tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60493955026392918362024-03-12T15:50:16.102-07:00evenfewergoatsA travel blog, mostly about India, with a bit of the American West thrown in. Patrick A. Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05731722419862161376noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049395502639291836.post-45773240851927737272016-02-14T06:34:00.002-08:002016-02-14T06:34:17.727-08:00Kaziranga<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3IJzg-IALos/Vr8mye4mrJI/AAAAAAAAEXA/fojW8paYmbE/s1600/kazzy%2B030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="512" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3IJzg-IALos/Vr8mye4mrJI/AAAAAAAAEXA/fojW8paYmbE/s640/kazzy%2B030.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The star attraction at Kaziranaga National Park: The Indian one horned rhino. The park is said to contain about two thirds of the world's population of the rare beast, so many that it's virtually impossible to visit Kaziranga and not see dozens of them<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
One of the very first places I ever went to in India, all the way back in January 2009, was Kaziranga National Park. By now, as part of University of Delaware study abroad groups, while leading my own trips, or while travelling with members of my family, I've visited the park somewhere in the vicinity of six times. That may sound like overkill, but, believe me, it's not. I've found that my enthusiasm for the place has only grown over time. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The reason for this is simple: No one safari in Kaziranga is like another. Even if you've visited over and over, there is always the chance of seeing some animal that you've never seen before. And, failing that, as a repeat visitor you might encounter an animal that you've seen countless times behaving in some new way that you've never before observed. By this stage, with six visits to the park I've probably seen half of the world's population of one horned rhinos (maybe that's an exaggeration...though 10-20% is not), but, until my most recent visit I had never had one start to charge my jeep and get warned off by an armed guard brandishing his Lee-Enfield. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
In January, I visited the park with my mom, and, for the first time in years, took a whole new crop of photos. Bear in mind that all of these were taken over the course of a single day, illustrating the incredible density of spectacular animals within the park.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0y5YMauS6is/Vr8ogBywBBI/AAAAAAAAEXw/gmp-eGGcPX8/s1600/kazzy%2B003.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0y5YMauS6is/Vr8ogBywBBI/AAAAAAAAEXw/gmp-eGGcPX8/s640/kazzy%2B003.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Ghost elephants in the mist. Starting out on a 5 a.m. elephant safari. My mom and I first thought that because of the misty morning we weren't going to be able to see anything. But in the end it turned out that there were so many animals around that not being able to see more than ten feet in front of your face was not that much of an impediment to wildlife viewing</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c_WaZj8IODM/Vr8o-JRkDkI/AAAAAAAAEX4/uMlQhqbGtlc/s1600/kazzy%2B012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="440" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c_WaZj8IODM/Vr8o-JRkDkI/AAAAAAAAEX4/uMlQhqbGtlc/s640/kazzy%2B012.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Ghost elephant</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sBtrqQIi87s/Vr8pCmPuj_I/AAAAAAAAEYA/FpLk9vElV5U/s1600/kazzy%2B013.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="464" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sBtrqQIi87s/Vr8pCmPuj_I/AAAAAAAAEYA/FpLk9vElV5U/s640/kazzy%2B013.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
One horned rhino trotting along</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L_WO_dhP6X0/Vr8tY6yFwlI/AAAAAAAAEYQ/wSlph8pMLhg/s1600/kazzy%2B021.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="382" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L_WO_dhP6X0/Vr8tY6yFwlI/AAAAAAAAEYQ/wSlph8pMLhg/s640/kazzy%2B021.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
A line of deer</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uIvwXx-GaGo/Vr8t3xQFIkI/AAAAAAAAEYY/2Z8f16siqF8/s1600/kazzy%2B037.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uIvwXx-GaGo/Vr8t3xQFIkI/AAAAAAAAEYY/2Z8f16siqF8/s640/kazzy%2B037.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Our elephant and mahout<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
Later the same day, my mom and I took a jeep safari to the Eastern Range of the park. While the elephant safaris are in some ways more memorable as experiences, one does tend to see much more on the jeep safaris. We had a naturalist and birding enthusiast friend of mine, Bitupan Kolong, riding with us, and he was able to both point out and name plenty of animals along the way that my mom and I would surely have missed. </div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YCni6tb7YW4/Vr8uiVn6AlI/AAAAAAAAEYs/hOQFswmDUkQ/s1600/kazzy%2B040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YCni6tb7YW4/Vr8uiVn6AlI/AAAAAAAAEYs/hOQFswmDUkQ/s640/kazzy%2B040.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Stork billed kingfisher, just outside the park. To someone who really knows what they're looking for (which is not me) the avian fauna of the park, especially in winter when migratory birds from all over Asia stop here, is just as noteworthy as the large mammals.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hRBTn-1QBvs/Vr8uY6O4-dI/AAAAAAAAEYg/nVljYnx1X4k/s1600/kazzy%2B045.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="504" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hRBTn-1QBvs/Vr8uY6O4-dI/AAAAAAAAEYg/nVljYnx1X4k/s640/kazzy%2B045.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Some variety of eagle</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--cJAkbVPbnM/Vr8ueLo3AmI/AAAAAAAAEYk/NnSM79EhTjU/s1600/kazzy%2B046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="366" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--cJAkbVPbnM/Vr8ueLo3AmI/AAAAAAAAEYk/NnSM79EhTjU/s640/kazzy%2B046.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A classic Kaziranga view: A heard of wild elephants</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XLACtUKm9vQ/Vr8uuXZhXFI/AAAAAAAAEYw/t8VjUsYlhzQ/s1600/kazzy%2B053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="386" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XLACtUKm9vQ/Vr8uuXZhXFI/AAAAAAAAEYw/t8VjUsYlhzQ/s640/kazzy%2B053.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
More wild elephants, with a huge water buffalo in the background just for good measure</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I_BUVDaWW64/Vr8vLCBCIWI/AAAAAAAAEY8/H4iAoH1zHG8/s1600/kazzy%2B064.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="452" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I_BUVDaWW64/Vr8vLCBCIWI/AAAAAAAAEY8/H4iAoH1zHG8/s640/kazzy%2B064.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Mallards....almost exactly like the ones we have back in my home state of Delaware</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5nEhv3SJmaE/Vr8u80Sa57I/AAAAAAAAEY0/iEDADU656KQ/s1600/kazzy%2B067.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="416" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5nEhv3SJmaE/Vr8u80Sa57I/AAAAAAAAEY0/iEDADU656KQ/s640/kazzy%2B067.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Grey Heron in the back there isn't the star of this shot. The relatively mundane seeming Bar-headed geese in the foreground just happen to be some of the world's toughest birds. Migrating to India over the Himalayas, their journey over the loftiest mountain range on Earth takes them higher in altitude than any other bird. Scientific studies have shown them to be able to fly to at least 21,000 feet, while travelling to and from their nests on the Tibetan Plateau</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MEmgFIEOt_4/Vr8vUJ8t9VI/AAAAAAAAEZA/3Yhn_uCfejM/s1600/kazzy%2B076.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="454" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MEmgFIEOt_4/Vr8vUJ8t9VI/AAAAAAAAEZA/3Yhn_uCfejM/s640/kazzy%2B076.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Wild Jungle fowl, ancestor of the chicken</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1LLhn8WtMY0/Vr8wIAdbj8I/AAAAAAAAEZQ/_pwQFGf19G0/s1600/kazzy%2B079.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1LLhn8WtMY0/Vr8wIAdbj8I/AAAAAAAAEZQ/_pwQFGf19G0/s640/kazzy%2B079.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
We got an incredible view of this rhino with an egret on its back...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YvOMyb-OC9E/Vr8v4nBF0hI/AAAAAAAAEZI/UZ65LBvFMYM/s1600/kazzy%2B080.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="534" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YvOMyb-OC9E/Vr8v4nBF0hI/AAAAAAAAEZI/UZ65LBvFMYM/s640/kazzy%2B080.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
...especially when it decided it didn't like the look of us and started to charge. Our armed escort earned his pay on that safari.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JH0m387gsA8/Vr8w3OCxmcI/AAAAAAAAEZc/Xap42QT6GV0/s1600/kazzy%2B090.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="464" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JH0m387gsA8/Vr8w3OCxmcI/AAAAAAAAEZc/Xap42QT6GV0/s640/kazzy%2B090.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Wild elephant</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ehpWHHI6ngI/Vr8xEcINuTI/AAAAAAAAEZk/fqeN6ElwTbg/s1600/kazzy%2B093.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="500" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ehpWHHI6ngI/Vr8xEcINuTI/AAAAAAAAEZk/fqeN6ElwTbg/s640/kazzy%2B093.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Cormorant</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4Yxcj2U9H4E/Vr8xF86zUEI/AAAAAAAAEZo/cs9KK2M6_W8/s1600/kazzy%2B096.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="538" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4Yxcj2U9H4E/Vr8xF86zUEI/AAAAAAAAEZo/cs9KK2M6_W8/s640/kazzy%2B096.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A male elephant with huge tusks, along with a rhino</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tjeVFOPEx6Y/Vr8xHEjB7PI/AAAAAAAAEZs/z65cRo1g0oI/s1600/kazzy%2B103.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="350" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tjeVFOPEx6Y/Vr8xHEjB7PI/AAAAAAAAEZs/z65cRo1g0oI/s640/kazzy%2B103.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
One of the unexpected highlights of the jeep safari: A romp of otters (yes, you call a group of otters a romp). They were pretty far away, so it wasn't possible to get that great a photo, but still, this was something I had never seen before</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cAKYr5OtZQ0/Vr8x294xNcI/AAAAAAAAEZ0/kHnM5LLR2vU/s1600/kazzy%2B111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="470" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cAKYr5OtZQ0/Vr8x294xNcI/AAAAAAAAEZ0/kHnM5LLR2vU/s640/kazzy%2B111.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Wild water buffalo. Another one of the unsung success stories of Kaziranga, the park contains something like 60% of the world's wild water buffalo</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So, just to sum this post up: Come to Kaziranga.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MfO7AGkRjcU/Vr8ydTrqo4I/AAAAAAAAEZ8/QqTlLDbHIRc/s1600/kazzy%2B108.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="484" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MfO7AGkRjcU/Vr8ydTrqo4I/AAAAAAAAEZ8/QqTlLDbHIRc/s640/kazzy%2B108.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Special thanks. From left to right: Our armed guard, the driver, my mom, and Bitupan</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Patrick A. Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05731722419862161376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049395502639291836.post-32656207399095299722015-10-01T19:57:00.001-07:002015-10-01T19:57:07.309-07:00The Undiscovered Living Root Bridges of Meghalaya Part 4: Living Root Ladders and other uses for living root architecture<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BH87KdDy4VU/Vfc76VCoyfI/AAAAAAAAELk/a4WAaWgkF0E/s1600/2%2BPongtung%2BLiving%2BRoot%2BLadder.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BH87KdDy4VU/Vfc76VCoyfI/AAAAAAAAELk/a4WAaWgkF0E/s640/2%2BPongtung%2BLiving%2BRoot%2BLadder.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Heavy metal living root ladder near the mid-sized Khasi village of Pongtung</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
First off, for more information on living root architecture, go to <a href="http://evenfewergoats.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-undiscovered-living-root-bridges-of.html">The Undiscovered Living Root Bridges of Meghalaya Part 1: Bridges of the Umngot River Basin</a> for living root bridges in the Jaintia Hills, <a href="http://evenfewergoats.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-undiscovered-living-root-bridges-of_14.html">The Undiscovered Living Root Bridges of Meghalaya Part 2: Bridges near Pynursla</a> for information on the area with the highest concentration of living root architecture, and <a href="http://evenfewergoats.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-undiscovered-living-root-bridges-of_24.html">The Undiscovered Living Root Bridges of Meghalaya Part 3: Bridges of the 12 villages</a> for some of the most remote known living root bridges.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Also, for information on a trip that I'll be leading to some of these incredible structures, go to <a href="http://evenfewergoatstravel.blogspot.com/2015/08/northeast-india-explorer-2016-itinerary.html">Northeast India Explorer Itinerary</a> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
This, the final post in my four part series on unknown or obscure living root architecture, will deal with structures made from living roots that are not bridges, along with failed or destroyed living root bridges. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
While the living root bridges are by far the most famous variety of living root architecture in southern Meghalaya, similar techniques have been used to create a surprising number of other functional structures. Broadly speaking, these include living root ladders, platforms, and retaining structures, along with hybrid constructions that are several of these things at once. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Perhaps the least photogenic, though nonetheless extremely ingenious, use for the living roots of Banyan trees is in the construction of retaining structures. While walking on horizontal paths in the Khasi Hills, which usually hug the sides of steep inclines, one often notices that there will be Banyan trees directly next to the trails with roots that seem to be almost holding the slopes up. That is indeed what is happening, and, as I found out earlier this year, the trees have been deliberately planted to perform this function. The roots of the tree are being used to stabilize the slope, rockfalls and landslides being a major problem in the hill country of Meghalaya. It's well known that having lots of trees on a hill side can make it more stable due to the gripping power of tree roots. Banyan trees, given their exceptionally numerous roots which have evolved specifically to adhere to rocks and steep inclines, are uniquely suited to this task. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
While these structures (which may even stretch the definition of architecture a tad) are less visually appealing and not as likely to draw huge crowds of visitors as other forms of living root architecture, they nonetheless continue to have great practical value. Particularly at a time when the slopes of the Khasi and Jaintia Hills are under increased pressure due to unsound farming techniques, the use of Banyan tree roots as retaining walls could be potentially lifesaving. Projects for stabilizing hill slopes through the use of conventional retaining walls is not something that the people of remote Khasi villages would be likely to be able to complete, as to do so effectively would require large amounts of construction equipment, not to mention government funds, which would probably entail outside construction crews. Using Banyan trees much more extensively than they have been used already would be both free (saplings would simply have to be transplanted) and, in the long term, more effective. The roots used in the retaining structures would only grow stronger and more numerous. The slopes would get more stable over time. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
However, it took me until about two thirds of the way through my long hike in the Khasi Hills to even notice what these structures were. Unlike other forms of living root architecture, they don't tend to stand out very much, and don't look like much more than a tangle of roots in a photograph. Still, when I return next year, I do intend to map as many of them as I can. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Another .as yet very rarely visited, form of living root architecture are living root platforms. I've only personally encountered two of these, though I know of the existence of a third. They seem to be used for observation, though more examples would need to be found to say anything definite. For me, an interesting question is whether or not platforms have been grown high up in trees (presumably for hunting). This certainly would be possible, and might mean that I have walked underneath numerous examples of these structures without noticing. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Finally, there are living root ladders. The use for these is pretty obvious: When a trail needs to be built over terrain that is too steep for stairs, the roots of Banyan trees are used to create a vertical pathway. Confusingly, Khasi languages do not draw a distinction between ladders and bridges, so the term "Jingkieng Jiri" (alternate spelling: "Jingkieng Jri") is used for both kinds of architecture. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Interestingly, though I've not stumbled into as many living root ladders as I have living root bridges, I have come across two very distinct methods for modifying Banyan tree roots into structures one can climb up and down. The first is simply to train roots horizontally so that they form rungs. The second is to cut out rungs into large, already established Banyan tree roots. The cuts will, over time, expand with the growing root.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Again, as with living root platforms, not many living root ladders have been found. There may be many more in southern Meghalaya but their locations are as yet unknown. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">PONGTUNG DOUBLE LIVING ROOT LADDER:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
This is the most spectacular example of a living root ladder that I can across during my month long hike in Meghalaya. It's near the medium sized Khasi Village of Pongtung, about 20 minutes hiking to the east of N.H. 40 (one way). After the initial turn off of N.H. 40, reaching it is fairly straight forward, however you'd need to have a pretty knowledgeable guide to recognize the turn to begin with. Basically, just south of Pongtung, there is a concrete barrier on the eastern side of the road, and the trail begins on the southern side of this. Still, for now, getting a guide would be the best idea. I'm not sure whether or not the ladder has seen other visitors. My guides to the bridge were from Burma Village, and weren't really acquainted with the tourism scene. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The structure is exceptional because it consists of two distinct living root ladders, one above the other, which employ two separate modes of living root construction, though both ladders are formed from a single tree. The path where the ladder was formed had to head down a cliff, so the original planters decided to create the ladder where there were a couple of tall natural steps in the cliff face. The ladder was sort of draped over these steps. Unfortunately, this arrangement means that, from the upper ladder, one can't see the lower, and vise versa, so getting a really satisfying photo of the structure in its entirety wasn't an option when I visited.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The shorter upper ladder uses a method whereby a number of roots were trained horizontally in order to form a series of very closely set rungs. On the lower ladder, it begins with the same method, though over the majority of the structure steps were formed by directly modifying the roots. It looks as though the makers of the ladder simply took a machete and carved out a series of gashes in roots that had already established themselves and the gashes then expanded along with the roots, creating a series of steps.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Uq8tojbOFMc/Vfc75RbuQMI/AAAAAAAAELc/CnKwWWchJPE/s1600/3%2BPongtung%2BLiving%2BRoot%2BLadder.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Uq8tojbOFMc/Vfc75RbuQMI/AAAAAAAAELc/CnKwWWchJPE/s640/3%2BPongtung%2BLiving%2BRoot%2BLadder.JPG" width="525" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Climbing the upper part of the Pongtung living root ladder</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sA8sdrKLq7k/Vfc76sP6bGI/AAAAAAAAELo/r12KvLSZGsY/s1600/1%2BPongtung%2BLiving%2BRoot%2BLadder.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sA8sdrKLq7k/Vfc76sP6bGI/AAAAAAAAELo/r12KvLSZGsY/s640/1%2BPongtung%2BLiving%2BRoot%2BLadder.JPG" width="435" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This is the lower part of the Pongtung living root ladder. Notice that at the top, near the kid, are several rungs like those on the upper part of the ladder. Those oval shaped holes in the sides of the roots are the steps that have been formed with machetes</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-383tk4JZxj4/Vfc780OJoZI/AAAAAAAAEL0/-c7BhyN6MSI/s1600/4%2BPongtung%2BLiving%2BRoot%2BLadder.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-383tk4JZxj4/Vfc780OJoZI/AAAAAAAAEL0/-c7BhyN6MSI/s640/4%2BPongtung%2BLiving%2BRoot%2BLadder.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Looking straight down to the ground from the top of the lower part of the living root ladder</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">KONGTHONG LIVING ROOT LADDER:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This living root ladder is located right before the spectacular living root bridge I've named Kongthong 1 in the post <a href="http://evenfewergoats.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-undiscovered-living-root-bridges-of_24.html">The Undiscovered Living Root Bridges of Meghalaya Part 3: Bridges of the 12 Villages</a>. Any hike from Kongthong to the living root bridge will mean climbing this ladder.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_R0LT4H8SE4/Vfc79dODlMI/AAAAAAAAEL4/MlNK3ydwhcM/s1600/5%2BKongtong%2BLiving%2BRoot%2BLadder.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_R0LT4H8SE4/Vfc79dODlMI/AAAAAAAAEL4/MlNK3ydwhcM/s640/5%2BKongtong%2BLiving%2BRoot%2BLadder.JPG" width="504" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
My friend Roy on his way up the Kongthong living root ladder</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--yjGgBRoInE/Vfc8NVzm7UI/AAAAAAAAEMI/QvdOAroi-jE/s1600/6%2BKongtong%2BLiving%2BRoot%2BLadder.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--yjGgBRoInE/Vfc8NVzm7UI/AAAAAAAAEMI/QvdOAroi-jE/s640/6%2BKongtong%2BLiving%2BRoot%2BLadder.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Roy ascending. Note the horizontal rung near the bottom of the picture </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_RTg0yqKmrQ/Vfc8NJfUdSI/AAAAAAAAEME/rfBJqrBRxYA/s1600/7%2BKongtong%2BLiving%2BRoot%2BLadder%2B.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_RTg0yqKmrQ/Vfc8NJfUdSI/AAAAAAAAEME/rfBJqrBRxYA/s640/7%2BKongtong%2BLiving%2BRoot%2BLadder%2B.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Looking down from the top of the Kongthong living root ladder</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">RANTHYLLIANG 8 (HYBRID BRIDGE/LADDER):</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Note that more pictures of this bridge are included in the post <a href="http://evenfewergoats.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-undiscovered-living-root-bridges-of_14.html">The Undiscovered Living Root Bridges of Meghalaya Part 2: Bridges Near Pynursla</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It come as no surprise that many living root structures simply don't fit neatly into any particular category. For example, Rangthylliang 8 is both a living root bridge and a living root ladder. You can see in the photo below that the roots hanging down from the bridge have been used to form several rungs of a ladder that provides access to the stream the bridge crosses. A swing was also made out of the roots hanging down from the bridge, so you could even say that Ranghtylliang 8 serves three separate purposes at once!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CoWdTxnKSu4/Vfc8Qdo_4KI/AAAAAAAAEMg/LhSEQTXtgvc/s1600/8%2BRangthylliang%2BHybrid.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CoWdTxnKSu4/Vfc8Qdo_4KI/AAAAAAAAEMg/LhSEQTXtgvc/s640/8%2BRangthylliang%2BHybrid.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Morningstarr climbing the living root ladder</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">KUDENG RIM LIVING BLEACHERS:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This was one of my favorite discoveries of my month long trek. In the village of Kudeng Rim, next to their football field, a Banyan Tree has been modified to serve as living root root bleachers. It seems to have been altered specifically for the purpose of allowing the villagers to watch football games from a lofty vantage point. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The tree has been altered in two ways. First, roots have been trained so that, rather than hanging down onto the ground, they run closely around the outside of the tree, which makes it easier to climb up into. Secondly, several living root platforms have been created in the branches of the tree by interweaving aerial roots. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is an example of a piece of living root architecture where I really am surprised that no one's ever posted anything about it online. Unlike many of the obscure living root bridges, it's not at all hard to get to, given that it's right next to Kudeng Rim. I would even go so far as to say that, if you knew where it was, it would be vastly easier to access than, for example, the world famous living root bridges of Nongriat. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Yet, somehow, this fascinating structure has up until now remained entirely off the radar. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TN7g98k01SM/Vfc8QMdHjfI/AAAAAAAAEMc/cnILfSGJJ2o/s1600/9%2BKudeng%2BRim%2BLiving%2BRoot%2BBleachers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TN7g98k01SM/Vfc8QMdHjfI/AAAAAAAAEMc/cnILfSGJJ2o/s640/9%2BKudeng%2BRim%2BLiving%2BRoot%2BBleachers.JPG" width="595" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Living Root Bleachers are in the tree directly behind the three kids in the center of the photo</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Sa45jXwfhdA/Vfc8NA69hTI/AAAAAAAAEMM/aBOeZav2Ftk/s1600/10%2BKudeng%2BRim%2BLiving%2BRoot%2BBleachers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Sa45jXwfhdA/Vfc8NA69hTI/AAAAAAAAEMM/aBOeZav2Ftk/s640/10%2BKudeng%2BRim%2BLiving%2BRoot%2BBleachers.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Two people from Kudeng Rim in the Living Root Bleachers. Here one gets a good look at the way the secondary roots have been trained to adhere directly to the side of the tree. Without them it would be much harder to climb up into it</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-th8ikDSg2Hs/Vfc8koCKnbI/AAAAAAAAEM4/HN1YLOEve8Q/s1600/11%2BKudeng%2BRim%2BLiving%2BRoot%2BBleachers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-th8ikDSg2Hs/Vfc8koCKnbI/AAAAAAAAEM4/HN1YLOEve8Q/s640/11%2BKudeng%2BRim%2BLiving%2BRoot%2BBleachers.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Up on one of the platforms. While the roots of the platform are relatively thin, the fact that there are so many of them makes it safe to stand on</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BTr5xfd-p38/Vfc8kU7WALI/AAAAAAAAEM0/cWDehiWRg2w/s1600/12%2BKudeng%2BRim%2BLiving%2BRoot%2BBleachers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BTr5xfd-p38/Vfc8kU7WALI/AAAAAAAAEM0/cWDehiWRg2w/s640/12%2BKudeng%2BRim%2BLiving%2BRoot%2BBleachers.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Another platform, facing a different direction</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">MYSTERY OBJECT NEAR RANGTHYLLIANG:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-URbjCEhtKaE/Vfc8imVIskI/AAAAAAAAEMs/lSW78zEr8bc/s1600/12.5%2BRangthylliang%2Bmystery%2Bobject.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-URbjCEhtKaE/Vfc8imVIskI/AAAAAAAAEMs/lSW78zEr8bc/s640/12.5%2BRangthylliang%2Bmystery%2Bobject.JPG" width="452" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I'm not sure I know how to characterize this thing. It's primary purpose might be to serve as a retaining structure. You can clearly see something like a walkway made of roots near the bottom of the picture. However, the archway, and the small but obviously trained root that you can see running across it, are features that I've never seen in any other living root structure. Unfortunately, I had to hurry past the Mystery Object, so I could only get this one very insufficient photograph</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">RANGTHYLLIANG REMNANT OR FAILED BRIDGE:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I spotted this from Rangthylliang 9, and later from downstream while fording the river Rangthylliang 9 crosses. What it is is a very long, straight, and, by the looks of it, trained, Banyan Tree root, suspended high up above a river. However, with no railings of any kind it could never be used as a bridge. I never actually took a photo specifically of it....what you see here are pictures of other things, where this was in the background, which I cropped to make this object as clear as possible. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I was told at the time that this was just a random root. However, looking at it again, I don't see how that could have happened. I think there are two possible explanations for what this thing is. First: It might be a remnant of a much larger living root bridge that got mostly swept away. Second: It might be a bridge that failed to form properly and was abandoned. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HKSQPASKZp4/Vfc8k6S4tkI/AAAAAAAAEM8/-Tf-fvfK4S8/s1600/13%2BRangthylliang%2Bmystery%2Bobject.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HKSQPASKZp4/Vfc8k6S4tkI/AAAAAAAAEM8/-Tf-fvfK4S8/s640/13%2BRangthylliang%2Bmystery%2Bobject.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The unknown object is that black line near the bottom of this photograph. It's hard to imagine that this root fell out like that naturally</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OpnN15VZWwE/Vfc8l5TdoUI/AAAAAAAAENM/PxGNDrD99as/s1600/14%2BRangthylliang%2Bmystery%2Bobject.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="576" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OpnN15VZWwE/Vfc8l5TdoUI/AAAAAAAAENM/PxGNDrD99as/s640/14%2BRangthylliang%2Bmystery%2Bobject.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A highly zoomed in photo looking at the same object. Unfortunately, I didn't have the time to see where the root began and ended. However, one thing that can be said on the basis of this picture is that the root has been there for a very long time, judging by its thickness</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">RANGTHYLLIANG DOUBTFUL BRIDGE:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As you might suspect, when it comes to living root architecture there are some cases where its not entirely clear weather the structure in question is natural or man made. The Doubtful Bridge of Rangthylliang is such an example. More or less, it's just one big root across a ravine. It is, however, a useful root, which a guy from Rangthylliang does use to cross the ravine in the monsoon season, though with a bamboo pole attached to provide a railing.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In fairness, I am told that said root was planted, though I've also seen plenty of similar things that had formed naturally, so I'm just not sure. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I5s9sb7JzzY/Vfc80_e66ZI/AAAAAAAAENU/fW13_aULlSs/s1600/15%2BRangthylliang%2Bpossible%2Bliving%2Broot%2Bbridge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I5s9sb7JzzY/Vfc80_e66ZI/AAAAAAAAENU/fW13_aULlSs/s640/15%2BRangthylliang%2Bpossible%2Bliving%2Broot%2Bbridge.JPG" width="585" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Morningstarr looking up at the Doubtful Bridge of Rangthylliang</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4QTbb4e_oj8/Vfc82DvBUWI/AAAAAAAAENk/JDIjgkN6cMs/s1600/16%2BRangthylliang%2Bpossible%2Bliving%2Broot%2Bbridge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4QTbb4e_oj8/Vfc82DvBUWI/AAAAAAAAENk/JDIjgkN6cMs/s640/16%2BRangthylliang%2Bpossible%2Bliving%2Broot%2Bbridge.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Another look at the Doubtful Bridge of Rangthylliang</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">RYMMAI REMNANT BRIDGE:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is a small section of a largely destroyed bridge near the village of Rymmai. The original bridge would have been a double span structure, with the two parts of bridge leading both to and from a small island in the middle of a fairly wide stream. The longer part of the bridge, which would have crossed the stream's main channel, is gone, though a small part that crosses the narrower part of the stream survives. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-moYKYmgV-Gs/Vfc81lsQ2-I/AAAAAAAAENc/qn1mHaXU14s/s1600/17%2BRymmai%2BRemnant%2Bbridge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="485" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-moYKYmgV-Gs/Vfc81lsQ2-I/AAAAAAAAENc/qn1mHaXU14s/s640/17%2BRymmai%2BRemnant%2Bbridge.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The ex-headman of Mawshuit village standing on the remnant of the living root bridge at Rymmai</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">RUINED BRIDGE AT KUDENG RIM:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
