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Namaste!
After a long wait for my omellette (there was only one girl making them), I was able to sit down for a nice breakfast. I was pretty hungry, as I didn't eat dinner last night. My cold seemed to be easing a bit. still have the sniffles and that nagging cough at night. I forget about my special pills (Cozy-Calm) until the coughing starts and those seem to knock it right out. LOL.
We were all pretty tired but, we're explorers, so you kinda push that to the back of your brain.
After breakfast we loaded onto the bus and were whisked off to THE TAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAJ MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL!
It was pretty early and traffic was not bad. Shakiel told us the sooner we got there, the lesser the crowds would be and he was exactly right. He gave us packages of shoe covers, to use when we arrived at the Taj.
Thank goodness for those little electric cars that drove us up to the entrance, as it was quite a distance from where the bus parked. The strip up to the entrance was wall-to-wall gift shoppes. We were told, "no food." They confiscated Miriam's banana. Unfortunately, after Shakiel's explaination that Hope's cough drops were for her cold, the checker took out 2 threw them into her purse and threw the bag away, but not her Tic-Tacs. Go figure.
As we were guided through the Gateway and there were hundreds of folks coming out. This made for a tight squeeze in entering; however, just barely into the gateway, the sight of the Taj brought on a tingly sensation throughout my body. Not just because I was viewing my 3rd of the 7 Wonders of the World (from the 2013 list), but because of the whole worldly kinda thing. I made it here, from a 12 hour flight, national terrorism, a national health crisis and so much more. To me this vision was spectacular.
The Taj Mahal is a white marble mausoleum located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The Taj Mahal is widely recognized as "the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage".
Taj Mahal is regarded by many as the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements from Islamic, Persian, Ottoman Turkish and Indian architectural styles.
Shakiel, explained the story of why it was built. It's really a touching story: In 1631, Shah Jahan, emperor during the Mughal empire's period of greatest prosperity, was grief-stricken when his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, a Persian princess, died during the birth of their 14th child, Gauhara Begum.
Construction of the Taj Mahal began in 1632. The court chronicles of Shah Jahan's grief illustrate the love story traditionally held as an inspiration for Taj Mahal. The principal mausoleum was completed in 1648 and the surrounding buildings and garden were finished five years later. Emperor Shah Jahan himself described the Taj in these words:
Should guilty seek asylum here,
Like one pardoned, he becomes free from sin.
Should a sinner make his way to this mansion,
All his past sins are to be washed away.
The sight of this mansion creates sorrowing sighs;
And the sun and the moon shed tears from their eyes.
In this world this edifice has been made;
To display thereby the creator's glory.
The Taj Mahal incorporates and expands on design traditions of Persian architecture and earlier Mughal architecture. Specific inspiration came from successful Timurid and Mughal buildings including; the Gur-e Amir (the tomb of Timur, progenitor of the Mughal dynasty, in Samarkand), Humayun's Tomb, Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb (sometimes called the Baby Taj), and Shah Jahan's own Jama Masjid in Delhi. While earlier Mughal buildings were primarily constructed of red sandstone, Shah Jahan promoted the use of white marble inlaid with semi-precious stones, and buildings under his patronage reached new levels of refinement.
In 1983, the Taj Mahal became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. While the white domed marble mausoleum is the most familiar component of the Taj Mahal, it is actually an integrated complex of structures. The construction began around 1632 and was completed around 1653, employing thousands of artisans and craftsmen. The construction of the Taj Mahal was entrusted to a board of architects under imperial supervision, including Abd ul-Karim Ma'mur Khan, Makramat Khan, and Ustad Ahmad Lahauri. Lahauri is generally considered to be the principal designer.
Shakiel gave us a couple of hours here. We took sooooooooooo many pictures and walking inside and around was just breathtakingly beautiful. It's 99 degrees today and though I really just feel like lying down, I know I'd probably fry, lying on the pavement.
After several of us had our walkthrus, we headed back near the Great Gate, to have a sit down in the shade. Passerbys stopped to stare or asked to take photos with us. They probably don't get too many African Americans through these parts. The people are very friendly though and they don't mind invading your space. The guides told us that they're very curious and really just want to hear us talk. While talking to some of the woman, I was admiring some of the beautiful earrings they wear.
