That’s how Agra was described to us by our cab driver taking us from the train station to the hotel upon our arrival that night, and we think that it really does feel like a different pace from other places…that’s not to say that this is a leisurely pace of life with everybody stopping to smell the flowers. This is still India and freneticism (if that’s a word) of society may be different, but we’re talking degrees here, not whether it is or isn’t.
Agra has a very special place in my life experiences because when I was on my two year jaunt in 1962, I came to India on my way home from Europe. I got my Indian visa in Pakistan and because this was just 15 years after partition, I was given a transit visa only, entering in Amritsar and leaving from Calcutta, crossing India by train. I was supposed to leave in four days, but I wasn’t going to leave without seeing the Taj Mahal and so I diverted south from Delhi and came to Agra. I was late getting to Calcutta, but so what. Were they going to throw me out..I was leaving anyway, so I had no hesitation to do what I did. Even then, I set my own rules, I guess.
While on the two hour trip south, a man asked me if I was going to see the Taj. I replied: “Yes, I’ll see it in the morning when it is light.” He shook his finger erasing my words and said: “NO, you must go tonight. It is full moon and it will float.”
I did, and it did.
That night was a beautiful moment which came about as another example where the spirits who guide my life pointed me in a direction to have a magical experience and it has stayed with me ever since. . I have always remembered the whiteness of the mausoleum as the moon glistened off it and the reflection in the water and the misty vapors that come off the water in connection with the air, truly made the Taj Mahal seemingly float off the ground. I was totally dumbstruck at the moment. So when we decided that we were coming, I wanted to organize the trip around getting here for full moon so that Carol could experience it as well. That’s now scheduled for two days after full, but that’s okay.
We did go see it today and although it was a very different experience for me now from then when I saw it both at night and daytime it still was the Taj and nothing could diminish it. While walking with Carol, I remembered being so surprised at how large it was. Seeing photos gives you shape without dimension…It’s a really big structure. The four minarets, it is a mosque, sticking out across each corner of a very large veranda which covers three sides of the Taj itself give it even heftier dimensions. It’s beautiful, but it’s really impressive as a structure. White marble is everywhere and inside the Taj is Piedra Dura, which is the white marble inlayed with semi-precious stones to form designs, usually floral.
Now, the mobs of tourists from everywhere flood the place and the three million plus visitors each year are double the entire population of the city. This is a tourist town. There’s no doubt about that at all.
I was happy for Carol to see it and she really loved it as well. She had no other reference and so it was a really nice thing for her as well. She was really impressed with how white it was, and read that they have used an old technique used for centuries by Indian women to beautify their skin which combined soil, cereal, milk and lime to clean it from the centuries of discoloring which has taken place, much of it from pollution. I won’t say I’m disappointed because I don’t think I’m ever really disappointed when I’m on the road…everything is fine in its own right…I always try to avoid expectations…the Taj took a little bit of work, but I got there easily enough.
Seems that lots of people roll into Agra, visit the Taj, check it off the list, and blow out of town the next day. But there is more to do in the cities surrounding Agra. Today was a particularly interesting day as we visited another one of the seven holy cities of Hinduism, Vindravan and its neighboring city of Mathura, where Krishna was supposedly born. The temples are expansive, beautiful and without the surging crowd of Ujjain. It was definitely worth the visit. Of particular interest to me was the temple of the Hare Krishnas. From all over the globe, they come to worship and make their own personal Hadj. In many respects, it looked like a setting from Haight/Ashbury in San Francisco during the late 60’s…as young, blond, white-skinned females in their 20’s, chanted, danced and played instruments. We talked to a Hare Krishna man from Ireland who was on his own personal spiritual journey and, while the Hare Krishnas were the butt of a lot of jokes in the US during the hippy days, they still remain a potent f
orce around the world as they spread their message of love.
The fact is that India is the birthplace of many religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, while Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam play prevalent roles in various parts of India. In spite of the frenetic pace of Indian life, particularly on the streets and roads, India is a very spiritual place. Ashrams attract people from all walks of life around the globe seeking answers to life’s questions, and looking for some spiritual meaning and understanding of the mysteries which confront us all. It’s easy to forget as you dodge traffic trying to cross the street, or hope your driver doesn’t kill somebody on the way to see a place of spiritual importance. But it’s here, and we are surrounded by it in lots of little ways…At the shrines and temples, people who are on the very margins of society’s economic fringe still manage to make sense of their lives and find meaningful experiences. There is joy in the air at all these sites, even as I am just a casual observer. It is difficult not to feel moved by the devotion to the particular god/religion/way of life that is practiced here in India. I am continually confronted by my own insignificance as a being while surrounded by mystical aspects of life.
One gets besieged everywhere in India by taxi drivers and tuk-tuk drivers..you can’t walk down the street without being asked literally dozens of times on each trek. There are over 10,000 tuk-tuks in Agra alone, and I think about 80% of them, at one time or another, stopped us and tried to get take us somewhere. There is a bit of a scam involved getting cabs from the airport or train/bus stations since the cab drivers all want to take you to the “best” hotel, namely one that they have affiliations with and receive a kickback when referring guests..they will tell you all the bad things about the one you have chosen and I had to get quite insistent on one occasion after 4 times telling him No, I want MY hotel, not yours. In the end, they are all just trying to make a living and stay one step ahead of the poverty line. One contrast was Salim, a driver of effervescent spirit and indomitable enthusiasm. He took care of most of the guests at our hotel, and was fast, safe, (they don’t always go together) and was always where he was supposed to be at the appointed time, or had someone to meet us with: “I am Salim’s brother and he said to take you and be good good to you.” We used him for the three days and in his fairly decent English made me promise I would mention him on facebook, tell others about him and on the last day when we went to Jaipur waited with us at the bus station until we actually boarded…others would have just gone off looking for another fare.
Tonight is our moonlight Taj experience and we have been forewarned to limit our expectations…more about that after the fact, but for now, I am willing to accept it on whatever level it presents itself.
Morning after our “moonlight” experience and another lesson in life. Appreciate the special moments that occur in my life and don’t expect them to repeat themselves. Moonrise was at 7:48 and our tickets were for 9:30-10:00. We went through 4 security checks and couldn’t bring cameras – only digital cameras allowed. We had left Carol’s digital camera in the hotel, so no photos, but that didn’t really make any difference because it started to rain. We had a total cloud cover to begin with, and although the clouds did part and the moon appeared it was two days after full and offered limited light. However, we were treated to a delightful lightning storm which zig-zagged its way across the sky in our 30 minute visitation. We were restricted to one viewing area and could not wander or roam about.
I talked to a Quebecoise man who had a similar experience to mine when he was here in 1979. No restrictions, no fees, just wander around as long as you wanted and enjoy the Taj from different angles with the full moon…So, the world has changed and that’s no surprise, I guess. I could say that I was disappointed, but I just feel that I was blessed to have experienced it at its very best…a big harvest moon under clear crisp night and thank the spirits which guide my life for giving me this experience.
Carol didn’t have any comparison, so she was very happy just to see it in a quiet setting. All is good.
On to Jaipur.
Headline of the day: “Government minister wants to ban honking of horns.” …Yeah, that’s gonna work.
