INDIA 2010 : Marvel in Marble

Nov 22 – The streets at Agra were relatively quiet at 7:30 am on our last morning of the trip which enabled us to beat the masses to the Taj Mahal. Once through the security checkpoint at the east gate we were in a large courtyard surrounded by red sandstone archways each leading to the pilgrims quarters. In the center of the courtyard on the north side, the tall entranceway (above) to paradise made of sandstone and marble.

It is not until we stepped inside the archway that we could see all of the majestic marble Taj Mahal.

Upon the death of the Empress Mumtaz, who died giving birth to her 14th child, the grief stricken Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan had a tomb built in her memory. 20,000 skilled craftsman began work on this monument of love in 1631. It took 22 years to complete and it laid out in strict bilateral symmetry with the central point being the Empress’ tomb. It is as exactly as wide as it is high – 55 meters.

In spite of an overcast and hazy start to our visit, we did have a few brief periods of sunlight that lit up the monument. The Taj is highlighted by the translucent marble that changes color with the sunlight, and exquisite carved pietra dura, inlaid with semi precious stones (above). We were all in awe of its beauty and the craftsmanship. Surely this has to be the world’s most breathtaking building.

The Yamuna River flows behind the Taj Mahal and from the large open patio surrounding the monument, we could look down at the river and see a few Pallas Gulls as well as thousands of Great Cormorants (above) moving up and down the river in search for the best fishing areas.

While Vicki and Janis enjoyed a short visit to the Agra Fort the rest of us walked the along the banks of Yamuna River (above). This gave us a chance to see the smaller birds that were impossible to view from the Taj Mahal as well as an up close view of the filth and rubbish that line the river. There were many Egyptian Vultures roosting on the sand bars and an Oriental Skylark, skylarking – rising several hundred feet and singing. Small peeps and plovers included many Temminck’s Stint and a Kentish and Little Ringed Plover. We also had a lone Dunlin, Common Redshank and several stunning River Lapwings.

The 200 kms return ride to Delhi was covered in 5 1/2 hours! Leaving Agra and entering Delhi accounted for almost 2 hours of the journey!

We had our last excellent ‘no spicy’ dinner at the Dhanchiri Camp near the airport where we were joined by my next group who had arrived a day early. The evenings entertainment was a folk troupe from Rajasthan performing kanbelia (snake charmer) songs and dances (above). After freshening up and repacking, sadly I bid farewell to Eric, Tammy, Arden, Sherry, Janis and Vicki as they left for their midnight flight back home.