Although monuments are not covered under the Melon Grant, as a group we found that visiting many of the world famous landmarks was an important cultural experience while we were in India. We dished out our own rupees so we could see some magnificent forts and one of the man made wonders of the world.
In the center of the bustling area of Old Delhi rickshaws motor by, and street venders yell down the crowded, narrow streets. The alleyways are dimly lit, there is an overwhelming amount of old wires knotted around cement poles, and the smell of street food saturates the air. It is a scene worth experiencing. The towering Red Fort acts as a backdrop to all of this and dominates most of the skyline. A group of us walked through metal detectors and were welcomed through red sandstone arches by armed Indian soldiers.
The fort was built in 1648 by Mughal emperor Shan Jahan as a residence for the royal family of India. At one point the fort housed about 3,000 people. Inside the fort it seems to go on forever. There are areas for fountains, gardens, a photography museum, and a lot of area the public cannot see because it is under military occupation. The next time I’m in Delhi I want to go to the Red Fort at night time to see the light show that is put on every night.
When we got to Agra I expected our only monument that we saw to be the Taj Mahal. Much to my surprise the Agra Fort was my favorite monument of the trip. Similar to the Red Fort, it is partly occupied today by the Indian military. It is 94 acres and beautifully made out of red sandstone. The fort is surrounded by a mote and located on the Yamuna River. Inside there are places where spies used to hide, areas for dancing, and a palace where the emperors used to live. The emperors that had lived there in the past left very distinct evidence of their architectural differences, each having their own area built in very different styles. At the top of the fort there is a nice view of the Taj Mahal set a few kilometers away. Its milky color blended in with the hazy sky. It made many of us very excited to see it up close.
The next morning we all woke up around 5am to walk from our hotel to the Taj Mahal. We were told that seeing it around sunrise was not just the most beautiful and physically cooler times of the day to see it, but also the least crowded. Our great tour guide lead us to the entrance where you are unable to get a good view of it before you come in. After going through security we turned the corner and saw the beautiful ivory colored mausoleum, one of the most recognized structures in the world. The Taj Mahal is known around the world as a symbol of eternal love because the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan built it in memory of his third wife, the same emperor to build the Red Fort in Delhi.
The perfectly symmetrical building casts a mirror image of itself in the water that sits in front of it. I wish we could have spent ours there just sitting and looking at it. Inside the beautiful white marble continues and the walls are perfectly dressed with stones and jewels from all over the world. It was spectacular.
We were one of the first groups to get there in the morning and it was totally worth waking up early. Even being there for just over an hour, it was clear that it was getting much hotter out and more crowed. I would highly recommend stopping by Agra to anyone going to India to see these two monuments.
The monuments were one of our very few personal expenses on the trip and I am very happy we visited them. In addition to being just interesting to see, it also provided a historical background on some of the topics we were studying, especially the development of India. They were both beautiful to see as well as being educational at the same time.
The Red Fort
The Agra Fort
The View of the Taj Mahal from the top of the Agra Fort.
The Taj Mahal!
In the center of the bustling area of Old Delhi rickshaws motor by, and street venders yell down the crowded, narrow streets. The alleyways are dimly lit, there is an overwhelming amount of old wires knotted around cement poles, and the smell of street food saturates the air. It is a scene worth experiencing. The towering Red Fort acts as a backdrop to all of this and dominates most of the skyline. A group of us walked through metal detectors and were welcomed through red sandstone arches by armed Indian soldiers.
The fort was built in 1648 by Mughal emperor Shan Jahan as a residence for the royal family of India. At one point the fort housed about 3,000 people. Inside the fort it seems to go on forever. There are areas for fountains, gardens, a photography museum, and a lot of area the public cannot see because it is under military occupation. The next time I’m in Delhi I want to go to the Red Fort at night time to see the light show that is put on every night.
When we got to Agra I expected our only monument that we saw to be the Taj Mahal. Much to my surprise the Agra Fort was my favorite monument of the trip. Similar to the Red Fort, it is partly occupied today by the Indian military. It is 94 acres and beautifully made out of red sandstone. The fort is surrounded by a mote and located on the Yamuna River. Inside there are places where spies used to hide, areas for dancing, and a palace where the emperors used to live. The emperors that had lived there in the past left very distinct evidence of their architectural differences, each having their own area built in very different styles. At the top of the fort there is a nice view of the Taj Mahal set a few kilometers away. Its milky color blended in with the hazy sky. It made many of us very excited to see it up close.
The next morning we all woke up around 5am to walk from our hotel to the Taj Mahal. We were told that seeing it around sunrise was not just the most beautiful and physically cooler times of the day to see it, but also the least crowded. Our great tour guide lead us to the entrance where you are unable to get a good view of it before you come in. After going through security we turned the corner and saw the beautiful ivory colored mausoleum, one of the most recognized structures in the world. The Taj Mahal is known around the world as a symbol of eternal love because the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan built it in memory of his third wife, the same emperor to build the Red Fort in Delhi.
The perfectly symmetrical building casts a mirror image of itself in the water that sits in front of it. I wish we could have spent ours there just sitting and looking at it. Inside the beautiful white marble continues and the walls are perfectly dressed with stones and jewels from all over the world. It was spectacular.
We were one of the first groups to get there in the morning and it was totally worth waking up early. Even being there for just over an hour, it was clear that it was getting much hotter out and more crowed. I would highly recommend stopping by Agra to anyone going to India to see these two monuments.
The monuments were one of our very few personal expenses on the trip and I am very happy we visited them. In addition to being just interesting to see, it also provided a historical background on some of the topics we were studying, especially the development of India. They were both beautiful to see as well as being educational at the same time.
The Red Fort
The Agra Fort
The View of the Taj Mahal from the top of the Agra Fort.
The Taj Mahal!
No comments:
Post a Comment