First, let me tell you about the travel. We went to Delhi by the Rajdhani Express and took a Kingfisher flight back to Kolkata. Both were really great. Otherwise, we had a rented car. And that is what I want to talk about, the roads. I happened to witness the extremes of Indian traffic. The roads which are part of the Golden Quadrilateral are just unbelievable. When we were travelling over Gurgaon on Jaipur-Delhi highway, there was no way I could differentiate it from a US expressway. However, inside cities, it was awful. The worst was the road that leads to the Tajmahal. There were cars, buses, motorcycles, bicycles, trucks all pressed against each other in a narrow road which had a huge pit right in the middle of it. Vehicles of all sizes and shape stood still inserted into every inch of the road in odd angles when God knows from where a herd of buffalos, a good 20-30 of them enters the scene. It was such a huge chaos. I think we spent at least an hour and a half to cover two kilometers.
Delhi was our first place of interest. We visited the Red Fort, the Jama Mosque, Qutub Minar, Humayun’s tumb, the Lotus temple, Rajghat the memorial to Mahatma Gandhi, Connaught Place-Palika Bazar and the Birla temple. They were all good. But what stole the show was the Akhshardham Temple. It was mind blowing. It was beyond all expectations. This mammoth structure with intricate sculpture and designs is bound to captivate your senses. There is a central monument surrounded by other smaller buildings and structures. The whole of the area is meticulously decorated. It is a free entry. However there are audio-visual shows and boat rides which can be experienced with a fee. Photography is not permitted in the complex. The following pics are courtesy cheetos.
Agra was the next. In between we grabbed a brief visit to Vrindaban, the birth place of Lord Krishna. Well, in Agra, you know what the prime attraction is. The Taj was great. No doubt, it was splendid, but it failed to meet the expectation. May be we are so used to its pics and have heard so much about it, the expectations were really high. However, let me warn you; inspite of its grandeur, it’s a lackluster Taj. You can clearly see the yellowish spots on the white marble like teeth not properly brushed for long. River Jamuna is also only a shadow of what she was centuries back. However, don’t be misguided to the conclusion that it is not worth a visit. Even being lackadaisical compared to the true Taj standard, it is still marvelous.
The Agra Fort, Buland Darwaja and the darga of Selim Chisti at Fatehpur Sikri were good. But again there was a surprise at Sikandra, the tomb of Akbar. It was a calm and beautiful place without much fuss. The lawns teeming with peacocks and deer made it all the more serene. Following the short tunnel and paying homage to probably the greatest emperor India has ever seen: it’s a very solemn feeling.
Jaipur visit was brief. The city palace, the Jantarmantar and the Hawamahal were good but nothing great. We paid visits to the only Brahma temple in the world at Pushkar and the famous darga of Ajmer. We had only a outside view of the Amber Fort while rushing to catch our return flight from Delhi.
A few points worth mentioning-
1> The North India cold wasn’t very bad as many had warned us earlier. It gets really cold at night but by then you are safe inside your hotel room.
2> Many places in Delhi remain closed on Monday e.g. Akshardham temple, Lotus temple and Red Fort. Keep that in my while planning your trip.
3> We spent around thousand bucks for parking and road tolls.
4> All traditional religious places are bugged with hundreds of people who are after your money, doesn’t matter which religion it is. I know it’s their living and many of them might be doing an honest business; but you better watch out on the streets and even inside the sacred place you are visiting. Don’t get too much carried away with your devotion. I had some very irritating experiences.
5> Cameras are not allowed everywhere, especially in religious places it’s an absolute no-no. Otherwise, there are entry fees for movie camers (yes, that includes your handycam) even for still cameras at some places.
6> Expect for the Akshardham pics, all others were shot with my new Canon Powershot A560 camera. It’s damn neat.
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