We had to wake up early, Agra is four hours away from where we were apparently. But we didn't. Left home at 7. Breakfast on the road at a roadside pongal kadai. We had a smaller car today so uk, mum and I had to squeeze in.
Off we went on the Yamuna Expressway. We had to go to UP and get a permit of sorts to go to Mathura. Which only made this trip longer. Agra is in UP. I frankly thought it was in Delhi. But yaay I can add a state to the ones I've seen. (Cheap, I know.) SO now Mathura was the place where Lord Krishna was born, Gokul was where he grew up and Vrindavan was where he playboyfied all the gopikas. These two other places were pretty nearby but meh we're not the best krishna bhaktha family in town. Actually Mathura was the driver's idea. Anyway. After the posh neighborhoods and tall skyscrapers I'd seen in south Delhi, Mathura's narrow roads filled with pot holes reassured me - THIS was real India. The driver told us that the people of Mathura didn't want roads being built there because, it was on these streets that Lord Krishna had set his lotus feet on. (:P) But they seem to have reluctantly let the govt do it anyway. There were SO MANY cows on the road it reminded me of Mylapore maada veethis during my high schooling. The whole place , I kid you not, the whole place smelt of cow poop, which is not too bad if you come from Dindivanam where houses are swabbed with maattu saanam once a month. Grand mothers can list its holiness and purity you'll be glad they don't make you bathe with it. \
The people feed and take care of all the cows and buffalos apparently. Nice huh. This is what India used to be. Well atleast a litle bit. We used to care for animals, especially the cow, we used to care for people.
The temple was pretty good I can't tell you much about it because I was distracted by the Birth of Krishna story mum was telling us. My grandparents had 8 children too. (Kamsa however deserved to be killed. I mean, You know their 8th offspring is going to finish you and yet you put the both of them in the same prison cell giving them time, place and privacy?)
I learnt to say 'Nahi' (meaning No in Hindi) pretty confidently. Guides throw themselves at you, very forcefully and I mean it in the literal sense. This guy stopped our car and fell on it and forced the door open and was doing his best to become our guide. And there were so many little kids selling you all kinds of things. So if you can't say Nahi you're bound to go home with things shoved into your hands and face and everywhere.
Then it took us almost three hours to go to the Taj mahal. From the entrance to the point where we can't take any vehicles... it took us five minutes. We had to take a battery operated vehicle. looked like a little rickshaw. For ten rupees it was pretty smooth.
The moment I see the Taj peeking from behind a wall I realise I'm going to like this place. EVERYTHING about it was symmetrical, as the guide pointed out. These structures were HUGE and they stood against all tests of time. The Taj sparkles in white and the mosques and structures around it are all red. Rock hard and solid. It seemed like maintenance was going on. While on her deathbed apparently she asked for two promises from Shahjahan before he went to battle. One was to bring all their fourteen children up equally and the other was to build a monument over her grave like none other. And he seems to have done a decent job as far as the second promise goes.
It started raining. Pouring, I mean and it made the marble shine and it made the walk in the sun a little easy for us.
Out of nowhere a professional photographer joined us and took pictures of us and made us to silly poses. Even though they were on the costly side according to mum , dad thought they were good. He printed them and gave them to us in an album by the time we were done with the tour. The pictures did come out well.
BUT we were all SO exhausted by the time we were done... We just wanted to grab lunch and get home to sleeep! The driver though had other plans. He seemed determined to take us to this souvenir shop. We were so tired we couldn't even get out of the car.
Took us three hours almost to reach Delhi. On the way though we were lucky enough to spot a full rainbow and a double rainbow. How often does that happen?
So I saw three cities today. The other side of Delhi. Noida and Greater Noida - They are both growing to be monstrous cities. And Agra of course. Busy and rainy, full of statues and minars and beautiful gardens. Did you know Agra was once the city of gardens?
