I kept seeing these sidewalk barbershops as we traveled the roads of India – often too late (our van had already whizzed by). On our last couple days in India I set a goal – get a few shots before it is too late.
Config: Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 28-300mm f/28 USM. Having the 300mm helped.
I think that the blue chair might be a barbershop standard.
This is the only barbershop that I spotted inside – on the way from Jaipur to Delhi.
Incredible India! I just loved having a camera there.
Another TripAdvisor advised detour in India, we stopped at our second step well. Throughout the trip it never ceased to amaze me how advanced Indian engineering was. Abhaneri was built for one reason, to harvest rain water.
Stepwells, also called kalyani or pushkarani (Kannada: ), bawdi (Hindi: बावड़ी) or baoli (Hindi: बावली), barav (Marathi: बारव), vaav (Gujarati: વાવ) are wells or ponds in which the water may be reached by descending a set of steps. They may be covered and protected and are often of architectural significance. They also may be multi-storied having a bullock which turns the water wheel ("rehat") to raise the water in the well to the first or second floor.
I wonder when the last time this step well was full?
We were not allowed down.
Beautiful green water with thousands of steps and I counted 14 levels. Amazing piece of 8th century work.
The architecture around the well was stunning.
Random chunks of block filled the corridors, from temples in the area.
For the traveller moving from Agra to Jaipur (or vice versa), it is an interesting detour.
As we approached the potter’s home his family gathered around. It was a simple demonstration, showing us his craft.
I love the bright colors of the community.
With no signs of electricity into the home, it was all done the old fashioned way – by hand.
His watch seemed an odd contrast to the surroundings.
While traveling from Agra to Jaipur we detoured into a small town. We went to see how the locals live and to see a potter. Config: Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 28-300mm f/2.8 USM.
Every street, regardless of location, has one thing in common – water buffalo and cows.
The potters house.
Cow dung was spread out on the roofs of many of the houses – they use it for fuel.
I was allowed to look inside one of the homes (below), and it was as you would expect. Simple open rooms, with a fire pit and sleeping quarters on mats. It was also filled with smiling children, staring at the gaijin.
The potter was next.
Outside of Agra is Fatehpur Sikri, a small city that would often serve as the summer capital:
The city was founded in 1569 by the Mughal emperor Akbar, and served as the capital of the Mughal Empire from 1571 to 1585.[1] After his military victories over Chittor and Ranthambore, Akbar decided to shift his capital from Agra to a new location 23 miles (37 km) W.S.W on the Sikri ridge, to honor the Sufi saint Salim Chishti. Here he commenced the construction of a planned walled city which took the next fifteen years in planning and construction of a series of royal palaces, harem, courts, a mosque, private quarters and other utility buildings.[2] He named the city, Fatehabad, with Fateh, a word of Arabic origin in Persian, meaning "victorious." it was later called Fatehpur Sikri.[3] It is at Fatehpur Sikri that the legends of Akbar and his famed courtiers, the nine jewels or Navaratnas, were born.[citation needed] Fatehpur Sikri is one of the best preserved collections of Mughal architecture in India.[4]
Ornately built with incredible detail everywhere. It is an architectural wonder, and quite the “summer home”.
While we were there it was quite cloudy and foggy. We are just fortunate that the entire trip was not that way.
The most interesting part of the fort was the insight into the male/female lifestyle. At different spots through the fort Anu (our guide) would point out where they celebrated – with dancers and musicians – always pointing to where the women would be located/segregated, often behind some type of screen or up on one of the balconies.
Interesting insight into a Moghul’s summer life. As an aside – a point on literacy embedded in the Wikipedia entry:
Fatehpur Sikri has a population of 28,754. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Fatehpur Sikri has an average literacy rate of 46%, lower than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 57%, and female literacy is 34%. In Fatehpur Sikri, 19% of the population is under 6 years of age
We had many conversations with our guide on literacy, education and the class system in India. It became apparent that there is a lot of local skepticism around the claimed national literacy average of 72%.