After everyone showed up at the designated checkpoint, we headed back to the electric buses and back to our bus. And of course, through the band of hawkers, trying to sell all their Taj Mahal snowglobes, travel booklets, postcards, etc. If you're looking down, like I was, trying not to trip on any uneven ground, your stride is broken by them putting the items right under your nose. At times, this can be annoying, especially if it's something you're totally not interested in. We all tried to dart over to our bus through a parking lot and oh my, the hawkers were standing near the bus. Our driver's assistant shooed them off and helped all the ladies onto the bus. I was just happy for the air conditioning.
We then were whisked away to the Agra Fort.
Agra Fort is a UNESCO World Heritage site located in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is about 2.5 km northwest of its more famous sister monument, the Taj Mahal. The fort can be more accurately described as a walled city.
The present-day structure was built by the Mughals, though a fort had stood there since at least the 11th century. Agra Fort was originally a brick fort, held by the Hindu Sikarwar Rajputs. It was mentioned for the first time in 1080 AD when a Ghaznavide force captured it. Sikandar Lodi (1488-1517) was the first Sultan of Delhi who shifted to Agra and lived in the fort. He governed the country from here and Agra assumed the importance of the second capital. He died in the fort at 1517 and his son, Ibrahim Lodi, held it for nine years until he was defeated and killed at Panipat in 1526. Several palaces, wells and a mosque were built by him in the fort during his period.
After the First Battle of Panipat in 1526, Mughals captured the fort and seized a vast treasure, including the diamond later known as the Koh-i-Noor. The victorious Babur stayed in the fort in the palace of Ibrahim and built a baoli (step well) in it. The emperor Humayun was crowned here in 1530. Humayun was defeated at Bilgram in 1540 by Sher Shah. The fort remained with Suris till 1555, when Humanyun recaptured it. The Hindu king Hem Chandra Vikramaditya, also called 'Hemu', defeated Humanyun's army, led by Iskandar Khan Uzbek, and won Agra. Hemu got a huge booty from this fort and went on to capture Delhi from the Mughals. The Mughals under Akbar defeated King Hemu finally at the Second Battle of Panipat in 1556.
Realizing the importance of its central situation, Akbar made it his capital and arrived in Agra in 1558. His historian, Abdul Fazal, recorded that this was a brick fort known as 'Badalgarh' . It was in a ruined condition and Akbar had it rebuilt with red sandstone from Barauli area in Rajasthan. Architects laid the foundation and it was built with bricks in the inner core with sandstone on external surfaces. Some 4,000 builders worked on it daily for eight years, completing it in 1573.
It was only during the reign of Akbar's grandson, Shah Jahan, that the site took on its current state. Legend has it that Shah Jahan built the beautiful Taj Mahal for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Unlike his grandfather, Shah Jahan tended to have buildings made from white marble, often inlaid with gold or semi-precious gems. He destroyed some of the earlier buildings inside the fort to make his own.
At the end of his life, Shah Jahan was deposed and restrained by his son, Aurangzeb, in the fort. It is rumoured that Shah Jahan died in Muasamman Burj, a tower with a marble balcony with a view of the Taj Mahal.
The fort was invaded by the Maratha Empire during the mid 18th century. Thereafter, it changed hands between the Marathas and their foes many times. After their catastrophic defeat at Third Battle of Panipat by Ahmad Shah Abdali in 1761, Marathas remained out of the region for the next decade. Finally Mahadji Shinde took the fort in 1785. It was lost by the Marathas to the British during the Second Anglo-Maratha War, in 1803.
The fort was the site of a battle during the Indian rebellion of 1857, which caused the end of the British East India Company's rule in India, and led to a century of direct rule of India by Britain.
The 94-acre (380,000 m2) fort has a semicircular plan, its chord lies parallel to the river and its walls are seventy feet high. Double ramparts have massive circular bastions at intervals, with battlements, embrasures, machicolations and string courses. Four gates were provided on its four sides, one Khizri gate opening on to the river.
Two of the fort's gates are notable: the "Delhi Gate" and the "Lahore Gate." The Lahore Gate is also popularly also known as the "Amar Singh Gate," for Amar Singh Rathore.