There are many places in the Khasi and Jaintia Hills where one can see the sites of living root bridges that have been recently destroyed. This is an example near the village of Kudeng Rim. The bridge was apparently destroyed in a fire. One threat to the survival of living root structures is the fact that the actual rubber in Banyan trees is highly flammable. I was told that this particular bridge was destroyed a few years back when someone failed to put out their bidi before throwing it away as they crossed the bridge. Once a fire really gets going in the roots of a Banyan Tree, particularly in the dry season, it's virtually impossible to put out. The roots may as well be permeated with rubber cement. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I_pLNZboJt0/Vfc82x03vqI/AAAAAAAAENo/bw2JWuqIX5Y/s1600/18%2BKudeng%2BRim%2Bruined%2Bbridge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="481" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-I_pLNZboJt0/Vfc82x03vqI/AAAAAAAAENo/bw2JWuqIX5Y/s640/18%2BKudeng%2BRim%2Bruined%2Bbridge.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The site of the destroyed bridge near Kudeng Rim. You can see remnants of the structure on either side of the stream. Also, note the root hanging down from above, which looks as though it was once part of the living root bridge</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">KHONGLAH REINCARNATE BRIDGE:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I'm using the term "Reincarnate Bridge" to denote instances where living root bridges have been destroyed, and then other bridges (usually made from bamboo) have been put up in exactly the same place. Frequently, these are hybrid structures, where the remnants of the destroyed bridges are incorporated into the new constructions. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uxcwA5NVVIc/Vfc86eJDqaI/AAAAAAAAEN0/tNENs4OgjFM/s1600/19%2BKhonglah%2Breplacement%2Bbridge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uxcwA5NVVIc/Vfc86eJDqaI/AAAAAAAAEN0/tNENs4OgjFM/s640/19%2BKhonglah%2Breplacement%2Bbridge.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The Khonglah Reincarnate Bridge. It's a steep bouldering expedition downstream from the bridge I called Khonglah 6 in the first post in this series. Here, you can see the tree that the former living root bridge was made from</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">SHNONGPDEI REINCARNATE BRIDGE:</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
This is another example where a bamboo bridge has been built at the site of a destroyed living root bridge. This is upstream from the bridge I referred to as Shnongpdei 1.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The original living root bridge in this case was fairly close to the water. Since flash floods in the area have gotten worse of late due to changing agricultural practices, the builders of the new bridge have deliberately raised the newly constructed bridge high off the stream. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uQiAR1eaKX0/Vfc87pfMLLI/AAAAAAAAEN8/k5Rpb6cIJhs/s1600/20%2BKongthong%2Breplacement%2Bbridge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uQiAR1eaKX0/Vfc87pfMLLI/AAAAAAAAEN8/k5Rpb6cIJhs/s640/20%2BKongthong%2Breplacement%2Bbridge.JPG" width="532" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Rothell Kongsit at the Shnongpdei Reincarnate</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U9v6II9KhGE/Vfc8876YU4I/AAAAAAAAEOE/2-efb4VxckU/s1600/21%2BKongthong%2BReplacement%2BBridge%2B.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U9v6II9KhGE/Vfc8876YU4I/AAAAAAAAEOE/2-efb4VxckU/s640/21%2BKongthong%2BReplacement%2BBridge%2B.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Another view on the Shnongpdei Reincarnate. At the time, it was impossible to walk out on this bridge. The bamboo had not been changed, and was partially rotted out...a problem one does not have with living root architecture...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">NONGPRIANG REINCARNATE:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
At one time, this must have been a truly spectacular living root bridge. In this case, a part of the original living root bridge survives, and has been combined with the bamboo bridge. Secondary roots are growing along the length of the newly built structure, and appear to be being encouraged to do so. Perhaps, some time in the future, roots from either side of the bridge will be linked together, and a new living root bridge will be formed. Of course, what destroyed the bridge originally will remain a factor, though were the area to become a tourist attraction, the people of Nongpriang might decide to regrow and protect the bridge for that reason.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GzkjRhrYrM8/Vfc8_wdUXrI/AAAAAAAAEOM/ugpsTsPjpI8/s1600/22%2BNongpriang%2Breplacement%2Bbridge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="482" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GzkjRhrYrM8/Vfc8_wdUXrI/AAAAAAAAEOM/ugpsTsPjpI8/s640/22%2BNongpriang%2Breplacement%2Bbridge.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Nongpriang Reincarnate. The tree that the bridge is formed from is huge, suggesting that there might have been a bridge here for a very long time. The living root bridge might have gone through several iterations before the one that was most recently destroyed</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rS2DalzPnfs/Vfc9BZelu2I/AAAAAAAAEOU/8JMJyqPCoCI/s1600/23%2BNongpriang%2Breplacement%2Bbridge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rS2DalzPnfs/Vfc9BZelu2I/AAAAAAAAEOU/8JMJyqPCoCI/s640/23%2BNongpriang%2Breplacement%2Bbridge.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Here you can see the place where remnants of the destroyed living root bridge and the newly built bridge meet. Note the way that chords of young roots are being encouraged to grow out along the span. While this may not be a full living root bridge again any time soon, the young roots may well get worked into the existing framework to strengthen it. This raises the question of how often living root bridges, rather than being planted and begun as root bridges, are instead formed by growing out roots on conventional structures. There is, for example, a hybrid steel-wire structure near the village of Nongriat where such a method is being employed to form a new living root bridge</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F0lX6fCC4ow/Vfc9Bo6To1I/AAAAAAAAEOY/euG9WsoVUk0/s1600/24%2BNongpriang%2Breplacement%2Bbridge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F0lX6fCC4ow/Vfc9Bo6To1I/AAAAAAAAEOY/euG9WsoVUk0/s640/24%2BNongpriang%2Breplacement%2Bbridge.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Looking out along the span of the Nongpriang Reincarnate showing how far along the bridge the young rubber tree roots have reached</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So, that, finally, ends my posts on the living root architecture I reached on my month long hike from Shnongpdeng to Cherrapunji earlier in 2015. While I discovered vastly more than I was expecting to, the truth is the biggest discovery was that, as much as I found, such evidence as there is points to there being vastly more living root architecture in the region. There is so much more work to be done, and all I've put down here was nothing more than a reconnaissance. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Patrick A. Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05731722419862161376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049395502639291836.post-83676584126048621972015-09-24T23:19:00.001-07:002021-01-30T19:34:14.574-08:00The Undiscovered Living Root Bridges of Meghalaya Part 3: Bridges of the 12 Villages<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pEa_E40uf1g/VfnZ8XoO0_I/AAAAAAAAEO8/eLf9xD0YENk/s1600/1%2BKongthong%2B1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pEa_E40uf1g/VfnZ8XoO0_I/AAAAAAAAEO8/eLf9xD0YENk/s640/1%2BKongthong%2B1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
My friend Roy on a spectacular, never before visited living root bridge near the village of Kongthong, in the heart of a region called the Katarshnong, or 12 villages</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
First off, for more information on obscure living root bridges, go to: <a href="http://evenfewergoats.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-undiscovered-living-root-bridges-of.html">The Undiscovered Living Root Bridges of Meghalaya Part 1</a>, covering the living root bridges of the Dawki region, and <a href="http://evenfewergoats.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-undiscovered-living-root-bridges-of_14.html">The Undiscovered Living Root Bridges of Meghalaya Part 2</a>, which covers the area with the highest (known) density of living root architecture, the hills and valleys surrounding the small town of Pynursla.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Before getting into this post I would just like to thank Rothell Kongsit and all the folks in Kongthong village who showed me around the Katarshnong. Needless to say, my reaching what you see below never would have been possible without them!</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
So, moving right along...</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">THE TWELVE VILLAGES </span><span style="font-size: large;">(Known locally as the "Katarshnong")</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">VILLAGES COVERED: KONGTHONG-SHNONGPDEI-MAWSHUIT-NONGSHKEN-SOHKYNDUH-NONGPRIANG</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The name 12 Villages, or Katarshnong, refers to a rugged region of slopes and valleys which is between two of the great ridges of the Khasi Hills. Were one to draw a straight line from Pynursla to Sohra, it would pass over the Katarshnong, and would be only, maybe, seven or eight miles miles in length. But crossing the same area on foot, as I found out earlier this year, is far less straightforward, and involves going up and down endless ridges and valleys, through some of the most isolated settlements in the region.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The area is not, as yet, famous for its living root architecture. As far as I can tell most of the living root bridges in the region have not been visited by outsiders, and even people in the area engaged in promoting tourism have not regarded the Katarshnong's living root bridges as an asset when it comes to attracting visitors (though that might have changed somewhat after my visit). </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
As it is, what has attracted a (very tiny) trickle of visitors to the area is a unique cultural practice called "Jingrwai Iawbei," where at birth the children of certain villages are given a sort of musical name, or theme, by their grandmothers. The people of this regions use this musical nomenclature to communicate to each over long distances. For example, if two people are working out in the their fields, separated by, let's say, a valley, instead of calling out to each other by name, they'll actually sing out each other's songs.<br />
<br />
For good reason, it is this custom which the area is becoming known for (though it is still exceedingly remote), but the region also has a number of spectacular, and largely unvisited, living root structures. As for how many exist in the Katarshnong, it's hard to say. My travels merely took me on a fairly shallow reconnaissance of the region, rather than giving me the chance to do a proper survey. I do know that, at one time not too long ago, there were many more living root bridges in the Katarshnong. Unfortunately large numbers have succumbed of late to fires and landslides. Of all the areas I covered on my long hike, it seemed like it was this area where the living root structures were in the greatest danger. Vast swathes of the region's jungle are very rapidly being burnt down and replaced with a variety of grass used for making brooms, and this process is destroying most of the area's living root bridges. It's hard to imagine that there will be many left in a decade or so, unless tourism in Kongthong takes off fairly soon, and the people of the region realize just how much they have to gain from preserving their heritage (and what little remains of their jungle).<br />
<br />
Of all the living root bridges on this page, the only one which seems to have been visited before I reached it is MAWSHUIT 1. Otherwise, the photos of the living root bridges you see here are the first ever to appear online.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">KONGTHONG: 2 BRIDGES, OTHERS LIKELY</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
At the moment, Kongthong is the most tourist friendly village in the Katarshnong region. It even has overnight facilities in the form of the newly built "Kongthong Travelers Nest." It is probable that in the next few years Kongthong will become a village tourism destination to rival Nongriat, though its not quite there yet. It makes an excellent base for exploring the center of the Katarshnong, and also affords some of the best views I've seen in Meghalaya, where one can look out over a huge expanse of the surrounding hills and valleys, all the way out to Pynursla.<br />
<br />
It also happens to be the most accessible place to experience "Jingrwai Iawbei." While there are several other villages where the phenomenon seems to occur, none of them have significant tourist facilities.<br />
<br />
KONGTHONG 1:<br />
<br />
This is one of the most distinctive of all living root bridges, and also one of my personal favorites. The way it's main span slopes upwards makes it look almost like a living root ladder, and in all my time in Meghalaya, I've not seen another living root bridge like it.<br />
<br />
I was told that I was the first outsider to come to Kongthong 1. That being said, after making it all the way to Kongthong, reaching this bridge is not all that difficult: There is a very clear path that starts right next to the village, and heads almost straight down to the living root bridge, crossing an exceptionally long steel wire suspension bridge on the way. By the standards of the Khasi Hills, the path is almost gentle. However, when I first went my guide Roy took me up to the living root bridge through the bed of the river Umrew. This route takes one through spectacular canyon scenery, and is also highly recommended, though it's a longer and more strenuous hike/canyon scramble.<br />
<br />
Before you reach Kongthong 1, there is a living root ladder, which I'll talk about in my last post in this series.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NO1kn_Ana-w/VfnZ8aTJBSI/AAAAAAAAEO0/eK8MJn6ju1M/s1600/2%2BKongthong%2B1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NO1kn_Ana-w/VfnZ8aTJBSI/AAAAAAAAEO0/eK8MJn6ju1M/s640/2%2BKongthong%2B1.JPG" width="502" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Roy stands mightily upon Kongthong 1. How the original tree wound up in this strange configuration is hard to say. The natural center of the tree seems as though it's being held up by deliberately trained living root load bearing members that appear younger than the branches of the tree above</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XmSZz7w6I28/VfnZ8WrFX_I/AAAAAAAAEO4/WF6PIAmy67g/s1600/3%2BKongthong%2B1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XmSZz7w6I28/VfnZ8WrFX_I/AAAAAAAAEO4/WF6PIAmy67g/s640/3%2BKongthong%2B1.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This is the view of Kongthong 1 from upstream. It can also be viewed as a dual span living root bridge; The first span is the ramp-like structure you see here, while the second is a short, though clearly deliberately trained, span which leads from the center of the tree back to the opposite bank</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
KONGTHONG 2:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is a small, apparently damaged, living root bridge, about 40 meters upstream from Kongthong 1. An attempt is being made to grow new roots onto it to make it functional again.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u2XSipaY4YQ/VfnZ_77MDtI/AAAAAAAAEPM/_6DCwzRFy-M/s1600/4%2BKongthong%2B2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u2XSipaY4YQ/VfnZ_77MDtI/AAAAAAAAEPM/_6DCwzRFy-M/s640/4%2BKongthong%2B2.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Kongthong 2</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">SHNONGPDEI: 1 BRIDGE</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Not to be confused with Shnongpdeng, Shnongpdei is an exceedingly remote village, about a ninety minute hike north of Kongthong. You're only real chance of reaching it would be to contact the tourist society in Kongthong and have them guide you.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The upper reaches of the river Umrew flow next to Shnongpdei, and the one (known) living root bridge in the area is accessed by climbing down from Shnongpdei into the river, and then scrambling some distance down the watercourse to the living root bridge. There may be an easier way to get to the bridge, though no matter what, reaching it would entail a certain amount of scrambling. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Both from physical evidence and what I was told at the time, the river next to Shnongpdei was once spanned by quite a few living root bridges, though these have mostly been been destroyed in recent years due to rising flood levels, again, a result of the conversion of the jungle into broom grass fields. Several have, however, had a reincarnation of sorts in the form of bamboo bridges (I'll also cover one of these in my last post). The one living root bridge that has survived has only been able to because it's partially protected from monsoonal floods by a big boulder.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The protection offered by the boulder, however, didn't prevent the bridge from being knocked down sometime in the past. Most of the bridge was destroyed at one point, leaving only part of it standing on the western bank. Then the bridge was then reconnected, I'm told, maybe 60 or 70 years ago (figures are fuzzy under such circumstances.) </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The living root bridge was originally planted to service a village which no longer exists, and the paths down to the structure seem to have largely disappeared. The locals therefore didn't see any real reason to maintain the bridge, and at the time I visited, parts of it had fallen apart. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I was led down to the living root bridge by the head of Kongthong's tourism society, Rothell Kongsit, a couple of other folks from Kongthong, and also some people from Shnongpdei. It was Rothell's first visit as well. When we arrived at the bridge, Rothell explained to everybody that the bridge could be a major tourism asset, and that they shouldn't let the structure be destroyed. All the locals then started on the spot repairs on the living root bridge. Therefore, the living root bridge I left behind was very different from the one I first encountered. This marked the only time where I witnessed a living root bridge actually being constructed.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I do hope the bridge survived this year's monsoon season. There is a fairly good chance that, as I write this, the bridge has already disappeared. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nZ3A6wmgxrI/VfnaAdMT64I/AAAAAAAAEPQ/RPRgsDhzNpk/s1600/5%2BShnongpdei%2B1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nZ3A6wmgxrI/VfnaAdMT64I/AAAAAAAAEPQ/RPRgsDhzNpk/s640/5%2BShnongpdei%2B1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Shnongpdei 1, classic, simple, and spectacular. It is a fairly long bridge (I would estimate that it is slightly longer than the longest living root bridge in the Nongriat area). It looks much smaller from upstream than it does from downstream, because the boulder in the background obscures much of it. Rothell is second from left</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_Mg4uD6LwAQ/VfnaN38BjKI/AAAAAAAAEPo/mDCAiyJlhoI/s1600/6%2BShnongpdei%2B1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_Mg4uD6LwAQ/VfnaN38BjKI/AAAAAAAAEPo/mDCAiyJlhoI/s640/6%2BShnongpdei%2B1.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The view across the span, from the eastern side of the living root bridge, before any repairs had been done. You can see here that the railings on the left side the picture are less intact than those on the right</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FX-ueoFJTmU/VfnaMsQgWvI/AAAAAAAAEPc/xbTGhS3au18/s1600/7%2BShnongpdei%2B1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FX-ueoFJTmU/VfnaMsQgWvI/AAAAAAAAEPc/xbTGhS3au18/s640/7%2BShnongpdei%2B1.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
In the process of repairing the bridge, using the rubber tree roots available. Notice the thin roots coming in from the right side of the frame. This is a sort of a living root variation of a feature one sees frequently on modern steel wire bridges. Once those roots strengthen, they'll serve to keep the bridge from swaying too much in the wind and in flood waters. I'm not sure if it'll work or not: The roots probably won't have grown strong enough by the time the bridge is put to the test</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dvNJSz7gq6w/VfnaQD9b3qI/AAAAAAAAEP0/yR4tK4tRwYM/s1600/8%2BShnongpdei%2B1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dvNJSz7gq6w/VfnaQD9b3qI/AAAAAAAAEP0/yR4tK4tRwYM/s640/8%2BShnongpdei%2B1.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
More repairs being done. Note the number of roots that were hanging down that have been incorporated into the structure. If they survive this year, they'll add greatly to the stability of the living root bridge. There always seems to be a certain amount of opportunism that goes into creating and maintaining these structures</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i14JzXsoJ0U/VfnaQY0vufI/AAAAAAAAEP4/eBtOzE0pDkU/s1600/9%2BShnongpdei%2B1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-i14JzXsoJ0U/VfnaQY0vufI/AAAAAAAAEP4/eBtOzE0pDkU/s640/9%2BShnongpdei%2B1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The newly repaired railing. These roots will take a couple of years to become useful</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pWoHA5YwCp4/VfnaNAh0lbI/AAAAAAAAEPg/v8YiUJU2quQ/s1600/10%2BShnongpdei%2B1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="469" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pWoHA5YwCp4/VfnaNAh0lbI/AAAAAAAAEPg/v8YiUJU2quQ/s640/10%2BShnongpdei%2B1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The whole team at work on Shnongpdei 1</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">MAWSHUIT: 1 BRIDGE, 3 OTHERS KNOWN TO EXIST BUT NOT VISITED</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Mawshuit is a small village west of Kongthong. It has also seen a few visitors. The village, and the root bridge listed here, would be accessible in a day hike from Kongthong, though I stayed the night in Mawshuit. There seem to be quite a few living root bridges in the near vicinity, and I am told that there are many more in the surrounding villages, though at the time I could only manage to visit one. Exploring this region more thoroughly will be a high priority when I return.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
MAWSHUIT 1:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is a spectacular, though sadly dangerous and badly maintained, living root bridge on the Muor River, northwest of Mawshuit. It is, to my knowledge, the only living root bridge in this post which has been visited, photographed, and had information about it published online. A tour outfit called Vagabond Expeditions reached it sometime this year, though their blog post about it is dated several months after I visited. Also, a few trekking groups, including one apparently made up of American college students, have stayed in Mawshuit and trekked to the bridge. However, visitors are still extremely rare, and, if anything, seem to have ceased entirely, at least of late. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The bridge itself, at least according to the Vagabond Expeditions website, used to service a major trail that connected Mawshuit with the nearby small town of Khrang, though the entire trail was mostly abandoned around 1996 after an alternate route was constructed. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The bridge is clearly a very young one: So much so that the roots are thin enough that in places you could slip right through them. The bridge is also very high up above its stream. These two factors combine to make the living root bridge one of the most dangerous I've ever encountered. I learned this the hard way when I wandered right out onto the middle of it and then realized I was centimeters from doom...I'm afraid, unless you're tiny, going out on it is probably not a good idea. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It is, however, in one of the most spectacular settings of any living root bridge, as it spans a narrow, rocky, gorge. Were the people of Mawshuit to put their minds to it, they could develop and maintain the bridge. If the bridge itself were not in such poor condition, the view of it from downstream could become one of Meghalaya's great post card shots, and the village could do a steady business in bringing people to see it (a guide, at least at this stage, would be a must).</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OdRZRtvCB-c/VfnafyikMKI/AAAAAAAAEQE/9E_hK_NdUn0/s1600/11%2BMawshuit.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OdRZRtvCB-c/VfnafyikMKI/AAAAAAAAEQE/9E_hK_NdUn0/s640/11%2BMawshuit.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The former headman of Mawshuit village, standing upon Mawshuit 1. He is, of course, much smaller than I am, making the bridge much less of a safety hazard for him. You'll notice that there's a steel wire bridge right above it. I'm not sure which came first. Both are abandoned and rather too dangerous to cross. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B6SD8bNq6y8/VfnagLYFcQI/AAAAAAAAEQI/n9mwLbx2YeI/s1600/12%2BMawshuit%2B1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B6SD8bNq6y8/VfnagLYFcQI/AAAAAAAAEQI/n9mwLbx2YeI/s640/12%2BMawshuit%2B1.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The tangled view of the bridge from the eastern end of it. This is what you see first when you approach the bridge from Mawshuit. It really isn't very picturesque from this vantage point. Here you get a good impression of how thin the roots are</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LvaQIcoi38Y/VfnagSbPvmI/AAAAAAAAEQM/XCVbLsxYwEE/s1600/13%2BMawshuit%2B1%2B.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LvaQIcoi38Y/VfnagSbPvmI/AAAAAAAAEQM/XCVbLsxYwEE/s640/13%2BMawshuit%2B1%2B.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Closer to the center of the bridge</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FMEY7ovuIeM/Vfnah32Zc1I/AAAAAAAAEQY/DVrddEN1pjk/s1600/14%2BMawshuit%2B1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FMEY7ovuIeM/Vfnah32Zc1I/AAAAAAAAEQY/DVrddEN1pjk/s640/14%2BMawshuit%2B1.JPG" width="626" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Zooming in on the span and the ex-headman</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">NONGSHKEN: 1 BRIDGE</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Nongshken is a tiny village on the long route between Mawshuit and Cherrapunji. If you were to walk from Cherrapunji to Kongthong, you might come this way. I have absolutely no information on other living root bridges in the area.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
NONGSHKEN 1:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is a pretty, classic, medium length living root bridge in a small wooded valley below Nongshken. It lies directly on the fairly important route linking the villages of Rymmai, Nongshken, and Sohkynduh. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-So1HDhCi-W0/Vfnais1g5BI/AAAAAAAAEQg/aF4Ddy7OnO0/s1600/15%2BNongshken%2B1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-So1HDhCi-W0/Vfnais1g5BI/AAAAAAAAEQg/aF4Ddy7OnO0/s640/15%2BNongshken%2B1.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Nongshken 1</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YeqwYA6XKTw/VfnazAwAtkI/AAAAAAAAEQ0/xaih-KFNDJY/s1600/16%2BNongshken%2B1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="506" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YeqwYA6XKTw/VfnazAwAtkI/AAAAAAAAEQ0/xaih-KFNDJY/s640/16%2BNongshken%2B1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The view from upstream....</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h_pkxW6Ukf8/VfnayP43LyI/AAAAAAAAEQs/ro1vke30Yaw/s1600/17%2BNongshken%2B1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="570" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h_pkxW6Ukf8/VfnayP43LyI/AAAAAAAAEQs/ro1vke30Yaw/s640/17%2BNongshken%2B1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
....and from downstream. The man in the photo was my guide from the village of Rymmai</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">SOHKYNDUH: 1 BRIDGE</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Sohkynduh is a village within sight of Cherrapunji, and would be accessible from Cherrapunji itself in about a five hour (at a moderate pace) trek. The village does not have any tourist facilities, and is at this point very unused to outsiders. However, if it did have a home stay, it would make a very good base to begin exploring the Katarshnong from. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I only spent one night there, though that was just long enough to see that the village is the terminus of a network of trails that lead into the southern part of the Katarshnong, a region in which I have never set foot, though which almost certainly has a significant number of examples of living root architecture. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
SOHKYNDUH 1:</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
This is a small but very interesting, and clearly very ancient, living root bridge a steep two and a half hour hike (both ways) from Sohkynduh. It has a very distinctive, triangular, profile, as the planters decided to use what would become some of the tree's main branches in the structure of the living root bridge.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t3vyUQQ2GCM/VfnazP-t27I/AAAAAAAAEQw/qGrgfGZS3qs/s1600/18%2BSohkynduh%2B1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t3vyUQQ2GCM/VfnazP-t27I/AAAAAAAAEQw/qGrgfGZS3qs/s640/18%2BSohkynduh%2B1.JPG" width="564" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Sohkynduh 1</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0X8GKMduJuc/Vfna0alZjMI/AAAAAAAAEQ8/LOKI1k3YlZY/s1600/19%2BSohkynduh%2B1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0X8GKMduJuc/Vfna0alZjMI/AAAAAAAAEQ8/LOKI1k3YlZY/s640/19%2BSohkynduh%2B1.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
My guide from Sohkynduh on the living root bridge</div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6smxWXhdl78/Vfna1TLeIXI/AAAAAAAAERI/7jn4xd4Wtag/s1600/20%2BSohkynduh%2B1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6smxWXhdl78/Vfna1TLeIXI/AAAAAAAAERI/7jn4xd4Wtag/s640/20%2BSohkynduh%2B1.JPG" width="626" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A local villager crossing Sohkynduh 1. Note how thick the root next to him is. Allowing for the fact that the man is probably very short, the root must still be in the vicinity of two and half to three feet thick, meaning the bridge must be hundreds of years old</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">NONGPRIANG: 1 BRIDGE, SEVERAL DESTROYED BRIDGES</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Walking from Kongthong, Nongpriang is the last village one goes through before reaching Cherrapunji. It lies directly at the bottom of the steep slope to the east of Cherrapunji, I'd say about an hour's walk downhill, or a three hour's walk up.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It still manages to be a pretty little village, though the surroundings are sad: As I walked through, the jungle in the area was literally in the process of being burnt down. It's clear that, not too long ago, there were a great many living root bridge around this village. While I saw one functional one, I also saw two other places where living root bridges had been, though they were destroyed recently. I didn't have the time to do a proper survey of the area, so it's more than possible that there are other, still functional, living root bridges accessible from Nongpriang.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
NONGPRIANG 1:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is a small bridge on the path between Sohkynduh and Nongpriang. It's very near some large patches of jungle that were cleared in shifting cultivation fires recently. It looked to me at the time that the bridge itself had only narrowly missed being consumed in the fire. It also happens to be the last living root bridge I discovered on my month long trek. A few hours after the photos below were taken, I was back in Cherrapunji. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8kfNvQqCkPk/VfnbH5gNQQI/AAAAAAAAERc/ne8hYsZTnyk/s1600/21%2BNongpriang%2B1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="524" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8kfNvQqCkPk/VfnbH5gNQQI/AAAAAAAAERc/ne8hYsZTnyk/s640/21%2BNongpriang%2B1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
My guide on Nongpriang 1</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oIOaXhMSu48/VfnbIP9WGfI/AAAAAAAAERY/1puW2HEvACY/s1600/22%2BNongpriang%2B1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oIOaXhMSu48/VfnbIP9WGfI/AAAAAAAAERY/1puW2HEvACY/s640/22%2BNongpriang%2B1.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Nongpriang 1</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-60Cr0tMv83U/VfnbICZg9qI/AAAAAAAAERU/7YVPPGAom-s/s1600/23%2BNongpriang%2B1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-60Cr0tMv83U/VfnbICZg9qI/AAAAAAAAERU/7YVPPGAom-s/s640/23%2BNongpriang%2B1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The view of Nongpriang 1 from upstream</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Coming soon, the final entry in this series: The Undiscovered Living Root Bridges of Meghalaya Part 4: Living Root Ladders and other uses for Living Root Architecture</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Patrick A. Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05731722419862161376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049395502639291836.post-65709561718101997072015-09-14T22:11:00.001-07:002015-09-14T22:11:37.829-07:00The Undiscovered Living Root Bridges of Meghalaya Part 2: Bridges Near Pynursla<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-24lOO6XPVis/VefEScIdmxI/AAAAAAAAEGc/GajUkNQEEqk/s1600/Cover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-24lOO6XPVis/VefEScIdmxI/AAAAAAAAEGc/GajUkNQEEqk/s640/Cover.JPG" width="602" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Jungle Man John Cena and friend cling to roots with the longest known living root bridge in the background</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
