Northern India and the Taj Mahal

Jaipur: The Pink City

After one last dinner at rising star, began a crazy night getting packed for our 3 day trip to Northern India. I was sure to trace over my henna to prevent it fading so quickly, and I caught a couple hours of sleep before we loaded up the van and headed to the airport at 1am. I couldn’t sleep on the bus or the plane for some reason, although I was exhausted, so I watched about 5 episodes of Downton Abbey with Alyssa.

At last, we arrived at the “Pink City”: Jaipur. Soon after we had arrived, I learned why it was called the pink city- because every single building was pink! (salmonish pink) Our tour guide that was with us for the 3 days in Northern India was named Raj, and we also had a tour guide for the time we were in Jaipur. After going to our hotel to drop off all of our luggage, we headed to the town where we saw the world’s largest sun dial that could actually tell time within two seconds! In the same observatory, we saw some giant horoscopes and more clocks. Our tour guide said that Indians would actually arrange marriages based off of the horoscopes!

Dinner in Jaipur was amazing! It was definitely the best food I had had the entire trip. For one, it wasn’t vegetarian. The curry was really thick and hearty which was unlike the soup curry we had had in Southern India. Thick curry with some cheese filled naan- Delish!! And, to finish up they always have sugar crystals, coconut, and licorice seed. YUM J

The Jaipur city palace of Prince Albert of Whales was next on the list. It was really quite impressive. The detail was awesome! I couldn’t figure out, though, why there were pigeons everywhere! There were hundreds of pigeons and people were feeding them! We learned that pigeons are there for good luck. The more pigeons you have, the more luck you carry. So, people were selling pigeon food on the side of the streets.

We visited a textile stamping/block printing store where they make the most beautiful fabric! They did it all by hand. The dye was made from all-natural coloring. Everything in India is so intricate and beautiful.

While in the fabric store, the salesman wanted me to look at the saris (traditional clothing for women). I told him no, but he said I should just try one on. How could I say no to that?? I loved it so much that I was tempted to buy it, but I was able to practice some self control.

Our hotel that night was at the Ramada inn. I had never felt as spoiled in my life! They had western toilets and real showers!! The mattresses were thick, and the floors were really clean. Oh the things that you learn to appreciate when you have gone without. We planned to have game night that night, but I think we were all a little too exhausted because one by one we drifted off to sleep.

A Day to Ride Elephants

This morning, we woke up with more excitement than we could contain. We knew what was in store, and it seemed too good to be true. After a delicious breakfast of omelets and fresh fruit, we hopped onto the bus with big smiles.

First, we stop to look at a famous pink building . . . which didn’t mean much to us either- but it was pink like the rest of the buildings and looked really beautiful. We learned that the building had so many windows so that religious women could look out and be involved with the city events.

After taking a picture in front of the building, it didn’t take long until we were distracted by the shoe shop across the street. Those who didn’t buy shoes, found a snake charmer!!! . .  who made them pay two hundred rupees for the picture they took with them. Of course, I was in the shop buying beautiful shoes with sequins, embroidery, and velvet!

Elephant Rides

Riding elephants was one of the coolest things I had ever done! The elephants were painted and dressed up. It was a beautiful there! Our driver told us that all of the elephants were female because the male elephants are too aggressive. Our elephant was so cute!

The whole ride, I just couldn’t believe I was there. The scenery was breathtaking, and the trail led up to a huge palace! It was called Amber’s palace, and we were able to walk around to see the amazing details and architecture.

Amber Palace

Once we got off of the elephants, we began to wander through the hallways and corridors of the palace. The design was perfect, and it fascinated me that people had lived like that. There were sides of the palace that were dedicated to summer months and those for winter. The stone walls in the summer rooms were designed so that they let cool air through and act as a cooling system. They had water running through and hooks where hammocks had once hung. The winter quarters were insulated and had been used so that they were lined with silk and warm fabrics. There were rooms enough for the king, twelve queens, and the guests. We took many pictures with the room of mirrors. The details were breathtaking. On the walk down, salesman swarmed around us to try and sell their various goods. I bought a sandalwood that is either made out of tiek or sandalwood- it’s debatable.

This was the water palace that really looked like it was floating in water. It was beautiful.

We had a chance to ride the camels..... and we took it!

Fort Agra

Fort Agra was so huge. 80% of the fort was currently occupied with soldiers, and we toured the other 20%. Here, they also had summer and winter rooms, giant bathtubs in the middle of the common areas, and incredible architecture.

This room was designed so that two people could stand in opposite corners and communicate.

