Amazing Agra and Holy Varanasi

Incredible !ndia Continues...

Agra, Uttar Pradesh

The Taj Mahal


I woke up for sunrise at the one and only Taj Mahal, the majestic masoleum of Mumtaz Mahal and her husband, Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, who commissioned the masterpiece after his favorite wife's death in 1631.


The Taj Mahal took over 20 years to build and required the labor of thousands of craftsmen.


The gardens and fountains that surround the Taj Mahal are meant to represent the paradise of the Garden of Eden.


Inside the Taj Mahal mosque at dawn.


Made from white marble, the Taj Mahal is known for the semi-precious stones which are inlaid throughout its flowery motifs.


Inlaid jasper calligraphy (quoting Koranic scripture relating to the Judgment Day) wraps around the entrance and was designed so that all text looks of equal size as viewed from the ground.

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The Red Fort of Agra


Outside the Red Fort of Agra.


The Agra Fort, where Emperor Shah Jahan, founder of the Taj Mahal, was imprisoned at the end of his life by his son, Aurangzeb. Apparently, Shah Jahan was given rather luxurious accommodations despite his confinement, complete with a view of the Taj Mahal.


Monkey on the look out at the Agra Fort.


A sea of colorful saris...


The sun sets in the courtyard of the Agra Fort.

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Scenes of life from Agra...


What's great is that these two guys were already posed like this before I broke out my camera, just peddling along in a friendly embrace. Platonic male affection, such as men holding hands, is much more acceptable in India (and many other countries I have visited, especially Muslim countries) than in the Western world, a sight that always warms my heart.


I love these guys--their smiles are just so infectious! Despite scarcity and hardship, Indians are such remarkably emotive and amicable people, almost always at the ready with a giant grin and a hearty laugh.


School's out, flooding the Agra streets with a haze of blue uniforms and bicycle tires!


Sad but common sight of cows and other animals scavenging for edibles in heaps of rubbish. It's also common to see birds perched on cows, as seen here, scavenging for their own edibles in the cow's hide.


These two adorable children were sitting on this bench, quietly watching their classmates play on the playground equipment, when I asked to take this photo.


Aboard a cycle-rickshaw, where sweat equity competes directly alongside fossil fuels. This guy, like most cycle-rickshaw drivers, is amongst the poorest residents of the local community, and certainly works incredibly hard for his rupees. I preferred cycle-rickshaws when given the choice, as the air pollution is so bad in Indian cities, it's critical to support the environmentally friendly option!

Note: You rarely travel along a street without seeing a cow lingering calmly along...


All smiles on this cycle-rickshaw adventure!


A roundabout in Agra, featuring a proud Mughal statue, evidence of the distinct Mughal history of this region.


A classic sign in the Agra train station. For quite some time, India has had to deal with corruption in all levels of government, not that corruption is unique to the Indian government!

Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

"Older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together."

--Mark Twain on the holy city of Varanasi

Varanasi, also known as Benares or Banaras, is said to have been established by Lord Shiva around 5,000 years ago...yeah, that's old! However, many historians assert the city to have been founded around 3,000 years ago (still, pretty old).


The view from my guesthouse balcony along the Ganges (Ganga) River, the holiest river for Hindus, Buddhists and Jains in India. It is here where the pious (and often wealthy) come to cremate their loved ones and deposit their ashes, while others come to bath in the waters or live out their remaining days... It is believed that if one dies in Varanasi, s/he is released from the cycle of birth and rebirth, entering into the final resting place of heaven.

The reason for the metal bars is featured in the next photo...


MONKEYS are always on the loose! After watching these monkeys reek havoc throughout all corners of India, I have decided that there really is no legitimate reason why they don't take over the world. They are such smart, rascally creatures!


I ate at this popular, no-frills restaurant several times during my four-day stay in Varanasi. These wonderful fellows would fry up the samosas and parathas fresh in the front of the shop as you waited for your order. It's like heaven, fried!


A typical thali meal served in eateries all over India. A thali generally includes two vegetable curries, dhal (a lentil curry) or some other protein, rice, roti/chapati (flat wheat bread) , a dab of pickle (spicy chutney), curd (plain yogurt), and if you get a special thali, you would also get a banana/piece of fruit and/or perhaps a sweet dessert item. Most places will top you up if you want more of any dish, too. Talk about a filling and well-balanced meal!


One of the produce markets of Old City Varanasi. As atmospheric as it is confusing (especially when the power randomly goes out at night), Varanasi's labyrinthine Old City is rich with culture, paanwallah stalls and small shops.


My friend Shiva is in the middle, with his brother in the blue, and our trusty auto-rickshaw driver friend at the helm of his three-wheeled chariot. Shiva was the best friend I made during my time in India. He would take breaks during his work day to meet me and show me the temples and crematoriums of Varanasi. I spent quality time with his family in their home and at their lassi shop, and even enjoyed a home-cooked meal while his whole family peered on. I joked that he was the Indian Johnny Depp, since he looked so much like Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean (complete with black eyeliner!). Thanks to connections with local people like Shiva, I feel like I have been able to experience the real and beautiful India.


