Culture Corner: The Architecture of Agra

While the Taj Mahal rightfully hogs Agra’s glory, there are more worthwhile sites in the area to be seen.   The city itself forgettable, Shah Jahan and other moghuls before and after erected not only the Taj, but several other glorious tombs, as well as a huge fort, later converted into a palace.  But I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

Its real name Itimad-ud-Daulah, most people just call it the “Baby Taj”.  The details of its stonework often more intricate than the father’s, this 'little' tomb was blessedly void of tourists and could be examined at leisure.

Some of those details.  Truly sublime.

 A carved marble screen.

Another detail.  The stonework is phenomenal, each little piece having to be hand carved and fit into place.

Yours truly standing in front of the Baby Taj, ready to compare it to the granddaddy.

 

This is a portion of the Red Fort, another Unesco World Heritage site in Agra well worth the distinction.

Called a palace by most, the Red Fort was also a prison for Shah Jahan in the final years of his life.  Though unable to be seen here, his view from the windows was of his home after death: the Taj Mahal.  I suppose his immediate surrounds--the harem, menagerie of exotic animals, dried fruits and nuts, etc.--were enough to ignore that little constant reminder...

Only dreams can be more exotic...

Even the gratuitous postcard view is almost surreal.

The Taj is worth every word of praise heaped upon it.

The colors of women’s saris against the white marble was fantastic--the only place in India such a clean contrast could be made!

Sorry, couldn’t resist one more--the sunset view!

THE END

Culture Corner: The Holy City of Varanasi

Many of the cities we passed through in India were mirror images of each other.  The dust, poverty, filth, and heat of Siliguri, Patna and Kolkata was universally depressing for the simple fact nothing could be done to dispel the lifeless pall permeating each.  Varanasi, while possessing every inch of the crust and grime of these cities—if not more—nevertheless presents a positive side to the world.  And it’s the Hindus who make it possible.  Being one of several holy cities alongside the Ganges River, the people who call the city home and pilgrims come from all around to bathe in the holy water provide a spark of color and life that other places in India we visited simply did't have.  And so despite entropy’s active resolve to dismantle the city, one dusty temple at a time, the reds and yellows of pilgrim robes, beards and exposed ribs of reposed swamis flicker while time grinds the city to ruins.

Varanasi on the Ganges, the holy Hindu city.

Entropy at work on one of the many small and fast deteriorating temples in Varanasi.

A be-all, end-all, the people of Varanasi use the river’s waters for everything.  Swimming, bathing, boating, trash disposal, corpse disposal, animals, religious ceremonies, and dishwater are just some of the uses we saw.

I don’t know exactly what accommodations these cousins of the cow are granted in India, but at least they too can escape the heat and have a swim in the river.

Every evening—and I mean every evening—the Hindus hold sunset ceremonies along the banks of the river.  Crowds gather on shore and in boats to watch the Brahmins wave their candles and censers in rhythm with monotonous bells and drums.

 We were lucky enough to be in the city while the moon was full, here seen rising above the river from our hotel room.

 And, the next morning’s sunrise...

The heat oppressive, one must wake up early to take in the activity of the people along the river in the morning, the afternoons for escape.  Not exactly sure the religious status of this man, I can only pass along the things I witnessed him doing.  After collecting some water from the Ganges in his small silver bowl, he proceeded to incant the stone, splash some water, then arrange these objects--shells, combs, mirrors, rocks, in some particular feng-shui order.  Later, after men of the city finished their morning’s bath, some would approach to borrow a comb and mirror, receive a blessing, and have a fresh dot planted on their forehead.  Barber-sage is the best title I can come up with.  I really need to read more.

 Street food.  (Potential for stomach trouble without meat: 3 out of 10; with meat: 8 out of 10.)

More pilgrims on the waterfront.  These rolled what was either dough or clay into small balls, and after performed a small ceremony.  I really, really need to read more…

 A cow in Varanasi's side streets stopping by to say “Good morning” to a neighbor.

This is one of Varanasi's main burning ghats .  Corpses wrapped in colorful cloth are brought here and readied for cremation.  Wood is weighed and paid for by the surviving family prior to setting the pyre alight.  Afterwards, the ashes are dumped in the Ganges. Kindly note the cows munching rubbish happily on the shore.

It is only in a trance-like state that one can be unaware of the trash, cremated ashes, and bloated bodies of dead cows in the “holy” Ganges.

A pilgrim on his way to who knows where.  I suppose, neither do I...

THE END

Culture Corner: Sikkim

Sikkim a kingdom for centuries, in the 70s their two much larger neighbors to the north and south began pressing for takeover. The king fled and India, falling on the most advantageous side of the Himalayas, took control. Firefights still supposedly occur between India and China deep in the mountains, but we witnessed none of the hostility, and in fact were pleasantly surprised by the multi-cultural and effervescent atmosphere of what is now a province.  Cool climes and steep vistas, the former kingdom is a surprisingly interesting place to spend several days.  At the crossroads of Bhutan, Tibet, China, Nepal, Burma, and of course India, a huge mix of culture can be found.  Noticeably cleaner and possessing verve, Gangtok, Sikkims capitol, has a feel for life that Calcutta and many other cities of India’s heartland simply do not.  Entry at roughly 500m (1,600 ft.), during our time in the former kingdom we ascended to approximately 4,000m (13,100 ft.) in Yumthang Valley and there were able to enjoy the mighty Himalayas.  Here are some photos of this portion of our trip.