It is a question I asked many people before we traveled there for 10 days with a wide range of answers; what is the right amount of time?
Reflecting on our time in the country, I would pass on the following opinions (feel free to disagree):
The tourist sites become repetitive: The pink city, the blue city, Delhi. The architecture of India is surprisingly consistent. Once you see a couple temples, forts and Tajs, they begin to look the same. Therefore if you are planning, remember that. We went to Agra, Jaipur and Delhi. I do not feel that we missed much by not hitting the other northern cities and am very glad that we didn’t make the very long trips.
That isn’t to say that the south isn’t different. It is and we will make another trip to hit the south of India.
It isn’t about the tourist sites: Had we followed the itineraries that were presented to us by travel companies we would have missed out. I spent a lot of time searching different locations on Tripadvisor and opportunities to take us off the beaten path. Into villages, on to locations that others don’t usually go to. The Taj Mahal was interesting, but I wouldn’t call it the highlight of the trip. The highlights for us were often down side streets.
I began to form this opinion at Sikandra tomb, the tomb of Akbar the great. Magnificent building? Yes. Did it have anything different than the other tombs we had seen? Not really. It was at this point in the tour that we started to actively push away from the top, commonly visited sites in the cities.
It is tiring. India is a full on assault on the senses. A 100km drive can take 5 hours. Everything is caked in dust. You will see flaunted wealth and the saddest of poverty. We booked in breaks at our hotel to just relax or it would have been to much.
As I said in a previous post, our private guide gave us this flexibility and truly explained India to us. The culture, the rich history and he was very flexible as we evolved our itinerary as we went.
And to answer the question again on safety – just be smart. We had a few run ins, but we were never in danger. We stood out in the crowd (My wife and boys are blonde), so expect lots of stairs, people asking for money and a few other things. As a group, it was safe. It is just about being smart.
India is an incredible place, but it is not for the first time traveler.
I was told they they are filled with rapeseed, a popular crop used to yield rapeseed oil which can be used for cooking and biofuel. 13% of India’s farmland grows the crop.
It makes for a beautiful field.
Our trip to India involved 3 cities (Delhi, Agra, Jaipur) with driving in between. What would be considered a fast and simple drive in Europe or Canada was arduous in India. The country is filled with half completed roads, which (I was told) stands as a testament to the bureaucracy and corruption that plagues the country.
For a tourist that means long – bumpy drives. Each city would be 5-7 hours apart. We booked a van.
The benefit of that distance is that you can open the window and watch the people go by. As we drove I truly enjoyed watching the trucks.
In Canada, truck drivers pride themselves on how shiny their truck is. In India, it is all about the colors and the bling.
Another big cultural difference. In Canada blowing the horn is an act of anger – done infrequently.
In India, everyone does it, all the time. I mean, all .. of .. the .. time. It is one of the things that makes traveling in India such a full on, sensory overload. On almost every truck, they actively encourage it.
I also learned that inflammable is not the opposite of flammable. English can also be a mysterious language. I particularly enjoyed the “specialist advice” to stay upwind.
Incredible India.
As seen on the road from Delhi to Agra, India. The farmers take this to the extreme.
All along the route, there was much to see. People still collect wood to cook and heat their homes. Agra at this time of year is coolish (6C).
This vehicle was doing around 80 km/h and that last fellow was barely on.
In India you see everything and the contrasts are significant. As you drive you will see a $250K Mercedes driving beside a camel. There were a lot of camels.
They fit in well with the water buffalo.
These water buffalo also provide insight into the speed of traffic in India. They roam free along with the cows.
We visited this tomb on the same day we visited the Taj Mahal. I have to say, I found this landmark more interesting. Beautiful grounds, a spectacular and visually stunning building, smaller crowds and a beautiful view of the river.