First, for more info on obscure living root bridges, go to: <a href="http://evenfewergoats.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-undiscovered-living-root-bridges-of.html">The Undiscovered Living Root Bridges of Meghalaya Part 1: Bridges of the Umngot River basin</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Also, for info on a trip I'll be leading to the amazing place in the picture above (along with tons of other incredible places!), go to: <a href="http://evenfewergoatstravel.blogspot.com/2015/08/northeast-india-explorer-2016-itinerary.html">Northeast India Explorer Itinerary</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Before I get into the post, I'd just like to thank my friend Alan West, who pointed me in the general direction of the area in this post, and also my redoubtable jungle guides: Morningstarr, John Cena (A.K.A. Jungle Man John Cena), and Morningstarr's dad. Without them, I might very well have seen just a few of the bridges in the area, and then moved on. These three know their area incredibly well, and were able to show me places I otherwise would have surely missed. They know that what they have in their area is something truly of value.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So, moving right along:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">PYNURSLA</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">VILLAGES COVERED: RANGTHYLLIANG / MAWKYRNOT-MYNDRING </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Once I had reached the medium sized Khasi town of Pynursla, I had already vastly exceeded the number of living root bridges that I thought I could expect to find on my long trek. My assumption was that the trip's greatest discoveries were probably all behind me. But then Pynursla blew that notion away. Within a few kilometers of that totally unassuming, entirely untouristed town, is the highest density of living root architecture known to exist. In comparison, the living root bridges around Cherrapunji seem rather thinly spaced out. Even around the village of Nongriat, at the moment the center of root bridge tourism, there are only (by my calculations) nine living root structures, including two rather beyond the tourist zone. In the Pynursla area, I came across as many on a <i>single hike. </i>Here, I'm listing nineteen structures. There are many more in the area. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Just a warning: The photos below are of very variable quality. Conditions were often just too rough to have the time to take lots of really good photos. All nineteen bridges were visited over the course of only four hikes, and these were all immensely difficult endeavors. My guides had such a knowledge of the land that they simply did not need trails. Rather than walking, they often preferred to climb, up and down unstable slopes, precariously clinging to roots and bushes, me following as best I could. And, for some of the living root bridges, this was the best way to reach them. Many living root bridges do not have clear paths to them (or paths leading to them at all). Those that have survived yet outlived their usefulness are lost out in the jungle, forgotten, but still growing stronger. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The incredible density of living root structures in this area should not lead to the assumption that there is no place in Meghalaya that has more of them. The only thing that the number of living root bridges around Pynursla suggests to me is that, in all likelihood, there are places with just as high, or even higher, concentrations of living root architecture, that are simply further from civilization and therefore will take longer to become known (if the bridges aren't destroyed in the meantime, which is likely).</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">RANGTHYLLIANG / MAWKYRNOT: 16 BRIDGES (MANY MORE UNVISITED)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
At the moment, the village with the most known living root bridges is a small settlement, almost a kind of suburb, of the town of Pynursla (though it in fact predates the town), called Rangthylliang. The village is on the edge of a vast canyon system, and it's land slopes down into the gorge via a huge, steep, jungle covered ridge. An astonishing number of living root structures occur on this promontory, a handful of which are already starting to be famous, though the vast majority are unknown.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
While I can reasonably safely say that I was the first foreigner to reach most of these bridges, several very local Khasi tourism societies do operate in the area, though so far they seem to have had little luck promoting the area. Maybe this post will help in a small way.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
There are a few bridges that have been "discovered" as it were. These are what I'm listing as Rangthylliang 1-5. Several of these are among the most extraordinary known living root bridges, including the world's longest example, and also an (unfortunately damaged) "Triple Decker." There is, sadly, something of a political dispute over the world's longest bridge: It actually crosses over the stream that marks the border between Rangthylliang's land and that of a village called Mawkyrnot. The bridge appears to have been planted on the Rangthylliang side of the border, but it's easier to access from Mawkyrnot. The only tourism that the area is seeing at the moment is a little bit coming from the world famous village of Mawlynnong, and a few guides from that village take tourists to the longest bridge via Mawkynot. The bridge seems to be claimed by that village, which is something that's not going to sit too well in Rangthylliang once the area starts getting famous and tourist rupees start pouring in...I was told that, back in the hazy past, the two villages fought wars over that particular piece of real-estate, so I hope that doesn't start up again.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I'm listing the first five bridge under Rangthylliang, though be advised that more people in Meghalaya (though not many!) are going to have heard of Mawkyrnot as the village to approach these bridges from. After 1-5, the rest of the bridges mostly seem not to have been photographed or visited by outsiders....not that anything on this list has seen more than a handful of visitors at this point...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
RANGTHYLLIANG 1:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is, in terms of a single span, the longest known bridge (there is another bridge, later in this post, which might be longer in terms of its full structural length, through it's divided into two spans). This is also the most famous bridge on this list, having appeared in a photo in <i>The Atlantic. </i>The photographer had visited Mawlynnong, and was brought here. Still, visitors are exceedingly few, though that's likely to change very soon.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v2BqRzhC81A/Vefmlu3FiYI/AAAAAAAAEGw/3X65_07xe4w/s1600/1%2BRangthylliang%2B1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="477" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v2BqRzhC81A/Vefmlu3FiYI/AAAAAAAAEGw/3X65_07xe4w/s640/1%2BRangthylliang%2B1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The classic shot of Rangthylliang 1, undoubtedly one of the most spectacular examples of living root architecture. At over 50 meters, it's much longer than the longest (known) living root bridge in the Cherrapunji area. It's also over 30 meters above its stream. The claim has been made that it is a newly planted bridge, since it does not have functioning rails composed of living roots. I find this doubtful: The main root of the structure is very thick, while the tree, which you can see on the right of this picture, certainly looks like it was modified a very long time ago. Also, some of the secondary roots coming down from the main root look to be as thick as small trees. It seems either that the rails were destroyed at some point, or that the bridge has always had the current, hybrid, arrangement, where bamboo is used to provide the actual walkway and hand-railings</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ojUOeghnokU/VefmmKyKGlI/AAAAAAAAEG4/Dx1m-6qHeZk/s1600/2%2BRangthylliang%2B1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ojUOeghnokU/VefmmKyKGlI/AAAAAAAAEG4/Dx1m-6qHeZk/s640/2%2BRangthylliang%2B1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Looking up at Rangthylliang 1 from below. Note the way that the tree the living root bridge is formed of seems to lean out over the precipice. This would seem to indicate that the tree has been there a very long time, and that the ground beneath it has been undercut. That also leads me to believe that Rangthylliang 1 is an older bridge</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
RANGTHYLLIANG 2:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Rangthylliang 1, 2, and 3, are all within sight of each other. Rangthylliang 1 and 3 cross the small stream that separates the land of Rangthylliang and Mawkyrnot. Rangthylliang 2 spans a small brook that comes down a rocky cliff face and then feeds into the larger stream, between the other two bridges. It's a very pretty bridge in its own right, though not an especially photogenic one. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5YHGKdEFmjQ/VefmkT7Q2sI/AAAAAAAAEGo/zJUQdgyl-Eo/s1600/3%2BRangthylliang%2B2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5YHGKdEFmjQ/VefmkT7Q2sI/AAAAAAAAEGo/zJUQdgyl-Eo/s640/3%2BRangthylliang%2B2.JPG" width="516" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Rangthylliang 2, viewed from a distance</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a0sP9yOYuEk/VefmnsJ8hNI/AAAAAAAAEHA/trHgaPGBP88/s1600/4%2BRangthylliang%2B2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a0sP9yOYuEk/VefmnsJ8hNI/AAAAAAAAEHA/trHgaPGBP88/s640/4%2BRangthylliang%2B2.JPG" width="574" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Crossing Rangthylliang 2</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
RANGTHYLLIANG 3:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is quite a large, "classic," living root bridge, perhaps 150 meters upstream from Rangthylliang 1. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Yv-9vCNR_Rg/Vefmn8Og_DI/AAAAAAAAEHE/rGRfNk8LQlk/s1600/5%2BRangthylliang%2B3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Yv-9vCNR_Rg/Vefmn8Og_DI/AAAAAAAAEHE/rGRfNk8LQlk/s640/5%2BRangthylliang%2B3.JPG" width="584" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Jungle Man John Cena swinging on a root, under Rangthylliang 3</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f7v9cD93NNI/Vefm_i03aWI/AAAAAAAAEHQ/z-Q00-jUL1I/s1600/6%2BRanthylliang%2B3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="508" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f7v9cD93NNI/Vefm_i03aWI/AAAAAAAAEHQ/z-Q00-jUL1I/s640/6%2BRanthylliang%2B3.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Rangthylliang 3 </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
RANGTHYLLIANG 4:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is a very small bridge between the three pictured above and the next entry. As I had to keep up with my guides, I only manged to take one photo, which was out of focus, and wouldn't look like anything if I posted it here. I would estimate it's about eight feet long.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
RANGTHYLLIANG 5 (RANGTHYLLIANG TRIPLE DECKER):</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This extraordinary bridge is about a twenty minute (at a reasonable pace) walk from Rangthylliang 1. When I first visited, I had thought that it was a "Double Decker," with a similar arrangement to the world famous Double Decker living root bridge in Nongriat. While perhaps not quite so perfect as the more famous structure, the Rangthylliang bridge struck me at the time as rather more spectacular, simply because the upper span was longer, and also higher above its stream, than the Nongriat Bridge. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Sadly, the bridge has been damaged very recently. A tree has fallen over onto the lower span, and if you weren't paying close attention, you might not even realize that the bridge was a multiple span structure. That being said, the span that was hit does not seem to have been badly damaged, it's just partially hidden under a big tree. If there was somebody in the area who was sufficiently motivated (and there does not seem to be at the moment), they could probably repair the living root bridge. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
However, just in the last couple of days, as I was scouring the internet to see if there was any other information on the bridges in this area, I found something that makes this bridge even more exceptional. It <i>may </i>be the world's only known example of a "Trip Decker" living root bridge. A very local Khasi hiking club put up a photo of the living root bridge from two years ago on their Facebook page. This was before the tree fell, and what the photo shows is actually <i>three </i>spans. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
At the time I visited, I didn't see a third span. It might have been destroyed, or it might have been hidden by the fallen tree. Also, there is the possibility that the third span is actually an entirely separate living root bridge, grown from another tree. Still, whether it is a double or triple decker structure, Rangthylliang 5 illustrates that the diversity of living root bridges, and of living root architecture in general, is vastly greater than than the world assumes.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CBh4ZUBE76o/VefnOJjdxJI/AAAAAAAAEHY/fy3M3FAAko0/s1600/7%2BRangthylliang%2B5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="490" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CBh4ZUBE76o/VefnOJjdxJI/AAAAAAAAEHY/fy3M3FAAko0/s640/7%2BRangthylliang%2B5.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
My guides on Rangthylliang 5. You can see here that the upper span is a great distance above its stream. The lower span is under that tree</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6_91aIoaCxs/VefnR97n8kI/AAAAAAAAEHw/Hlh4FUL1nMc/s1600/8%2BRangthylliang%2B5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6_91aIoaCxs/VefnR97n8kI/AAAAAAAAEHw/Hlh4FUL1nMc/s640/8%2BRangthylliang%2B5.JPG" width="559" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Jungle Man John Cena on the uppermost span</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y1CD1k71PGE/VefnSomqYFI/AAAAAAAAEH0/BkmLUrHWly0/s1600/9%2BRangthylliang%2B5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y1CD1k71PGE/VefnSomqYFI/AAAAAAAAEH0/BkmLUrHWly0/s640/9%2BRangthylliang%2B5.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Here you can get a fairly good impression of the arrangement of the two upper spans. It's a fairly similar to layout of the world famous double decker living root bridge in Nongriat</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nZpYz5jLNXs/VefnPTxgSmI/AAAAAAAAEHk/s3U-8JVa_q4/s1600/10%2BRangthylliang%2B5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nZpYz5jLNXs/VefnPTxgSmI/AAAAAAAAEHk/s3U-8JVa_q4/s640/10%2BRangthylliang%2B5.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Investigating the lower (or middle?) span</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p_WkDlNP2JI/VefnO0ignmI/AAAAAAAAEHg/L4J1fFS4tLI/s1600/11%2BRangthylliang%2B5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p_WkDlNP2JI/VefnO0ignmI/AAAAAAAAEHg/L4J1fFS4tLI/s640/11%2BRangthylliang%2B5.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Jungle Man John Cena on the upper span</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
RANGTHYLLIANG 6:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This small, simple bridge is beyond Rangthylliang 5. I've never seen another photo of it online.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9vyRR_pPLVc/VefnrwdqwxI/AAAAAAAAEIM/0n0EcEpMOT4/s1600/12%2BRangthylliang%2B6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="546" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9vyRR_pPLVc/VefnrwdqwxI/AAAAAAAAEIM/0n0EcEpMOT4/s640/12%2BRangthylliang%2B6.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Jungle Man John Cena on Rangthylliang 6</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
RANGTHYLLIANG 7: </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This living root bridge is interesting simply because it's very newly planted. It's two or three years old at most, and probably has at least a decade to go before it becomes operational. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It's important for two reasons: First, it demonstrates that the actual practice of creating living root bridges is still alive (though clearly becoming rarer) in the Rangthylliang area. Second, it is the only newly planted bridge that I've ever encountered outside of a tourist zone. I'm reasonably sure no other outsider has seen it.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A3uSh7aOJdQ/VefnrvIYJzI/AAAAAAAAEIE/8kGmVennzq8/s1600/13%2BRangthylliang%2B7.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A3uSh7aOJdQ/VefnrvIYJzI/AAAAAAAAEIE/8kGmVennzq8/s640/13%2BRangthylliang%2B7.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The roots of Rangthylliang 7 are very thin. I suspect that a large number of living root bridges actually don't make it past this stage and are destroyed in landslides, fires, and floods</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
RANGTHYLLIANG 8:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is another truly remarkable living root structure, though, funnily enough, when I visited it didn't even occur to me how unusual it was. Here, a single tree has been ingeniously modified into both a bridge <i>and </i>a ladder. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6T84dO7ny_w/VefnrTydkKI/AAAAAAAAEIA/PYAZJF_C4hQ/s1600/14%2BRanghthlliang%2B8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6T84dO7ny_w/VefnrTydkKI/AAAAAAAAEIA/PYAZJF_C4hQ/s640/14%2BRanghthlliang%2B8.JPG" width="526" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The main bridge, which would be an impressive example of living root architecture all by itself. Note the root swing.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PM-yuZZPBL8/Vefnu-k7pPI/AAAAAAAAEIY/ckN7ILZmkGE/s1600/15%2BRangthylliang%2B8.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PM-yuZZPBL8/Vefnu-k7pPI/AAAAAAAAEIY/ckN7ILZmkGE/s640/15%2BRangthylliang%2B8.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
My friend Morningstarr climbing the living root ladder, which was made by training the secondary roots hanging down from the bridge into rungs</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SkjBjqCjomw/Vefnu7H967I/AAAAAAAAEIc/SlRxaFrCbVo/s1600/16%2BRanghthylliang%2B8%2B.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SkjBjqCjomw/Vefnu7H967I/AAAAAAAAEIc/SlRxaFrCbVo/s640/16%2BRanghthylliang%2B8%2B.JPG" width="535" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Jungle Man John Cena swinging again....he never misses a chance...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
RANGTHYLLIANG 9:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is yet another extraordinary living root bridge. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Two things set it apart. The first is that, as I remember it, this bridge is higher up off its stream than any I've come across. If memory serves, the stream was something like 100 meters below. Needless to say, a fatal drop. The living root bridge crosses a deep canyon. Unfortunately, at least as far as photography is concerned, it's right in front of a waterfall (dry at the time I visited) and therefore its almost impossible to capture its great height in a photograph (in the time I had...we moved on pretty quickly). A picture looking straight down from the bridge doesn't look like anything.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The second thing that sets it apart is that the bridge is another double span structure, but in this case, it's two spans are at a ninety degree angle to one another, an arrangement which I've never seen elsewhere....this is one I'm really looking forward to getting back to and taking more pictures of...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BstozS49wBY/VefoH1XIxCI/AAAAAAAAEIw/Wb7SjMpjjcg/s1600/17%2BRangthylliang%2B9.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BstozS49wBY/VefoH1XIxCI/AAAAAAAAEIw/Wb7SjMpjjcg/s640/17%2BRangthylliang%2B9.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Jungle Man John Cena on Rangthylliang 9. Note the very straight object near the bottom of the photo. My theory is that this is a failed or abandoned root bridge. I'll talk about it in the last post is this series. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
RANGTHYLLIANG 10:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This was a bridge that my companions and I crossed over very quickly, right before we started a near vertical, thirty minute downward climb. Below is the only picture of the bridge that I managed to take. The bridge is clearly very old, and has been damaged in several places. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MXfmhhmYA5s/VefoH5n0f5I/AAAAAAAAEIs/Yx-bB1nqrkU/s1600/18%2BRangthylliang%2B10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MXfmhhmYA5s/VefoH5n0f5I/AAAAAAAAEIs/Yx-bB1nqrkU/s640/18%2BRangthylliang%2B10.JPG" width="541" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Morningstarr on Rangthylliang 10</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
RANGTHYLLIANG 11:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is a spectacular, classic, living root bridge. A second root has been trained across the river right next to it, creating something like another "Double Decker," though the other root does not constitute a separate, functional span. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I wasn't able to establish what the purpose of the second root was. Currently, there does not appear to be any effort being made to use the second root to form a new span. What it might be is a remnant of an older span that has been almost totally destroyed in floods, except for that one root...or it might just be a mistake...</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3WYzBbUmpMs/VefoHWJb13I/AAAAAAAAEIo/LYT3DegrHfM/s1600/20%2BRangthylliang%2B11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="583" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3WYzBbUmpMs/VefoHWJb13I/AAAAAAAAEIo/LYT3DegrHfM/s640/20%2BRangthylliang%2B11.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Looking up at Rangthylliang 11</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1P0qIGS_wLM/VefoMfYn-4I/AAAAAAAAEJM/3YEi0Tn_K8k/s1600/21%2BRangthylliang%2B11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1P0qIGS_wLM/VefoMfYn-4I/AAAAAAAAEJM/3YEi0Tn_K8k/s640/21%2BRangthylliang%2B11.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Closer on the main span and the mysterious second root</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kVgak4OAEkw/VefoL4dVu4I/AAAAAAAAEJI/wv4cQmRGK8g/s1600/22%2BRangthylliang%2B11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kVgak4OAEkw/VefoL4dVu4I/AAAAAAAAEJI/wv4cQmRGK8g/s640/22%2BRangthylliang%2B11.JPG" width="549" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
My companions on the main span of Rangthylliang 11</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
RANGTHYLLIANG 12:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is one of a pair of two small, though very old, living root bridges, well off any major trails. Living root bridges such as these, which must be very numerous across Meghalaya, would be absolutely impossible to find without guides who had an extremely intimate knowledge of the local landscape.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-06Lttc3zknc/VefoLIpcF6I/AAAAAAAAEJA/roKD4l1hVeg/s1600/23%2BRangthylliang%2B12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="536" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-06Lttc3zknc/VefoLIpcF6I/AAAAAAAAEJA/roKD4l1hVeg/s640/23%2BRangthylliang%2B12.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Rangthylliang 12....yes, the photo doesn't look like much, though this is the best one I managed to take</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
RANGTHYLLIANG 13:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Judging by the secondary roots growing out of the bottom of this living root bridge, it must be very ancient...perhaps the oldest I reached in the Rangthylliang area. As I remember, it was no longer in use.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ar4VGYutiaA/VefoNrUoKwI/AAAAAAAAEJY/sbTjBizZ7is/s1600/24%2BRangthylliang%2B13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="512" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ar4VGYutiaA/VefoNrUoKwI/AAAAAAAAEJY/sbTjBizZ7is/s640/24%2BRangthylliang%2B13.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Morningstarr grins like a madman on Rangthylliang 13</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aLwsKGafsWk/VefoOaC5OTI/AAAAAAAAEJc/-sLSXzk6sEc/s1600/25%2BRangthylliang%2B13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="501" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aLwsKGafsWk/VefoOaC5OTI/AAAAAAAAEJc/-sLSXzk6sEc/s640/25%2BRangthylliang%2B13.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Jungle Man John Cena finding another opportunity to swing on roots, in front of Rangthylliang 13</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
RANGTHYLLIANG 14:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Rangthylliang 14 and 15 are another pair of small but interesting living root bridges. Again, without really good guides, I never would have even suspected they were there. They were accessed by climbing up a stream bed, the paths they once serviced having long since faded away.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RQ47sUsCu-U/VefovyscclI/AAAAAAAAEJo/bXNMXaELlv8/s1600/26%2BRangthylliang%2B14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="483" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RQ47sUsCu-U/VefovyscclI/AAAAAAAAEJo/bXNMXaELlv8/s640/26%2BRangthylliang%2B14.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Rangthylliang 14 in the foreground, with 15 in the background. Why the original planters put the two living root bridges so close together is an interesting (though probably unanswerable) question</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
RANGTHLLIANG 15:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is a short distance upstream from Rangthylliang 14.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WKJPwL_1xow/VefowlDSesI/AAAAAAAAEJw/sV-OIIBEY6Q/s1600/27%2BRangthylliang%2B15.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WKJPwL_1xow/VefowlDSesI/AAAAAAAAEJw/sV-OIIBEY6Q/s640/27%2BRangthylliang%2B15.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Looking up at Rangthylliang 15</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
RANGTHYLLIANG 16:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This living root bridge is a steep, three hour (one way) downhill hike from Rangthylliang, near the border of Rangthylliang's land with that of another village called Myndring. The living root bridge itself is a very satisfying example of living root architecture, while the setting of the bridge is one of the most beautiful places I've visited in Meghalaya. The bridge crosses a small, clear stream right in front of where it issues from a narrow gorge, poring over a very pretty little waterfall. There is a nice, swimmable, pool in front of the waterfall, and if you climb up the falls, there is another, even nicer, swimmable pool at the top, with yet another small waterfall at the end of <i>that </i>pool. It's a great place to spend a few hours, though since it's quite some distance from Rangthylliang or Mawkyrnot, and since those villages don't have any real overnight facilities as yet, this particular spot will probably not be overrun by tourists for quite some time.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cUgYDMH0HiM/VefoxA2f2-I/AAAAAAAAEJ0/qC9iAvP5ekU/s1600/28%2BRangthylliang%2B16.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cUgYDMH0HiM/VefoxA2f2-I/AAAAAAAAEJ0/qC9iAvP5ekU/s640/28%2BRangthylliang%2B16.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Rangthylliang 16</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7jS_pNoxPXE/VefozHjfvFI/AAAAAAAAEKA/H2IETHOl6-U/s1600/29%2BRangthylliang%2B16.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7jS_pNoxPXE/VefozHjfvFI/AAAAAAAAEKA/H2IETHOl6-U/s640/29%2BRangthylliang%2B16.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The stream in front of Rangthylliang 16. A wonderful place for a rest</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">MYNDRING: 3 BRIDGES (MORE LIKELY)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Myndring is a small Khasi village on a ridge downhill from Pynursla. While not very far from the town as the crow flies, it is still very remote, being only accessible on foot via a steep stairway. My companions and I approached it from rather an odd direction: We started in Rangthylliang, then climbed down into the valley between Rangthyllliang and Myndring, and then climbed up into Myndring from the jungle. I was told in Myndring that I was the first tourist to visit within living memory, so the living root bridges pictured below had probably not been seen by an outsider before.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
MYNDRING 1:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Myndring 1 is a huge living root bridge that crosses the river that marks the boundary between Rangthylliang's land and that of Myndring. The main tree that the bridge is grown out of is on the Myndring side of the border, so I'm listing it under that village. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I view this living root bridge as the most important single discovery of my month long trek. This is for several reasons:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The first is that it appears to be a very old bridge, yet it is also over a large river. What this means is that it is an ancient bridge that has nonetheless withstood the test of time. It might be 300 years old, and yet has taken 300 years of abuse from 300 Meghalaya monsoon seasons. While a few living root bridges still exist on larger streams, they seem to usually be well up off the water, safe from floods. They are also, as is the case with the longest bridge near Nongriat, or the Great Bridge of Kudeng Rim, relatively new living root bridges. This particular example is, very clearly judging by the root thickness, ancient, yet it is fairly close to its stream, and is probably bombarded yearly not just by flood waters, but also with the rocks and brushwood the floods take down the stream with them.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The second reason it's remarkable is that it is another double span structure, in this case with one span before the other. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a picture of the second span (something I hope to do properly when I return), but what you see in the photo below is only 60% or so of the complete structure.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The third reason why I view this particular living root bridge as so exceptional is that, by certain measurements, it might actually be the longest known example. Rangthylliang 1 certainly is the longest in terms of a single span, however the bridge below may be the longest in terms of the distance over which a single organism has been modified. I'm reasonably sure (though, again, I'll need to revisit!) that both spans of the bridge put together would be longer than Rangthylliang 1 in its entirety. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Sadly, as I crossed this bridge I saw that some of the roots were dying of some sort of disease. It is more than likely that the living root bridge will be swept away in the next few years, particularly if there's increased slash and burn agriculture upstream. There isn't any especially pressing practical reason for the locals to maintain the bridge: While it once serviced a major trail between Rangthylliang and Myndring, that path seems to have fallen largely into disuse over a century ago. As far a tourism is concerned, even if there were facilities in Pynursla or even in Rangthylliang, it's unlikely that your average hiker would make it this far. I'm really not sure if this bridge will be there the next time I visit, meaning that there is a chance that the photos you see below might be the only ones that are ever taken of this living root bridge.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5POTl-7V3vs/Vefoz6QfTOI/AAAAAAAAEKI/_HymX5mENHg/s1600/30%2BRangthylliang%2B17.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="446" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5POTl-7V3vs/Vefoz6QfTOI/AAAAAAAAEKI/_HymX5mENHg/s640/30%2BRangthylliang%2B17.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Jungle John Cena and Morningstarr's dad stand mightily upon Myndring 1, giving some scale. The living root bridge continues for some distance beyond both ends of this photo. Note the size of the secondary roots hanging down from the bridge, indicating an ancient structure</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VUfFCKbknLY/Vefo1C1rt6I/AAAAAAAAEKQ/EppiOcDytQA/s1600/31%2BRangthylliang%2B17.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VUfFCKbknLY/Vefo1C1rt6I/AAAAAAAAEKQ/EppiOcDytQA/s640/31%2BRangthylliang%2B17.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Another view on Myndring 1. Note the way that the secondary roots have been bent back, presumably by year after year of monsoon floods. They must look like that permanently, as there hadn't been a significant rainfall in the area for several months when this photo was taken</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
MYNDRING 2: </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is a small but very interesting bridge, deep in the jungle on the south side of the ridge Myndring is on. My companions from Rangthylliang were just as surprised to run into it as I was, Myndring being well outside of their usual stomping grounds.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F5uUizeOr88/Vefo2YmCOjI/AAAAAAAAEKY/7M-wlKdHTZk/s1600/32%2BMyndring%2B1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="527" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F5uUizeOr88/Vefo2YmCOjI/AAAAAAAAEKY/7M-wlKdHTZk/s640/32%2BMyndring%2B1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Myndring 2</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pidgt1R_xNI/Vefo3GP6MbI/AAAAAAAAEKg/tbwOY4TXR24/s1600/33%2BMyndring%2B1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pidgt1R_xNI/Vefo3GP6MbI/AAAAAAAAEKg/tbwOY4TXR24/s640/33%2BMyndring%2B1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Morningstarr's father on Myndring 2. I was told that sign said, if effect, that the village council had forbade local villagers from taking hacks at the bridge with machetes. Once again, you can see here that the roots on the bridge look to be well over two feet thick, making it yet another very ancient structure</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