Gangtok, one of the word’s most vertical cities, occasionally has a view to the world’s third highest peak.  Unfortunately here it is occluded by clouds.  Despite several opportunities, we saw the peak only for the briefest of moments as we prepared to leave the city early-early our last day.

Bordering Nepal and Tibet, Buddhism is the predominant religion of Sikkim.  (Sikh worship is now centered roughly in the regions north of New Delhi).  Painted in vivid detail, above is one of the door guardians of Rungtek monastery.  Real life Indian soldiers wielding automatic weapons also served as door guardians here.  At impassse, both Indian and Nepali sides claim to have located the most recent reincarnation of the monastery’s karmapa.  We were told by the locals that more than 90% of the people in the region support the Nepali (we saw numerous posters and stickers to support this opinion).  However, as the Indian government wields political power, their 10% is just as valuable, hence the impasse.   Like us, all the door guardian can do is look on while humans be humans pretending to be religious.

 

One of civilization’s guardians… Sorry, couldn’t resist.  This is a poster advertising one of the many retro cinemas that have become retro only because they haven’t stopped operating since the time such entertainment was considered groundbreaking.  Nothing is more congruous with Indian culture than a leather vest, shotgun-wielding action hero with paint splashed on his forehead.  If ever proof of globalization was needed…

At the risk of putting my cultural foot in my mouth, I will say only that this is a girl living in Sikkim, leaving her cultural background for the more erudite.

A portion of the “normal” road temporarily blocked by landslide, our alternative route to Yumthang Valley didn’t inspire any further confidence.

Cutting through the ice and snow of glaciers, the road to the Valley was far from hospitable.  On several occasions our vehicles and others required manual assistance over the rough spots.

And voila, Yumthang Valley!

Prayer flags and a beautiful meadow of mountain wild flowers, the Valley is a very nice place to spend a day.

What goes up, must come down.  Here is part of our return trip to flat land – a better presentation of the extreme hazard posed by our road.  When encountering these obstacles, the vehicles simply drive over the landslides (when possible), in effect compacting and recreating the road as they go.

One wrong turn and, well, you see…

Not for the faint of heart.

Truck drivers in Sikkim loved to paint their trucks a kaleidoscope of colors, religious symbols, and company logos. Looking closely at this truck you will find dolphins (in the Himalayas!), a Puma logo (the driver’s undying love in the company motivating the free advertising), the Buddhist wheel of life, and the eyes of what is probably some Hindu god.

Even the monkeys came to see us out, properly.

 

THE END

Culture Corner: The Andamans - Part II

Part II of my photos from the Andaman Islands.  (If you missed it, Part I is here.)

Who wouldn’t want to have a rest on that pillow? (Or, "Where's the Little Mermaid?")

An action shot of the moped we rented to explore the single road stretching the length of Havelock Island.  Cows were the only real traffic you needed to look out for.

The jellyfish had no idea we were in hot pursuit of hundreds of dolphins which happened by our dive boat.

The photo not so great, the silvery flashes are indeed dolphins.  Unfortunately, they wanted to get no closer to have their picture taken.  The water undulating above is like a dream.

More of the picturesque countryside...

With no idea what this is (sea urchin?), I'm left with pure visuals. Yes?

To say Andaman waters are teeming with life is an understatement.  This is only a fraction of the undersea creatures we saw.  Turtles, shrimp, octopuses, huge schools of mackerel and barracuda, sharks, and even little pegasuses were some of the other life we saw calling this reef home.

Not the last cow we would see in India, at least this one has nice grass to spend its days eating (unlike the trash its city counterpart must pick through).

A fishermen out at dusk.

What time in paradise would be complete without a glorious sunset on the beach?  Ask and you shall receive!

The End

I would like to say thank you again to the people we dove with who gave us some of their photos.  A few of those above are thanks to them.  Secondly, I would like to give a nod of respect to Dive India.  The three Vs we met and dove with (Vikas, Vinnie, and Vikram), as well as all the other instructors and guides, were all top notch professionals as well as just a fun, knowledgeable group to spend time with.  Cheers!

Culture Corner: The Andamans - Part I

Apart from a one night stay in New Delhi en route, our first week In India was spent in the idyllic Andaman Islands.  Night and day compared to our last week in India, we spent the seven days on Havelock diving, eating delicious fish, drinking fresh mango juice, walking the beaches, and just plain relaxing.  So much to see and do, when selecting photos the number quickly spilled over into two posts.  So, without further ado here is Part I.  (Part II can be found here.)  Many thanks to our fellow divers who gave us their photos when our camera could not be taken any deeper.

 

One of the Andamans and its reef as we flew in.

Up close and under foot a few hours later!

 

Diving is like heaven, sometimes.

 

Some of the countryside – a far cry from the squalor that infests the mainland.

 

A scorpion fish, just begging us to get a little closer so it can stick one of its poisonous dorsal fins into us.

 

Our little bungalow (on the right) we called home amongst the coconut palms at Dive India.

 

Undersea “follow the leader”.

 

Cricket is one of the few means of escape in India.  And it’s played everywhere, from the ghats in Varanasi to these, the rice paddies of the Andamans.

 

Some call a mansion home, others…

  

Do you really need a caption?

 

A friend we had taking care of the mosquitoes beside our table while we too ate one evening.

 End of Part I. Click here for Part II.