Agra and the Taj

One couldn't visit India, stop by Delhi, and not take the trip down to Agra to visit one of the "newer" wonders of the world - the Taj Mahal.

Ideally, I would have loved to hike down to Agra, spend the day there, then head on over to Rajasthan to revel in the famed beauty of its palaces and opulent architecture.

Pity I didn't have enough time to do that this round. Next time for sure.

Instead, I hired a driver, and took the almost 5 hour ride from Delhi to Agra in the pursuit of this beautiful white marbled mausoleum, a symbol of love that has lasted since the 17th century.

I'm surprised I didn't go cranky just talking to myself considering I spent practically 10 hours (to and fro) in a car without company save for my very kind driver. Thank goodness I had a guide to entertain me during the 4 hours or so that I spent in Agra.

But it was worth every second of butt-soreness in the long car ride.

The anticipation started to build up the moment the we drove into Agra. Tourists and buses and guides and drivers filled every nook and cranny of an otherwise sleepy little city.

Vehicles could only drive up to a certain point in front of the Taj grounds before tourists had to disembark and switch to electric trams to take them up to the front gates of the Taj. This is to to prevent vehicle pollution from causing further damage to the Taj - which in itself takes an entire army to restore and maintain.

We entered from the North Gate - in itself an architectural wonder - and as I was marvelling at the red stone structure, I turned around and was suddenly awe-struck by the white dome a distance away that I had especially come to see.

North Gate entrance to the Taj Mahal

Everyone knows that emperor Shah Jahan, mourning the death of his beloved wife, Mumtaz (who died during childbirth of their FOURTEENTH child), commissioned the building of this tomb in honour of his wife.


But did you know that the Taj Mahal and the surrounding grounds were designed in perfect symmetry and in an octagonal shape, mirroring the Islamic concept of heaven? And the mausoleum - with the sarcophagi of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz in the middle - sits right smack in the centre of the entire octagon. Right in the centre of heaven.

Did you also know that the Pakistani architect, commonly known as Lahauri (incidentally also from Lahore!), designed wells underneath the pillars of the Taj to act as shock absorbers for any earthquake tremors to prevent the Taj from collapsing?

And look closely at the 4 minarets guarding the dome - they're not ramrod straight. They're all slightly leaning outwards, away from the dome - another architectural spark by Lahauri to ensure that if the minarets ever fell prey to an earthquake, they would collapse away from the tomb and not onto it, thereby protecting the precious dome.

Amazing, really.

Sit and watch the world go by. In India, no less.

I mentioned in my previous post about how fascinating it was to just watch the local people go about their daily business.

India is an interesting connundrum.

Massive cement structures towering out of nowhere amidst traditional roadside chaat stalls; the nouveau-riche in their BMWs and Volkswagons with their uniformed drivers share the dusty roads alongside the masses squeezed onto 2-wheelers and 3-wheelers; CNG buses and a new metro system have set up shop in Delhi, but the locals haven't quite yet acquired the etiquette that comes along with a modern public transportation system.

The signs of a rapidly developing economy are everywhere; and yet, the pulse of old, colonial India still remains.

And that is precisely the charm that India still holds sway over the throngs of visitors who continue to roam its endless attractions.

The locals love to take photos with foreigners, and many don't mind you taking some of them too. In fact, the school children are so excited to see a tourist that they are all jumping and shouting and cheering for you to focus your camera on their smiling faces.

These are several candid shots that I was lucky enough to capture during my wanderings-around.

A lady seeking shade in the columned ruins of the Qutab Minar complex

Excited school children on an excursion to Humayun's tomb

Worshippers going to the Jama Masjid for evening prayers



A driver having a break along the road outside Agra



A family wandering the ruins of the Qutab Minar complex

A local giving directions to a tourist at Isa Khan Niyazi's tomb

Passenger safety takes on a whole new meaning outside Delhi

Workers resting near the Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi

A toursit couple seeks a quiet moment in Lodhi Garden

Wonder what's his story....outside the Jama Masjid

Dhoti-clad men out and about

The cluttered alleys of Old Delhi's Chandni Chowk



Delhi must-dos. Part 3: Get out and look-see.

There is so much to do in Delhi, that the 2 days I had put aside to stay in the city was insufficient to fully take in all the sights and sounds that India's capital had to offer.

I could spend days trawling every single market, fishing out good bargains, sieving through thousands of beautifully woven pashmina shawls in every possible shade and colour, and bargaining till the cows came home (literally, the cows would come home in India).

I could sit in a single spot for an entire afternoon, just snapping photos of the local people as they go about their daily activities. The Indians are a fascinating people - their way of life, their ease at being a developing economy with one of the more authentic democracies (albeit challengeable), their national dress worn as a daily outfit, people togged in every colour of the rainbow and more.

I could wander for hours amidst the sprawling ruins of the various historical and archaelogical sites dating back to as early as the 12th century, and not be bored by the infinite stories that every piece of marble and architecture told. Almost every monument is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and standing before these magnificent structures, it's easy to see why.

But time was of the essence, and I had to strategically limit myself at each site, managing finally to only shop at Khan market and rummage through the cotton clothes at FabIndia (I'm not complaining though) before hurrying to catch the red-eye flight home.

A picture says a thousand words. Here are some of the memorable shots I took of the sites I visited.



India Gate, New Delhi



Delhi must-dos. Part 2: Eat. A lot.

Unlike what most people warned me of before I embarked on my trip, I did not come down with Delhi Belly or anything near it.