These are two of Shiva's uncles, one of whom is a TV repairman, seen here working away in his shop below the family's home.


Shiva's dad, manning the family's famous Blue Lassi shop, which is written up in a Korean guidebook and has a huge following amongst Asian travelers. I had at least one lassi (a delicious yogurt-based drink) every day from the shop, and like smashing glass at a Jewish wedding, they would have me shatter the small clay cup container against the trashcan when finished. I am now determined to get the Blue Lassi Shop featured in the Rough Guide book that I have used during my time in India as it truly is the best lassi I have ever tasted!


I awoke one morning before sunrise to embark on a boat ride on the River Ganges to observe the faithful in their bathing rituals. This young man was my valiant captain, rising in the wee hours of the morning (alongside his father and mother, who did this for a living) to take tourists and pilgrims out and make some money before going to school at 8am. What a day and what a remarkable young man!


Lighting a candle garnished by a heap of fresh flowers as a puja offering...


...and letting it go on the Ganges River. Shanti...


One of the many bathing ghats along the River Ganges where the faithful come to bath in the holy (but rather polluted, thanks to the many factories upstream and the crematoriums in town) waters. There are roughly 100 ghats in Varanasi.


Ghats are the concrete steps leading down into the water, and were originally used for boatmen when Varanasi was founded. This ghat was promoting an exhibition about sex slavery in India, an issue very dear to my heart (I have read two books so far on this journey about modern-day slavery--there are 6 million slaves in the world at this very moment--sex slavery being one of the key kinds).


A busy nightlife scene on the streets of Varanasi.

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Overall, I have to say that Varanasi is the craziest and most intriguing place I have ever visited.

One thing I could not have shown photos of is the live cremation ceremony, which is something I witnessed with immense reverence and rapture on several occasions. [Out of respect for the dead, photos are not allowed at cremation ceremonies.]

Everyday, hundreds of bodies are burned using special, and rather costly, wood from another part of India, shipped in along the same river that sees the bodies off to eternity. Before the bodies are captured by flames, they are wrapped in sparkly, orange cloth, and adorned with fresh flowers. The body is then wrapped tightly onto a bamboo ladder and is carried down to the river Ganges by male family members and friends, all singing the same chant "Shri Ram nam satya hai!" Many times, I would be sitting in the Blue Lassi Shop, enjoying my drink, talking to Shiva and his family, and a funeral procession would careen past, my Indian counterparts completely unfazed by this unreal scene whisking by, gone as quickly as it had appeared. I would sit there, slack-jawed and on the verge of tears, amazed at how the rites of death can coexist so peacefully with the daily routines of the living in Varanasi.

When the funeral party reaches the river, the body is dunked into the holy water, and then everything but a thin piece of clinging white linen is removed from the fragile corpse. The family members place the body on the funeral pyre, seeming astonishingly composed despite such a moving duty, sometimes adding sandalwood sawdust to the loved one's white, soaked outline. The body burns until all that remains is the skull and the hip bone, at which point the fire begins to shrink and the bones are taken out by boat and thrown into the middle of the river. Children, pregnant women, and animals are not cremated, but are tied tightly to a heavy rock and placed into the river directly.

Varanasi, where I experienced life and death side by side as I never thought possible. INTENSE. Inevitable. Inexplicable.

I was particularly inspired to come to Varanasi after viewing a rather emotional photo presentation from my friends' Bob and Diana Leitch's trip to Varanasi some years ago. They spoke with such soul as we went through their images of life and death along the ghats. Thanks to them both for encouraging me to spend time in this unparalleled place.

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An unfortunate ending to an amazing month in India...


Hasta la victoria, siempre!

After my Dehli to Chennai flight landed, I was hanging around the airport for some hours until my next flight to Sri Lanka, when I just couldn't ignore the chills anymore. (Nor could my neighbors on the bench outside, who grew especially suspicious as I shivered under the hood of my beloved sweatshirt amidst the 32 degree heat plus humidity). Near delusional, I checked myself into the medical clinic at the airport, where hours later they called an ambulance to take me to the local hospital to diagnose my worsening condition. I spent the next three days being treated for an acute bacterial infection in the gut (affectionately known as 'Dehli Belly').

I may have been down, but I fought on! I am feeling 100% better now, owing my recovery to a steady stream of IV drips and an artillery of antibiotic medications. Thanks to my family for their encouraging phone calls while I was in the hospital...it really kept me going.


My outstanding medical caretakers at the Lakshmi Nursing Home in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, where I spent three days getting to know the intimate details of patient care in south India. Note my hottie doctor on the far right, who I just relished discussing my 'loose motions' with...not!

Namaste India! Now, to Sri Lanka...