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.
Unfortunately, severe water shortages led to the abandonment of the city soon after Akbar's death.
Around the corner from the palace is the mosque, where a white tomb was built to honor Salim Chishti.
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 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."
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!
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!!
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.
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| Elaborate red sandstone carvings |
Unfortunately, severe water shortages led to the abandonment of the city soon after Akbar's death.
 |
| THIS. IS. INDIA!!! |
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| Gates of the complex |
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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.
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| The Fulbright Group |
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| They tell everyone this is the Diana Bench, but it's not... |
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| 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! |
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!!
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