MYNDRING 3:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This exceedingly remote bridge, belonging to a local family in Myndring, is in my estimation one of the most beautiful in the Pynursla area. At a mere 40 years old it is, by the standards of living root bridges, quite recent (though that figure was obtained from an old drunk and is probably at best a fuzzy guess). I could only reach it by paying off the family who owned it, something I would have of course been happy to do had I not known the money was going to immediately go to alcohol. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oYng6DZ-TIY/VefpYAvPzsI/AAAAAAAAEKw/6ecLlqionUE/s1600/34%2BMyndring%2B2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oYng6DZ-TIY/VefpYAvPzsI/AAAAAAAAEKw/6ecLlqionUE/s640/34%2BMyndring%2B2.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Morningstarr on Myndring 3. Notice the two roots that sort of reach down onto the bridge like support cables. I've never seen this arrangement anywhere else. It does not seem to have made much difference: One of those roots is actually connected to the bridge and is holding up some of the weight, but the other is just hanging there. Still, they give the bridge a very distinctive profile.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6Pvxj2DXqac/VefpW9i2YVI/AAAAAAAAEKo/ZI2PEPAorrg/s1600/35%2BMyndring%2B2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6Pvxj2DXqac/VefpW9i2YVI/AAAAAAAAEKo/ZI2PEPAorrg/s640/35%2BMyndring%2B2.JPG" width="603" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A view of the living root bridge from a distance. It's 20 to 30 meters up off the ground in the middle of the span, the land behind it dropping off very precipitously</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ngS1RY1FIl0/VefpZHgeETI/AAAAAAAAEK4/FVVqAs5GDhk/s1600/36%2BMyndring%2B2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ngS1RY1FIl0/VefpZHgeETI/AAAAAAAAEK4/FVVqAs5GDhk/s640/36%2BMyndring%2B2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The only picture you'll see of me on this list, along with Jungle Man John Cena doing moves from the film "Ong Bak" (which happens to be his favorite movie). Note how relatively thin the roots of the tree can be and yet still be fully functional</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0mK5Fdo8Yjg/VefpZvV3IHI/AAAAAAAAELA/J1gpNrxy4ik/s1600/37%2BMyndring%2B2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0mK5Fdo8Yjg/VefpZvV3IHI/AAAAAAAAELA/J1gpNrxy4ik/s640/37%2BMyndring%2B2.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The view across the span of Myndring 3</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Coming soon: The Undiscovered Living Root Bridges of Meghalaya Part 3: Bridges of the Twelve Villages</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The Undiscovered Living Root Bridges of Meghalaya Part 4: Living Root Ladders, and other uses for Living Root architecture.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Patrick A. Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05731722419862161376noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049395502639291836.post-60235509024384899892015-09-02T15:35:00.001-07:002021-01-30T19:31:36.551-08:00The Undiscovered Living Root Bridges of Meghalaya Part 1: Bridges of The Umngot River Basin<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bRjO4Cxo7KI/VeUcK1l42NI/AAAAAAAAD7c/NvRdAsRsjPQ/s1600/DSCN9899.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bRjO4Cxo7KI/VeUcK1l42NI/AAAAAAAAD7c/NvRdAsRsjPQ/s640/DSCN9899.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Great Bridge of Kudeng Rim...photos don't do it justice. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is the first of four posts on the living root architecture of Meghalaya. The other three are coming soon!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
For more living root bridges, go to: <a href="http://evenfewergoats.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-undiscovered-living-root-bridges-of_14.html">The Undiscovered Living Root Bridges of Meghalaya Part 2: Bridges near Pynursla</a> and <a href="http://evenfewergoats.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-undiscovered-living-root-bridges-of_24.html">The Undiscovered Living Root Bridges of Meghalaya Part 3: Bridges of the Twelve Villages</a> For other varieties of living root architecture, go to: <a href="http://evenfewergoats.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-undiscovered-living-root-bridges-of.html">The Undiscovered Living Root Bridges of Meghalaya Part 4: Other uses for Living Root Architecture</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In February of 2015, I set off alone into some of the most remote parts of the state of Meghalaya. My aim was to locate previously undiscovered, or little known, examples of living root architecture. In this, I was vastly more successful than I ever could have hoped. As I figure it, over the course of a one month long hike from the village of Shnongpdeng to the town of Sohra, I reached over fifty examples of living root structures. While by far the most numerous of these were living root bridges, I also managed to locate a number of other varieties of living architecture, including living root ladders, observation platforms, retaining walls, and also a number of structures which served several of these purposes at once.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The more I've been around the living root bridges of Meghalaya, the more unique they've struck me. I think it is not an exaggeration to say that they are among the world's most unusual man made structures. There is simply no other form of functional architecture where the structure itself is alive. Nothing else built by man is more sturdy after 600 years than after 60. While there are examples elsewhere where a single person (more often than not a widowed eccentric) has built a massive edifice all by himself, with the living root bridges, this kind of lonely endeavor is the norm rather than the exception. A single person may begin a living root bridge by training a few thin roots across a stream, and those same roots may develop into a monumental structure, still in use centuries later. The original planter may have died half a millennium before, he and his clan might be long forgotten, but his work will, literally, live on. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
While a living root bridge may serve a village for generations, to build one, there is no initial investment, other than time. No workers need be paid, no costly maintenance need be performed. The Taj Mahal is impressive because it combines the exquisite architectural sensibilities of the greater Mughals with their astronomical spending habits. It is a monument, in part, to the opulence of a bygone age. But the living root bridges were free to create, and served to address a very pressing problem that confronts the people of southern Meghalaya even to this day: That of crossing flood swollen mountain streams in the middle of the world's most intense monsoon seasons. The living root bridges of Meghalaya are therefore monuments to human ingenuity and common sense. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Given how totally unique this practice of creating living architecture is, I began my trek under the mistaken impression that a certain set of concrete facts must surely have been established about it. I left having learned that virtually nothing solid was known about the custom. My month long trek raised far more questions than it provided answers. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The truth of the matter is, to my knowledge, no attempt has ever been made to study the practice of creating living architecture as a whole. No attempt has been made to create a survey of the phenomenon. No scientific paper has been written on them. At this point in time, not only does no one have any idea of the true number of living root bridges in existence: There is currently not even enough data to make an educated guess. There may be tens, there may be hundreds, there may be thousands. I had been told before my trek that there were about forty in the world. I found closer to fifty on my walk, not including the two dozen or so that I had already known to exist elsewhere. There is no clear notion of the geographic extent of the practice. While the southern border of it may reasonably be assumed to be the plains of Bangladesh (though even this may prove incorrect), how far north, east, or west it extends is unknown. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The area of the highest concentration of living root bridges is similarly unknown: While the root bridges around the town of Cherrapunji are what first brought the practice to the world's attention, from what I have seen, the town of Pynursla has vastly more within just three or four kilometers. Yet there may well be places with a higher density of living architecture even than Pynursla. Without an in-depth survey, there simply isn't enough information to say.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
By the same token, the configurations that the various kinds of living root architecture can be worked into is much more diverse than previously thought. While the world famous Double Decker living root bridge of Nongriat village is, undoubtedly, one of the most perfect examples of a living root structure, the notion that it is unique in the world for having two spans is simply incorrect: In the course of my trek, around ten percent of the bridges I located had double spans. Likewise, one of the bridges near the village of Nongriat is widely regarded as the world's longest, simply because it's the longest in that particular area, but during the course of my hike I came across several which were significantly longer. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
There is, however, one disturbing thing about the phenomenon that I did establish: That many of the bridges have been destroyed recently, while many others are well on their way to going out of existence. The practice is fading. That the bridges grow stronger over time does not necessarily guarantee their survival. The primary culprit for the destruction of most of the older bridges is changes in the land use patters of many of the villages in the region. Large swathes of jungle are being cleared to make way for a type of grass used to make brooms. As the jungle disappears, the slopes it once occupied becomes less capable of retaining water, due to the fact that the root systems of the grasses are much shallower than those of the jungle vegetation. This results in landslides and stronger flash-floods than the area has ever seen before. Sadly, these have taken most of the truly huge living root bridges away with them. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Currently, if one types in the terms "Living Root Bridge" into Google Images, about 90% of the images you'll get will be of only two of the living root bridges: The Double Decker in Nongriat, and the large, famous root bridge near Mawlynnong. After some searching, you'll find a few more pictures of other bridges, but, on the whole, the information on the internet is misleading: It leads one to believe that there are far fewer living root structures in the world than actually exist. In deep jungle villages, there may be any number of spectacular living root bridge, totally unknown, but also under threat, from landslides, from floods, from arson, from neglect, and from village councils that would like to cut them down and replace them with modern, steel wire suspension bridges. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Another thing I learned on my trek is this: Many villages, even ones with large numbers of beautiful living root bridges, are simply unaware that what they have is in any way unique, or something they could benefit from. I was routinely asked if there are living root bridges in the U.S. Since so many villages have never had visitors come to them in order to see their living root bridges, the people of those villages have never been given any sort of incentive to preserve what they have. The only thing, to my mind, that can reverse this trend is to promote the living root bridges, and other living architecture, in these remote settlements. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I had begun my trek thinking I would find, at most, a handful of these obscure living structures. The sheer number that I located took me rather off guard: I wish, among other things, that my notes had more thorough and that I had asked more questions. A trek which began as something I was simply doing for fun mutated into a kind of (very) amateur scientific expedition, and one that I was not prepared for. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My plan for next year is to start an online database, probably on a separate Wordpress blog, listing as many living root structures as I can find, along with a certain amount of data on them, including their length, their height above their stream, the name of the stream they occur on, which village owns the land they are on, GPS coordinates, and any historical data about the bridges I can dig up. Doing this properly, I'm sorry to say, depends on me being able to raise a certain amount of money through crowdfunding, though I hope that there will be enough interest in this phenomenon that I can at least reach my minimum goal. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
These next couple of blog posts will be a sort of preview for the project I'm starting. Next year, I'm going to have to go back to each of the places listed below and take proper measurements, along with surveying new areas. However, one thing I'm sure of is this: There is far more to discover in Meghalaya. For all that I found during my reconnaissance this Feb, I've barely scratched the surface.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Here, I'm including a few pictures, and some very basic information, about the root bridges I came across on my trek. Not all of these photos are of the highest quality, as I was often exhausted and in a hurry. Very often, I did not have the luxury of waiting for nice lighting. This might seem like overkill, but remember that a good number of the structures listed below have never been photographed before.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">THE UMNGOT RIVER BASIN</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">VILLAGES COVERED: NONGBAREH-KHONGLAH-PADU-KUDENG RIM-BURMA</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The Umngot River flows next to the India/Bangladesh border town of Dawki. Upstream from Dawki, it cuts a vast and rugged system of canyons, which even now seem to be, at least partially, unexplored by outsiders. The first expedition to successfully run the was river only a few years back, and this only traveled along the main channel. We can assume that many of the side canyons have received very few visitors.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The Umngot is the boundary between the East Khasi and West Jaintia Hills districts. Culturally, the canyon it cuts is a transitional zone where the closely related Khasi and Jaintia groups meet and merge into one another. There are several villages, on both sides of the river, with mixed Khasi and Jaintia clans. Linguistically, the area is simultaneously fascinating and infuriating. Villages a few miles apart will speak entirely different languages. Sometime the difference between these local languages is so great that, if you've made an honest effort to pick up some very basic vocabulary in one village, you'll walk to the next settlement, and find that all your efforts were in vain and that the words you learned are now gibberish. For example, the term for "Living Root Bridge" in the Khasi village of Shnongpdeng is "Jingkeng Jiri," but in the Jaintia village of Nongbareh, two hours away, it becomes "laa ooh tchra" (sp?).</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
After my trek, a quick glance at Google Maps revealed that I had only explored a tiny fraction of the canyon system. Most of the truly rugged county of the canyon of the Umngot is north of where I reached, and God only knows what that region contains.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The small village of Shnongpdeng, on the banks of Umngot, and accessible from Dawki, makes the best base for exploring this area. It is the only village in the region with overnight tourist facilities. Shnongpdeng also has a living root bridge, which I walked to on a later expedition, though I didn't have my camera with me. Finding a place to sleep in that village should not be difficult, and my friends Pyndap Synkrem, Dapbor Synkrem, or Pynshailin Synkrem can help you with planning your next move. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Note: The names and numbers for the bridges that I'm giving here are just so that I can keep track of them. As far as I can tell, some bridges do have names, though at the time I didn't push very hard to learn them....that'll be another thing for next year!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">NONGBAREH: 2 BRIDGES</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Nongbareh is a medium sized Jaintia village, which also happens to be predominately animist when it comes to religion. Other than living root bridges, it also has several interesting historical markers, and a few genuine traditional Khasi houses, which are exceedingly rare these days.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
NONGBAREH 1:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This bridge is right in the middle of the village. It was the first living root bridge that I stumbled across on my trek. I don't believe there are any photos of it online. However, I've heard that a French anthropologist studying Jaintia oral legends has spent some time in this area. That person was probably aware of this bridge.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cmxX_WZjtSg/VeVHlEspdyI/AAAAAAAAEBA/HxTksXTlbfE/s1600/1%2BNongbareh%2B1%2B.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cmxX_WZjtSg/VeVHlEspdyI/AAAAAAAAEBA/HxTksXTlbfE/s640/1%2BNongbareh%2B1%2B.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
In the middle of Nongbareh village. Technically, Nongbareh is divided into two settlements, Nongbareh Lyntiar and Nongbareh Thymmai, with separate headmen and village councils, though the villages are contiguous. The stream that the bridge above crosses is the border between them.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iqINkE_kJyc/VeVHlWshxUI/AAAAAAAAEBE/9AaGHs9uS7s/s1600/2%2BNongbareh%2B1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iqINkE_kJyc/VeVHlWshxUI/AAAAAAAAEBE/9AaGHs9uS7s/s640/2%2BNongbareh%2B1.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Sadly, the tree that the root bridge is a part of seems to be sick. The bridge may not be long for this world.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
NONGBAREH 2:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is a highly unusual, double span, living root bridge below Nongbareh, on a path that leads down to the river Umngot. My guide, a man named George, was of the opinion that I was the first outsider ever to reach it. I'm not entirely sure if that's true. However, these are the first pictures of this bridge ever to be published online.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Rfj2PUArMk0/VeVHkzNhtVI/AAAAAAAAEA8/tDSPsMJh8vs/s1600/3%2BNongbareah%2B2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Rfj2PUArMk0/VeVHkzNhtVI/AAAAAAAAEA8/tDSPsMJh8vs/s640/3%2BNongbareah%2B2.JPG" width="571" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
George climbing down steep stairs to the living root bridge.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w2upnzzzf1A/VeVIcNlDY5I/AAAAAAAAEBg/8SdnCP4hUlg/s1600/4%2BNongbareah%2B2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w2upnzzzf1A/VeVIcNlDY5I/AAAAAAAAEBg/8SdnCP4hUlg/s640/4%2BNongbareah%2B2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Here, you can clearly see the unusual, double span, configuration of the root bridge. Why the original planters of the bridge decided to make it this way is anybody's guess. </div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QBYmdRrAuYY/VeVIbuIXXOI/AAAAAAAAEBU/rFRGnLNKYOw/s1600/5%2BNongbareah%2B2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QBYmdRrAuYY/VeVIbuIXXOI/AAAAAAAAEBU/rFRGnLNKYOw/s640/5%2BNongbareah%2B2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The view of the double span from upstream.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tba5ZysyOpw/VeVIcEDWI9I/AAAAAAAAEBY/duT8fPb54qk/s1600/6%2BNongbareah%2B2%2B.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tba5ZysyOpw/VeVIcEDWI9I/AAAAAAAAEBY/duT8fPb54qk/s640/6%2BNongbareah%2B2%2B.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Looking up at George. The secondary roots hanging down from the span, which have had the time to grow and strengthen, would seem to indicate that this is a very old bridge.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">KHONGLAH: 6 BRIDGES</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Khonglah is a mid-sized, and very pleasant, Jaintia village, which has never seen any tourism. The notion that anyone would want to visit just for the sake of visiting struck the headman as quite novel.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
KHONGLAH 1:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is a small bridge, which occurs on quite flat ground. The existence of living root bridges in this area, which is characterized by fairly gentle rolling limestone country, makes one wonder if there are not living root bridges in parts of the state of Meghalaya that are less rugged than the canyon country of the south. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Fa_bZJxtRWQ/VeVIeC5liEI/AAAAAAAAEBs/xU8wh6B_v0Q/s1600/7%2BKhonglah%2B1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="443" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Fa_bZJxtRWQ/VeVIeC5liEI/AAAAAAAAEBs/xU8wh6B_v0Q/s640/7%2BKhonglah%2B1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
My guides on a small bridge near Khonglah</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
KHONGLAH 2: </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Another small bridge, also in relatively flat terrain.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bNtlPK43TLE/VeVJB2-v3QI/AAAAAAAAECM/h5RS2RSZNJg/s1600/8%2Bkhonglah%2B2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="616" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bNtlPK43TLE/VeVJB2-v3QI/AAAAAAAAECM/h5RS2RSZNJg/s640/8%2Bkhonglah%2B2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Despite being so small, the thickness of the roots on this bridge indicate that this is probably fairly old.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
KHONGLAH 3:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is a very small, and clearly quite recent, bridge. It also seems to have been abandoned before it was completed, as there is a concrete bridge right next to it. My guides were very puzzled when they saw my interest in it.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pU_w22Sv_P4/VeVJCgqWEBI/AAAAAAAAECQ/67SKftuZ3JE/s1600/9%2BKhonglah%2B3.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="466" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pU_w22Sv_P4/VeVJCgqWEBI/AAAAAAAAECQ/67SKftuZ3JE/s640/9%2BKhonglah%2B3.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A view of the living root bridge from the concrete bridge.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h5y-xrg7-SE/VeVI_IdpE4I/AAAAAAAAEB0/5S_tSrsumcI/s1600/10%2BKhonglah%2B3.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h5y-xrg7-SE/VeVI_IdpE4I/AAAAAAAAEB0/5S_tSrsumcI/s640/10%2BKhonglah%2B3.JPG" width="455" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
KHONGLAH 4:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is maybe the strangest of all known living root bridges. It is located on the side of an incredibly steep slope, well below Khonglah. I would be very surprised if any visitor had been here before me. It is only accessible by hiking for several miles on almost non-existent jungle paths. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XWglUqWh7fo/VeVJAKEZnLI/AAAAAAAAEB8/HSayHCf7LEs/s1600/11%2BKhonglah%2B4.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XWglUqWh7fo/VeVJAKEZnLI/AAAAAAAAEB8/HSayHCf7LEs/s640/11%2BKhonglah%2B4.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: left;"> My friend Silent Bob standing on Bizarre Bridge. How much of the bridge was planned, and how much is a natural accident, is hard to say. While at first glace, the tangle of roots seems too haphazard to have been deliberately planned, on closer inspection, many of the individual roots do appear as though they might have been trained. For one thing, notice that several of the roots actually seem to be slanting upwards, against gravity. However, again, what the advantage of building the bridge this way would be is anyone's guess. Here, behind Silent Bob, you can just make out the primary walkway of the bridge.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4ACNMOlacls/VeVJAIwliWI/AAAAAAAAECA/lv31yHQ-rQQ/s1600/12%2BKhonglah%2B4.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4ACNMOlacls/VeVJAIwliWI/AAAAAAAAECA/lv31yHQ-rQQ/s640/12%2BKhonglah%2B4.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
My guides Benedicttalang and Silent Bob, posing next to the main walkway of the bridge. From this angle, the structure looks a little more man-made.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
KHONGLAH 5:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is a very pretty, classic, medium sized living root bridge, well below Khonglah, on a long and difficult hike down into the canyon of a stream called the Amdep. I'm reasonably sure it had never been visited by an outsider before. My camera was malfunctioning at the time, so the pictures are rather inadequate. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZajJV_6EC1U/VeVJqcf3fXI/AAAAAAAAECg/TAqF-Ij8sOM/s1600/13%2BKhonglah%2B5.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZajJV_6EC1U/VeVJqcf3fXI/AAAAAAAAECg/TAqF-Ij8sOM/s640/13%2BKhonglah%2B5.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Benedicttalang on the center of the bridge. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vgG2qR8Me88/VeVJrBvNIoI/AAAAAAAAECk/fBDc1SjgrU8/s1600/14%2BKhonglah%2B5.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vgG2qR8Me88/VeVJrBvNIoI/AAAAAAAAECk/fBDc1SjgrU8/s640/14%2BKhonglah%2B5.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The span of Khonglah 5</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
KHONGLAH 6:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This was a fairly major discovery. Khonglah 6 is a long (perhaps 100 foot) living root bridge that spans Amdep creek. It had never been visited by an outsider before. The round trip to it was about 6 hours of straight up and down, so a major investment of time. The last time Khonglah's headman had been there was 40 years ago. The bridge is near several wonderful, clear-water swimming holes, and, for someone in reasonably good shape, reaching it is the best hike (that I experienced) in Khonglah. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F6L9PQDr17o/VeVJrNS7nhI/AAAAAAAAECo/bLtguLZYEW8/s1600/15%2BKhonglah%2B6.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F6L9PQDr17o/VeVJrNS7nhI/AAAAAAAAECo/bLtguLZYEW8/s640/15%2BKhonglah%2B6.JPG" width="531" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Silent Bob standing on the living root bridge. Other than simply being a very long bridge, and being in a fairly amazing, jungle-canyon, setting, Khonglah 6 is remarkable because it seems to be an example of an old living root bridge that was partially washed away in a flood, and then reconnected. Note how much thicker the roots appear to be on the left side of this picture. On the right side of the bridge, some of the roots had been trained along metal wires. How long the bridge has been there, and how long ago the right side of it was partially washed out, is impossible to say.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4fqCB8YIIc0/VeVJvbgFmeI/AAAAAAAAEC4/Tdp25Fg7Lc4/s1600/16%2BKhonglah%2B6.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4fqCB8YIIc0/VeVJvbgFmeI/AAAAAAAAEC4/Tdp25Fg7Lc4/s640/16%2BKhonglah%2B6.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The living root tunnel at the undamaged end of the bridge. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1L9ewkx4H9c/VeVJv9ouMGI/AAAAAAAAEDE/fahfIWNxTjE/s1600/17%2BKhonglah%2B6.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1L9ewkx4H9c/VeVJv9ouMGI/AAAAAAAAEDE/fahfIWNxTjE/s640/17%2BKhonglah%2B6.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Benedicttalang and Silent Bob on the living root bridge.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wjRVmP_B2GI/VeVJv1PtLqI/AAAAAAAAEC8/-WeKVNjvbAY/s1600/18%2BKhonglah%2B6.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="430" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wjRVmP_B2GI/VeVJv1PtLqI/AAAAAAAAEC8/-WeKVNjvbAY/s640/18%2BKhonglah%2B6.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This is the view of the bridge from upstream. From here, it appears as though what happened was that, when the flood came through, many of the secondary roots along the span were knocked out, though the two main roots managed to hold on. It illustrates another way in which the living root bridges are unique as a form of architecture: As long as the organism, the tree itself, survives, a bridge that is broken can be reconnected and started again. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">PADU: 3 BRIDGES </span>(2 others known to exist but not visited)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Padu is a village that is starting to see a trickle of visitors, so its bridges are far less obscure than those of Nongbareh or Khonglah. The hikes to the living root bridges here, which also happen to be in the canyon of the Amdep (though several kilometers upstream from Khonglah 6), are far less brutal than elsewhere in the area, while the bridges themselves are some of the most beautiful known examples. Padu certainly has the resources to challenge any current tourist spot in Meghalaya. That being said, a web search for "Padu living root bridges" turns up only a handful of pictures.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
PADU 1: </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is a small, ancient, but truly beautiful, living root bridge, on the way to the Amdep from Padu.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xvoNQv5fsmc/VeVKUACwDxI/AAAAAAAAEDQ/FsPS_KVu71o/s1600/19%2BPadu%2B1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xvoNQv5fsmc/VeVKUACwDxI/AAAAAAAAEDQ/FsPS_KVu71o/s640/19%2BPadu%2B1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
While this bridge is perhaps not the most spectacular in the region, it is one of the most perfect. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YQQ69QhZcEg/VeVKUhQDidI/AAAAAAAAEDY/Hj_FY8BtmPw/s1600/20%2BPadu%2B1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YQQ69QhZcEg/VeVKUhQDidI/AAAAAAAAEDY/Hj_FY8BtmPw/s640/20%2BPadu%2B1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Note the thickness of the roots, indicating a very ancient structure.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D2ISvvT0oSk/VeVKUT2b7uI/AAAAAAAAEDU/UVHejf0YYqU/s1600/21%2BPadu%2B1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D2ISvvT0oSk/VeVKUT2b7uI/AAAAAAAAEDU/UVHejf0YYqU/s640/21%2BPadu%2B1.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
My guide in Padu, Max....he's the tourism honcho in Padu, and a real asset for the village.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
PADU 2</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is one of the most spectacular of all known living root bridges, and should be seen as Padu's main attraction. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iW711RaVvJw/VeVKYVl8YqI/AAAAAAAAEDo/2Eld5NIfDJU/s1600/22%2BPadu%2B2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iW711RaVvJw/VeVKYVl8YqI/AAAAAAAAEDo/2Eld5NIfDJU/s640/22%2BPadu%2B2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Padu 2, and Max mugging for scale. That root above the span, that seems to be being held up by a sort of load bearing member, gives the bridge one of the most instantly recognizable profiles of any living root bridge. How that arrangement could have come about, however, is a mystery to me.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LHZS1ecQEI8/VeVKY4K7UGI/AAAAAAAAED0/nVpLLh1iPLI/s1600/23%2BPadu%2B2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LHZS1ecQEI8/VeVKY4K7UGI/AAAAAAAAED0/nVpLLh1iPLI/s640/23%2BPadu%2B2.JPG" width="561" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Max on the living root bridge. A cursory glance, again, shows that this is a very old example.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3mCPCRJDlMc/VeVKZEVmGUI/AAAAAAAAEDw/NsN3EpTq3XA/s1600/24%2BPadu%2B2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3mCPCRJDlMc/VeVKZEVmGUI/AAAAAAAAEDw/NsN3EpTq3XA/s640/24%2BPadu%2B2.JPG" width="492" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A view of the bridge from the opposite direction.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
PADU 3</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
While Padu 2, is, in my opinion, more beautiful, Padu 3 is more well known because it is a double (or, arguably, even triple) span living root bridge. It is also on the Amdep, a short, beautiful, and not especially difficult, walk downstream from Padu 2. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d-UIBfdww7Q/VeVK6z47BEI/AAAAAAAAEEI/MooD3lXERsI/s1600/25%2BPadu%2B3.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="526" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d-UIBfdww7Q/VeVK6z47BEI/AAAAAAAAEEI/MooD3lXERsI/s640/25%2BPadu%2B3.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Max on Padu 3. That's a column of concrete to the right. At some point, the bank under the bridge appears to have been undercut, so the concrete column was used to shore up the structure. It's rather unsightly, though it's hard to imagine that the structure would stay standing without it. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cOxNylyhPQo/VeVK6f2JmZI/AAAAAAAAEEE/aL7KikSvFmw/s1600/26%2BPadu%2B3.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cOxNylyhPQo/VeVK6f2JmZI/AAAAAAAAEEE/aL7KikSvFmw/s640/26%2BPadu%2B3.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Looking up at the two separate spans.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0kPIFZdxaFk/VeVK6_f3H4I/AAAAAAAAEEM/pA7-l4g3bfs/s1600/27%2BPadu%2B3.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0kPIFZdxaFk/VeVK6_f3H4I/AAAAAAAAEEM/pA7-l4g3bfs/s640/27%2BPadu%2B3.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The parallel spans of Padu 3, with Max messing around on his smartphone. Unfortunately, the span on the left was covered in concrete...though doesn't seemed to have harmed the trees much. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lf4koAUS_rU/VeVK_8FGIcI/AAAAAAAAEEc/EfrVMtNOazQ/s1600/28%2BPadu%2B3.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="638" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lf4koAUS_rU/VeVK_8FGIcI/AAAAAAAAEEc/EfrVMtNOazQ/s640/28%2BPadu%2B3.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Looking up at the living root bridge from downstream.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">KUDENG RIM: 3 BRIDGES </span>(others probable though not visited)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Like Padu, the village of Kudeng Rim is starting to see a tiny trickle of visitors. A tour outfit called Cultural Pursuits seems to have led a few of their clients here. Also, a fairly poor quality photo of one of Kudeng Rim's living root bridges appears on a website belonging to the tourist department of the West Jaintia Hills District. However, the site simply lists the bridge as being in "Kudeng" (there are in fact two Kudengs, Kudeng Rim and Kudeng Thymmai).</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A google search for "Kudeng Rim living root bridge" only gives one relevant result: The poor quality photo from the government website.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In terms of activities and things to see, Kudeng Rim could give even Nongriat in the Khasi Hills a run for its money as a tourist spot, though at the moment the villagers at Kudeng Rim don't appear much interested in developing their tourist infrastructure. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Note that there is another fascinating structure, a tree that has been modified into "living root bleachers" in Kudeng Rim, next to the village's foot ball field. I'll deal with this in the final post in this series.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
