South Asia '08, part nine:
An afternoon in Agra
[22/7 post 1111]
We left very early in the morning again in order to catch a 7 a.m. train to Agra. And of course, it didn't even arrive until well after 8 a.m. But, oh well...
The trip took about three hours, during which time I actually went to sleep. I'd been on guard all through our ride across Bihar and Uttar Pradesh a couple of days earlier (as a result of many advisories and disturbing stories about train travel in India). This time, though, I was tired and didn't have ever-so-important "things" that I wanted to keep in my possession.
We arrived and tried to find the prepaid taxi stand. Our plan was to hire a car or autorickshaw for the whole afternoon. Because Agra is one of the most popular tourist destinations, the diversionary taxi driver and tout game was on lock. Even after we found the right stand with an honest driver, some taxi overlord stepped in got his cut from the deal.
Our first stop was the guesthouse-and-shop strip south of the Taj Mahal. We ate lunch and then walked to the east gate, which was said to have a shorter wait. The line at the east gate stretched for a block, however, and I had to go through the security check twice (after depositing my belongings in a locker) because I had A) a camera bag with B) a book inside. Apparently, literacy is a threat.
"Yeah, boo hoo for you. How was the Taj Mahal?" you might be thinking. It was impressive. It was enormous. It was odd, also, to regard and think of ways to photograph what might be one of the most overexposed objects on the planet. The grounds were crawling with people -- thousands of folks -- and as soon as most of them walked through the sandstone gate south of the reflecting pools, they'd start to arrange or pose for "that" shot of the building. And so I started looking for anything that wasn't the Taj Mahal proper to capture.
The mosque to the west of the Taj and its exact replica to the east provided a welcome escape. Very few people walked through them. They were built from rust-colored sandstone and marble that purposefully contrasted with the ivory grandeur of the Taj.
Here, I should mention that the whole complex -- spread over at least 30 acres -- is quite understated. People describe oversized, ostentatious structures as "a Taj," but the tomb itself, the flanking buildings, the gardens... none of it is overdone or gaudy. Detailed and meticulously crafted, but not overblown. If it were not for all of the people, I'm sure it would be a very restoring and reverential space.
Part eight...Part 10
The trip took about three hours, during which time I actually went to sleep. I'd been on guard all through our ride across Bihar and Uttar Pradesh a couple of days earlier (as a result of many advisories and disturbing stories about train travel in India). This time, though, I was tired and didn't have ever-so-important "things" that I wanted to keep in my possession.
We arrived and tried to find the prepaid taxi stand. Our plan was to hire a car or autorickshaw for the whole afternoon. Because Agra is one of the most popular tourist destinations, the diversionary taxi driver and tout game was on lock. Even after we found the right stand with an honest driver, some taxi overlord stepped in got his cut from the deal.
Our first stop was the guesthouse-and-shop strip south of the Taj Mahal. We ate lunch and then walked to the east gate, which was said to have a shorter wait. The line at the east gate stretched for a block, however, and I had to go through the security check twice (after depositing my belongings in a locker) because I had A) a camera bag with B) a book inside. Apparently, literacy is a threat.
"Yeah, boo hoo for you. How was the Taj Mahal?" you might be thinking. It was impressive. It was enormous. It was odd, also, to regard and think of ways to photograph what might be one of the most overexposed objects on the planet. The grounds were crawling with people -- thousands of folks -- and as soon as most of them walked through the sandstone gate south of the reflecting pools, they'd start to arrange or pose for "that" shot of the building. And so I started looking for anything that wasn't the Taj Mahal proper to capture.
The mosque to the west of the Taj and its exact replica to the east provided a welcome escape. Very few people walked through them. They were built from rust-colored sandstone and marble that purposefully contrasted with the ivory grandeur of the Taj.
Here, I should mention that the whole complex -- spread over at least 30 acres -- is quite understated. People describe oversized, ostentatious structures as "a Taj," but the tomb itself, the flanking buildings, the gardens... none of it is overdone or gaudy. Detailed and meticulously crafted, but not overblown. If it were not for all of the people, I'm sure it would be a very restoring and reverential space.
Part eight...Part 10
South Asia '08, part nine:
An afternoon in Agra
[22/7 post 1111]
mr damon, 14:52
1 Comments:
All beautiful and enticing photos and information about these historically fascinating places and buildings (I do have such a fetish for such things!)
I thought it might be of interest (although you quite likely already know it - but just in case) to know that your "blossoms" photo is almost certainly a Thunbergia sp. which is much more subtly beautiful than the commonly available summer annual varieties here in N.America and often called 'black eyed susan vine'. I imagine this common name came about because the colour of these varieties (which are always single flowers - not double as in your photo) is like that of the Rudbeckia species known by the same name.
As ever, thanks for sharing all these adventures, travels and photos.
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