Do I wish someone built a Tajmahal for me? Nope. Not if it meant dying after giving birth to fourteen malnourished kids. Do I wish I'd studied my History better? Yes. I miss Mrs. Tessy. I loved her classes. She made them interesting. And NOW I'm angry with the English for taking our Peacock Throne away. The Kohinoor is ours too. *Grunt*
Off we went on the Yamuna Expressway. We had to go to UP and get a permit of sorts to go to Mathura. Which only made this trip longer. Agra is in UP. I frankly thought it was in Delhi. But yaay I can add a state to the ones I've seen. (Cheap, I know.) SO now Mathura was the place where Lord Krishna was born, Gokul was where he grew up and Vrindavan was where he playboyfied all the gopikas. These two other places were pretty nearby but meh we're not the best krishna bhaktha family in town. Actually Mathura was the driver's idea. Anyway. After the posh neighborhoods and tall skyscrapers I'd seen in south Delhi, Mathura's narrow roads filled with pot holes reassured me - THIS was real India. The driver told us that the people of Mathura didn't want roads being built there because, it was on these streets that Lord Krishna had set his lotus feet on. (:P) But they seem to have reluctantly let the govt do it anyway. There were SO MANY cows on the road it reminded me of Mylapore maada veethis during my high schooling. The whole place , I kid you not, the whole place smelt of cow poop, which is not too bad if you come from Dindivanam where houses are swabbed with maattu saanam once a month. Grand mothers can list its holiness and purity you'll be glad they don't make you bathe with it. \
The people feed and take care of all the cows and buffalos apparently. Nice huh. This is what India used to be. Well atleast a litle bit. We used to care for animals, especially the cow, we used to care for people.
The temple was pretty good I can't tell you much about it because I was distracted by the Birth of Krishna story mum was telling us. My grandparents had 8 children too. (Kamsa however deserved to be killed. I mean, You know their 8th offspring is going to finish you and yet you put the both of them in the same prison cell giving them time, place and privacy?)
I learnt to say 'Nahi' (meaning No in Hindi) pretty confidently. Guides throw themselves at you, very forcefully and I mean it in the literal sense. This guy stopped our car and fell on it and forced the door open and was doing his best to become our guide. And there were so many little kids selling you all kinds of things. So if you can't say Nahi you're bound to go home with things shoved into your hands and face and everywhere.
Then it took us almost three hours to go to the Taj mahal. From the entrance to the point where we can't take any vehicles... it took us five minutes. We had to take a battery operated vehicle. looked like a little rickshaw. For ten rupees it was pretty smooth.
The moment I see the Taj peeking from behind a wall I realise I'm going to like this place. EVERYTHING about it was symmetrical, as the guide pointed out. These structures were HUGE and they stood against all tests of time. The Taj sparkles in white and the mosques and structures around it are all red. Rock hard and solid. It seemed like maintenance was going on. While on her deathbed apparently she asked for two promises from Shahjahan before he went to battle. One was to bring all their fourteen children up equally and the other was to build a monument over her grave like none other. And he seems to have done a decent job as far as the second promise goes.
It started raining. Pouring, I mean and it made the marble shine and it made the walk in the sun a little easy for us.
Out of nowhere a professional photographer joined us and took pictures of us and made us to silly poses. Even though they were on the costly side according to mum , dad thought they were good. He printed them and gave them to us in an album by the time we were done with the tour. The pictures did come out well.
BUT we were all SO exhausted by the time we were done... We just wanted to grab lunch and get home to sleeep! The driver though had other plans. He seemed determined to take us to this souvenir shop. We were so tired we couldn't even get out of the car.
Took us three hours almost to reach Delhi. On the way though we were lucky enough to spot a full rainbow and a double rainbow. How often does that happen?
So I saw three cities today. The other side of Delhi. Noida and Greater Noida - They are both growing to be monstrous cities. And Agra of course. Busy and rainy, full of statues and minars and beautiful gardens. Did you know Agra was once the city of gardens?
Do I wish someone built a Tajmahal for me? Nope. Not if it meant dying after giving birth to fourteen malnourished kids. Do I wish I'd studied my History better? Yes. I miss Mrs. Tessy. I loved her classes. She made them interesting. And NOW I'm angry with the English for taking our Peacock Throne away. The Kohinoor is ours too. *Grunt*
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