KUDENG RIM 1</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is a small, relatively recent living root bridge near the village of Kudeng Rim. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hnZ459wrdbU/VeVLAga74bI/AAAAAAAAEEk/JP3dGGwLSdg/s1600/29%2BKudeng%2BRim%2B1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hnZ459wrdbU/VeVLAga74bI/AAAAAAAAEEk/JP3dGGwLSdg/s640/29%2BKudeng%2BRim%2B1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I would have entirely missed the bridge in this photo were it not for Generous there. A recently built road runs about 200 meters upstream from here. The living root bridge was probably the main way across the stream before the road was constructed. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F7ZEGN6WpWo/VeVLA_4Ay7I/AAAAAAAAEEo/Coeo_PhtvAY/s1600/30%2BKudeng%2BRim%2B1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F7ZEGN6WpWo/VeVLA_4Ay7I/AAAAAAAAEEo/Coeo_PhtvAY/s640/30%2BKudeng%2BRim%2B1.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Close up on the span of the living root bridge.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GyOAL3BytKE/VeVLhjEbQVI/AAAAAAAAEE0/WGa95YUTXVg/s1600/31%2BKudeng%2BRim%2B1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="526" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GyOAL3BytKE/VeVLhjEbQVI/AAAAAAAAEE0/WGa95YUTXVg/s640/31%2BKudeng%2BRim%2B1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A view from downstream.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
KUDENG RIM 2:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is the most perfect living root bridge in the Kudeng Rim area. It has the most aesthetically pleasing walkways of any bridge that I've visited. It's also not an especially difficult walk from Kudeng Rim. This is the bridge that features on the West Jaintia Hills Tourism website.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dFp_8OR-q2A/VeVLiz5lgZI/AAAAAAAAEE8/u50JoZJ7lzg/s1600/32%2BKudeng%2BRim%2B2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dFp_8OR-q2A/VeVLiz5lgZI/AAAAAAAAEE8/u50JoZJ7lzg/s640/32%2BKudeng%2BRim%2B2.JPG" width="543" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The view across the span of the living root bridge.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jX01e7OuYdw/VeVLjMkKfAI/AAAAAAAAEFA/wtMgkrzbfeE/s1600/33%2BKudeng%2BRim%2B2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jX01e7OuYdw/VeVLjMkKfAI/AAAAAAAAEFA/wtMgkrzbfeE/s640/33%2BKudeng%2BRim%2B2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Looking up at the bridge from the river. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cN6wTZc_eWQ/VeVLlTuVmeI/AAAAAAAAEFM/Z5Lnmr_tzqg/s1600/34%2BKudeng%2Brim%2B2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="524" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cN6wTZc_eWQ/VeVLlTuVmeI/AAAAAAAAEFM/Z5Lnmr_tzqg/s640/34%2BKudeng%2Brim%2B2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The bridge is notable for the incredible number of secondary roots that hang down from it. The living root bridges in the more well known tourist sites, such as Nongriat, are rather more manicured than those in the more remote parts of the state. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
KUDENG RIM 3 (The Great Bridge of Kudeng Rim)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This bridge is part of one of the most spectacular views in all of Meghalaya. The bridge itself is a very long one, and actually consists of two spans, one after another (something which my camera was incapable of capturing without a wide angle lens). It's also noteworthy because it's one of the very few living root bridges that are a great distance above the streams they cross. None of the famous living root bridges in the Cherrapunji area are more than a few meters above their streams. I would estimate that the Great Bridge of Kudeng Rim is about 60-70 meters above the water (it's actually higher than these photos make it look!).</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The setting for the living root bridge is also maybe the most incredible I've seen. It spans a straight-walled canyon, above a significant river. A short distance upstream, visible in the picture below (again, looking much smaller than it actually is), is a large waterfall with an incredible, blue-water plunge pool. It's possible in the dry season to cross the bridge, climb down into the river, clamber up the boulders to the plunge pool, and then swim to the base of waterfall....which also happens to create a rainbow when the sun hits the spray at the right angle. This spot alone has the potential to make Kudeng Rim world famous, and the folks at Cultural Pursuits seem to have come here a few times, though, again, information online is incredibly scarce.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
There are, however, a couple of drawbacks. The first is that the bridge, though spectacular, is also dangerous. It's made from a large number of fairly thin roots, and a fall from it would prove fatal. The second is that the beauty of the bridge is rather marred by the fact that water pipes are being laid across it to supply Kudeng Rim. The first view one gets of the living root bridge, after hiking down from the village, is something of a disappointment, and one can only appreciate the true scale of the structure by climbing onto a stone shelf a short distance down canyon from the bridge. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A friend of mine from nearby was of the opinion that the bridge, because it was rather precarious, should be torn down. This would be a disastrous mistake. The pictures I have posted do not so it justice: If people simply knew about this living root bridge, it would draw visitors from all over the globe. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q8KQvsA-W8k/VeVLmGCjHSI/AAAAAAAAEFU/wENeFE9NKoU/s1600/35%2BKudeng%2BRim%2B3.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q8KQvsA-W8k/VeVLmGCjHSI/AAAAAAAAEFU/wENeFE9NKoU/s640/35%2BKudeng%2BRim%2B3.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Great Bridge of Kudeng Rim. The waterfall in the background is maybe thirty meters high. It's much farther away, and therefore much bigger, than this picture makes it look. This bridge also looks like it might have been damaged in the past, though it was not possible at the time I visited to find out anything about its history.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AT9REo7S3nM/VeVMJTfBZyI/AAAAAAAAEFg/e-BkwUS5fmE/s1600/36%2BKudeng%2BRim%2B3.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AT9REo7S3nM/VeVMJTfBZyI/AAAAAAAAEFg/e-BkwUS5fmE/s640/36%2BKudeng%2BRim%2B3.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Looking way up at the span of the Great Bridge of Kudeng Rim</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Es5EdxmKNFw/VeVMJRgMoOI/AAAAAAAAEFc/ysE5CjHYcsY/s1600/37%2BKudeng%2BRim%2B3.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Es5EdxmKNFw/VeVMJRgMoOI/AAAAAAAAEFc/ysE5CjHYcsY/s640/37%2BKudeng%2BRim%2B3.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A view of the bridge from upstream, which gives one a better idea of what the canyon it spans is like. Unfortunately, the lighting conditions at the time were not optimal. There was no guarantee I would ever be able to come back, so I had no option but to take the photo practically staring into the sun. Note the way the tree on the left side of the living root bridge seems to be almost propped up by its roots. A good third of the living root bridge is actually to the left of that tree, though that part of the bridge is obscured in this picture.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hjodh17oI70/VeVMJqjc8aI/AAAAAAAAEFk/mui-WNXJb2g/s1600/38%2BKudeng%2BRim%2B3.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hjodh17oI70/VeVMJqjc8aI/AAAAAAAAEFk/mui-WNXJb2g/s640/38%2BKudeng%2BRim%2B3.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This is the first view one gets of the living root bridge, which doesn't give one any sort of impression of how incredible the structure is. In fact, as I recall, one only realizes how high the bridge is once one is about halfway across it...not for anyone with a fear of heights, I'm afraid...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">BURMA VILLAGE: 1 BRIDGE </span>(Double span)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Burma is a Khasi village, on the opposite side of the Umngot from all of the other villages in this post. Nobody seems to know whether or not its name has anything to do with Myanmar. While it does not seem to have a high concentration of living root bridges, it does have a single, very beautiful example, right in the middle of the village. It is one of the prettiest Khasi settlements I've been to thus far.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
BURMA DOUBLE BRIDGE:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is another example of a twin span living root bridge. It runs across a canyon right in the middle of the village, so were you to find yourself in Burma, locating the bridge would be an easy task. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k_QY4Wm3iX4/VeVMNmtesgI/AAAAAAAAEF0/woPSOCtC6Vk/s1600/39%2BBurma%2B1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k_QY4Wm3iX4/VeVMNmtesgI/AAAAAAAAEF0/woPSOCtC6Vk/s640/39%2BBurma%2B1.JPG" width="483" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A kid crosses Burma bridge. The concrete pillar in the background is part of another, modern, bridge that has been built directly next to the living root structure, in order to replace it. I was informed by a member of the village council that Burma's local government has outlawed damaging the bridge in any way, though he might have just been telling me what I wanted to hear.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t_GO7vCULxM/VeVMOdMcZ7I/AAAAAAAAEGA/0z0kkECZU0c/s1600/40%2BBurma%2B1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-t_GO7vCULxM/VeVMOdMcZ7I/AAAAAAAAEGA/0z0kkECZU0c/s640/40%2BBurma%2B1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The twin spans of Burma Bridge. Notice how different the two sides are. They were apparently maintained by two separate people, who had slightly different styles. There seem to be many more young roots on the left side than on the right. Notice the houses in the background, and the children. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-870J4yXQbsU/VeVMN-hECSI/AAAAAAAAEF4/K7vj9czbndg/s1600/41%2BBurma%2B1.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="464" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-870J4yXQbsU/VeVMN-hECSI/AAAAAAAAEF4/K7vj9czbndg/s640/41%2BBurma%2B1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The view of Burma Bridge from upstream.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Coming soon: Part 2: Living Root Bridges of Pynursla</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Part 3: Living Root Bridges of the Twelve Villages</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Part 4: Living Root Ladders, and other uses for living architecture</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Patrick A. Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05731722419862161376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049395502639291836.post-81776973932717297952015-08-27T15:24:00.001-07:002015-08-27T15:24:26.360-07:0010 More things to see in Delhi that are not in Lonely Planet<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BuM4EfIEJo4/VbJ2qAaCnqI/AAAAAAAAD1M/H5aQMfLUn9Q/s1600/1%2BKirkee%2BMosque.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BuM4EfIEJo4/VbJ2qAaCnqI/AAAAAAAAD1M/H5aQMfLUn9Q/s640/1%2BKirkee%2BMosque.JPG" width="486" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A corridor in Khirki Masjid, one of the most atmospheric historical places in Delhi, and also one of the city's most under appreciated major monuments</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
For the first half of my write up on what Lonely Planet missed in Delhi, go to: <a href="http://evenfewergoats.blogspot.com/2014/12/10-things-to-see-in-delhi-that-are-not.html">http://evenfewergoats.blogspot.com/2014/12/10-things-to-see-in-delhi-that-are-not.html</a> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Starting right in the middle of South Delhi, here are ten more interesting places to visit in that sprawling metropolis which are not included in the most recent editions of Lonely Planet.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;">SCATTERED SOUTH DELHI SIGHTS (continued)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The next two entries are clusters of interesting monuments that don't fall directly inside any of the classical "Seven Cities" of Delhi. While you might not feel the need to go out of your way to visit any single one of these lesser known sites, spending several hours going from one forgotten monument to the next, tracking them down through mazes of posh housing, receiving all manner of inquisitive looks, certainly gives one a sense of accomplishment (and burns calories). It is easy to get lost in South Delhi, especially since even the locals frequently don't know where the monuments are, but the upside is that South Delhi is so full of forgotten old tombs, mosques, and historical buildings of unknown usage, that getting lost on your way to one tomb often means stumbling into another.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
11: ASSORTED TOMBS NEAR SOUTH EX. MARKET</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zexNslqKuic/VbJ4nGEo2CI/AAAAAAAAD1Y/esIUyxEoUyA/s1600/South%2BEX%2B1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zexNslqKuic/VbJ4nGEo2CI/AAAAAAAAD1Y/esIUyxEoUyA/s640/South%2BEX%2B1.JPG" width="492" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Part of the unusual tomb of Darya Khan Lohani</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
South Extension Market is a fairly nondescript, upscale South Delhi commercial area. Within very easy walking distance is a high concentration of interesting, though very obscure, Lodhi period tombs. Buried as they are in upper middle class neighborhoods, the tombs are well hidden, though more than worth seeking out.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Of the tombs, the most unusual is that of Darya Khan Lohani, a court judge and later advocate to the kings of the Lodhi dynasty. His tomb has an unusual layout, consisting of a square platform with cupola's at each corner. Though much ruined, the cupolas retain traces of incised plaster calligraphy. While mausoleums of this sort were apparently at one time not uncommon, most of the other examples have either disappeared, or have been remodeled beyond recognition, meaning that the tomb of Darya Khan Lohani is important from the perspective of Delhi's architectural history.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
North of Darya Khan Lohani's tomb is a small park containing two interesting tombs (there is a third, in poorer condition, next to a temple across the street). Their occupants are unknown, though it's possible to judge, based on the style, that the tombs are also from the Lodhi period. The larger of the two is the impressive Bare Khan ka Gumbad, of interest chiefly for its facade, which has an unusually large number of arched niches. The other tomb, the Chhote Khan ka Gumbad, retains large fragments of the original plaster and tile work that once covered the outside. Unfortunately, the places where the original work has fallen off have been covered, in an ill-thought out restoration attempt, with horrendous pink plaster. Still, the tomb is said to have an interesting and well preserved interior, though at the time I visited the man with the key to the mausoleum was nowhere to be seen.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fwBNq8_jsv4/VbJ448uCUKI/AAAAAAAAD1g/hWsK9ayeMSQ/s1600/DSCN9518.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fwBNq8_jsv4/VbJ448uCUKI/AAAAAAAAD1g/hWsK9ayeMSQ/s640/DSCN9518.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The impressive Bare Khan ka Gumbad</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
12: ASSORTED MONUMENTS NEAR THE HAUZ KHAS METRO STATION</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mQy4kcxGgOE/VbJ6o5cvGmI/AAAAAAAAD1s/8xSG1WXGt9Y/s1600/DSCN8886.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mQy4kcxGgOE/VbJ6o5cvGmI/AAAAAAAAD1s/8xSG1WXGt9Y/s640/DSCN8886.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The creepy Chor Minar</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
The are several interesting monuments within very easy walking distance of the Hauz Khas metro station, roughly between Aurobindo Marg and the line of the walls of Siri Fort (now largely taken up by upscale housing and a sports complex..see the next entry).</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Of these, the most famous is the Chor Minar, a 13th century rubble masonry tower built by Allauddin Khilji, one of Delhi's more striking early Islamic rulers. Chor Minar means, roughly, "tower of thieves" and local tradition holds that the heads of captured robbers were displayed in the 225 holes that wind around the outside of the tower. While this may or may not be true-the name "Chor Minar" seems to have been recently bestowed-Allauddin Khilji is known to have beheaded large numbers of Mongols and then hung their heads near the walls of his military stronghold at Siri Fort, both as a warning to the Mongol armies to the north, who were during this period history constantly harassing India's western boundaries, and to populations of Mongols inside the Khilji Kingdom who might be tempted to join their brethren on the other side of the Indus. This might therefore be the origin of the tower's association with severed heads. Certainly, no matter what the actual facts are, there definitely seem to have been severed heads involved somewhere, and a visit to the tower makes for an unusual, macabre, excursion. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Located roughly 500 meters to the east of the Chor Minar, though only accessible by rather a circuitous walk through the very upscale Mayfair Gardens neighborhood, is the Tomb and Mosque of Makhdum Sahib. This is an obscure little group of Tughluq and Lodhi period buildings, set in a small park surrounded by fancy houses. Who Makhdum Sahib was is apparently anybody's guess, though he was evidently important enough to have a religious complex where buildings went up over the course of an entire century named after him. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
While the buildings themselves, along with the setting, are pleasant in their own right, what chiefly sets the complex apart is the fact that one of the tombs still has some old paintings, presumably from the Lodhi period, clinging to it. While many of the tombs in Delhi almost certainly once had this form of decoration, there are very few places in the city where it has survived.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9lV0yCZbln0/VbJ7E6tHJcI/AAAAAAAAD18/FtMCHLE-BB0/s1600/Near%2BHaus%2BKhas%2B2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="486" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9lV0yCZbln0/VbJ7E6tHJcI/AAAAAAAAD18/FtMCHLE-BB0/s640/Near%2BHaus%2BKhas%2B2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Paintings in the one of the tombs at the Makhdum Sahib complex</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">SIRI</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
13: THE RUINS OF SIRI FORT</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tFpaWWt6ra0/VbJ_0unpBCI/AAAAAAAAD2I/gPA6mWVoZC8/s1600/DSCN9977.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="472" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tFpaWWt6ra0/VbJ_0unpBCI/AAAAAAAAD2I/gPA6mWVoZC8/s640/DSCN9977.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Ruinous walls are most of what remains of Siri fort</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Once, Siri Fort, the vast citadel of one of the Delhi Sultanate's most important rulers, Alauddin Khilji, was the most impressive and indomitable example of military architecture in the whole of India. However, over the centuries large portions of the stone that made up the fort was plundered and used in later building projects, for the most part leaving only the foundations of the walls. Now the enclosure which once housed Alauddin Khilji's military encampment is filled in with an urban village, a huge 1980s sports complex, and several pleasant green parks. One can wander for long stretches of time inside the former walls of the fort and forget it's even there. Lonely Planet does mention the area, but only the sports complex (which evidently has a swimming pool you can use for a fee). The closest major tourist spot is Hauz Khas village, otherwise, visitors seeking out the ruins seem very rare.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
And indeed the ruins, both of the walls and of the ancient structures within, having been abused for six hundred years both by the elements and by dozens of later rulers of Delhi, are very much fragmentary, serving only to give faint impressions of what the citadel was once like. They are interesting, they are atmospheric, but they are not beautiful.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
However, for anyone truly interested in the development of the city of Delhi, what really makes the ruins of Siri worth seeking out is their history, for it was from here, in the late 13th and early 14th century, that much of the great struggle between Allauddin Khilji and the Mongols of the Chagatai Khanate played out. As the fate of North India lay in the balance, the fort served as Alauddin's military base against the Mongols, even being besieged by them in 1299.The Khilji's were ultimately the victors, and Delhi would not fall to another group of the descendants of Gengiz Khan's hordes until the arrival of Tamerlane close to a century later. Hence, the fort's importance in both Indian and Central Asian history should not be understated.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The fort also holds the distinction of being the first of the seven cities of Delhi that was entirely constructed by the Muslims. While Mehrauli was the first seat of Islamic power within the city, its foundations were Hindu. Siri, by contrast, was constructed entirely by Muslims. The artisans who went about building the city were exiles of Seljuk origin, a Turkic speaking people whose rapid spread throughout central and west Asia a few centuries before served as a kind of dress rehearsal for the advent of the Mongols and also, incidentally, precipitated the First Crusade. The city was built in a manner which had more in common with the fortresses of central Asia and Persia than with those of Medieval India.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The western edge of the ruins of the fort are located about 800 meters west of the Hauz Khas Metro Station. Some of the more complete fragments of the walls are visible from August Kranti Road. East of here, accessible either from Siri Road to the north, and the Outer Ring Road to the south, is a surprisingly huge green area, now a park, which still covers much of what was once the Khilji military encampment. Under the trees there are a few scattered ruins. The most interesting of these, pictured below, is located near the western edge of the woods. This huge haunted looking structure is now in the process of being reclaimed by nature, and can only be reached by pressing through scrubby undergrowth. Still, it's worth the effort. What purpose the buildings here served is unknown. Whether or not it dates from the days of Alauddin's military encampment is not known. I suspect it's from a later period, but I can't confirm this. No attempt is currently being made to preserve the structure. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-auE9osEkx6Y/VbKAE69vwiI/AAAAAAAAD2Q/aK1tsMUd12Y/s1600/DSCN9960.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-auE9osEkx6Y/VbKAE69vwiI/AAAAAAAAD2Q/aK1tsMUd12Y/s640/DSCN9960.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The huge mysterious ruin in the park inside the walls of Siri Fort</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">JAHANPANAH</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
If there is any large swathe of Delhi that Lonely Planet should take a closer look at, surely it is Jahanpanah, the fourth of the historical cities of Delhi (following Tughluqabad, which was built after Siri, to the Southeast). While very little of the city has survived into the present, the few major monuments that do remain are some of the most fascinating and most important buildings in Delhi. Unlike a number of the places that I've listed above, which would only truly appeal to the hardcore history enthusiast, the major sites in this part of Delhi would, I think, be of interest to the vast majority of tourists. The problem is that practically no one has even heard of these places. I've gone to them all several times, and have never seen another visitor from outside of Delhi. This makes a visit to the old mosques, tombs, and palaces of Jahanpanah one of Delhi's greatest off the beaten track adventures. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Muhammad Tughluq created Jahanpanah in the early 14th century by connecting the walls of Mehrauli and Siri, thereby enclosing the huge swath of empty space that once separated them. This new settlement, vastly larger than the three cities which had preceded it, is currently mostly taken up by the modern neighborhood of Malvia Nagar. Inside the former boundary of the now largely nonexistent walls are a collection of extraordinary monuments. However, they are all buried deep in residential areas, and known only to people in their immediate vicinity. Therefore, it's best to look them up on Google maps before trying to track them down. The distances involved in Malvia Nagar are huge, and it's easy to get lost. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
14: THE BIJAY MANDAL</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R4IQqmsWrNA/VcLJ00Pui7I/AAAAAAAAD3E/-pqI9KLgBkE/s1600/Bijay%2BMandal%2B1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R4IQqmsWrNA/VcLJ00Pui7I/AAAAAAAAD3E/-pqI9KLgBkE/s640/Bijay%2BMandal%2B1.JPG" width="512" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
An unusual Lodi period extension to the unique Bijay Mandal palace complex</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The Bijay Mandal is one of Delhi's most important, mysterious, and obscure, major monuments. It is medieval Delhi's only surviving palace complex, and was in use from the days of Alauddin Khilji, through the Tughlaq period, Tamerlane's invasion of North India, and all the way to the time of the Lodhi sultans. As such, it was the seat of power of several of the Delhi Sultanate's most important personalities. In Alauddin Khilji's time, the Bijay Mandal served as the sultan's living quarters, while Siri Fort was in all likelihood largely devoted to military matters. The palace therefore considerably predates the founding of Jahanpanah. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Muhammad Tughluq, the ruler famous for attempting to move much of the population Delhi hundreds of kilometers south to Daulatabad in present day Maharashtra, is thought to have occupied the palace complex, and it was during his reign that the palace was visited by the well known Muslim traveler Ibn Batutta. Unfortunately, Ibn Batutta's description of his time spent there doesn't give much of an impression of what the palace itself was like, meaning that there are no historical primary sources which can shed light on how the complex functioned as a building. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Simply from the scale of the place, one can tell that the Bijay Mandal was exceedingly important in its day. Yet, the things that make the complex so unique are also what makes it so confusing: It is one of the very few surviving examples of a secular, non-military structure from medieval Delhi, but over the centuries that it was in use it was remodeled by the different rulers who occupied it. Since historians and archaeologists have almost no other examples to compare it to, and since there's no historical record of how the buildings looked in their heyday, even figuring out what purpose each of the structures in the complex served is a matter of conjecture.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
What remains is a huge jumbled mass of ancient rubble masonry. While the overgrown ruins are, again, not what I'd call beautiful, they are a great place to wander around. There is a Tughluq period pavilion on the top of the main structure that one can access and get good views out over Malvia Nagar, and there is also a stone columned hall, probably dating from the Khilji period, which is interesting to explore. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As the crow flies, the ruins are located about 500 meters south of the Hauz Khas metro station, across the Outer Ring Road. Simply head south from the metro station, into the residential area, and you should be able to find your way there. The ruins are set in a large public space between blocks of apartments. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tJCFvbMmy6s/VcLJ0qoRudI/AAAAAAAAD3A/aHTSEqUn6mA/s1600/Bijay%2BMandal%2B2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="630" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tJCFvbMmy6s/VcLJ0qoRudI/AAAAAAAAD3A/aHTSEqUn6mA/s640/Bijay%2BMandal%2B2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Masonry and columns in the Khilji era hall of the Bijay Mandal</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
15: BEGUMPUR MASJID</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pi7hvVPzmKI/VcLKJQtQ1lI/AAAAAAAAD3Q/50kb3SrcW3s/s1600/Begumpur%2B1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="514" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pi7hvVPzmKI/VcLKJQtQ1lI/AAAAAAAAD3Q/50kb3SrcW3s/s640/Begumpur%2B1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The impressively aligned entrance way, prayer hall, and central prayer niche of Begumpur Masjid</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It is astonishing that something so huge and so interesting could be so completely overlooked, but the 14th century Begumpur Masjid, one of the largest, most architecturally sophisticated, and well preserved mosques of the Tughlaq era, sees few visitors. Like the rest of the monuments of Jahanpanah, Lonely Planet makes no mention of it. All the times I've gone, I've had the whole vast building to myself. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
There is some controversy as to when the building dates from. Likely, it was built during Muhammad Tughluq's reign, and therefore shortly after the founding of Jahanpanah itself. However, there are those who contend that the building was constructed later, during Feroz Shah's reign. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Either way, in a city known the world over for its beautiful mosques, Begumpur Masjid holds its own. It's courtyard is so vast that, in the chaotic 18th century, it sheltered a whole village. Despite the roof of the colonnaded hall around the perimeter of the courtyard having fallen in at a few places, the building is remarkably well preserved. Furthermore, the mosque is particularly worth seeking out because it is one of Delhi's few ancient buildings of any sort where no attempt is currently being made to prevent visitors from exploring its dark passageways, or from climbing up onto its roof. The strange, narrow, stairways leading up above the prayer hall are particularly interesting. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Begumpur Masjid is right next to the Bijay Mandal, so it makes sense to visit both of them in a single trip. A walk in the near vicinity will also bring you to a large assortment of minor monuments from various periods.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O84XGKW37Xk/VcLKJ8-lwzI/AAAAAAAAD3U/SEud58-V03c/s1600/Begumpur%2B2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O84XGKW37Xk/VcLKJ8-lwzI/AAAAAAAAD3U/SEud58-V03c/s640/Begumpur%2B2.JPG" width="574" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Colonnaded hall in Begumpur Masjid</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
16: KHIRKI MASJID</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nTpqZ3l4Ihk/VcLKcF6LKZI/AAAAAAAAD3k/Z_5mnUtOCRM/s1600/5%2BKirkee%2BMosque%2BMihrab.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nTpqZ3l4Ihk/VcLKcF6LKZI/AAAAAAAAD3k/Z_5mnUtOCRM/s640/5%2BKirkee%2BMosque%2BMihrab.JPG" width="468" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Strange angles and a prayer niche in Khirki Masjid</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
If I had to name one single place on this list to include in Lonely Planet, it would be Khirki Masjid, Delhi's most unusual mosque, and one of its most atmospheric historical sites. Built in the later half of the 14th century, what makes it so extraordinary is that it is one of only two historical Indian mosques that are entirely covered. Designed by a recent convert to Islam, the mosque's architecture is in many ways more reminiscent of Hindu places of worship. In a Hindu temple, less emphasis is placed on communal gathering, thus the actual worship space in a temple tends to be covered. In a mosque, the building is usually meant to accommodate large numbers of worshipers, and therefor the worship space is generally open to the sky. Khirki Masjid is one of the only mosques in India to reverse this trend.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The outside of the mosque has the appearance almost of a fortress. Certainly, it would be an easy place to defend against an attacker. The inside consists of several long colonnaded corridors, with four square open courtyards which let in a certain amount of natural light. The roof has a curious arrangement of nine square groups of nine small domes (with one of the groups having largely collapsed). </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In all of Delhi, there is nothing quite like it. While the mosque is now closely beset by the buildings of Khirki village, which are literally a stone's throw away, the interior of the mosque is one of the exceedingly few places in Delhi where the modern world gets entirely shut out. Walking inside the medieval corridors of Khirki Masjid is one of the closest experiences one can have to going back in time in India's capital. Even in Old Delhi, where an earlier way of life is, to some extent, preserved, one is still surrounded by motor bikes, electrical wires, ceiling fans, and advertisements. But in the interior of Khirki Masjid, what one sees now is very similar to what one would have seen visiting the mosque when it was new.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
However, on top of the mosque's historical significance and unusual architecture, both things that would make it very worth visiting in their own right, is its incredible profusion of wildlife. So far in my life I've never been to a better place to see bats, and that includes several natural "Bat Caves" that I've visited. There are tens of thousands of the flying rodents in the mosque, mostly hanging in the undersides of the peculiar domes in the roof. They do, of course, have their disadvantages. If you don't care for bats, it's probably better to give Khirki Masjid a miss, and they certainly don't make the inside smell nice, but if you have the guts for it, seeing the huge crowds of thousands of flying rodents in the mosque might just be one of the most incredible experiences you'll have in Delhi.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Accessing the mosque is unfortunately a bit tricky. For the moment, the nearest metro stop is Malvia Nagar, though it's still not <i>that </i>near, and the walk is not pleasant. To make matters even more confusing, the numerous auto drivers out in front of the metro station don't seem to know where the historical Khirki Masjid is, though they may bring you to a different, new, mosque nearby. I've found that the best tactic is simply to get in a shared auto to the vast Saket Select City Walk shopping complex, which is almost directly across Press Enclave road from the mosque. From where the auto stops, simply walk down the left side of the road, looking into each alleyway as you go. Khirki Masjid is located about a hundred meters from the road, and you'll be able to tell you're in the right place when you see an ancient looking masonry wall down one of the alleys. Yes, it's hard to find, but as one of Delhi's most unusual and atmospheric places, it's more than worth the trouble!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DzJohBgeO7M/VcWmy9bfLEI/AAAAAAAAD38/Gia_2n-tm7w/s1600/8%2BThousands%2Bof%2BBats.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DzJohBgeO7M/VcWmy9bfLEI/AAAAAAAAD38/Gia_2n-tm7w/s640/8%2BThousands%2Bof%2BBats.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Gigantic numbers of bats. All the little glowing pairs of dots are bat eyes!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">THE SULTAN GHARI</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
