Once again, I have a lot to write about so I will post two installments.

Last Friday, 26th January, was Republic Day so we went along to the ceremony. It was great to be part of the celebration. There were thousands of people and we had to scramble to get to our seats for 9.30 am. It was worth it. Along a 3km stretch of road there passed parades of elephants, camels, soldiers, dancers, school children, each float representing a different aspect of India. The Indian president, along with Vladimir Putin also attended and we caught a glimpse of them in their car. The parade finished at 12pm and it took ages to get out. We experienced our first trip on the Delhi underground which was more pleasant than London’s tubes; the carriages were much wider which meant no one was crammed in.

On Saturday we went to Agra! We decided to go by road rather than rail as it meant the times or departure were more flexible. We were driven in a 70s style campervan which was fun. I had the middle seat in the front which meant I got a great view of all the roads and street markets during the seven-hour journey, although it was marred by the fact I was facing the windscreen with no seatbelt and saw three crashes on the way there. But we arrived safely at 3pm. In the afternoon we visited Agra Fort which was fascinating. It is made of red sandstone and looks quite plain but is very austere.

Then on Sunday….the part of India we had all been looking forward to…The Taj Mahal! It was absolutely stunning. I half expected, after seeing so many beautiful buildings in Delhi and seeing so many pictures of the Taj, that it might be disappointing. It wasn’t. The scale is enormous and the symmetry of the whole building really does strike you. You walk through a little archway first and I knew what was waiting for me on the other side so I didn’t look up until the last minute and it just hits you. We took so many pictures, including a classic cheesy one from a professional which looks like we’ve all been superimposed in front of it! A guide showed us around and I learnt so much I didn’t know about the seventh wonder of the world. I won’t lecture you all about it but just say a few points I found interesting.

The Taj Mahal is 90 metres in height and 330 feet square in circumference. It was built by Shahjahan for his late wife Mum tas maha as this was her third wish from him for when she died (her first was for him to never marry again and her second was for him to look after her children). It took 22 years to build, using 20,000 artisans and either side of the gate stand eleven domes to represent the years it took to complete. Considering the intricate detail, this is a short amount of time.

From the beginning of the path leading to the Taj, everything lies symmetrically, with Mum tas mah’s directly in the middle. The four towers surrounding the main building represent her ladies in waiting. The only thing out of place is Shahjahan’s tomb. This is because his son, Aurangzeb captured his father when he planned on building a black Taj Mahal for himself. We were shown where this would have been, with a black and white bridge connecting the two buildings. It would have looked amazing. However, he would have probably lost the kingdom in the process of making it because of the expense so Aurangzeb kept him in Agra Fort until he died to save the kingdom. Aurangzeb buried him next to his wife in the Taj Mahal so this is why it is not in-line. While prisoner in Agra Fort, Shahjahan asked that he could see the Taj Mahal from wherever he lay and even had a mirror in the bathroom to reflect its image.

There is one pillar in the Taj that has a smooth outline, unlike the other ridged pillars. This is to mark an imperfection as they believed only deity could be perfect. This is why there are only flowers decorating the building and not humans or animals as they believed only God could give life. I also didn’t know that the low employment rate in Agra is because all petri-chemical industries had to be closed down after the marble started to wear away due to acid rain. Fascinating!

I’ll write up my school week in a separate entry to give you a rest!

xxxx