Don't get me wrong, I loved Delhi in all its eclectic, chaotic glory. And spending a week in the heart of New Delhi was an exhilarating experience. But one of my favorite days during the entire week was the day we decided to put the bustling capital streets in our rearview mirror and take a little roadtrip to the nearby city of Agra. Word on the street was we might stumble upon a World Wonder in the area, which is the only way anyone will ever get me to agree that waking up at 5 am to beat the crowds/heat is a better idea than sleeping.
We spent the day exploring more reminders of the Mughal Empire's glory days, namely the Taj Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri, and Agra's Jama Masjid. To be completely honest, I was not expecting to be impressed - I knew better than to trust in the promise of something surrounded by as much hype and photoshopped posters as the Taj Mahal, and I was not about to let myself get Mona Lisa'd by this building. And did the Taj live up to my expectations? Not at all. Did it make my expectations seem embarrassingly cynical? Um, yeah.
When I walked through the gateway I felt like I had walked inside of a painting - it was easily the most magical place I've ever seen in my entire life. I think I could've just sat and stared at it for the entire day if they had let me, but after a few too-short hours we head over to walk through Fatehpur Sikri and the Jama Masjid. It was already getting dark by the time we started the drive back, but we wanted to make one more stop in the town of Mathura to see the birthplace of Lord Krishna (Vishnu's eighth earthly incarnation). Inside the temple we watched the nightly revealing of the deity, and then were able to see the actual room where Krishna was believed to be born 5000 years ago.
We spent the day exploring more reminders of the Mughal Empire's glory days, namely the Taj Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri, and Agra's Jama Masjid. To be completely honest, I was not expecting to be impressed - I knew better than to trust in the promise of something surrounded by as much hype and photoshopped posters as the Taj Mahal, and I was not about to let myself get Mona Lisa'd by this building. And did the Taj live up to my expectations? Not at all. Did it make my expectations seem embarrassingly cynical? Um, yeah.
When I walked through the gateway I felt like I had walked inside of a painting - it was easily the most magical place I've ever seen in my entire life. I think I could've just sat and stared at it for the entire day if they had let me, but after a few too-short hours we head over to walk through Fatehpur Sikri and the Jama Masjid. It was already getting dark by the time we started the drive back, but we wanted to make one more stop in the town of Mathura to see the birthplace of Lord Krishna (Vishnu's eighth earthly incarnation). Inside the temple we watched the nightly revealing of the deity, and then were able to see the actual room where Krishna was believed to be born 5000 years ago.
Sidenote... This brings my World Wonder count to 3/7! (Chichen Itza: Mexico, Colosseum: Italy, Taj Mahal: India) Although I actually had to look up what the current list was before saying that since it changes so often. If you're curious, here's a link to the official 'New Wonders of the World' list that was released in 2007: | |
Jama Masjid The Agra Jama Masjid plays the same role for Fatehpur Sikri as the Delhi Jama Masjid does for the Red Fort. It's best known for Sheikh Salim Christi's tomb and the main entrance, which is the largest gateway in the world. |
When we were inside the tomb chamber, there was this ritual going on that totally confused me. Well I don't actually know that it was a ritual, all I know is that no one could leave the room without being hit over the head by what looked like an overgrown feather...which obviously I had to tape. Partially to see if anyone could tell me what was going on, and partially just because it looked so weird. | |
Krishna Temple, Mathura Because of Mathura's connection to Krishna it's one of the most famous places in the world to celebrated Holi. Unfortunately we were there a week too early to take part in their celebrations, but we still had an amazing Holi adventure in Mumbai - details to come next! |