17: THE SULTAN GHARI AND NEARBY RUINS</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ebksP8Ol8QM/VcmCHkgSpjI/AAAAAAAAD4M/gFtEYYKUfJQ/s1600/1%2BSultan%2BGhari%2Band%2Bcenotaph.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ebksP8Ol8QM/VcmCHkgSpjI/AAAAAAAAD4M/gFtEYYKUfJQ/s640/1%2BSultan%2BGhari%2Band%2Bcenotaph.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Sultan Ghari, India's first Islamic Tomb, and Delhi's most shamefully neglected major monument</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Before moving on to the forgotten sights in the last of the historical cities in Delhi on this list, Mehrauli, we'll first take a took at a very interesting, historically important, and totally forgotten, complex of Sultanate and Mughal monuments, which really don't fit in anywhere else.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The Sultan Ghari, or Sultan's Cave, is the tomb of Nasiruddin Mahmud, one of the sons of Illtutmish, the second ruler of the Mamluk dynasty, and the first Muslim king in Delhi to assert his independence, thus founding the Delhi Sultanate. While Nasiruddin Mahmud's place in history may not be as illustrious as that of his father, his tomb is one of the most historically important buildings in Delhi, as it is the very earliest surviving Islamic mausoleum, not only in Delhi, but in all of India.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The building itself is very unusual. It predates the introduction of true arches (and therefore domes) in India, which would come in a few decades later, in the less well preserved tomb of Balban, one of Illtutmish's successors. The mausoleum consists of a courtyard, with almost fortress-like walls and a prayer-niche at one side. The effect is rather more like a mosque than a mausoleum. Underneath the courtyard is a large chamber, where the grave of Nasiruddin Mahmud and another, unknown, person are kept. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The chamber is a place of worship for both Hindus and Muslims from several nearby villages, who come to pray every Thursday. Filled with the smell of incense and old offerings, the chamber of the Sultan Ghari feels more like a Hindu temple than like the inside of a later Islamic tomb, and in fact many of the columns used in the construction of the tomb are reused from ancient, long since demolished, Hindu temples. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The main mausoleum in the Sultan Ghari complex is more than worth seeking out on its own merits. However, there are also a large number of other historical buildings that came up around the mausoleum that are very much of interest, though they are all being treated with shocking indifference (or were as of late 2013, when last I visited....perhaps the situation has improved?) Of these other buildings, the one closest to the main mausoleum is a chattri (pictured in the photo above), which is said to have been restored, along with much of the tomb, by Feroz Shah Tughluq. Also nearby, accessible if one is willing to push through a certain amount of scrubby undergrowth, is a small, ruined, Tughluq era mosque.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The most remarkable structures in the area surrounding the Sultan Ghari are the remains of several late Mughal era houses and other miscellaneous secular buildings. While these ruins are, by Delhi standards, fairly recent, they are nonetheless exceptionally rare: They represent one of the very few places in Delhi where a large collection of residential buildings, in this case, several entire small villages, have survived into the present. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
For the most part the buildings that survive the ravages of time are the ones that were important to begin with. The houses of ordinary, even relatively well off, people were usually allowed to disappear. For this reason, in the modern age we are able to fairly minutely trace the development of tombs in Delhi from the 13th to the 18th century, but attempting to explain the development of normal houses over the same period is a matter of guesswork.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
That makes the ruined villages around the Sultan Ghari very important from a historical perspective. As for visiting them, the downside is that the buildings (at least when last I went) are in a shameful state of neglect, and reaching them is rather more of an adventure than it should be (and not a totally pleasant one). A great deal of thorns need to be pushed through. An extensive restoration job seems to have been attempted sometime in the early to mid 2000s, but the "improvements" have often already been reclaimed by scrubby vegetation. Other than pilgrims from nearby, the site seems to receive very little in the way of visitors. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Just getting to the Sultan Ghari itself is also no easy task. When I went, I started by riding the Delhi Metro Yellow Line down to the Chhattarpur station (the one immediately after Qutb Minar). From there, I took an auto to the "Indian Spinal Injuries Center." The hospital was about 6 kms up Abdul Gaffar Khan Marg, near to a part of South Delhi called Vasant Kunj. The turnoff to the tomb is about 200 meters west of the entrance to the hospital, and, at least when I went, the sign marking the way was so small that you'd practically have to have your face pressed up against it to know that it was indeed the way to the Sultan Ghari. The tomb is set about half a km back from the main road, on an unpaved dirt track.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Unfortunately, just going up to an auto-rickshaw driver and telling him "Sultan Ghari" will in all likelihood simply confuse him, so, if you intend on going out and locating the thing, make sure to research it on Google Maps. For one thing, the satellite images give you a good indication of the layout of the late Mughal era villages.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oujnsiFNkfY/VcmCK19vCxI/AAAAAAAAD4U/TnWnTVweL64/s1600/9%2BSultan%2BGhari%2BPillared%2BHall.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oujnsiFNkfY/VcmCK19vCxI/AAAAAAAAD4U/TnWnTVweL64/s640/9%2BSultan%2BGhari%2BPillared%2BHall.JPG" width="512" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Surprisingly Greco-Roman looking pillars in front of the prayer niche of the Sultan Ghari. The columns were probably taken from significantly older Hindu temples</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">MEHRAULI</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Having moved south from the Mughal Gardens of North Delhi, through Shahjahanabad, to the Sultanate cities of Siri Fort and Jahanpanah, we've finally come all the way south to Mehrauli, the place where the "idea" of Delhi first developed. As the last, and also earliest, part of the city on this list, Mehrauli contians things worth seeing from every age of Delhi's history, from pre-Islamic times, all the way to the colonial 19th century. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Mehrauli began as the 11th century Hindu Rajput stronghold of Lal-Kot, or "Red Fort" ( not to be confused with the much later Mughal "Red Fort", or Lal Qila). Its conquest at the end of the 12th century by Muhammad of Ghor ushered in Islamic rule in Delhi for the next seven centuries.Thus, Mehrauli can be said to be the historical foundation of Delhi: The very concept of the city began here, and then slowly, over the course of most of a millennium, radiated outward from this point. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Like Old Delhi (which is in fact relatively new in comparison to Mehrauli), tourism in this area is a study in contrasts. Arguably Delhi's most iconic building, and one of the top tourist draws in all of India, the Qutb Minar is the star attraction of the area, the only site in the entire country which receives more visitors being the Taj Mahal. Yet, less than a kilometer from the Qutb Minar is a dense concentration of monuments, from virtually every period in Delhi's history, which go unnoticed.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Lonely Planet has lately begun to include some of these lesser known places. The Mehrauli Archaeological Park, for example, which is nearly as interesting as the UNESCO protected Qutb Minar World Heritage site, gets well deserved high ratings from the guidebooks. However, Lonely Planet also presents a certain amount of information about the area which is incorrect, and which does little to extend tourism into Mehrauli Village itself. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
18: THE ZAFAR MAHAL</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tCcY-NgJKBA/Vb_upxQMYhI/AAAAAAAAD2k/TSKUxq2cKXw/s1600/Zafar%2B1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tCcY-NgJKBA/Vb_upxQMYhI/AAAAAAAAD2k/TSKUxq2cKXw/s640/Zafar%2B1.JPG" width="598" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The faded elegance of the gate of the Zafar Mahal</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It is often said (the quote varying slightly wherever one encounters it) that the mid 18th century mausoleum of Safdarjung, the final truly monumental Mughal garden tomb, was "the last flickering of the dying lamp of Mughal architecture." If that's the case, then the later Zafar Mahal was the last tiny bit of heat radiating out of the ashes of Mughal architectural magnificence, long after the fire had been extinguished. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The Zafar Mahal was the summer palace of the last of the Mughal emperors, who ruled from the Red Fort in Delhi over an "empire" that was mostly symbolic. The Mughals themselves remained significant as figureheads, but the extent of their actual political power was largely determined by the British East India Company. By the middle of the 19th century, they had lost all relevance as military leaders, and many members of the royal family were in fact living in poverty. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The gate of the Zafar Mahal, the most prominent structure left in the palace complex, reflects the fortunes of the latter Mughal emperors: Still a grand building if taken entirely on its own merits, when compared with the architectural feats of the house of Babur in it's heyday, which rank high among the most impressive buildings ever created by the human species, the gate becomes a symbol of a dynasty that had fallen irretrievably into decay. This makes the palace one of the most melancholy places to visit in the whole of Delhi. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Much of what still exists (including the gate) was built by Bahadur Zafar II, the last Mughal emperor, and largely a puppet of the British, and later, of the Sepoys of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. A man buffeted about by historical forces that he had neither the ability nor the inclination to control, his life, and that of the Mughal Dynasty, ended on a pitiable note. Banished to Burma, he died and was buried there, not where he had hoped to be, at a grave site within the Zafar Mahal.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Inside the palace, near the small, well proportioned Moti Masjid (an earlier building dating from near the beginning of the 18th century), is a small grave enclosure containing several of the final resting places of the later Mughal rulers. Far from the overwhelming grandeur of the garden tombs in which most of the early Mughal emperors are interred, these are no more than simple, white, marble gravestones. Here lie other unfortunate later Mughals, such as Bahadur Shah I, Shah Alam, and the person who would have been Zafar's successor, Mirza Fakruddin, had he not died before Zafar. But sadder than the gravestones is the empty space left between two of them: This is the lot Zafar had chosen to be buried in, before the events of the Seapoy Rebellion spun utterly out of his control, and he wound up, not entirely by his own choosing, on the loosing side. Banished to Burma, he died in poverty, and the house of Babur which had existed in North India for over 350 years was finally expunged. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The palace itself was built directly adjacent to the dargah of the 12th and 13th century Sufi saint Qutb-ud-din Bakhtiyar Kaki, the person to whom the Qutb Minar, the symbol of the arrival of Islamic rule not only in Delhi, but in the whole of India, was dedicated. While the shrine is not as well known as some other Sufi places of worship in Delhi, it is nonetheless just as historically important, as the city of Mehrauli largely developed around it. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A comparison of the Zafar Mahal and the Qutb Minar therefore makes an interesting historical counterpoint: While the Qutb Minar represents Islamic rule's triumphant beginning in Delhi, the Zafar Mahel is symbolic of its ignominious finish. The termination of the Mughal era was not only the end of a dynasty, but the end of nearly 700 years of uninterrupted Muslim dominance in the city. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
While what makes the Zafar Mahal most worth seeking out is the history associated with it, it is also an interesting place to explore. The complex grew up around several older buildings, including one (possibly) 13th century tomb. The Moti Masjid is a very lovely, mid-Mughal period mosque, and the main gate, while a far cry from the stupendous architectural feats of the earlier Mughals, is nonetheless still impressive, all the more so for it's placement in a congested corner of Mehrauli village.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Getting there is not difficult: Just go to the Mehrauli Archaeological Park, head due west along any one of several trails that lead out into Mehrauli Village. Once in the village, simply ask anyone you meet on the street for the Dargah (just asking "Dargah"? should suffice), and you'll get there, as the palace is directly adjacent to the shrine. This is, however, one of the points where Lonely Planet has made a mistake: There is a short passage in the most recent edition of the guidebook which claims that Zafar is buried "between two tombs" and that his final resting place is to the southwest of the Archaeological Park, on the banks of the ancient Haus i Shamsi reservoir. The tomb is not between two tombs, it's due west rather than southwest of the Archaeological Park, and is still close to half a kilometer away from the reservoir. No mention is made of the Zafar Mahal itself, which, judging by the looks I got from the locals when I went, sees very few tourists. This is a shame, for it is one of Delhi's most moving historical sites. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hSrbB_bWL2k/Vb_uqy4yGRI/AAAAAAAAD2s/r5EJVqVmFCo/s1600/Zafar%2B2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hSrbB_bWL2k/Vb_uqy4yGRI/AAAAAAAAD2s/r5EJVqVmFCo/s640/Zafar%2B2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The space left empty for Bahadur Shah Zafar II</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
19: ASSORTED MONUMENTS IN MEHRAULI VILLAGE</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NBNdHtAWMko/VcmGlqzPsqI/AAAAAAAAD4g/h0cbvGFUZgw/s1600/Jehaz%2BMahal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="442" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NBNdHtAWMko/VcmGlqzPsqI/AAAAAAAAD4g/h0cbvGFUZgw/s640/Jehaz%2BMahal.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The (probably) Lodhi period Jehaz Mahal</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The village of Mehrauli, adhering to roughly the same street pattern as when it first developed close to a millennium ago, contains an incredible density of ancient monuments. Yet, after the Qutb Minar World Heritage site, and then the Mehrauli Archaeological Park, exceedingly few visitors make the additional effort to explore the village itself. This is not helped by the fact that, as mentioned in the entry above, some of Lonely Planet's information on the area is incorrect. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Mehrauli village is the true "Old Delhi." The settlement here has seen the entire history of the city, from the Hindu period all the way to the present day. Just like in Old Delhi, perhaps the most profitable way to explore the village is simply to wander around without a fixed objective. Around every corner are interesting old mosques, tombs, houses, palaces, and fortifications. Also, after walking from the Qutb Minar, you'll find that the atmosphere here to be almost entirely different: Though right next door to the world renown tourist destination, virtually nobody comes this far, so the locals won't be expecting you. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
There are an incredible number of monuments here to choose from. However, were I to pick two interesting things within the village itself to visit, they would be the Jehaz Mahal and Gandhak ki Baoli, neither of which are mentioned by Lonely Planet.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The Jehaz Mahal, meaning, roughly "Ship Palace," is a large, impossible to miss, building next to the Haus i Shamsi Reservoir (the reservoir itself having been created at the very beginning of the Delhi Sultanate). While architecturally very impressive, the actual purpose of the building seems to be unknown, a pleasure palace being the best guess. Judging from the architecture, it seems to date from the Lodhi period. Nearby are several more ruined mosques and tombs. When I visited the Jehaz Mahal, I was let in by a caretaker who refused to accept any money...this is exceedingly rare in Delhi, so I hope the same man is there now.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It might be cheating a little to include the Gandhak ki Baoli on this list: It is technically a part of the Mehrauli Archaeological Park, which is included in Lonely Planet. However, it's surrounded by modern buildings, it's a good distance away from any of the other structures in the park, and the Lonely Planet does not mention it specifically, meaning that you wouldn't know it was there, or, for that matter, that it was worth seeking out, by reading the Lonely Planet. Built partially out of fragments of ruined temples in the early 13th century by Iltutmish, it is Delhi's most ancient step-well, and therefore a vital piece of the history of the first few decades of Muslim rule in India. The structure has seven levels, though at the time the picture below was taken, the water level was unusually high. Unfortunately, the caretaker for the building is often absent, and since he has the keys, when he's not there it's impossible to get in without jumping a fence....<i>that</i>, however, is fairly easy to do, and if anyone confronts you about it, just play dumb and wander off...</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z-SUwuvqf-8/VcmGy55q9uI/AAAAAAAAD4w/zsDMTOk7iyU/s1600/29%2BGandhak%2Bki%2BBaoli.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z-SUwuvqf-8/VcmGy55q9uI/AAAAAAAAD4w/zsDMTOk7iyU/s640/29%2BGandhak%2Bki%2BBaoli.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Gandhak ki Baoli</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
20: THE WALLS OF LAL KOT</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YKnPeJS1FEs/VcmHueh6NlI/AAAAAAAAD44/AyQgeTC-zgo/s1600/Lal%2BKot%2B2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YKnPeJS1FEs/VcmHueh6NlI/AAAAAAAAD44/AyQgeTC-zgo/s640/Lal%2BKot%2B2.JPG" width="446" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Overgrown ancient masonry. A long forgotten bastion of the Hindu Rajput fortress of Lal Kot </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The final entry on this list also happens to be the oldest, and the most off the beaten path. It's easy to forget that anything substantial from the pre-Islamic period in Delhi survives, other than the ubiquitous reused Hindu temple columns one sees all over Mehrauli. Yet, while they seem to be almost totally forgotten, large portions of the original walls of the Hindu Rajput city still stand. Forlorn, covered in cactus and scrubby vegetation, and now unprotected, the walls of the ancient city of Lal-Kot are where Delhi began. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
While the walls might not be as immediately impressive as the later Islamic period fortifications in Delhi, such as those of the Red Fort or Purana Qila, that so much of their stonework has remained after 800 years of the city's cataclysmic history is a testament to the engineering abilities of the medieval Rajputs. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Visiting the walls is about as far as one can get from the usual tourist itinerary in Delhi. The most intact part of the fortifications run through a surprisingly lonely, forested area due west of the Qutb Minar World Heritage site. To find the walls, head first to Adham Khan's tomb. This is the huge dome that you'll be able to see all the way from the Qutb Minar metro station, and after the Qutb Minar itself is Mehrauli's most prominent landmark. There is a road that leads straight west from the tomb, and after about 250 meters, you'll pass by one of the bastions of the of the ancient fortification. You can climb up onto this, and then continue for some distance along the ridge of the ruined walls. A word of warning: When I went up onto the wall, the access point was covered in garbage. The situation may have improved recently, but I doubt it. Needless to say, visiting the walls of Lal-Kot is a genuine adventure, and you probably shouldn't do it alone. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
From the top of the fortifications, one is afforded what may be my favorite view in India's capital city: A wide vista encompassing all of Mehrauli, from Adham Khan's Tomb to the Qutb Minar, with Delhi stretching out infinitely to the horizon beyond.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I0hhN5tanBc/VcmHy-9SzmI/AAAAAAAAD5A/4j4VlTeplxg/s1600/Lal%2BKot%2B1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="500" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I0hhN5tanBc/VcmHy-9SzmI/AAAAAAAAD5A/4j4VlTeplxg/s640/Lal%2BKot%2B1.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The view from the fortifications of Lal-Kot, with Adham Khan's Tomb on the right, the small but prominent tomb of Azim Khan in the center, and the Qutb Minar on the left.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
That ends my posts on twenty things to see in Delhi that are not in Lonely Planet. Note that this list is very far from being all inclusive. Even now, after six years of travelling in India, and after spending many months in Delhi, there are still large parts of the city that I have yet to visit. But for someone with a taste for adventure and for seeking out the obscure, Delhi's collection of interesting places to see is simply inexhaustible.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Regarding sources, the best guidebook for the lesser known places in Delhi is still Lucy Peck's <i>Delhi: A Thousand Years of Building. </i>However, that book is now a decade old, and Delhi has changed a great deal since it came out. Make sure, if you're trying to reach the sites listed above, to consult other resources such as Google maps, as many of the maps in Lucy Peck's tremendous guide book are unfortunately out of date.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br /></div>
Patrick A. Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05731722419862161376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049395502639291836.post-69206200845798609252015-07-16T21:36:00.000-07:002015-07-16T21:36:15.075-07:00Hyderabad (V2)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ctaOzJq9S7g/URmNtcShFUI/AAAAAAAABw0/cmRM4Q5c-Oo/s1600/1+Chowmahalla+Chandelier+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ctaOzJq9S7g/URmNtcShFUI/AAAAAAAABw0/cmRM4Q5c-Oo/s640/1+Chowmahalla+Chandelier+.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The spectacular chandeliers of the Kilawat Mubarak, the durbar hall of the Chowmahalla palace, along with the royal seat of the Nizams of Hyderabad.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
And now for something completely different. In October of last year, I spent a little over two weeks exploring the fantastic state of Karnataka (and a little bit of Andhra Pradesh), in southern India. Despite the fact that Northeast India is perhaps the most inaccessible part of the county, by an odd set of circumstances it's the part that I now know best. But I had never been south of Agra (with the exception of the Andaman Islands which are something else entirely). This was my first foray into the south, and hopefully there will be many more to come. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
My plan was to land in Hyderabad, and then travel overland to Bangalore, visiting Bidar, Bijaipur, Badami, and Hampi, on the way. Hyderabad hadn't really been an objective in and of itself: I chose to fly in there because it was the most convenient place from which I could access Bidar. I spent less than 30 hours there, and hence it was the place on my route which I explored the least. But, from what little I saw, it is a fascinating city, and well worth a trip in and of itself.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
I landed at about 10 PM, was settled into a hotel in the Abids neighborhood by twelve. I hadn't eaten anything since dinner the night before at my girlfriend's friend's house (who happens to be from Hyderabad...go figure). I wound up having lunch at a vast, busy, Islamic style dinning hall, along similar lines to Karim's next to the Jama Majid in Delhi. I got some funny looks from the locals, though the mutton biryani was mighty tasty, and dirt cheap to boot. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
By this point it was already fairly late in the afternoon. Still, I decided to go out make the most of my time in Hyderabad. The first thing I did was go down to the Charminar, Hyderabad's main landmark, and one of India's most iconic buildings. If you happen to be watching a south Indian movie, and the film needs to establish that we're in Hyderabad, what you'll see is an image of the Charminar. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g2HB7l5XQNg/URmNtjPfJyI/AAAAAAAABw8/_DDkoKc1yDU/s1600/2+Charminar+Minaret.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g2HB7l5XQNg/URmNtjPfJyI/AAAAAAAABw8/_DDkoKc1yDU/s640/2+Charminar+Minaret.JPG" width="370" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
One of the minarets of the Charminar. The name translates easily into "Four Minarets." Not sure what point the saffron flag is making.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
The Charminar was built around 1590 by the sultans of Golkonda, one of the five great dynasties that resulted from the fragmentation of the Bahmani Sultanate (which was itself an offshoot of the Tughluks of Delhi). The Golkonda sultans founded Hyderabad, and planned their city around the Charminar. The purpose of the structure, other than to celebrate the founding of the city, was to serve as a mosque, though when I was there it was open during late-afternoon prayers. It was evidently in fairly poor condition as of the early 19th century and has since undergone extensive renovation. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
The area adjacent to the Charminar is the very heart of Hyderabad. The monument is now something of a giant traffic circle, around which goes every sort of vehicle imaginable. While I was there, the wife of a certain South Indian superstar (mostly in Telugu films) by the name of Nagarjuna, was taking a tour of the monument. Literally thousands of people were swarming around her, snarling traffic and congesting the central artery of the city. A security contingent of around 50 or so cops was pushing away hundreds of curious folks. I of course tried to get a look myself, though there were just too many people, and I get the impression that Nararjuna's wife was rather short.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Anyway, because Nagarjuna's wife was visiting, the Charminar was closed off, so I decided to head into the area directly east of the monument: Laad Bazaar.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MZtEMC9dxGM/URmNu71_MtI/AAAAAAAABxE/hH6J244qO04/s1600/3+Laad+Bazaar+Bangal+Madness+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="548" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MZtEMC9dxGM/URmNu71_MtI/AAAAAAAABxE/hH6J244qO04/s640/3+Laad+Bazaar+Bangal+Madness+.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: left;">Bangle</span> apocalypse. Laad Bazaar.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Laad Bazaar evidently goes back to around the time Hyderabad was founded, and then as now, it specialized in Bangels. There's one shop after another after another selling bangels, bangels, bangles, and more bagels, while if you go into the lanes behind the shops and walk a short distance, you come to the workshops where the bangles, bangles, bangles, and more bangles, are being made.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-69R_XjBJx9M/URmNvWkt5iI/AAAAAAAABxI/T8xwU1A7Fsk/s1600/4+Bangle+Workshop.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-69R_XjBJx9M/URmNvWkt5iI/AAAAAAAABxI/T8xwU1A7Fsk/s640/4+Bangle+Workshop.JPG" width="564" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Laad Bazaar workshop. As you can see, they're making....bangels. The word "Laad" is evidently a term for the sort of lacquer used in Bangel-making. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X9KtJRvtMmc/URmNwMol-vI/AAAAAAAABxU/JKHsKojQg7A/s1600/5+Mecca+Masjid+Under+Repair.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X9KtJRvtMmc/URmNwMol-vI/AAAAAAAABxU/JKHsKojQg7A/s640/5+Mecca+Masjid+Under+Repair.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A surreal view through wires and scaffolding of one of the Minarets of the Mecca Masjid, a mosque also dating back to the late Golkonda Sultanate period, being renovated. In 2007, the mosque was the site of a bombing by Hindu extremists (the renovation happening in this picture is not because of the bombing). I had hoped to visit the mosque later in the day, but unfortunately when I got back there, prayers were being conducted, so I had to skip it.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
From Laad Bazaar, if you walk to the first intersection and then turn left, you'll come to the Chowmahalla in around ten minutes. The Chowmahalla was the residence of the Asaf Jahi rulers of Hyderabad, who broke away from the Moghuls in the early 18th century. The Moghuls, in turn, had absorbed the Golconda Sultanate, and the Asaf Jahi's, now usually referred to as the Nizams, had started off as their governors in the region. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
The reign of the Nizams lasted from shortly after the death of the Moghul emperor Aurangzeb to the mid twentieth century. Through the Raj, Hyderabad was one of the very richest princely states in British India, and after Indian Independence, the Nizams made an attempt to remain separate from the India, though they were ultimately annexed to the country by force. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Chowmahalla means "Four palaces," "Chow" evidently being a local rendering of "Char", as in, "Charminar." The compound consists of a number of buildings in a hybrid, and not always successful, East-West style, along with a series of displays of the Nizams erstwhile wealth. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
The place was closed as of 2010, but has since been restored and opened up as a museum, with the financial aid of the Tatas. [REVISION: A reader below has pointed out (has, rather, pointedly pointed out) that the restoration project was begun by Esra Jah, the wife of <span style="text-align: center;">Nizam Mukarram Jah Bahadur Asaf Jah VIII, the still reigning Nizam. My confusion might have come from the fact that another former palace of the Nizams, the nearby Falaknuma, was restored and opened by the Taj group of hotels, which is part of the Tata business empire. As I remember, there were plaques or sings up all over in the Chowmahalla bearing the Tata name...it's also worth pointing out that the architecture firm that worked on the Chowmahalla restoration has also worked for various Tata </span>concerns. Hence, though it does appear to me that much of the money for the project seems to have come from the Nizams themselves, there also appears to have been some Tata involvement....hence my confusion...]</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X-vjXTgXQ-M/URmN2hzLIWI/AAAAAAAABxo/Y41GDKdA3sk/s1600/6+Nizams+Carriage.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X-vjXTgXQ-M/URmN2hzLIWI/AAAAAAAABxo/Y41GDKdA3sk/s640/6+Nizams+Carriage.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Horse drawn carriage in Chowmahalla.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eM05XDxhQnY/URmN3KmvS6I/AAAAAAAABxw/gdyOa4v8Hdc/s1600/7+Mukarram+Jah+Bahadur+Asaf+Jah+VIII+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eM05XDxhQnY/URmN3KmvS6I/AAAAAAAABxw/gdyOa4v8Hdc/s640/7+Mukarram+Jah+Bahadur+Asaf+Jah+VIII+.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Photo of a photo of Nizam Mukarram Jah Bahadur Asaf Jah VIII, the current Nizam, as a little boy. Born in 1933, married at age five to a Turkish Princess, he was apparently the richest man in India for a while, along with being ( through his marriage) a prince of the Ottoman Empire, a personal friend of Nehru, and an Australian sheep farmer (????). He's still around, though his wealth is much reduced to a paltry one billion dollars.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pSwOU1wntxw/URmN37GcOdI/AAAAAAAABx4/1QKb6E-5zI8/s1600/8+Chowmahalla+Durbar+Hall.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pSwOU1wntxw/URmN37GcOdI/AAAAAAAABx4/1QKb6E-5zI8/s640/8+Chowmahalla+Durbar+Hall.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Another view of the Khilawat Mubarak, by far the most impressive part of the Chowmahalla. This is where official ceremonies were held. Apparently the chandeliers had been in storage for quite some time, and were recently dusted off and re-hung. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TiPPfCrtYOc/URmN4egvd9I/AAAAAAAABx8/cEYWq8Pm_1Y/s1600/9+A+wall+of+Weapons.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TiPPfCrtYOc/URmN4egvd9I/AAAAAAAABx8/cEYWq8Pm_1Y/s640/9+A+wall+of+Weapons.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A grotesque display of killing implements. A person I knew once described India as "The land of peace." Sadly I think he was mistaken. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6M3hN3u1gMA/URmN2MztY-I/AAAAAAAABxg/ARyr8mUGdQo/s1600/10+Big+Axe.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6M3hN3u1gMA/URmN2MztY-I/AAAAAAAABxg/ARyr8mUGdQo/s640/10+Big+Axe.JPG" width="272" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Big ax, Chowmahalla.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