Via:
Tomb of I’timād-ud-Daulah (Urdu: اعتماد الدولہ کا مقبرہ, I’timād-ud-Daulah kā Maqbara) is a Mughal mausoleum in the city of Agra in the Indianstate of Uttar Pradesh. Often described as a “jewel box”, sometimes called the “Baby Tāj”, the tomb of I’timād-ud-Daulah is often regarded as a draft of the Tāj Mahal.
The mausoleum was commissioned by Nūr Jahān, the wife of Jahangir, for her father Mirzā Ghiyās Beg, originally a Persian Amir in exile.[1] who had been given the title of I’timād-ud-Daulah (pillar of the state). Mirzā Ghiyās Beg was also the grandfather of Mumtāz Mahāl (originally named Arjūmand Bāno, daughter of Asaf Khān), the wife of the emperor Shāh Jahān, responsible for the construction of the Tāj Mahal.
The walls outside are incredibly colorful and ornate.
And even more colorful inside.
As always, look up.
At the back of the grounds it opens up to a magnificent view of the river. People washing their clothes, water buffalo drinking and a few magnificent viewing spots.
A brief note on the entrance … it is adorned with carvings of wine. Supposedly the Mughal loved his wine.
I am not sure this is a big stop on the Agra tour. We did not see any tour buses. If in Agra, make the stop.
The Taj Mahal, wonder of the world, ode to love. Well an ode to his 3rd wife. Not sure how first 2 felt when he embarked on this 25 year building spree to remember her.
None the less, one of the “must sees” when in India.
Our first glimpse was from down the river. It was a little bit hazy, but luckily not foggy and the sun was coming out. (Config: Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 28-300mm f/3.5 USM).
Once past the gates you come to the large entrance – effectively called “The great gate”
Our first peek at the Taj Mahal.
As we walked through the gate it came into full view. It was quite a unique experience.
Even thought it was an official holiday, it was not as busy as I had expected. But there were a lot of Indians. With the recent collapse of the rupee there has been a sharp decline in travel abroad as Indians looked to more affordable travel within the country.
Unfortunately, this means that if you are a local, you can expect a very, very long line. Fortunately, as foreigners we were able to skip the lines. The lines wrapped around the Taj Mahal multiple times.
And on that note, what else is there to say? It is the Taj Mahal. A spectacular monument that you simply stand back and soak in.
A unique Christmas day.
When we went to India over the Christmas break we did not realize that we were taking such a risk. When I say risk I am not talking about safety. I am talking about weather.
Little did we know – it was a terrible time to go to India. In the evenings it gets cold and that causes fog. Lots of fog. According to our guide he went to places like the Taj Mahal many times and all they saw was fog. How terrible would that be?
With this new insight we made a plan as we traveled from Delhi to Agra; the weather would dictate where we would go when and Anu would pick when we went to the Taj Mahal.
It turns out, we were very lucky. According to our guide .. very, very lucky.
Before I get into the Taj Mahal, I need to backtrack. The experience is an interesting one. You stop off at the tourist arrival area where you board electric buses to head to the Taj. This is in an apparent effort to reduce pollution.
They also provide you with some clear guidelines on what you should not do. I am very glad I left behind my nife, colors and helmate.
Very glad because the Ministry of Defense was ready to jump into action in their very intimidating car.
You get dropped off and have to walk to the entrance – through stalls, craftsmen and tourist hawkers. Oh yes, we also had to stop for water buffalo. They were crossing .. near the Taj Mahal.
They came up from the river bank onto the road and back down .. a normal day in the life of a water buffalo, passing through thousands of tourists.
It has to make you smile. On your way to the Taj Mahal, and you get stopped by a herd of buffalo. Incredible India. I expected the sights below, not the water buffalo.
In moments we arrived. This ticket got us past the long local lines and in to see one of the wonders of the world.
The Taj Mahal.
Michael Weening: a few pictures 