The monumental Delhi Gate, which faces the city on the western side of the fort, is considered the grandest of the four gates and a masterpiece of Akbar's time. It was built circa 1568 both to enhance security and as the king's formal gate, and includes features related to both. It is embellished with inlay work in white marble. A wooden drawbridge was used to cross the moat and reach the gate from the mainland; inside, an inner gateway called Hathi Pol ("Elephant Gate") - guarded by two life-sized stone elephants with their riders - added another layer of security. The drawbridge, slight ascent, and 90-degree turn between the outer and inner gates make the entrance impregnable. During a siege, attackers would employ elephants to crush a fort's gates. Without a level, straight run-up to gather speed, however, something prevented by this layout, elephants are ineffective.
The site is very important in terms of architectural history. Abul Fazal recorded that five hundred buildings in the beautiful designs of Bengal and Gujarat were built in the fort. Some of them were demolished by Shahjahan to make way for his white marble palaces. Most of the others were destroyed by the British between 1803 and 1862 for raising barracks. Hardly thirty Mughal buildings have survived on the south-eastern side, facing the river. Of these, the Delhi Gate and Akbar Gate and one palace - "Bengali Mahal" - are representative Akbari buildings.
Akbar Darwazza (Akbar Gate) was renamed Amar Singh Gate by the British.
An interesting mix of Hindu and Islamic architecture is found here.In fact, some of the Islamic decorations feature haraam (sinful) images of living creatures - dragons, elephants and birds, instead of the usual patterns and calligraphy seen in Islamic surface decoration.
Because the Indian military (the Parachute Brigade in particular) is still using the northern portion of the Agra Fort, the Delhi Gate cannot be used by the public.
We entered via the Amar Singh Gate and headed on to the Jahangiri Palace. Jahangiri Mahal may be the most noteworthy building inside the Agra Fort of India. The Mahal was the principal zenana (palace for women belonging to the royal household), and was used mainly by the Rajput wives of Akbar. It is a blend of Hindu and Central Asian architecture.
After tons of photo shots here, we headed on to get our henna tattoos. The walk was pretty cool, from the bus, we walked along a main street. I was able to get some close up shots of cows, who walk along like people, on the streets. Pretty interesting. We walked down a couple of side streets and ended up at this sort of outdoor strip mall. I was shown the book, picked a pattern. A very low stool was offered to me and I knew my knees would be in my chest, so I asked for another. I was offered a taller one and the gentleman rubbed some type of oil on my hand. Grabbed a tube of the dye and went to work. I wasn't sure what the application of the oil would do, but I assumed it would extend the life of the tattoo.
The gentleman working on my hand then asked another younger fellow to sit and work on my other hand. The younger gentleman's design was not as intricate the older's guys artwork, but I think this was to save time, as most of the ladies wanted tattoos this evening.
Mehndi or Henna is a paste that is bought in a cone shaped tube and is made into designs for men and women. It is also derived from the Sanskrit word mendhikā. The use of mehndi and turmeric is described in the earliest Hindu Vedic ritual books. It was originally used for only women's palms and sometimes for men, but as time progressed, it is more natural for men to wear it. Haldi (staining oneself with turmeric paste) as well as mehndi are Vedic customs, intended to be a symbolic representation of the outer and the inner sun. Vedic customs are centered on the idea of "awakening the inner light." Traditional Indian designs are of representations of the sun on the palm, which, in this context, is intended to represent the hands and feet.
There are many variations and types in Mehndi Designs which are categorized such as Arabic Mehndi Designs, Indian Mehndi Designs, Pakistani Mehndi Designs. Women usually apply this all variations of Henna or Mehndi Designs patterns on their Hands and Foot.
Mehndi is the local variant of henna designs in the Indian sub-continent. Indian, Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Sri Lankan women use mehndi for festive occasions, such as weddings, religious events and traditional ceremonies.
For over five thousand years, henna has served as a symbol of good luck, health and sensuality in the Arab world. The plant has been associated with positive vibes and provides a link to an ancient age full of good and bad spirits, Baraka and Jnoun. Generations of women have used a paste made primarily of dried ground henna leaves to cover their hands and feet with designs ranging from simple blobs to intricate geometric patterns designed to ward off evil, promote fertility and attract good energy.