In fact, I ate Indian food almost 3 meals a day for the entire week, and enjoyed the most sumptuous Indian food ever. Even the vegetarian options were so deliciously good that I did not come near missing meat despite consecutive meals of herbivorous behaviour in Kolkata.

In Delhi, here are some of the memorable places that I visited and enjoyed a good meal at. In all cases, be prepared for huge cholesterol and calorie intakes – at your own risk!

1. Haldiram’s

This is India’s vegetarian version of MacDonald’s.

India is famous for its chaat – street food – and Haldiram’s brings you plenty chaat varieties and other Indian dishes all over the counter.

My favourite chaat dish is the aloo tikki – a fried potato patty covered generously with curd, mint and a medley of chutneys.

Haldiram’s does a decent aloo tikki, although if you dare to venture out, I think the authentic street hawkers do a better version.

Haldiram’s also has a very delicious choley bhature – a brown, spicy chick pea stew of sorts served with fried puffy bread.

The best part? Haldiram’s menu is really affordable. Almost all dishes are in the 50-60 rupees range. In fact, we had 2 dishes and 2 drinks for just a little over a 100 rupees!

They’re also a leading manufacturer of Indian snacks and sweets that come ready-packed – perfect for last minute gifts to take home.

2. Swagarth’s

For fancier Indian cuisine, Nick took me to Swagarth's located at the Defence Colony Market (the neighbourhood where the embassies are located).

Must tries: Shahi Paneer – cashew nut base curry with homemade Indian cottage cheese. Pair it with their chappati – unlike Singapore’s chapatti which is more like a tortilla, the chappatis in India are baked in the tandoori oven and come out like a hybrid naan with a crispier oomph.

Fantastic.

3. Lodhi – The Garden Restaurant

Step into the Lodhi Gardens (Delhi’s botanical gardens) and it seems that you’ve stepped into another world.

Suddenly, the noise of Delhi’s traffic vanishes and instead, tomb ruins, green grass and families picnicking greet you.

The restaurant is set in a little enclave that strike up more similarities to London’s Hyde Park than being in dusty Delhi.

You’ll find yourself rubbing shoulders with Delhi’s well-heeled crowd and expatriates.

The restaurant serves mostly western food (ie pastas – noodles are handmade –  and grilled seafood/meats) but the appetiser selection has a good variety of asian and middle-eastern dips.

We tried the eggplant dip (something like babaganoush) that came with warm pita bread. Delicious. 

Grab a table at the outdoor patio on the second floor, order a homemade ice lemon tea, and be at one with yourself and the world...

4. United Coffee House

A stalwart on Connaught Place (the centre of gravity in this bustling city), United Coffee House has been around for ages, is named in almost every guidebook, and being able to have a meal there is every young local’s dream.

To be fair, meals can get quite pricey in there. Main courses start from around 400 rupees each, and a meal for one could easily rack up 1000 rupees with appetisers and drinks thrown in.

Don’t expect a fancy shopfront though – you could just as easily walk by the fairly nondescript exterior save for the impeccably-dressed Sikh maitre d’ out front.

United is pretty famous for their Tomato Fish (a Delhi colonial classic) – essentially pan fried fish fillets coated in a homemade tangy tomato sauce.

However, I much preferred the Bengali prawn curry that we ordered – rich and coconut-ty with big pieces of fresh prawns– together with some tandoori-baked chappati.

Hugely satisfying.

Delhi must-dos. Part 1: Transport

Take the 2-wheeler, 3-wheeler and 4-wheeler.

All sorts of vehicles go on Delhi’s public roads. Even steam-rollers, horse-driven carts and the occasional cow make their way comfortably alongside the regular cars you’d expect in a big city.

The 2-wheeler is essentially a bicycle-rickshaw.

(Technically it’s got more than 2-wheels including the bicycle - but that’s a technicality). 

It’s a great way to get up close and personal with Delhi’s insane traffic, familiarise yourself with how close pedestrians and vehicles interact with each other on the streets, and introduce yourself to Delhi’s foggy (read: polluted) air.

2-wheelers at the front of a (disorganised) traffic junction

It’s actually pretty exciting because you’re so close to everything.  But I’d recommend taking it for a short distance. Your bum will thank you for it.

Hold on tight though! Make an adventure out of it.

The 3-wheeler is India’s version of the Thai tuk-tuks.  

They feel a little safer because they’re more enclosed, and they definitely move faster than the 2-wheelers.

Although, outside the main part of the city, it’s a norm to squeeze as many people as possible into the 3-wheeler – the driver simply picks up and drops off folks along the way, and you just pay for your passage.

Everything goes - luggage on top, people hanging off the back...

The interesting thing to note is that all the 3-wheelers actually run on CNG!

The 3-wheelers also don’t have indicator lights – I saw a really creative 3-wheeler driver tie pieces of cloth to each side of the vehicle and raise the cloth to indicate he was changing lanes.

And the 4-wheeler is just a regular car. (It just sounded better to call it a 4-wheeler in line with the above 2 transport modes, but the locals really just call them cars. J )

Hire a car and a driver for a day to take you around Delhi’s sights.  It’ll cost you less than 1,000 rupees for an air-conditioned car (yes, they do distinguish between AC and non-AC vehicles).

Chances are, you’ll end up with the Tata Indica (hatchback) or Tata Indigo (sedan). These are India’s answers to China’s Chery QQ and Malaysia’s Proton Saga.

And you’ll notice that every other car on the road along with you is a Tata too.