After a quick tour around the Chowmahalla, I headed back over to the Charminar. Now that it was later in the day, the light was rather better, and Nagarjuna's wife had gone.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V_tqFhLcIB8/URmOTYvMJrI/AAAAAAAAByI/iB68_rjjyBQ/s1600/11+Laad+Bazaar+and+Charminar.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V_tqFhLcIB8/URmOTYvMJrI/AAAAAAAAByI/iB68_rjjyBQ/s640/11+Laad+Bazaar+and+Charminar.JPG" width="334" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Local flavor: Laad Bazaar, a burka-clad woman, an ice-cream cart, and the Charminar rising above it all. Note the people in the arches to either side of the clock on the Charminar.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F0RNjewx3Ao/URmOUOSJ5PI/AAAAAAAAByQ/qmRjKuElP4Y/s1600/12+Ittehad+Waraq+Shop.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F0RNjewx3Ao/URmOUOSJ5PI/AAAAAAAAByQ/qmRjKuElP4Y/s640/12+Ittehad+Waraq+Shop.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A sign for a one of the workshops in Laad Bazaar, along with some quality PVC furniture. That guy to the left was very happy that I took the time to photograph the sign. He made me promise I would post it online, so here it is.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
It's possible to actually go inside the Charminar, though, unfortunately, they don't allow you to go all the way to the top of the minarets. Still, you get an interesting view out over the center of Hyderabad.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oakaE_UJDz0/URmOU-M_D9I/AAAAAAAAByY/i1-P2ANIqn0/s1600/13+Char+Kaman.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oakaE_UJDz0/URmOU-M_D9I/AAAAAAAAByY/i1-P2ANIqn0/s640/13+Char+Kaman.JPG" width="560" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
View north from the Charminar, through the Char Kaman, a gate which was built at the same time as the Charminar (though in it's current form has been much restored).</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8Npop0waKj8/URmOViIanUI/AAAAAAAAByg/xRDPXF6Gydc/s1600/14+View+South+of+Charminar+Government+Nizamia+General+Hospital+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8Npop0waKj8/URmOViIanUI/AAAAAAAAByg/xRDPXF6Gydc/s640/14+View+South+of+Charminar+Government+Nizamia+General+Hospital+.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The view south from the Charminar. The open space to the right is the courtyard of the Mecca Masjid. The multiple domed building to the left is actually a government run hospital.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ULB1ArKAw0I/URmOVymvFqI/AAAAAAAAByo/az5YK-olXtk/s1600/15+Charminar+Dental+Hospital.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ULB1ArKAw0I/URmOVymvFqI/AAAAAAAAByo/az5YK-olXtk/s640/15+Charminar+Dental+Hospital.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Charminar Dental Hospital, otherwise known as Satanic Parker Posey's lair. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
After visiting the Charminar, I retreated to my hotel in order to get a full night's rest (I had only slept around four hours the night before). However, I did have one experience worth mentioning on my way back. I was riding in a auto-rickshaw, and another auto was driving next to mine. The driver of the other auto must have been desperate to make some extra money, because as he dodged in and out of traffic, doing his best to remain parallel to my auto, he was simultaneously trying to get me to buy sunglasses from him. This meant that, with one hand, he was steering the auto, but with the other he was reaching over and shoving sunglasses in my face...me, my driver, and the other driver's passenger all had a good laugh. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
The next day, my objective was to get all the way to a town called Bidar, which is just across the border in Karnataka. But, having gotten up relatively early, I decided I would have enough time to explore Hyderabad a bit more, providing I hurried. I wound up visiting the older side of Hyderabad: Golconda, and the necropolis of the Qutb Shahi Kings. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Golkonda fort goes back to the 12th century, to the Hindu predecessors of the Golconda sultans, though most of the fort that still exists today is from the 16th century. Ultimately it was knocked over by Aurangzeb in the 17th century, though Moghul control over the area did not last long, as the Nizams broke off in the early 18th century. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
My visit to Golkonda and the Qutb Shahi Kings was a rather rushed, hence I didn't spend as much time at either place as I would have liked. It was something of a marathon around Golkonda's walls....But still....</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Orik1uiy6EI/URmOdvmOjeI/AAAAAAAAByw/XKBqU1pm3HM/s1600/16+Golconda+Fort.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Orik1uiy6EI/URmOdvmOjeI/AAAAAAAAByw/XKBqU1pm3HM/s640/16+Golconda+Fort.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The multiple ramparts of Golkonda Fort, in highly variable states of preservation. The structure at the very top is the fort's durbar hall.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-61Dfra5Dm3o/URmOed_WSlI/AAAAAAAABy4/c3KWrxwiT-I/s1600/17+Golconda+Armory.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-61Dfra5Dm3o/URmOed_WSlI/AAAAAAAABy4/c3KWrxwiT-I/s640/17+Golconda+Armory.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: left;">Armaments</span> in Golkonda Fort. A Cannon, cannon balls, and large circular spheres of granite that were meant to be rolled down from the fort's many parapets. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KIgR_44itlw/URmOe3ee-FI/AAAAAAAABzA/Seas3mB_DTs/s1600/18+Free+Standing+Arches.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KIgR_44itlw/URmOe3ee-FI/AAAAAAAABzA/Seas3mB_DTs/s640/18+Free+Standing+Arches.JPG" width="574" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Huge arches that have been recently restored by covering them in concrete. The effect is rather incongruous, and also seems to make it much easier for people to carve their names into the structures. Only a few of the ruins in Golkonda have been restored in this way, making them stand out sharply against he unrestored sections. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bF-tWMLguFM/URmOfbd04YI/AAAAAAAABzI/D6cU_3Ykufg/s1600/19+More+Free+standing+Arches.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bF-tWMLguFM/URmOfbd04YI/AAAAAAAABzI/D6cU_3Ykufg/s640/19+More+Free+standing+Arches.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Dr. Seuss <span style="text-align: left;">architecture, Golkonda Fort.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LpWvifR6EKw/URmOf4tsqaI/AAAAAAAABzM/QJg8xXB6jtA/s1600/20+Creepy+Corridore.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LpWvifR6EKw/URmOf4tsqaI/AAAAAAAABzM/QJg8xXB6jtA/s640/20+Creepy+Corridore.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Creepy crumbling underground chamber in Golkonda Fort. There are long stretches of dark, underground passageways beneath the fort, most of them filled with bats and flying foxes. The underground passages of the fort are a great place for flying mammals to hide during the day. There were apparently tunnels built under the fort that lead all the way out to the center of modern Hyderabad. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DDiyL8wC9L4/URmOvZbHjAI/AAAAAAAABzY/mAFItoATO_o/s1600/21+Golconda,+the+way+up.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DDiyL8wC9L4/URmOvZbHjAI/AAAAAAAABzY/mAFItoATO_o/s640/21+Golconda,+the+way+up.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The ruins of Golkonda Fort rising up to the Durbar Hall. Golkonda's chief claim to fame is that it once housed in it's vaults a number of famous stones, including the Hope and Koh-i-nor diamonds. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u5vGXV5agH4/URmOvidBZYI/AAAAAAAABzg/bJd6Fng2pRY/s1600/22+Golconda+Durga.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u5vGXV5agH4/URmOvidBZYI/AAAAAAAABzg/bJd6Fng2pRY/s640/22+Golconda+Durga.JPG" width="516" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Durga of Golkonda. This is the Ellamma Devi Temple, which was built by a couple of Hindu ministers of the Golkonda sultans. I don't think the painting is of any great antiquity, but it makes an impression.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8ZAvgJjPHvQ/URmOwWePtjI/AAAAAAAABzo/wFvV0gjxiCs/s1600/23+Golconda+Durbar+Hall.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8ZAvgJjPHvQ/URmOwWePtjI/AAAAAAAABzo/wFvV0gjxiCs/s640/23+Golconda+Durbar+Hall.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
View on the durbar hall, nearing the top of the fort.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--zktDMu3-6Q/URmOwlI7bRI/AAAAAAAABzs/dx6a8OlNJ8Y/s1600/24+Do+not+spit+on+the+walls+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--zktDMu3-6Q/URmOwlI7bRI/AAAAAAAABzs/dx6a8OlNJ8Y/s640/24+Do+not+spit+on+the+walls+.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A sign outside of the Durbar Hall. I think it speaks for itself.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RZOZ8gIi57c/URmOxXQYTAI/AAAAAAAABz0/3hxYMcpuH_Y/s1600/25+Golconda+Layout.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="380" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RZOZ8gIi57c/URmOxXQYTAI/AAAAAAAABz0/3hxYMcpuH_Y/s640/25+Golconda+Layout.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Overview of part of the fort from the durbar hall.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4E_pVPZBuP0/URmOzVUH9OI/AAAAAAAAB0E/R-85ABIKFg4/s1600/26+Golconda+boulders.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4E_pVPZBuP0/URmOzVUH9OI/AAAAAAAAB0E/R-85ABIKFg4/s640/26+Golconda+boulders.JPG" width="596" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Deccan style granite boulders, in this case having been incorporated into one of the strongholds many defensive walls. The boulders here are very similar to the kind one finds further south in Hampi and Anegondi in Karnataka (or, for that matter, in Joshua Tree National Park and in Lone Pine California...however, this is not the granite boulder post...)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
After visiting Golkonda Fort, I tried to walk to the tombs of the men who built it, the Qutb Shahi kings. However, I took a wrong turn, and found myself wandering out of the city...About the time that I noticed my mistake was when I realized that I was looking back at the outer walls of the old city. </div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1fuLCy4sjHY/URmOzU7EgBI/AAAAAAAAB0A/7FXYy0BkU9s/s1600/27+Golconda+moat+and+outer+wall.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="452" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1fuLCy4sjHY/URmOzU7EgBI/AAAAAAAAB0A/7FXYy0BkU9s/s640/27+Golconda+moat+and+outer+wall.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Turrets, walls, and a moat: Part of the old outer defenses of the city of Golkonda. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3ZPynNqEiUA/URmOz4uDJOI/AAAAAAAAB0M/RZkpiUOf8Jc/s1600/28+Random+Cannon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="538" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3ZPynNqEiUA/URmOz4uDJOI/AAAAAAAAB0M/RZkpiUOf8Jc/s640/28+Random+Cannon.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A forlorn random old cannon sitting on one of the turrets of the outer wall. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Of course, getting lost in India is frequently as interesting as getting where you mean to be going.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
After taking a quick look at the out walls of the city, I got in the nearest auto and rode out to the elegant tombs of the Qutb Shahi Kings. Unfortunately, it was getting late, so I only got the briefest look at the city of mausoleums (and, in truth, took very few good pictures). I would be perfectly happy to come back and see the place properly. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5ecUKNWTgOU/URmO0-9TJ8I/AAAAAAAAB0Y/1lcCblogfVQ/s1600/29+tomb+of+Abdullah+Qutub+Shah.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5ecUKNWTgOU/URmO0-9TJ8I/AAAAAAAAB0Y/1lcCblogfVQ/s640/29+tomb+of+Abdullah+Qutub+Shah.JPG" width="462" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The tomb of Abdullah Qutub Shah, who ruled during the 17th century. It was during his reign that the Moghuls established suzerainty over Hyderabad, though the Golkonda Sultans still remained nominally in power. Evidently he received fairly rough treatment at the hands of Aurangzeb. Still, he sure got a nice mausoleum.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HgC-UfQqRD8/URmO1LlJldI/AAAAAAAAB0c/sWD3n_CH_xU/s1600/30+Mohamed+Kuli+Kutub+Shah's+Grave.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HgC-UfQqRD8/URmO1LlJldI/AAAAAAAAB0c/sWD3n_CH_xU/s640/30+Mohamed+Kuli+Kutub+Shah's+Grave.JPG" width="408" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The grave of Muhammad Kuli Qutub Shah, the founder of Hyderabad and the builder on the Charminar, in the catacombs under his tomb. Above, there is a large open chamber, directly under the dome, where another grave-marker has been placed. But the actual body of the sultan is further down, beneath this second grave marker. This is a fairly common practice in the Islamic Tombs of India. You have a similar situation inside the much better known Taj-Mahal. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iFsFN-Ecd4c/URmO2PriqDI/AAAAAAAAB0o/sJ7juYiK0ro/s1600/31+Unfinished+Tomb+of+Mirza+Nizamuddin+Ahmed+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iFsFN-Ecd4c/URmO2PriqDI/AAAAAAAAB0o/sJ7juYiK0ro/s640/31+Unfinished+Tomb+of+Mirza+Nizamuddin+Ahmed+.JPG" width="630" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The Unfinished Tomb of Mirza Nizamuddin Ahmed. Apparently Nizamuddin Ahmed led a revolt against Abul Hasan Tana Shah, the last sultan of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, but was defeated. Hence the construction that was begun on his tomb was never finished. However, though the last of the Golkonda Sultans succeeded in putting down Nizamuddin Ahmed's revolt, his decision to try and reassert the Qutb Shahis independence from the Moghuls didn't turn out so well. Golkonda Fort was besieged and taken with much bloodshed, Aurangzeb seized the Hope Diamond, and the Qutb Shahi dynasty came to an end.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PmdABGJTi50/URmO2j8VoTI/AAAAAAAAB0w/bI8z__dCEW4/s1600/32+Unfinished+Tomb+pigeons.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PmdABGJTi50/URmO2j8VoTI/AAAAAAAAB0w/bI8z__dCEW4/s640/32+Unfinished+Tomb+pigeons.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Looking up at unfinished dome in the Tomb of Nizamuddin Ahmed. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
After that, I had to rush back to my hotel, pack quickly, rush down to the bus stand, rush to my bus, and then rush to Bidar, the next stop on my itinerary, and a place that I was able to explore at a much more leisurely pace. After a four hour bus ride, I was in the state of Karnataka, where I would stay for the next two weeks.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
More to come shortly...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Patrick A. Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05731722419862161376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049395502639291836.post-46744762812989322682015-07-08T04:42:00.000-07:002015-07-08T04:42:41.262-07:00The Exuberant Rickshaws of Bangladesh<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JYks8aZLlz4/VZzejj2NhAI/AAAAAAAADyI/-pYLQcUuiPg/s1600/1%2BCover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="532" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JYks8aZLlz4/VZzejj2NhAI/AAAAAAAADyI/-pYLQcUuiPg/s640/1%2BCover.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A common sight in Dhaka</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In May, 2015, I traveled across Bangladesh, crossing the border from West Bengal and reentering Indian via Dawki in Meghalaya. The country left many impressions, but one of the strongest was made by its cycle rickshaws, which were decorated as brightly, colorfully, and crazily as possible. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Cycle rickshaws are an absolutely vital part of everyday life in Bangladesh, much more so than any other place I've been. In some areas, they are the primary means of getting around, and streets are often choked with them. Wandering in Old Dhaka often means negotiating whole traffic jams consisting of nothing but rickshaws. Often, one will be on a major street with no motorized traffic at all, with the sounds of horns and combustion engines replaced by the much less obnoxious noise of hundreds of bicycle bells. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It's often said that Bangladeshi rickshaw art is representative of the dreams of the common Bangla man. If so, his dreams seem to consist of everything from film stars, to giraffes, sports cars, Chinese dragons, the Taj Mahal, and Tigers gambling with each other. If those are his dreams, then the common Bangla man is a bit of an eccentric, but an engaging one. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Given that the cycle rickshaws are such an important means of transport in places like Dhaka or Sylhet, the geography of the street in Bangladesh is really very different than it is in India. In India, in a place like, for example, Old Delhi, a traffic snarl will consist of dozens of private cars, bullock carts, trucks, buses, auto rickshaws, and the occasional cycle rickshaw, all of them looking rather beat up, dusty, and drab. In Old Dhaka, a traffic snarl will often consist mostly of cycle rickshaws, and though they might be beat up and dusty, they're just too exuberantly decorated to be drab. In Dhaka, one might be in some of the poorest, most squalid areas of the city, where the lives of the people who there are undoubtedly unbelievable struggles, but the cycle rickshaws will nonetheless be just as jolly and crazy as ever.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Now every time I'm in Delhi, I have to say, I miss Bangladesh's Rickshaws.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VJly1Aez5Cg/VZzfBszDQVI/AAAAAAAADzg/et_J71cWJWQ/s1600/2%2BRajshahi%2BRicks.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="566" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VJly1Aez5Cg/VZzfBszDQVI/AAAAAAAADzg/et_J71cWJWQ/s640/2%2BRajshahi%2BRicks.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Street scene in Rajshahi, eastern Bangladesh. This city is where the practice of decorating rickshaws began in the middle of the 20th century. The larger, auto rickshaw-like vehicles are electric powered. Note the imported private car in the upper left hand corner. Bangladesh doesn't have much in the way of an indigenous automotive industry. Most of the trucks and buses are either Indian or Japanese. The upper classes import vehicles for their own use, and in larger cities, when one does see private vehicles, they tend to be surprisingly nice ones.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E0jlAZGxV7w/VZzfKjRvQaI/AAAAAAAADz4/3yqTFeXOuFs/s1600/3%2BRickshaw%2BTraffic%2BJam.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="572" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E0jlAZGxV7w/VZzfKjRvQaI/AAAAAAAADz4/3yqTFeXOuFs/s640/3%2BRickshaw%2BTraffic%2BJam.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Unbelievable rickshaw jam snaking around a corner in Dhaka's Old City</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JI_mFiwcQQw/VZzfK_Wk7FI/AAAAAAAADz8/exB3uxRggw8/s1600/4%2BMaking%2Ba%2Bturn.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="584" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JI_mFiwcQQw/VZzfK_Wk7FI/AAAAAAAADz8/exB3uxRggw8/s640/4%2BMaking%2Ba%2Bturn.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Making a U-turn</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XHof28_T7Kw/VZzfLING0mI/AAAAAAAAD0A/ARxf_Unryl0/s1600/5%2BCollision.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="464" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XHof28_T7Kw/VZzfLING0mI/AAAAAAAAD0A/ARxf_Unryl0/s640/5%2BCollision.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This was just after a collision. As far as I can tell, rickshaw pullers in Bangladesh don't care too much if they bang into each other. On several rides, my drivers would take almost every possible opportunity to ram the rickshaw ahead of them, and the arguing post collision was minimal. The drivers rarely had the opportunity to go fast enough to cause damage. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Gob0Q9VjTsY/VZzfTUOpD6I/AAAAAAAAD0Y/LhrrSsCpI30/s1600/6%2Brickshaw%2Band%2Bpuller.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Gob0Q9VjTsY/VZzfTUOpD6I/AAAAAAAAD0Y/LhrrSsCpI30/s640/6%2Brickshaw%2Band%2Bpuller.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A rickshaw driver in a poorer neighborhood wondering why he's getting his photo taken. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LROjH7oNC78/VZzfUWu5hTI/AAAAAAAAD0g/k-cU6RqQKZA/s1600/7%2BRickshaw%2Band%2Bpuller.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LROjH7oNC78/VZzfUWu5hTI/AAAAAAAAD0g/k-cU6RqQKZA/s640/7%2BRickshaw%2Band%2Bpuller.JPG" width="444" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I took a whole bunch of photos of this guy's rickshaw. Note the mysterious multicolored-soccer-balls-in-cups like things in front of the handlebars. After taking a ton of photos of his ride, and causing a big scene on the street doing it (as evidenced by those four smiling faces over the drivers shoulder....foreigners are still pretty rare in Dhaka), I asked the man how much he would charge to take me where I was going. He quoted a price about four times what it should have been, so I walked away, though I felt kind of bad about it after taking so many pictures. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hSezU9-8j90/VZzfRWYsoBI/AAAAAAAAD0Q/DGhepA-drF8/s1600/8%2BTypical%2BBangla%2BRickshaw.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hSezU9-8j90/VZzfRWYsoBI/AAAAAAAAD0Q/DGhepA-drF8/s640/8%2BTypical%2BBangla%2BRickshaw.JPG" width="414" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A typical, though very brightly colored, example</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RUz1sRiCTPk/VZzfWMOoShI/AAAAAAAAD0o/_qpEzMq_mhM/s1600/9%2BTypical%2BBangla%2BRickshaw.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RUz1sRiCTPk/VZzfWMOoShI/AAAAAAAAD0o/_qpEzMq_mhM/s640/9%2BTypical%2BBangla%2BRickshaw.JPG" width="446" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Near the Hindu quarters of Dhaka's Old City </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qMWK6guxdA0/VZzelaQUk8I/AAAAAAAADyY/huxgLjtet5o/s1600/10%2BTypical%2BBangla%2BRickshaw%2Braincover.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qMWK6guxdA0/VZzelaQUk8I/AAAAAAAADyY/huxgLjtet5o/s640/10%2BTypical%2BBangla%2BRickshaw%2Braincover.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Rain cover</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tR8Y9sLUWtw/VZzekeD7qbI/AAAAAAAADyM/LjXXowYnW28/s1600/11%2BRickshaw%2Bart.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tR8Y9sLUWtw/VZzekeD7qbI/AAAAAAAADyM/LjXXowYnW28/s640/11%2BRickshaw%2Bart.JPG" width="518" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A single rickshaw depicting everything from mosques to peacocks to government buildings to trains...plus advertisements....</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NZaJaUTxLco/VZzenIC79KI/AAAAAAAADyg/s-vaZzwdWiM/s1600/12%2Bgambling%2Broyal%2Bbengal%2Btigers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="458" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NZaJaUTxLco/VZzenIC79KI/AAAAAAAADyg/s-vaZzwdWiM/s640/12%2Bgambling%2Broyal%2Bbengal%2Btigers.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A common motif one finds on Dhaka's Rickshaws: Tigers gambling and being attended upon by servants, who are also tigers, with fans. What's the story here? I have no idea...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YF5VGsP9ON4/VZzeuhiL_xI/AAAAAAAADyw/MUXgvjCWV8M/s1600/13%2BGiraffes.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YF5VGsP9ON4/VZzeuhiL_xI/AAAAAAAADyw/MUXgvjCWV8M/s640/13%2BGiraffes.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Giraffes on a rickshaw in Rajshahi. In that part of the country, the rickshaws tend to focus more on having one big picture on the back of the vehicle. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Rdxp1eHoZPI/VZzevcerDuI/AAAAAAAADy0/gu-UPCcqt60/s1600/14%2BHeliacopter.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Rdxp1eHoZPI/VZzevcerDuI/AAAAAAAADy0/gu-UPCcqt60/s640/14%2BHeliacopter.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Also in Rajshahi: Helicopter and sports car</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--M1wqfM2VSk/VZzeqAGQGrI/AAAAAAAADyo/X5NJD-EBR-g/s1600/15%2Bchinese%2Bdragon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--M1wqfM2VSk/VZzeqAGQGrI/AAAAAAAADyo/X5NJD-EBR-g/s640/15%2Bchinese%2Bdragon.JPG" width="550" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A Chinese Dragon. The rickshaw was in the distance, so I had to zoom in. Rajshahi</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Tm_pX1DOUrQ/VZzew1hbeOI/AAAAAAAADzA/fdCQy06mPEg/s1600/16%2BCrocodile.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="462" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Tm_pX1DOUrQ/VZzew1hbeOI/AAAAAAAADzA/fdCQy06mPEg/s640/16%2BCrocodile.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This was in Dhaka. A crocodile giving out the owner's number</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3SMihub_CrY/VZze5qHoi6I/AAAAAAAADzI/rsSkJvAq-II/s1600/17%2BApocalypse%2BTaj.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="466" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3SMihub_CrY/VZze5qHoi6I/AAAAAAAADzI/rsSkJvAq-II/s640/17%2BApocalypse%2BTaj.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Apocalypse Taj. Another common motif in Dhaka. It says quite about the local artistic sensibilities: The Taj is so highly regarded, usually, because of the impression of purity it exudes through its sober white marble. The artist here obviously loves the idea of the Taj, but would prefer it with a bit more color....And giant flowers...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8955NXs61MQ/VZze6dIL5lI/AAAAAAAADzQ/FHje_SJuWCk/s1600/18%2BBangla%2Bfilm%2Bstars.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8955NXs61MQ/VZze6dIL5lI/AAAAAAAADzQ/FHje_SJuWCk/s640/18%2BBangla%2Bfilm%2Bstars.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Bangladeshi film stars peering out over a seat</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8lCFWn4Posw/VZze61YpNRI/AAAAAAAADzU/yvpbx3adIbQ/s1600/19%2BRaincover%2Bribs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8lCFWn4Posw/VZze61YpNRI/AAAAAAAADzU/yvpbx3adIbQ/s640/19%2BRaincover%2Bribs.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Hand painted wooden ribs of a rickshaw's rain cover...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SWK-0Pt_ZsY/VZzfFCm8wdI/AAAAAAAADzw/ECcS3RejxiQ/s1600/20%2Braincover%2Bribs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SWK-0Pt_ZsY/VZzfFCm8wdI/AAAAAAAADzw/ECcS3RejxiQ/s640/20%2Braincover%2Bribs.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
....another example</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P98WjX2sQqE/VZzfClJvJDI/AAAAAAAADzo/-tWn2HYKRnk/s1600/21%2BAgianst%2Bthe%2Btraffic.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="538" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P98WjX2sQqE/VZzfClJvJDI/AAAAAAAADzo/-tWn2HYKRnk/s640/21%2BAgianst%2Bthe%2Btraffic.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Pedals against the tide</div>
<br /></div>
Patrick A. Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05731722419862161376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049395502639291836.post-33074176164460046512014-12-01T12:16:00.000-08:002015-08-31T17:20:15.608-07:0010 Things to see in Delhi that are not in Lonely Planet<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HFve4mesLLY/VFXi6yiXejI/AAAAAAAADtk/4nqLCHBK7qM/s1600/DSCN3023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="618" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HFve4mesLLY/VFXi6yiXejI/AAAAAAAADtk/4nqLCHBK7qM/s1600/DSCN3023.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The largely forgotten tomb of Roshanara, world's away from the better known parts of Delhi.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
For the second half of this list, please go to: <a href="http://evenfewergoats.blogspot.com/2015/08/10-more-things-to-see-in-delhi-that-are.html">10 more things to see in Delhi that are not in Lonely Planet</a></div>
</div>
<br />
First off, let me say that I am in no way trying to disparage Lonely Planet. I would be a massive hypocrite if I did. I have found their titles incredibly useful over my years travelling in India. I think I've all but memorized large sections of text from several of their guidebooks (particularly their 2011 edition of <i>Rajasthan, Delhi, and Agra).</i> In short, having a Lonely Planet can really make travelling easier.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That being said, no guidebook, no matter how well-researched, is truly comprehensive. For example, the two most recent editions of Lonely Planet guidebooks dealing with Delhi, the one mentioned above and their 2013 pan-Indian title, both devote nearly 50 pages to the city, and yet vast swathes of Delhi's history, landscape, and cultural heritage are left out. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This isn't the staff at Lonely Planet being derelict in their duty (except in those few instances where their information is incorrect, which I'll get to in my next post). Rather, it's a symptom of Delhi's long and exceedingly complex history. The city's unique position as the capitol of (as I figure it) eight different kingdoms and empires over the course of the last 1500 years has left Delhi with an almost mind-boggling assortment of historical sites. Including all of these in a single volume would require a book at least as large as the entire Lonely Planet India title. Every single tomb, mosque, and obscure complex of ruins can't have an entry...<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
...but, there are several places which really should be in there, and probably will be soon. As time goes on, and new issues are released, many of the blank spaces on the map of the city are being filled in. For example, it was not until the most recent issue that <a href="http://evenfewergoats.blogspot.com/2013/03/agrasen-ki-baoli.html">Agrasen Ki Baoli</a>, in my view Delhi's most impressive step-well and one of its classic sights, was included. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
What I'm listing here are 20 things, ten in this post and ten in the next, which Lonely Planet does not, as yet, include. I have them organized by region of the city, starting in the north and moving south. Some of these places are beautiful, some historically important, and some are just interesting. Some are also difficult to find, hard to visit, or perhaps of interest only to people with a deep and committed fascination with Delhi. But one thing that I've learned traveling in India is this: The sense of discovery and adventure inherent in seeking out that little known mosque, tomb, or temple, hidden down some side street of a side street and barely known even to the locals, can be just as rewarding as a trip to the Taj Mahal.<br />
<br />
All pictures are by me, by the way....</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>NORTH DELHI:</b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div>
Virtually all of Delhi north of the Mughal city of Shahjahanabad (usually referred to simply as Old Delhi), with the exception of Majnu-ka-Tilla, the city's Tibetan refugee colony, is virgin territory as far as tourism is concerned. Yet, with its huge expanses of green and comparatively empty space, North Delhi contains many of the most pleasant places in the entire city.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
1: SHALIMAR BAGH</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qGMHTSr-OGk/VE3mu-xkSGI/AAAAAAAADsE/DFxL1ZniA-k/s1600/DSCN3368.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qGMHTSr-OGk/VE3mu-xkSGI/AAAAAAAADsE/DFxL1ZniA-k/s1600/DSCN3368.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The creepy but fascinating Sheesh Mahal of Shalimar Bagh. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div>
Located near the current northern end of Delhi's Yellow metro line, lending it an Ends-of-the-Earth quality, Shalimar Bagh is a huge garden, first laid out by one of the wives of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan over three and half centuries ago. Now the garden is a surprisingly extensive wooded area that has been surrounded by an upscale residential area of the same name. If you do a Google search for "Shalimar Bagh Delhi", you'll get a number of entries for the neighborhood and not the garden itself. There are several dilapidated though very interesting Mughal buildings inside the garden, the largest of which is the Sheesh Mahal. The surviving buildings have fragments of paintings probably dating to British times.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Make sure to do your research before trying to get there: It took me three attempts to actually find the damn place....though it was well worth it....</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X0tDC32QRQE/VE3nNit9MvI/AAAAAAAADsM/f05OYUFjaFU/s1600/DSCN3349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X0tDC32QRQE/VE3nNit9MvI/AAAAAAAADsM/f05OYUFjaFU/s1600/DSCN3349.JPG" width="472" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
19th century paintings in Shalimar Bagh</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
2: THE NORTHERN RIDGE</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ylCWMkjht3E/UT2MLM17paI/AAAAAAAACHQ/_XNBkJp_HXA/s1600/1%2BNorthern%2BRidge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ylCWMkjht3E/UT2MLM17paI/AAAAAAAACHQ/_XNBkJp_HXA/s1600/1%2BNorthern%2BRidge.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Flowers and greenery. Not what one expects out of Delhi.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The Northern Ridge is quite a large omission on the part of the staff at Lonely Planet. I think if foreign tourists knew it was there they would come in greater numbers, but as it is, though I've gone there many times, I don't believe I've ever seen another foreigner unless I had brought them myself. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The Northern Ridge is a low rocky outcropping, the northernmost extension of the Aravalli Range (which is much more prominent further south), covered in dense, scrubby vegetation, monuments from several different eras in Delhi's history, and by far the largest concentration of Reesus Monkey's I've ever seen. For anyone who has never seen a monkey in the wild before, the Northern Ridge is an incredible expereince: You'll literally see hundreds of them going about their business, prospering (to an almost frightening extent) in the midst of one of the world's largest urban areas. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In addition to the area's wildlife and its surprisingly well maintained walking paths are its large number of historical monuments. These include several Tughlaq (14th century) era relics, mostly in the vicinity of Hindu Rao Hospital, such as an obscure step-well, a large, strange ruin that may or may not have been an astronomical observatory, and also an Ashokan pillar from the 3rd century B.C., brought to Delhi by Feroz Shah Tughlaq, who during his reign expended a great deal of effort bringing two of the ancient columns to Delhi, despite apparently not knowing what they were...other than very old...and mysterious.... </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
