Photos from a week in India

[AuAL]

My wife and I spent a week in India in February. @Yeshuasdaughter, since you asked, here are some photos…

Jama Masjid, Delhi, a mosque commissioned by Shah Jahan and completed in 1656.
Outside the gates of the mosque is the Chandni Chowk quarter, with a maze of markets in Tirahar Bazaar:

 

[AuAL]

Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial, Raj Ghat, Delhi

Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, one of the most prominent Sikh temples in Delhi. Volunteers here feed an average 20,000 people a day.

 

[AuAL]

Amer Fort (Amber Fort), Amer, Rajasthan
And inside the fort:

This statue “Nataraja” is of Shiva as Lord of the Dance, trampling a demon symbolizing spiritual ignorance.

 

[AuAL]

Birla Mandir, a Hindu temple in Jaipur.
The exterior has some interesting statues:

Saraswati

Moses

Confucius

I should perhaps note at this point that no photography is allowed inside Hindu or Sikh temples. We were invited into this temple to participate in the service.

 

[AuAL]

Hawa Mahal palace, downtown Jaipur. The intent of the latticework was to allow royal ladies to observe festivals in the street below.
And in the street:

 

[AuAL]

Jantar Mantar, Jaipur
Constructed for Rajput King Sawai Jai Singh in 1734, this is the world’s largest stone sundial, accurate to 2 seconds.

On the way from Jaipur to Agra, we stopped at the step well palace at Chand Baori, Abhaneri. Sacked by Mughal invaders almost all carvings here and at the nearby Hindu temple were defaced, literally:

But some survived, with less damage:

 

[AuAL]

And on to Agra…

The Taj Mahal at sunset. The smaller building to the right was a mosque, constructed onsite to minimise lost construction time for prayers. The building to the left was constructed for no other reason than to maintain symmetry.

Taj Mahal shortly before sunrise.

Taj Mahal at sunrise. The towers’ appearance of leaning in is an illusion of perspective. They have actually been constructed leaning slightly outward to prevent them falling on the tomb in case of earthquake.

 

[AuAL]

If you’re interested in street food:

No, NOT the cow. Go here:

The food was great (if you don’t mind spicy.)

 

[Tired]

Very nice photos. Was cool to see monkeys and the snake guy. Hope you both had a great time there!

 

[AuAL]

From Agra we returned to Delhi, then flew to Varanasi.

Sunrise over the Ganga (Ganges)

A sadhu at Dasashwamedh Ghat.

I have chosen not to post any pictures of Manikarnika Ghat, the main site for cremation. The ceremony is considered a joyous one, as cremation here and scattering of the ashes in the Ganga ensure the souls of the dead are released from reincarnation, but I thought it a private matter. I did not take any photos of people bathing in the Ganga as it is a religious observance, not just a swim.

 

[AuAL]

At Sarnath, at the site of the Buddha’s first sermon to his disciples.

The streets of Varanasi

Do not pat the cows.

The Ganga Aarti. Every evening people gather for a festival on the banks of the river. Priests offer water, smoke and fire to the points of the compass, in unison. I estimated the crowd as being about 15,000 people.

 

[WhitewaterWoman]

What a great trip. Amazing what beautiful and intricate buildings they constructed. Thank you for sharing.

 

[SusanLR]

Thanks for posting these wonderful photos.
The Taj has a very sentimental memory for me.
I love that famous Shiva statue and the snake charmer is great.
Yes, don't pat the Holy Cow! Everything stops for them.

This is a poem I created in a dream of the Taj Mahal.

What is Eternity

"Won't somebody tell me why
You must go while still must I,
Watch as ages old as mountains die?

Watch them crumble, fall and moan
Still the castles made of stone,
Stand in beauty there on high
Won't somebody tell me why.

For how can I stay,
Now that you've gone away?

See the lightning in the sky
Outward signs of you and I,
Still the rocks fall to the sea
Tell me what's Eternity."

It made me think of Shah Jahan.

 

[AuAL]

It made me think of Shah Jahan.

We also visited Agra’s Red Fort, from which Shah Jahan could see the Taj Mahal, but could not visit it, as his son had put him under house arrest for the last 15 years of his life.

As a consequence of his arrest, he was not in a position to commission his own tomb, but was buried next to his wife, leading to the only non-symmetric feature in the Taj - his sarcophagus next to his wife’s (which, of course, had been placed on the centreline.)

 

[AprilR]

Amazing photos, thank you for sharing them.

 

[SusanLR]

We also visited Agra’s Red Fort, from which Shah Jahan could see the Taj Mahal, but could not visit it, as his son had put him under house arrest for the last 15 years of his life.

View attachment 129847

As a consequence of his arrest, he was not in a position to commission his own tomb, but was buried next to his wife, leading to the only non-symmetric feature in the Taj - his sarcophagus next to his wife’s (which, of course, had been placed on the centreline.)

And he was not able to build the Black tomb for himself, which would have been identical. Mumtez Mahal was actually accompanying her husband, the Shah, in battle when she died from postpartum hemorrhage after 30 hours of childbirth.
It would have been her 14th child.
There are so many interesting stories regarding the monument.