Agra

WEDNESDAY
The end of our journey is near and the final stop on our Indian adventure is Agra. We each brought a small overnight bag and left on a 4-ish hour bus ride out of Delhi, on a nicely paved highway (which our guide Arun says was the best part of the trip!) Not far outside the city the landscape quickly turns to a lush farming region. Every so often we see peacocks roaming around the lanes.

Our first glimpse of the Taj Mahal was across the Yamuna River, through a light rain. We didn't stop, opting instead to head to Agra Fort about 2.5 km away. Agra Fort is more like a walled city, with a palace and military installation that is still used today by the Indian military.

Agra Fort was originally built in the 11th century, but the present structure was built by the Mughals - many by the first Sultan of Delhi Sikandar Lodi and his son, Ibrahim Lodi in the late 1400's and early 1500's. Later, Akbar lived in the fort as did his grandson Shah Jahan, who was imprisoned by his son and spent his final days in a tower with a view of his wife's memorial, the Taj Majal.





We entered through the Amar Singh Gate, and walked up the canyon-like ramp up into the fort. Back in the day, the ramp could easily be defended by rolling large boulders - reminding us of the Indiana Jones booby trap.



Inside the fort is the Jahangiri Mahal palace, where Shah Jahan stayed (and was imprisoned).

After lunch, we drove out to Fatehpur Sikri, the short-lived capital of the Mughal Empire during the reign of Emperor Akbar (1571-1585). It's about 23 miles from Agra, and Akbar moved the capital here after the Sufi saint Chaikh Salim Chishti correctly predicted the birth of a son.

Elaborate red sandstone carvings

Unfortunately, severe water shortages led to the abandonment of the city soon after Akbar's death.

THIS. IS. INDIA!!!

Around the corner from the palace is the mosque, where a white tomb was built to honor Salim Chishti.

Gates of the complex

THURSDAY

Early the next morning, we finally visited the Taj Mahal.

The Taj Mahal was built by Shah Jahan in 1632 as a memorial and tomb for his favorite wife, Memtaz Mahal. The entire complex - tomb, mosque, guest house, and formal gardens - span 42 acres and cost around 32 million rupees... over $800 million dollars in our time. Each year around 8 million people visit, and when we got there at 6AM it was already crowded... and hot! But that first glimpse is truly breathtaking.

The Fulbright Group

They tell everyone this is the Diana Bench,
but it's not... 

She was actually on the other side
of the reflecting pool...!

The Taj is made of ivory-white marble, intricately inlaid with precious stones.  Our guide's mantra (which he repeated over and over and over...): "Green is jasper. Black is onyx. Carnelian, orange. Red, coral. Yellow, agate. Light blue, turquoise. And dark blue, lapiz lazuli."

How many sides does the pillar have?

There were also really cool optical illusions and bas relief carvings.














The Taj Majal is built on the banks of the Yamuna River, and supposedly on the opposite bank, Shah Jahan planned a matching, black Taj Mahal to be built for himself. But he was overthrown by his son before it could be built... 

After visiting the Taj, we stopped at the "baby Taj," the tomb of I'timd-ud-Daulah. It was built between 1622 and 1628, and is thought of as the draft of the Taj Mahal. You can definitely tell how it influenced the architecture!

Mario and I were chosen to give
the final remarks on behalf of the
Fulbright Group!

For our closing banquet back in Delhi, we all dressed in traditional Indian garb. I had my sari that Nidhi helped me buy... mine was different than most of the other girls', and I think I paid about one-tenth the price. Thanks, Nidhi!
















FRIDAY
Our last day in India was a free day, and Matthew, Giancarlo, and I decided on one last site in New Delhi. We visited the Lotus Temple, a Bahai house of worship that has been reported to be the most visited building in the world.



















Baha'is believe in the unity of religion - that all religions are essentially the same, and that all gods are the same God. And a major goal is service to humanity.

Inside the temple was a simple chapel with a huge dome overhead, and floor-to-ceiling windows. And the grounds were huge and immaculate - definitely an oasis in the middle of busy Delhi!

Our flight back to the US that night was a red-eye, so we had plenty of time to relax at the hotel before we left. Matthew and I had a final tea... the British kind, and then it was time to say goodbye.