It was here that I was especially glad to have a tour guide who watched out for us. We were watched and pointed at everywhere we went, but at the fort, people like to get too close for comfort. Fortunately, our guide didn't stand for that.

We walked past one beautiful field of grass that looked like it should be used for some type of sport, such as soccer. However, it was used for a completely different purpose: a cosmetic market. Each Saturday, the women from the city would come and buy cosmetics. The King sat up in one of the rooms and looked out at the many beautiful women. From there, he chose which beautiful woman he wanted to come live in his palace. He had 365 rooms in his palace filled with 365 harems. The women came to the palace to live a life of luxury, but it wasn’t all luxury. If the King was unhappy with them, he sent them to the “dark room” for hours or even days where they were refused food or water.

We learned about three kings that had lived in the fort. The first had three wives- one of each religion to please the people. (Muslim, Hindu, Christian) My least favorite king had 365 harems, and the last king was the one who built the Taj Mahal in honor of his beloved second wife. 

Intricacy and Detail

We stopped at a famous shop that weaves rugs by hand. I wasn’t all that excited about the store until I stepped foot inside and took a good look. Two men sat on small stools and weaved. Their hands were quick, and their precision was excellent. We learned that they tied each and every small knot in the entire rug and that one large rug can take up to a year to make!! After finishing a row, they pack the thread down and sing a song. The song is like a poem, and it tells them where they should put each of the colors. They make their markers with thread and then begin another row. The weaving was impressive, and the rugs were beautiful. Like I said before, the detail that they emphasize in their work is truly amazing!!

We looked at and admired the many rugs. . . and of course, we liked to imagine that we were princess Jazmine.

The Taj Mahal

On the morning of the Taj Mahal, we woke up at 4:30 so that we could make it to see the sunrise. We stopped to get tickets and the socks to wear inside the Taj, and then we entered through the gates. I can’t even think of words that describe the Taj Mahal and how beautiful it is. (Maybe if I mention San Diego or Vegas LDS temple :)). .  It was built by the Shah Jahan in memory of his second wife, the Persian princess Mumtaz Mahal. They had a love marriage (which is uncommon in India because of the tradition of arranged marriage). They had the most beautiful love story.   She was said to be as beautiful as a sunflower. This is why there is a sunflower directly over her tomb in the ceiling. She bore 14 children, and died at age 39 due to complications with the birth of her 14^th child. The Taj Mahal is the only historic monument in the world that symbolizes love.

The king loved Princess Mumtaz Mahal so much that after she died, he had the Taj Mahal built in her memory. The Taj sits as if it is a backdrop and is perfectly symmetrical. It took 22 years and 20,000 of the best artisan craftsmen to build it. The detail was extraordinary. Just one gate that surrounds the tomb took a year to build because the three men had to start over every time they made a mistake. The Taj Mahal weighs 1.4 tons of marble. It is built on a foundation of tiek wood and sits next to the Yamuna river, which is the second holiest river in India. It is said to be sacred in that it frees one from the torments of death.

After Shah Jahan died, he was buried next to Mumtaz Mahal, becoming the only asymmetrical portion of the Taj. His two wives from the arranged marriages were buried outside the walls of the monument.

The marble of the Taj glowed in the sunlight and is said to glow in the moonlight. Beautiful and precious stones are inlaid into the marble to create perfect design of flowers. Stones: Lapis from Afghanistan, mother pearl, jasper, turquoise from Tibet, etc. Carnelian from India is the orange stone- which is my favorite because it illuminates in the light.

After visiting the Taj, we went back to the hotel for some much-needed sleep before going to a special shop which was owned by the same family, 9 generations down, that built the Taj Mahal. Their work is a family secret, and they still inlay the beautiful stones into the marble.

I somehow pulled together enough rupees to buy a souvenir from the shop. I had to convince myself, but I’m pretty dang excited about it!!

After a great day at the Taj Mahal and marble shop, we made a much-needed run to McDonalds for some ice-cream before our road trip to Delhi.

 Delhi: Our Last Day in India

Our last day of India was spent in the streets of India. If we didn’t have enough of a cultural experience up to this point, Delhi definitely did it. We went to the Gandhi memorial, paid 400 rupees for Rickshaw rides and went to the spice market. The smells were enough to make my eyes water and all of us cough. There really is no way to describe the smells and heat of India. I learned about the pepper called Bhut Zaolkia which is the world’s hottest pepper! It actually makes the body burn for days after just one bite!

By the last night, we were completely and 100% exhausted! We also knew that it was our last night to spend as a group, so we made the best of it by gathering in one hotel room and watching Austenland. We even managed to find popcorn for the occasion. We fell asleep soon after the movie in preparation for our long plane rides back to the US.