While there is some controversy over the origins of the use of henna as a dying agent, the earliest clear evidence of henna application on the body appears in Egyptian mummies whose hair and nails were stained with the reddish brown tones of henna. Botanists believe the henna plant, Lawsonia inermis, originated in Egypt and was carried regularly to India where it was used since at least 700 AD for decorating hands and feet. Historically henna has also been used for medicinal purposes, to dye cloth and leather as well as hair, to color the manes of horses and other fur of other animals.
Practiced mainly in India and the Arab world, mehndi or henna is the application of as a temporary form of skin decoration, popularized in the West by Indian cinema and entertainment industry, the people in Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Maldives also use mehndi. Mehndi decorations became fashionable in the West in the late 1990s, where they are called henna tattoos.
Mehndi in Indian tradition is typically applied during special Hindu weddings and Hindu festivals like Karva Chauth, Vat Purnima, Diwali, Bhai Dooj and Teej. In Hindu festivals, many women have Henna applied to their hands and feet and sometimes on the back of their shoulders too, as men have it applied on their arms, legs, back, and chest. For women, it is usually drawn on the palm, back of the hand and on feet, where the design will be clearest due to contrast with the lighter skin on these surfaces, which naturally contain less of the pigment melanin. Henna was originally used as a form of decoration mainly for Hindu brides. Muslims of Indian subcontinent also apply Mendi during their festivals like Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha.
In the modern age and even due to limited supply of Indian Traditional Mehndi artists, usually people buy ready-made Henna cones, which are ready to use and make painting easy. However, in rural areas in India, women grind fresh henna leaves on grinding stones with added oil, which though not as refined as professionally prepared henna cones, achieves much darker colors.
The term henna tattoo is figurative, because true tattoos are permanent surgical insertions of pigments into the skin, as opposed to pigments resting on the surface as is the case with mehndi.
Likely due to the desire for a "tattoo-black" appearance, many people have started adding the synthetic dye p-Phenylenediamine (PPD) to henna to give it a black colour. PPD may cause severe allergic reactions and was voted Allergen of the Year in 2006 by the American Contact Dermatitis Society. Alata (Mahur) is a flower-based dye used similarly to henna to paint the feet of the brides in some regions of India. It is still used in Bengal.
After I was finished, I hadn't taken my money out and of course, had to hail some assistance from Hope. She'd ventured down the street to find some hair products and she'd come back just in time to fish out some money, from my wallet, since my hands were still wet. We walked down the road to veer into a few shoppes and then headed back so that Hope could get her tatoos.
While I was waiting a group of 4 young ladies started, at least tried to start up a conversation with me. The leader, (I called her that because she had no hesitation in trying to speak to me, while the other ladies watched my mouth carefully, as if trying to understand me), who I could filter a bit out of her broken English, seemed to want me to have the remaining ladies, that were waiting, to come to her. I think she was trying to tell me that she could either do it cheaper, faster, better or all 3. I wasn't sure what she was trying to ask, so I just told her that I didn't understand. My Hindi phrasebook was on the bus.
So after everyone had their henna tattoos applied, we headed back to the bus, with wet hands, arms, legs and feet.
I was truly exhausted. We headed back to the hotel. Hope was a bit hungry, as we didn't have lunch today. All I wanted to do was go to my room. She headed back down to the bar for some lunch and I nodded with my hands hanging over the sides of a chair and my feet across my bed.
After Hope's lunch, she came back to get me to visit some of the shoppes right outside the hotel doors. I'm dusty and quite dirty and she wants me to pose with the doormen. I obliged. We walked to an alabaster shoppe, where she purchased a few items, then on to a nice clothing shoppe. We then ventured on around the courtyard to a couple other shoppes and I purchased a couple postcards.
We headed back into the hotel as now, it was dinner time. The dinner buffet here was great also. There was some type of beef stir-fry stuff, or at least it looked like stir-fry. It was very good and I did go back for seconds. We sat and talked and Hope left for her 9 P.M. hair treatment at the spa. I sat and talked a while with Amber and Theresa, then headed up to organize and re-pack for our trip back to Delhi in the morning.
After trekking 7,604 steps today, all I wanted to do was put my feet up.
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