticket allowed us and take all the photos we wanted. We had about and hour left so Amber and I continued to make our social media fantasies come true. We got more fantastic pictures of each of us during our time at the Taj than I had taken in the last ten years combined.
From the elevated marble platform, upon which the burial chamber stood, we headed back to the raised marble platform in the center of the reflecting pool. We both quickly realized that trying to get a photo from the direct center would be next to impossible, so we found an equally fantastic alternative, just to the left of the pedestal.
Once satiated, we continued walking to meet Sahil to head to our next journey. Though the photography glutton in us came out once more and we stopped for a brief photoshoot on these iconic benches that had unobstructed views of the Taj Mahal from just off center. As my British friend pointed out, that was where Princess Di took some photos when she visited. Finally satisfied, we bid the Taj a fond farewell, carrying those memories and memory cards with us forever. We then went back to the hotel for a brief breakfast.
Breakfast at the hotel was included with our tour package (though entry to literally every site we visited was not). We took advantage of the buffet. I decided to go with the chicken sausage (basically chicken hot dogs), some fried rice, a glass (or four) of mango juice, the breakfast equivalent of naan with some tomato puree, not dissimilar to the sauce that comes with a solid chicken tikka masala, and some sort of wonderful fried bread. I’m not talking about doughnuts or anything like this. It was as if someone had deep fried actual bread. I was a fan.
Following our delectable breakfast, Amber and I went back to our room for about an hour or so. We naturally were gushing over the photos we took and of course posted the best to Instagram immediately.
At 10:30 it was time to meet Sahil to head to the Agra Fort. The Agra Fort was this immense red sandstone building built by succeeding Mughal emperors. As we toured, we of course kept our photoshoot going.
We entered the fort through what they call the echo path. The walls of this pathway were steep enough that as you walked your footsteps would echo along the corridor up to the hot water gate (explanation to follow). That echo effect was purposefully implemented because it prevented guards from having to physically walk from gate to gate. Instead they did what every parent and child has done for time immemorial: yell to one another and hope to be heard. Only their strategy worked.
Once at the top of the ramp, you walk through the hot water gate. Sahil explained that if an enemy army was able to get past the crocodile filled wet moat and the tiger filled dry moat, and past the archers along the ramparts on the exterior wall, then soldiers could pour boiling water or oil on the invaders as the tried to enter the castle. He didn’t mention any instances where the castle had been successfully breached, so I’m going to assume that their architecture deterred that.
Once through the gate, we toured all areas of the fort open to the public. About ninety percent is used and occupied by the Indian Army, so we only saw a small fraction of the compound. Though we did get to see the historical sites. But by far the best and most surprising aspect of this was the view of the Taj Mahal from one of the balconies. When I first saw the onion domes of the Taj Mahal from a distance, it reminded me of the scene in Aladdin where he takes Jasmin to his rooftop bachelor pad and looks back toward the palace. Then it dawned on me. Agrabah… Agra… The Taj looked just like the Palace. I finally realized that this city was inspiration for Aladdin.
Dramatic realization about one of my favorite childhood movies had, I was back to the present listening to Sahil talk about the harem of the king and the boom boom room where he and his concubines would hang out behind silk tapestries. It was from that room that I had my realization.
We continued walking around the grounds, seeing the grape garden that the king had planted, and ventured into the still active mosque. We removed our shoes and entered. I was still amazed at the ornate carving and inlay work, despite having seen it at the Taj.
Once we finished there, we were done at the fort. Sahil said he wanted to take us to the marble works to show us the artisans and process by which the Taj was decorated. Amber and I were happy to go, though I told myself I wouldn’t buy anything. Turns out I am a liar.
Once we saw the laborious process that demonstrated how the small stones are carved by hand, our host ushered us downstairs to show off the finished products. We saw some of the most impressive marble inlay I have seen in my life. We’re talking massive tabletops that weigh hundreds of pounds with hundreds if not thousands of individual semi-precious and precious stones set in it down to tiny hand carved elephants that bring good luck to the owner.
Amber was interested in jewelry boxes and chess boards. I was very content to help her choose her own and walk out empty handed. Then when she asked me if she should get one, I told her that you can always make more money but who knows the next time you’ll be in a true marble artisan master’s workshop in India, able to buy something. I had just talked myself in to purchasing something, though I didn’t know what yet.
She picked a stunning and delicate jewelry box with blue flower inlayed around the top. The gentleman continued to show off his wares, and I continued to listen. I should have walked away. But instead, he made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. He said that the Indian government subsidizes shipping so there is no cost to the purchaser if they’re from the US. As a result, I bought a fantastically unnecessary marble chess board. I will say I am quite excited for the charcuterie boards I will create on it.
Once I had satisfactorily emptied my travel souvenir account, we headed to lunch. True to form, I got butter chicken. I feel like I have eaten at least five chickens since arriving here, having had some form of the fowl at each meal. The food was quite good as we went to Pinch of Spice, the restaurant our guide had suggested we go to the night before for dinner. What we ordered here was about $10 more expensive than what we had ordered at other restaurants. I can’t remember what Amber ordered, but that was fine because I had gorged myself on my own oderings and didn’t try whatever savory combination of Indian spices and chicken that was placed in front of her.
After lunch, we headed to the Baby Taj. Sahil told us that this was the inspiration for the Grand Taj Mahal. This building was built for Shah Jahan’s father in law, the father of his favorite wife who would later be entombed in the large Taj. It was similar in that it was white marble with beautiful inlays. However, there was a reason they called it the baby Taj, as it was probably one tenth as large. This, however, was the final resting place not only for Shah Jahan’s father-in-law, but most of the FIL’s family as well, including some of his still-born grandchildren.
When we finished touring this site, we were plumb tuckered out. We decided to forgo seeing Mughal jewelry and embroidery and headed back to the hotel. We thanked Sahil, gave him his gratuity and dropped him off on the side of the road, at a location that I assume was convenient for him. To me it seemed totally random, but he walked away smiling and with purpose.
Back at the hotel, Amber took a nap while I putzed around on my phone. I edited some of the photos I had taken that day and posted them to social media. When she awoke from her beauty nap she informed me that her sore throat had gotten worse and that she wasn’t up for dinner on the roof again. I told her that was fine and that I’d bring her back some butter naan.
I headed up to the fourth-floor roof deck and plopped down by myself. It was more crowded tonight that the previous night. There also was a strange marionette puppet show happening, complete with ululating snake charmers and a puppet cobra. I broke the mold with my dinner. Instead of the butter chicken I decided to get a local specialty, chicken biryani. I had to google what it was exactly, but essentially it was chopped up chicken pieces on the bone with rice. It came with a yogurt lime sauce that was tasty when mixed with the rice. I scooped it all up with some butter naan (technically Amber’s butter naan but I ordered a second for her, so I claimed the first).
Once my meal was complete, I headed back downstairs to deliver her her sustenance. I found her cozy in bed, scarcely having moved since I left. She thanked me and we settled in for our nightly ritual of watching Schitt’s Creek while waiting for the melatonin to kick in. All in all, it was a day that will never be forgotten.
No comments:
Post a Comment