Fuel Costs : Diesel 50p/litre (43 rupees) and Petrol 90p/litre (75 rupees) with the exchange rate being £1 = 86 rupees.
The local papers had articles about the power shortages in Lucknow in which the local government decreed that all businesses using a lot of power had to shut down for two weeks and all local businesses, cafes, shops, offices etc. had to finish work by 1900 hours each day for two weeks. The two weeks was because he monsoon is expected start within that time so the temperature should reduce with the resultant reduction in the use of power for air conditioning units. There was such an outcry that it was then said that it was only a ‘suggestion’ and since then the use of power has gone on as normal. Everywhere we go there are standby generating sets for hotels, road toll booths and just about any business that can afford to buy or hire a machine so it would appear.
In Jaipur it rained during the night before we left at 0800 hours on the morning of the 18 June. There were quite a number of tolls on the road and these seem to be increasing in number all the time. We were headed towards Agra and stopped in at Fatehpur Sikri on the way. Here I went into the Jama Masjid Mosque which had been completed in 1571 being of Indian and Persian design. It was built by Shaikh Saum Christi and to this day the marble building inside is visited by childless women looking to conceive a child. There is an underground passageway to Agra Fort nearly 40 kilometres away which is now closed and said to have bats and cobras living in the tunnel.
So far this trip I it has been suggested that I was a Bollywood actor, Ali Baba, an Imam and even someone was asked if I was Karl Marx. I know that I was sitting still at the time but that was taking things too far!
Arriving in Agra just after 1500 hours I decided that I would go down the Taj Mahal for sunset even though it was not a clear day. Not wanting to pay the £9 entry fee as I intended to go again the following morning I thought to go up on the roof of one of the restaurants nearby to watch the sun setting over the Taj. Derrick went with me and we found that entry to the Taj was free that day because of the anniversary of the death of someone important and the resultant opening of the tomb which happened about three times a year, so in we went. The place was crowded with tens of thousands of people and families about. Local youths were dancing about with long streaming banners over their heads and when heading and going into the underground tomb the crush became dangerous. I asked a policeman if I could go into the tomb and was told it would be alright but when I was a little way down the steps another policeman then said that he thought it would be too dangerous to go any further as it was too crowded for such a small room. I did not go down! The police were catching hold of small children who were being taken down with their parents and literally dragging the children out and just about throwing them out of the way of the crush. It looked quite a cruel act but I have no doubt that due to the mass of people the parents could not have been reasoned with and the only alternative was to drag the children away. Men and women were just about climbing over each other to get up to the building and then go into the tomb itself, scary at times. At dusk all had to leave the site and we found that our shoes had been stolen. I bought a cheap new pair outside the gates of the Taj!
Apart from the confusion around the mosque the rest of the grounds were full but there was room for everyone and people were happy just looking and taking photographs. As usual in India, especially at the monuments, Indians would ask to have their photograph taken by us just to see the result in the camera screen.
I visited the Taj Mahal over twenty years ago and at the time there were very few people around so the photographs were only of the buildings. I did think it was a really beautiful place even then. The visit this time was with thousands of other people so with them and the colours around the whole place came to life, something strange to say for a mausoleum I would guess. I much preferred the second visit because of the people and the whole feeling about the place at the time.
The following day I went to Agra Fort and actually thought that it was better to look at than the Red Fort in Delhi. Yes, the Taj Mahal could be seen from the Fort quite clearly.
The local papers had articles about the power shortages in Lucknow in which the local government decreed that all businesses using a lot of power had to shut down for two weeks and all local businesses, cafes, shops, offices etc. had to finish work by 1900 hours each day for two weeks. The two weeks was because he monsoon is expected start within that time so the temperature should reduce with the resultant reduction in the use of power for air conditioning units. There was such an outcry that it was then said that it was only a ‘suggestion’ and since then the use of power has gone on as normal. Everywhere we go there are standby generating sets for hotels, road toll booths and just about any business that can afford to buy or hire a machine so it would appear.
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| Goats filling the highway |
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| Not overloaded |
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| A wedding carriage (I think) |
In Jaipur it rained during the night before we left at 0800 hours on the morning of the 18 June. There were quite a number of tolls on the road and these seem to be increasing in number all the time. We were headed towards Agra and stopped in at Fatehpur Sikri on the way. Here I went into the Jama Masjid Mosque which had been completed in 1571 being of Indian and Persian design. It was built by Shaikh Saum Christi and to this day the marble building inside is visited by childless women looking to conceive a child. There is an underground passageway to Agra Fort nearly 40 kilometres away which is now closed and said to have bats and cobras living in the tunnel.
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| The Jama Masjid Mosque Entrance |
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| The Jama Masjid Mosque Outer Wall |
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| The Jama Masjid Mosque Gate |
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| The Jama Masjid Mosque Victory Gate |
Arriving in Agra just after 1500 hours I decided that I would go down the Taj Mahal for sunset even though it was not a clear day. Not wanting to pay the £9 entry fee as I intended to go again the following morning I thought to go up on the roof of one of the restaurants nearby to watch the sun setting over the Taj. Derrick went with me and we found that entry to the Taj was free that day because of the anniversary of the death of someone important and the resultant opening of the tomb which happened about three times a year, so in we went. The place was crowded with tens of thousands of people and families about. Local youths were dancing about with long streaming banners over their heads and when heading and going into the underground tomb the crush became dangerous. I asked a policeman if I could go into the tomb and was told it would be alright but when I was a little way down the steps another policeman then said that he thought it would be too dangerous to go any further as it was too crowded for such a small room. I did not go down! The police were catching hold of small children who were being taken down with their parents and literally dragging the children out and just about throwing them out of the way of the crush. It looked quite a cruel act but I have no doubt that due to the mass of people the parents could not have been reasoned with and the only alternative was to drag the children away. Men and women were just about climbing over each other to get up to the building and then go into the tomb itself, scary at times. At dusk all had to leave the site and we found that our shoes had been stolen. I bought a cheap new pair outside the gates of the Taj!
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| The Taj Mahal |
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| The Taj Mahal |
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| The Taj Mahal |
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| In the grounds of the Taj Mahal |
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| In the grounds of the Taj Mahal |
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| The Taj Mahal |
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| He smiled as well |
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| Mother wanted the picture taken |
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| The banner being carried to the tomb |
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| They wanted it taken as well |
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| The Taj Mahal |
I visited the Taj Mahal over twenty years ago and at the time there were very few people around so the photographs were only of the buildings. I did think it was a really beautiful place even then. The visit this time was with thousands of other people so with them and the colours around the whole place came to life, something strange to say for a mausoleum I would guess. I much preferred the second visit because of the people and the whole feeling about the place at the time.
The following day I went to Agra Fort and actually thought that it was better to look at than the Red Fort in Delhi. Yes, the Taj Mahal could be seen from the Fort quite clearly.
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| The entrance over the moat |
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| The outer wall |
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| The first gate |
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| The grounds inside |
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| The grounds inside |
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| The inner gate |
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| The Audience Hall |
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| The Audience Hall |
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| Not sure what building this is |
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| The outer wall |
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| A bath |
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| The Taj Mahal from Agra Fort |
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