Overall, the trip was exhausting, enlightening, frustrating, eye-opening, and unforgettable. I made lifelong friends and lifelong memories, for sure! There's no way I'd have been able to experience India in such an in-depth and meaningful way on my own, and I'm grateful to USIEF and the US and India Departments of Education for giving me this amazing experience.

Shukriyaa!!

Varanasi: The City of Light

FRIDAY
We arrived this morning in Varanasi, the holy city on the Ganges River in the heart of Uttar Pradesh.

The view from our hotel, with Assi Ghat on the far right

We checked into the Ganga View, a wonderful, boutique hotel on the bank of the Ganges, at Assi Ghat. We have a beautiful view of the river, and there are several sitting areas, patios, and porches to hang out in. Each room is different - ours has a canopied queen bed, gold crown molding, and fish painted around the ceiling fans.

View from Assi Ghat to our hotel

Access to the Ganga is on one of the 87 ghats, steps built down to the water level so that people can bathe or perform various ceremonies. Many of the ghats were built leading down from palaces or homes of the wealthy, who came to Varanasi from all over India to wait for death. Because of this, there are several different architectural styles that can be seen. After lunch, we had a cruise down the Ganges and a walk through the twisting and windy streets above the ghats.

Along the Ganges. The smoke on the left is from a funeral pyre 

We started from the Assi Ghat and traveled to the northern part of the city, getting off at Panchganga Ghat. Our first stop was the Jain temple Suparshva Nath, built on three stories (and resembling a home rather than a temple as to avoid being destroyed by invaders). We then went to Bhosle Ghat and saw the view of the Ganga from several different vantage points. On our way back to Assi Ghat, we could see the fires from several funeral pyres. In addition, the nightly arati was starting - the ritual done to celebrate the goddess Ganga. We pulled up to the Assi Ghat just as the Shaman Arati was starting - three men on pedestals performed the rite by offering lamps and blowing on conch shells. This particular arati is done at the closing of the day, to thank the river for the day's blessings. To do so, 5 elements are used and waved in the air as offerings: fire, water, air, earth, and ether (the space of the universe).

The fire offering during the Shaman arati

SATURDAY
Sarnath is an ancient holy pilgrimage site for Buddhists - it was here that Gautama Buddha gave his first sermon to his 5 disciples after achieving enlightenment in Bodh Gaya.

In front of the Bodhi Tree, grafted from
the original from Bodh Gaya

The stupa in the background marks the spot where
the Buddha gave his first sermon

We  toured the deer park at Sarnath where the original sermon was supposedly given, and saw a bodhi tree that came from a sapling of the original tree in Bodh Gaya that Buddha sat under when he was enlightened. When the Emperor Ashoka visited Sarnath around 230BC, he built a stupa and various structures. The Dhamekh Stupa is built on the supposed site of the actual Buddha sermon, and we spent a few minutes doing a walking meditation by circumambulating the 28 meter circumference and reciting, "I am here, In the now."

Buddha's Smile School

We then visited the Buddha's Smile School, which serves the poor community. The classrooms were small and crowded, and the entire building was stifling hot.

For their protection, no photos of Guria kids can be posted.
But here's one of their beautiful drawings!

Lastly, we visited the NGO Guria, which rescues exploited and trafficked children. The woman who ran the center said that in order to stay safe, she varies her route to work and never keeps a regular schedule. It was remarkable to see what she was sacrificing in order to help save these children. It was also amazing to see how happy and cheerful the kids were - they pulled us into the center and welcomed us in, wanted to sit by each of us and show us their drawings.

SUNDAY

It's like Sultan, in real life!

We had an early morning walk through the area near Assi Ghat, visiting various temples and seeing the Ganga from several ghats. Our first stop was a new courtyard with a statue of Rani Lakshmi Bai, the female warrior who was one of the leading figures in the resistance against the British. From there we saw a wrestling courtyard where dirt was being smoothed out in preparation for the first match.

Lolark Kund

Next, we saw Lolark Kund, the well where supposedly couples (but mainly women) who bathe in the water during the Lolark Chhath festival will be blessed by the god Surya (sun god) with a child.

Chet Singh Ghat

Walking along Bhadani road, we reached Chet Singh Ghat, where Warren Hastings (First Governor General of British India) was defeated by Chet Singh (Maharajah of Benares) in a battle that occurred in the late 1700's. Above the ghat was a large field overlooking the Ganges, where several boys were playing cricket (and Girish joined in).

