Monday, June 29, 2009

Visit to Taj of Agra and Mathura - Panicker Travels Delhi













I had an opportunity to visit Agra and Mathura on 24th June 2009. 

I took the AC Volvo bus from Panickers Travel of Delhi. The bus was pretty decent and the service was also very prompt. The bus arrived to my pick up point near Scindia House (escorts Office corner ) of Delhi exactly by 6:00 AM as scheduled. They provided good water and cool drinks as a refreshment. The AC effect on the bus was OK. The bus stopped at a decent hotel for breakfast. 

I had a window seat and was watching the road traffic and the scenarios of fast-moving tall trees, trucks, and autos packed with people. The sun was harsh at the start of the day itself and people were covering their heads and noses with clothes. 

 Before visiting Taj, we went to the Agra Fort. The guide explained the history of the fort, the king's palace, court, and the swimming pool used by the ladies. The glimpses of the Taj at a far distance could be seen from this fort. 
The sun was so harsh that we were always thinking of going back to the bus, rather than listening to the details narrated by the guide. We were taken to the official UP government's handicraft emporium. The salesman explained the way how the paintings were done in the marble pieces by placing precious stones. Three workers were doing the art and a practical demo was seen. Taj miniature made of real marble stone was demonstrated by passing light through it. It was informed and proved by him that in fake marbles light will not enter. 
We went to a nearby hotel called Amar,  for lunch. This is a decent hotel and we enjoyed the curd rice and the brown dal very well.
 While travelling towards Agra, we saw many small depleted houses, debris, dust and un-clean remainings of the river. It is sad to note that the approach to the world's wonder was not kept clean by the local authorities. 
 Panicker took us to the South Gate of the Taj, instead of entering through the 13th gate which was very much nearer to the parking place. We were told that the South gate was near the cloakroom and easier to retrieve any items recovered from us like knife etc. But it was painful to walk a long way in the scorching sun towards the south gate. 
After entering the gate, the first sight of the Taj Mahal through the gate was astonishing. We were told that it took 22 years to build this magnificent marble building as the work took place only during the light and not at the night. We could imagine the logistic issues faced during those days when the transportation facilities were very very little. 
 The photographers and the souvenir vendors nag you as you enter the Taj. The sales trick is that a free photo from your camera would be taken first and then they will press you for a professional (?) photo from their camera. I tried with one of the photographers suggested by Panicker for a single photo. He took two snaps of us at the same place. I thought he took the snaps twice, to ensure that it was proper. But when we came out we were given both the photos ( one horizontal and one vertical) and were charged for both (Rs.60/- for each). There were more crowds and a lot of demand for taking photos by sitting on the marble bench before the Taj. 
But it is a horrible experience to pose in the harsh sun on a  heated bench!

 We had to remove our shoes and run to reach the Taj Mahal's entrance. That was a horrifying exercise in the noon when the sun was at 46 degrees. It reminded me of the festival in our Tamil Nadu Village where the devotees had to run over the fire pieces to prove their divinity (தீ மிதி திருவிழா)! Some people returned back, as they could not venture walking barefoot. 

However, as an Indian, it was a proud moment for us that we were at last at the great iconic mahal, which is a symbol of undying love and one of the wonders of the world. 

3 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete