Words & Pics by David Lee
The tour operator, Muzaffar Shah picked me up from the hotel the day I arrived in Delhi. On leaving the hotel’s gates, I was immediately plunged into the chaos that is India, a place that is most spectacular in every way from the povert to the national monuments. The temperature in Delhi in June is near 110 degrees, and the air is dust dry (much like August in Phoenix). Outside the hotel gates there were people absolutely everywhere; milling about on the side of the road; packed 20 at a time into three wheeled tri-shaws; jammed by the dozens onto truck beds; standing in corrugated tin shacks selling every imaginable product from dried fruit and spices to blow driers and waffle irons. Of course, if you have seen or read anything about India, this is exactly what you expect, but it still shocks the senses.
The first thing I noticed about India is the smell. It is not bad, just entirely different from anything I have ever experienced before. It is a mix of tropical air, dust, spices, pollution, and the overwhelming scent of a billion people. More challenging is the noise. Where Americans consider honking a car horn an act of anger or frustration, in India it is simply communication. There are no traffic lanes – none that are observed at least – so the drivers are forever honking to let people know where they are. To an American, it raises the blood. The sight of women holding the faces of small babies to your car window while methodically tapping on the glass is utterly heart breaking. It makes you want to empty your wallet, but then, it multiplies. It’s no longer one woman and a baby but ten or twenty all tapping on your window so that it sounds like a severe rain storm beating on the roof. Eventually, you come to see that if you give money to one person, you would be mobbed by a hundred more. Your heart closes, your mind turns off, and you drive on. As you move away, so do the women letting the babies drop and hang from a wrap around their neck like a musician letting go of his guitar at the end of a song.
The government buildings of New Delhi including the President’s Palace, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Defense were our first stop. They were built by the British to resemble the traditional architecture of the various cultures of India. This is unique in the former colonies where the “make the world Britain” philosophy was garishly displayed in their architecture. Nearby is Delhi Gate which is called “the Arc de Triumph of the East.” One hears this type of comparison a lot in Asia. There are a number of cities that call themselves the Paris of the East; there is even an entrepreneur who is called the Richard Branson of the East. Like many of these “of the East” associations, the Delhi Gate is a pale imitation. Thinking about it a bit, if any of these items were truly special, they would not require the “of the East” moniker. Can we imagine seeing a Great Wall of the west or the Taj Mahal of the West, or a Disneyland Europe? They would all be dismal disappointments.
What was not a disappointment was Humayun’s Tomb largely because it was a complete surprise to me and a good lead up to the more famous Taj Mahal. While it is called Humayun’s Tomb, it is actually a large park with several structures that are precursors to the Taj. As you step through the relatively humble gates you see a small tomb on your right for Isla Kahn. Here, Muzaffar Shah explained to me that the three tombs for he, his wife and his child are simply replicas. The actual burial chamber is far below and at an L shaped angle so that no one ever actually steps over the bodies. He stated that this is a common feature with Humayun’s Tomb and the Taj Mahal as well. In the garden, he showed me how the structures are completely symmetrical except for the spot where the gates face Mecca. After exiting this tomb, we walked back to Humayun’s Tomb. Once through the gate, we entered a truly magnificent place. Not just in terms of the building itself but also the plush gardens and the exacting symmetry. We spent a couple of hours just walking the gardens. The only non-symmetrical element was the addition of the barber’s tomb. Apparently Humayun liked his barber so much; he risked eternal damnation to build him and his wife a tomb next to his. Now that is loyalty.
The next day, we set out early for the drive to Agra. The four hour drive reminded me of a video game. Dodging cars and trucks and trishaws piled with people and jockeying for position is only the half of it. Add to that camels pulling slow carts, cows wandering onto the highway, and people sleeping on the shoulder and you have a potential disaster at almost every turn. If you are jumpy in rush hour traffic, this is not a drive for you.
We arrived in Agra about noon and grabbed some lunch at a local hotel. We then proceeded to the Taj Mahal. This is a process because there are no cars allowed within a mile of the structure. We had to park our car in a lot next to a couple of camels and hitch a ride. It was not clear that the vehicle we got on was official transportation, so we gave them few rupees for the experience. When you are finally through, you are spit out into a huge garden like compound that would itself be a tourist attraction in any other country. Muzaffar spent about 20 minutes here showing me the attention to symmetry and describing the attributes main gate. This included the twenty-two icons on top symbolizing the number of years that it took to build the Taj as well as the Arabic writing done in inlaid marble that grows in height and width as it rises so that it looks perfectly matched to the observer below. I recalled that this technique was used in the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Basilica as well.
There are many tourist attractions in the world that get a lot of hype. Very few of them pay off. The Taj Mahal definitely pays off. It is probably the grandest place I have seen to this point. The fact that it was constructed so long ago only adds to the splendor. The amazing part is not just the plush gardens and massive structures but the attention to detail, the things that you do not see in pictures or on television. All over the building are intricate carvings and designs in inlaid precious stone that touch every square foot of the structure. These designs are, again, perfectly symmetrical over five square miles of marble. The effort required to design and execute this level of coordination without the aide of computers or modern tools is beyond my imagination.
Another interesting aspect, among thousands of interesting aspects, is the two buildings on either side of the tomb. One is a mosque. The other is nothing but a perfect copy of the mosque. It took five years to build this structure, and it serves absolutely no function other than to maintain the symmetry. Sounds like a government project. While the “live” mosque is quite crowded with people paying their respects, the copy is a great place to take pictures unencumbered.
The second site we visited in Agra was the Red Fort. This is supposedly the largest still active fort in India. It is red due the fact that it is made of colored limestone. It was the home of a number of Muhgal kings including Shah Jahan who built the Taj Mahal for his wife Mumtaz Mahal. In fact, he positioned the Taj Mahal so that he could observe its construction from his residence.
The fort is like something from A Thousand and One Nights. On one hand it is a medieval fort with long ramps, tall gates, and high walls. On the other hand, it is a stately palace, on another hand it is a government building, on another hand it is a market place, on another hand… that’s a lot of hands, but we ARE talking about India.
The fort provides a great compliment to the Taj Mahal showing not only the beautiful intricacies of Muhgal architecture but also a view of courtly life. It conveys a feeling of power necessary to control such a vast empire, and, if nothing else, it provides a great, alternative view the Taj Mahal. Standing where Shah Jahan must have stood for twenty-two years watching the tomb for his beloved wife being built one can feel the passion he must have had for her.
I have been to India twice. Once for two days. Once for a week. I long to go back. I have spoken to people who have traveled much more extensively through the country and they all agree. Once you have tasted India, it may shock your system, but it is addictive and leaves you wanting more.
Notes: I would like to make a few additional notes about this trip. One was that the drive to Agra was quite and experience, but the drive home at night in the dark was one of the most harrowing experiences of my life. It was enough to put the fear of God into a New York taxi driver. Another note is that despite being extremely careful, I still managed to go on the Delhi Diet (or get Delhi Belly). This occurred because I woke up, forgot where I was and took one bite of an apple that had been placed in my hotel room. I lost ten pound in two days due to a single weak moment. It just proves that you cannot be too aware of your surroundings in India.
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