Goats atop the wood for funeral pyres

We  then went on to Harishchandra Ghat, one of the cremation ghats, where we could see the end of one cremation (it had clearly been burning for several hours). While we were listening to the undertaker, another body was brought down to the river, laid out in shiny embroidered silk and carried down on a stretcher made of two long bamboo poles. Because the funeral ceremony was about to begin, we quickly left to give the grieving family their privacy.

The last stop of the day was in the Bengali Tola area, visiting the temple Tara Badi. It featured several imbedded courtyards - for the wealthiest families, the more courtyards you had, the better - it was a place where the family could socialize and relax, away from the noise and crowd of the city.


MONDAY

With my new pal, Radha

Today we visited the Jeevan school, where German teacher Katia has dedicated her life to giving a safe home and education to street children living in Varanasi. A hostel provides a home for around 40 kids, and the school teaches service and compassion. We got a chance to talk with some of the older kids, and interacted with the students during their open study time.

It was raining fairly hard that afternoon so our second NGO visit was canceled, and instead we spent the time relaxing at the hotel. It gave me an opportunity to just stare at the Ganges, when suddenly a strange splash caught my attention - it turned out to be a Ganges river dolphin! And I actually caught one on video. Exciting, as even our guides and Fulbright host said it was fairly rare to see them.

TUESDAY

Doorway in South Varanasi

Above the prop shop

Our final day in the City of Light was an early morning walk through the South city - to Chowk, an old Mughal-era neighborhood with 500-600 year old buildings. We went into a haveli - a courtyard of a large estate that was divided up into smaller homes and now houses several drama prop shops.

Inside the Kal Bhairav Temple

We saw the Gopal Temple where the baby Krishna is worshipped, then on to the Kal Bhairav temple. Here, the God Kal Bhairav - known as the city commissioner - has the power to help drive evil spirits away from you. He looks after those who come into the city and is associated with spirits and the souls of people. Because of this, evil was beaten out of us (by men holding peacock feather bundles, who hit us on the head and back then tied a black string on our wrists).

Obstacles in the streets

 

Old city map, showing the undeveloped and developed sides
of the Ganges

VARANASI
One of the most interesting things about Varanasi is that the city is built up only on one side of the river. According to legend, dying in Varanasi releases you from the cycle of rebirth and sends you to heaven; death on the opposite side of the river means you'll be reborn as a donkey.

While it's unlikely this is true, the legend has at least kept the far side of the river fairly undeveloped, and it is much more pleasant looking across the Ganges and seeing a forest of green.


The 2,500 kilometer long Ganges River - known to locals as Ganga - is for Hindus the most sacred river in the world. The river itself is personified as the goddess Ganga, who descended to earth to rinse away the sins of mankind.

The Ganges flows from the Northwest in the Himalayas to the Southeast, emptying into the Bay of Bengal. At Varanasi, the river takes a turn and flows Northwest again, symbolically returning towards its origin. Thus, it is associated with the cycle of life and death. Varanasi is India's spiritual capital, where pilgrims come from all over the world to bathe in the waters of the Ganga. It's also where many Hindus come to die, in the hopes of obtaining Moksha - release from the cycle of rebirth, and the attainment of nirvana.

Despite the sanctity of the Ganges, it remains one of the most polluted rivers in the world. Poor infrastructure and an overpopulation in urban areas mean a huge proportion of sewage water flows untreated directly into the river, and factory waste adds toxic and non-biodegradable effluence from the growing industrial cities along the banks.

On a daily basis in Varanasi, people come to be purified by these impure waters. All along the 87 ghats, we see people bathe, wash their clothes and pots, drink the water, and perform pujas (religious rituals). Cows, goats, and dogs wander freely. An average of 80 people each day are cremated, the bodies first washed in the Ganges and the ashes dispersed into the river afterwards.

There is a pulse to the Ganges; it rises and falls in a matter of hours. After a night of monsoon rain, the Assi Ghat just outside the hotel flooded, and the platform that we stood on mere hours before had completely disappeared.

Assi Ghat on the right, from the roof of our hotel. 

Assi Ghat, post-monsoon flooding