More recent additions, were made to the historical landscape by the British, who at the time of the Sepoy Uprising famously occupied the Northern Ridge during the siege of Delhi, using it as their base and fighting off numerous attacks by rebel Sepoys and Jihadis, before their final advance on the walled city. Several colonial era buildings, such as a large signal tower (known as the Flagstaff Tower) and several ammunition storehouses, still stand.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n5dS9oqtZcQ/UT2MsBpbU8I/AAAAAAAACHY/fwn2m0mhAnA/s1600/4%2BPir%2BGhaib%2B.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-n5dS9oqtZcQ/UT2MsBpbU8I/AAAAAAAACHY/fwn2m0mhAnA/s1600/4%2BPir%2BGhaib%2B.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The mysterious Pir Ghaib, a Tughlaq era ruin on the Northern Ridge, which might have been used, at least in part, as an observatory.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
3: ROSHANARA BAGH</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8_pJy4eyZjI/VE31juG3biI/AAAAAAAADsc/TuPVfRpQqic/s1600/DSCN3022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8_pJy4eyZjI/VE31juG3biI/AAAAAAAADsc/TuPVfRpQqic/s1600/DSCN3022.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Local children playing at Roshanara's Tomb.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Roshanara was one of the daughters of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal (Mumtaz Mahal being the woman for whom the Taj Mahal was built). During the exceedingly unlovely struggle to decide which of Shah Jahan's sons would take the throne after his death, Roshanara went against her father's wishes and sided with Aurangzeb, who would eventually take over the empire after killing his brother and imprisoning his father. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Roshanara is therefore not well remembered. Her tomb is small by Mughal standards, and her garden in North Delhi is now much encroached upon by a British era country club. Yet Roshanara Bagh, or Roshanara's garden, still offers a surreal respite from the bustle of the city. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
There are only two major historical buildings left inside the garden, both them in moving states of disrepair. The old gateway to the garden still stands, and has a few remnants of colorful, centuries old, tile work clinging to it. Inside, Roshanara's tomb is rather a lovely building, despite the dilapidation. However, be warned: Don't expect much in the way of solitude here. The garden is very much a local hangout spot, and if you visit you'll find yourself dodging through at least twenty different cricket games. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZdX2WlVWkhw/VFXMx87FM0I/AAAAAAAADs4/NDbrWZUWOQ0/s1600/DSCN3234.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZdX2WlVWkhw/VFXMx87FM0I/AAAAAAAADs4/NDbrWZUWOQ0/s1600/DSCN3234.JPG" width="442" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Ruminations near sundown at Roshanara Bagh.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
4: QUDSIA BAGH</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_T_B1XWAZmc/VFXSEPL0tiI/AAAAAAAADtI/AJfkugmG-Ok/s1600/DSCN2904.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="458" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_T_B1XWAZmc/VFXSEPL0tiI/AAAAAAAADtI/AJfkugmG-Ok/s1600/DSCN2904.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The mosque at Qudsia Bagh</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The southernmost of our great green spaces in North Delhi, Qusia Bagh is a fragment of an 18th century garden laid out by Qudsia Begum, a dancer or courtesan in the court of the late Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah, who maneuvered her way to becoming queen, and then the mother of the next emperor, which allowed her for a certain time to maintain de-facto control over what little remained of Mughal authority.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The historical buildings in Qudsia Bagh date to an interesting period in the history of Mughal architecture, when the grandest Mughal building projects were well behind them, yet they still commanded enough resources to put up monuments that even to this day project a sort of debased opulence (The much derided tomb of Safjarjung further south being the most famous example of a monumental Mughal building project from this period). The main surviving structures in the garden are a large gateway and a mosque, both of them with remnants of somewhat over-the-top decorations clinging to them. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The size of the garden today is much reduced from its historical extent, while the few historical buildings that remain are not in good condition, their recent half-hearted restorations having unfortunately contributed to rather than halted their degeneration. The whole garden was damaged terribly during the Sepoy Uprising, when it was situated between the British position on the Ridge and the Sepoy army inside the walled city of Delhi. Yet the garden is still a very pleasant place to visit, and despite their condition the two main buildings are well-worth the effort of reaching them. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1dOBetyQM08/VFXeTioOP9I/AAAAAAAADtY/RU2TzUKOuQs/s1600/DSCN2868.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1dOBetyQM08/VFXeTioOP9I/AAAAAAAADtY/RU2TzUKOuQs/s1600/DSCN2868.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The old gateway in Qudsia Bagh</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>OLD DELHI:</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As far as tourism is concerned, Old Delhi, historically known as Shahjahanabad, is a study in contrasts. Parts of the old Mughal walled city, such as Chandni Chowk and the Delhi Red Fort, are among the most visited places in all of India, but the tangled back lanes of Old Delhi, despite being mere meters from the more famous locations, remain mostly unexplored. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Lonely Planet lists the major sights, and also a few of the more important bazaars, however the books give virtually no information on what there is to see down the back lanes. This is something which will probably change soon: Exploring the tangled alleys, mosques, temples, and crumbling mansions of Shahjahanabad is one of the most fascinating experiences Delhi has to offer. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
5: DHARAMPURA JAIN TEMPLES</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tbiZyn4JAjA/VGhaLnPj-jI/AAAAAAAADt8/85ISWWJslFQ/s1600/DSCN3268.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tbiZyn4JAjA/VGhaLnPj-jI/AAAAAAAADt8/85ISWWJslFQ/s1600/DSCN3268.JPG" width="476" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A shrine inside a minor Jain temple in Old Delhi</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The most recent edition of Lonely Planet lists only one Jain place of worship in Old Delhi, directly across from the Lahore gate of the Red Fort. However, there are many more in the city, the most interesting examples being tucked away in back lanes between Chandni Chowk and the Jama Masjid. This area is known as Dharampura, and certain parts of it see a steady stream of foreign tourists. Dariba, which is one of the main side streets off of Chandi Chowk and specializes in silver jewelry, is often visited, but tourists rarely go beyond the silver shops. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
However, simply plunge into the back lanes behind Dariba, and you'll almost certainly blunder into a fascinating old Jain temple. Unfortunately, the caretakers usually don't let visitors take pictures inside, but suffice it to say that the interiors of the buildings, covered in two hundred year old murals depicting the lives and exploits of the Jain Tirthankaras (individuals who have attained enlightenment and liberation from the circles of death and rebirth), frequently painted with actual gold paint, are some of Delhi's most amazing sights. See them now...it'll probably not be long before Lonely Planet does start listing them, at which point they'll become one of Old Delhi's top attractions!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It doesn't really take precise directions to find the temples: Just wander around in the streets behind Dariba and you'll find one. One of the more visited examples is the Jeweler's Temple down Kinari Bazaar. From Chandni Chowk, simply walk down Dariba until you see the first major turning to the right. This is Kinari bazaar, and the Jeweler's temple is about 250 meters up the road. It'll be down the seventh side-street on the left.You'll know you're on the right street if you see a line of very brightly painted traditional houses. These belong to Jain jewelers who have inhabited the street for several hundred years and financed the building and maintenance of the temple. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
But the Jeweler's temple is only one of many incredible temples packed into this very small area, and the best way to find more is simply to let yourself get lost!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VVOO-O3EyX0/VGhakdkQKoI/AAAAAAAADuE/qn-26JAvf2c/s1600/DSCN5147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VVOO-O3EyX0/VGhakdkQKoI/AAAAAAAADuE/qn-26JAvf2c/s1600/DSCN5147.JPG" width="564" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A line of brightly colored houses, owned by families of jewelers, next to the Jewler's Temple. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
6: OLD DELHI MOSQUES</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6LKGQHtIM3I/VGhbKC0z1SI/AAAAAAAADuM/RxbImEvks7U/s1600/DSCN3039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6LKGQHtIM3I/VGhbKC0z1SI/AAAAAAAADuM/RxbImEvks7U/s1600/DSCN3039.JPG" width="604" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The exceptionally ornate facade of the <span style="text-align: left;">Masjid Nawab Rukn ud Dawla, one of Old Delhi's classic overlooked treasures. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Old Delhi is famous for its mosques, first and foremost among them being the superb Jama Masjid, one of the great building achievements of the Mughal era. Lonely Planet lists this, and a few other of the most prominent Mughal mosques in the city, but Old Delhi has countless other Islamic places of worship, and while none of them may be as grand as the Jama Masjid, their smaller, more personal beauty still makes them very worth seeking out. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As with the Jain temples of Dharampura, one stands a good chance of simply blundering into a mosque if one turns down virtually any side lane. There are literally hundreds of them within the old city, and almost anywhere you go you'll find one. Mostly, unless it's prayer time, caretakers inside the mosques don't mind visitors. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
One of my favorite obscure mosques, which is also relatively easy to locate, is near the Chowri Bazaar Metro Station. After exiting the station, if one goes up the Chowri Bazaar road towards the Jama Masjid, after about 200 meters you'll come across the tiny but incredibly ornate late 18th century Masjid Nawab Rukn ud Dawla on the left side of the street. It's on the roof some shops, which originally would have given up a certain amount of their profit for the upkeep of the mosque upstairs (and perhaps still do). </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bIVGNf1LJ1k/VGhcIPYepjI/AAAAAAAADuU/WpG7TZVWb6I/s1600/DSCN3034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bIVGNf1LJ1k/VGhcIPYepjI/AAAAAAAADuU/WpG7TZVWb6I/s1600/DSCN3034.JPG" width="590" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The view of the <span style="text-align: left;">Masjid Nawab Rukn ud Dawla</span><span style="text-align: left;"> from the street.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
7: OLD DELHI HAVELIS</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tIS99N9dbzI/VGhcfXL3lII/AAAAAAAADuc/6b0JttiS9JM/s1600/Haveli.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tIS99N9dbzI/VGhcfXL3lII/AAAAAAAADuc/6b0JttiS9JM/s1600/Haveli.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The most intact 19th century haveli in all of Delhi.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A haveli is a variety of traditional mansion built for an extended family. They are generally planned around a large central courtyard, with several stories of inward facing rooms, and a large gate that faces the street. The buildings were designed so that they would almost entirely shut out the outside world, and create a totally private environment for the family who lived in them. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As they were historically the main form of housing for most of Old Delhi's upper classes, the city once had hundreds of these buildings. But now very few exist in their original form, and of none of those which do are listed in Lonely Planet. All that remains of the original grand Mughal havelis of the 17th century are a few crumbling gates. But even of the later, smaller, havelis of the 19th century, very little remains in its original condition. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is because, unlike tombs, temples, or mosques, havelis are places where people once actually lived, and while they resided in them, they constantly modified them, and continue to do so even to this day. While visiting Old Delhi may seem like a step back in time, its important to note that, as a place drenched in history, it has also been a place of almost constant, and often radical, change. While a mosque may serve the same purpose, in the same way, over hundreds of years, the way people actually live has changed drastically in the last four centuries. Thus, most havelis have long since been torn down, or redeveloped beyond recognition. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Exceedingly few remain in a (partially) original condition, and they are unfortunately both very difficult to locate, and in appallingly bad condition. Yet, seeing what may be called Delhi's most endangered architectural form is a tremendous adventure, though also a sad one: These buildings, the last of their kind, may not exist by the end of the decade.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The easiest one to get to is on a side lane just a short distance off of Dariba. Turning onto Dariba from Chandni Chowk, turn left at the first significant alley, and then a large haveli courtyard will be on the right after some time. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The haveli pictured above, which, despite the fact that its falling to bits, has the most intact courtyard in the whole of the old city, is off of a street called Ballimaran. Frankly, it's almost impossible to describe how to find it, which is one of the reasons why such a historically important building can be allowed to fall to pieces: Nobody knows how to get to the damn thing. However, it is prominently featured in the Old Delhi section of Lucy Peck's guidebook <i>Delhi: A Thousand Years of Building, </i>and tracking that book down is probably your best bet for finding it. There's a reasonably accurate map, and even if you get lost, you'll find something else that's interesting. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OE_A1Inecww/VGh75-NV4XI/AAAAAAAADus/P-iQ1mz18nQ/s1600/DSCN5667.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OE_A1Inecww/VGh75-NV4XI/AAAAAAAADus/P-iQ1mz18nQ/s1600/DSCN5667.JPG" width="494" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
That giant ruinous gateway in the background is one of the exceedingly few remains of a Mughal haveli from the 17th century.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
8: RAZIA SULTANA'S GRAVE</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W8a4yQhbisI/VGh80Rj-3jI/AAAAAAAADu4/y8WJYxK66x0/s1600/DSCN3068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W8a4yQhbisI/VGh80Rj-3jI/AAAAAAAADu4/y8WJYxK66x0/s1600/DSCN3068.JPG" width="502" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Archaeological Survey of India marker next to Raziya Sultana's grave...which seems to be aimed at people who already know who Raziya Sultana was, namely, Delhi's only female ruler</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Raziya Sultana, the daughter of Iltutmish of the Mamluk dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate, ruled the city briefly in the 1230s. She was said to be more talented than the other claimants to the throne, and by all accounts was an able queen, though her nobles revolted against her in relatively short order (in part because they didn't like being ruled by a woman), and she was overthrown. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In the entire 700 year course of Islamic rule in Delhi, she was the only female to rule from the city, and as such is considered one of the most important female figures in Indian History. It seems odd then that Lonely Planet does not so much as mention her final resting place, an ancient stone enclosure, out-dating the founding of Shahjahanabad by over 400 years, deep in the alleys west of Chowri Bazaar Metro station. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
There are a couple of possible explanations for why this may be. One is that it is not entirely certain that one of the centuries old stone graves is actually that of Razia....it probably is, but there are other contenders. Secondly, the graves themselves, along with the enclosure, aren't beautiful or particularly interesting in and of themselves. It's their historical association which makes them worth seeking out.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Despite these facts, finding the graves is more than worth doing, and the experience of reaching them, after trekking deep into the tangled heart of Old Delhi, is unforgettable.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The graves can be most easily reached from the Chowri Bazaar Metro Station. Simply walk down Sita Raam Bazaar road (which is the major road directly to the west of the station) about a kilometer until you come to a place where the road makes a sharp turn to the right. There, just ask for directions, and you should be able to make your way through the narrow alleyways to the graves....the locals there seem well aware that the only foreigners who come to the area are trying to find Razia Sultana's final resting place. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xzpp4CJpifw/VHGh76NJpvI/AAAAAAAADv0/Nq0vDn-r3Qc/s1600/DSCN3069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="528" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xzpp4CJpifw/VHGh76NJpvI/AAAAAAAADv0/Nq0vDn-r3Qc/s1600/DSCN3069.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The graves themselves...not much to look at, but it's a worthy adventure getting to them, and the history's interesting. One is (probably) Razia's, while the other may or may not be her sister's...and don't ask me which is which. I don't think anybody really knows....</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>SCATTERED SOUTH DELHI SIGHTS</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
South Delhi is a vague geographical term which applies to the vast region directly south of Government area of New Delhi. In a way, it is both newer than New Delhi and older than Old Delhi. In the 21st century, it is the city of the recently rich. Most of the posh neighborhoods here are a mere few decades old (by comparison, New Delhi mostly dates from the early 20th century.) South Delhi is a place of expensive real estate and giant shopping malls, world's away from the tranquility of the North's gardens and the chaos of Old Delhi. It is very much a part of the "New" India.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
But hidden in the mazes of recently built upscale housing are remnants of the vast majority of Delhi's pre-Mughal history. Chronologically, the first four out of the seven historical cites of Delhi were built in this area, and while a few of the better known monuments from these lost settlements are mentioned prominently in the Lonely Planet, the overwhelming majority of the sights in South Delhi languish in obscurity, swamped by the 21st century and almost entirely ignored by visitors. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The next few entries are things to see which do not fall in any of the historical cities of Delhi. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
9: KOTLA MUBARAKPUR</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v7JWm2reFwY/VGrhnyc76vI/AAAAAAAADvM/1JkWxQ_mic8/s1600/DSCN9544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v7JWm2reFwY/VGrhnyc76vI/AAAAAAAADvM/1JkWxQ_mic8/s1600/DSCN9544.JPG" width="428" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Inside Mubarak Shah's Tomb</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Walking the half kilometer north of South Ex Market, one of Delhi's fancier upscale shopping areas, to Kotla Mubarakpur, a small village quite literally engulfed by Delhi's rapid southward expansion, is a massively disorienting experience. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
At one time, not very long ago, Kotla Mubarakpur was a rural settlement on the outskirts of Delhi, quite some distance from the city itself. Only a scant few decades ago it would have been surrounded by fields, but these were bought up by the city, and developed, though the villagers decided to remain where they were. What this has resulted in is a bizarre situation where you have very newly built late 20th and 21st century development directly next to a centuries old agricultural village, which, despite the onslaught of concrete and modernity, retains its basic, essentially rural, layout (even if the villagers aren't engaged in farming anymore).</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The village sprang up in the tomb compound of Mubarak Shah, the second ruler of the Sayyid dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate, perhaps the least successful Muslim rulers of the city, their authority extending barely beyond the borders of Delhi itself. Presumably, the walls of the compound provided some degree of protection. These walls have long since disappeared (except for a few fragments of two of the gates), but their location can still be discerned by a small rise in the ground and by a sudden change in the layout of the streets: Leaving the 21st century and walking over the ghost of the old walls, one suddenly finds oneself in alleyways darker and more claustrophobic than those in Old Delhi. Though most of the traditional housing has disappeared, the street plan of the village remains as it was hundreds of years ago. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It's therefore a congested place, and beautiful is not the word I would use to describe it. Mubarak Shah's Tomb, the second octagonal tomb built in Delhi, is at the very center of the village, and is quite an impressive piece of architecture, but the village is crowding it in so much that it's almost impossible to appreciate the building properly. It is, however, possible to go inside, and to climb up on the roof. There is also a small mosque, from the same period as the tomb, down a narrow (and admittedly horribly filthy) alleyway. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
If you visit Kotla Mubarakpur, be advised that people there will not be expecting you. However, I found the locals there to be unusually friendly towards me, at least by Delhi standards. The village is miles from anything in the Lonely Planet, and visiting it gives one a genuine feeling of exploration. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-riyrNmKuFa0/VGrh3INMETI/AAAAAAAADvU/vJeoha2pbNI/s1600/DSCN9559.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-riyrNmKuFa0/VGrh3INMETI/AAAAAAAADvU/vJeoha2pbNI/s1600/DSCN9559.JPG" width="502" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The 15th century mosque at Kotla Mubarakpur, kids flying kites, hideous concrete, satellite dishes, and a plane taking off.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
10: MOTH KI MASJID</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cwKfv7Ek0_c/VGriNWAJ4cI/AAAAAAAADvg/z4M6S1vsGv0/s1600/DSCN8957.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cwKfv7Ek0_c/VGriNWAJ4cI/AAAAAAAADvg/z4M6S1vsGv0/s1600/DSCN8957.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The wonderfully decorated gate to Moth Ki Masjid</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Moth Ki Masjid, or "Lentil Mosque" is another important medieval building hemmed in by the urban sprawl of South Delhi. While the environs of the ancient structure might not be quite so claustrophobic as those around Kotla Mubarakpur, the building nonetheless has the feel of a last remnant of the 16th century being rapidly swallowed up by the 21st. The mosque is undeniably beautiful, and while it receives no mention in the Lonely Planet, they might consider making some space for it. It's one of the most aesthetically pleasing, and also best preserved, mosques from its era, and it would be a massive shame if the building was allowed simply to decay in obscurity. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
There are several (conflicting) stories as to why the building was given the odd title of "Lentil Mosque." The basic gist of the more famous story is that one day a courtier of Sikander Lodi by the name of Miyan Bhoiya was given a lentil from the floor of the Jama Masjid by the sultan. Miyan Bhoiya, thinking that such an illustrious bean from such eminent hands should immediately be planted, did so, and from that special bean raised a very profitable crop, the proceeds from which he used to build the mosque. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Those are only the bare bones the story, and no single account that I've read of the reason behind the mosque's unusual name agrees 100% with another. But, stories aside, Moth Ki Masjid is worth seeking out. It's in an area of South Delhi called South Extension II (south Ex. II). Unfortunately, it's not especially near any metro stations, but if you type "Moth Ki Masjid" into Google Maps, it's location is fairly obvious. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-p5UozXGOFF0/VGriNRD-p0I/AAAAAAAADvc/n0R-8A-6S8M/s1600/DSCN8948.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-p5UozXGOFF0/VGriNRD-p0I/AAAAAAAADvc/n0R-8A-6S8M/s1600/DSCN8948.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
One of the impressive corner turrets of Moth Ki Masjid</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Ten more things to see in Delhi that aren't in Lonely Planet coming soon!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Patrick A. Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05731722419862161376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049395502639291836.post-13958582748696950892014-09-09T15:30:00.004-07:002014-09-09T15:30:52.186-07:00Modhera<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UDRPjsSdLgY/VAlX5WpTIGI/AAAAAAAADkM/UNTnJHM7m_I/s1600/1%2BModhera.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UDRPjsSdLgY/VAlX5WpTIGI/AAAAAAAADkM/UNTnJHM7m_I/s1600/1%2BModhera.JPG" height="640" width="460" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Looking out through the entrance of the Guda Mandap, or Sanctum Sanctorum, of the Modhera Sun Temple.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The Sun Temple of Modhera is, like Rani ki Vav, one of the few remaining architectural splendors left behind by the 10th to 13th century Solanki Dynasty of Gujarat. I made a brief visit here while in transit between Patan and Ahmadabad, spending only around two and half hours in the area (and much of that time was consumed having tea at the Modhera bus stand with a shady though not entirely disagreeable member of the town council trying and not succeeding to hustle me out of my Swiss army knife...he seemed to be hoping that plying me with free Chai would have the same effect as free alcohol. Anyway.) The stop-off made for a long day of travelling, but it was more than worth it. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The temple was built in the early part of the 11th century by Bhimdev I, the same Bhimdev I in whose memory Rani ki Vav in Patan was commissioned. The temple is dedicated to Surya, the "solar deity" of the Hindu pantheon, and has rather an unusual layout, consisting of three main components. The first is a large stepped tank with 108 small shrines called the Surya Kund. Here, devotes would engage in ritual ablution before walking up a flight of stairs to the Sabha Mandap, a free standing building that served as a religious gathering space. Beyond the Sabha Mandap is the Guda Mandap, otherwise known as the Sanctum Sanctorum, which was the center of worship within the complex and housed the temple's primary idol. This was a solid gold statue of Surya riding his chariot pulled by seven horses, which was placed in a pit filled with gold coins.The Guda Mandap was designed with such precision that, only just after sunrise on equinox days, a ray of light would shine on the idol.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Frequently one hears that the temple was connected to the Solanki capitol Patan via an underground tunnel, though there is almost certainly no archaeological evidence for this. While guides love to claim that there were underground tunnels below just about everything in medieval India, there are very few places where this was actually the case (Tughlaqbad in Delhi being one of the only places in India, or all of Asia for that matter, that actually did have a hidden escape tunnel, and even that one didn't go on for very long). </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Like Rani ki Vav, time has not been kind to the Modhera Sun temple. During Bhimdev I's rule, Gujarat came under attack from Mahmud Ghazni, one of the earlier Muslim invaders of India. During one of Mahmud's campaigns the great Surya idol and the pit of coins were plundered. Later, the Solanki's recaptured and reoccupied the site, but it was retaken from their Hindu successors, the Vanghelas, after a few centuries by a later wave of Muslim invaders, the armies of Alauddin Khilji of the Delhi Sultanate, who are said to have destroyed much of the original complex.What one can visit now is therefore only a remnant of the original temple, yet that what little remains is so grand is in itself a testament to the wealth and artistic skill of the Solankis in their prime. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My visit to the site was short, and not at a particularly good time of day as far as the lighting was concerned. Furthermore, I wasn't able to learn much about the temple during my actual time there. I did buy a guidebook, but that proved to be written such awkward English that it was more confusing than useful. The book is in both English and Gujarati, and one can only hope that the Gujarati makes more sense than the English. With such enigmatic statements as: "The level which is seen visibly depicts the unparalleld specimen of the unique scnlptor of the sculptorial specimen of stone carvings and construction which reveals the honours and prestige of being proud and earns the pride of honourable GAURAV VANTI GUJARAT which at some unfortunate moment has been attacked by bad and evilements and broken damaged the reason for and of which are not yet known so far" (all CAPS and spellings by the author), the guidebook is rather a better souvenir than it is a source of information. I'm sure the writer's English is vastly superior to my Gujarati, but, then again, I'm not going around trying to publish guidebooks in languages I clearly don't have a handle of. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The upshot of this is that my information on the temple is rather limited. Most importantly I haven't been able to find a guide to the temple's magnificent sculptures, which is a pity: I would really like to know the story behind what I was seeing in the thousands of carvings both outside and inside the principal structures in the complex.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hXNfp0KCFPQ/VAlX-PjvvkI/AAAAAAAADlA/xD_VGk9fPPg/s1600/2%2BSurya%2BKund%2Band%2BSabha%2BMandap.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hXNfp0KCFPQ/VAlX-PjvvkI/AAAAAAAADlA/xD_VGk9fPPg/s1600/2%2BSurya%2BKund%2Band%2BSabha%2BMandap.JPG" height="640" width="454" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Looking across the Surya Kund to the Sabha Mandap. The Sabha Mandap originally had a tall Sikhara, or tower, only the base of which remains, the remainder having been destroyed by Alauddin Khilji. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D-K0tIMlha8/VAlX_PeC4PI/AAAAAAAADlM/7AHnhYsV-kA/s1600/3%2BSurya%2BKund.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D-K0tIMlha8/VAlX_PeC4PI/AAAAAAAADlM/7AHnhYsV-kA/s1600/3%2BSurya%2BKund.JPG" height="640" width="488" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Looking across the Surya Kund. The reservoir has 108 shrines, the four largest containing idols of Shiva, Ganesh, Vishnu, and Sitlamata, the goddess of smallpox, who is worshiped across Nepal and North India. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jGrRyxBLnqU/VAlX_ZDlJGI/AAAAAAAADlU/enHkcD2JXBM/s1600/4%2BSabha%2BMandap%2BTorana.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jGrRyxBLnqU/VAlX_ZDlJGI/AAAAAAAADlU/enHkcD2JXBM/s1600/4%2BSabha%2BMandap%2BTorana.JPG" height="434" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Torana, or ceremonial entrance way to the Sabha Mandap. There probably was once a beam or arch that spanned the opening between the top of the two pillars.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2ll8JLyNgvg/VAlX_oSZHlI/AAAAAAAADlQ/9eO_NeUCxWU/s1600/5%2BTorana%2BCollumn.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2ll8JLyNgvg/VAlX_oSZHlI/AAAAAAAADlQ/9eO_NeUCxWU/s1600/5%2BTorana%2BCollumn.JPG" height="640" width="476" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
One of the pillars of the Torana. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-n4EPxh98fxk/VAlYAS1_dqI/AAAAAAAADls/P8A-tmK_KNs/s1600/6%2BTorana%2BCollumn.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-n4EPxh98fxk/VAlYAS1_dqI/AAAAAAAADls/P8A-tmK_KNs/s1600/6%2BTorana%2BCollumn.JPG" height="640" width="402" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Sculpture on the Torana.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-68gSeS1r3TI/VAlYAgHt9LI/AAAAAAAADlk/Wb59JGNy_Uw/s1600/7%2BSabha%2BMandap.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-68gSeS1r3TI/VAlYAgHt9LI/AAAAAAAADlk/Wb59JGNy_Uw/s1600/7%2BSabha%2BMandap.JPG" height="444" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Side view of the Sabha Mandap. The building was meant as a sort of religious conference hall, and has 52 pillars, each of which is profusely decorated with scenes from the Hindu epics.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R5bS86_Qqas/VAlYBSizbcI/AAAAAAAADlo/OK4CDNHdDhE/s1600/8%2BSabha%2BMandap%2BRoof.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R5bS86_Qqas/VAlYBSizbcI/AAAAAAAADlo/OK4CDNHdDhE/s1600/8%2BSabha%2BMandap%2BRoof.JPG" height="524" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The fascinating and intricately carved roof of the Sabha Mandap.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kDfhckM6tnM/VAlYC7rytlI/AAAAAAAADl4/RSIEKKUABeU/s1600/9%2BGuda%2BMandap%2B.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kDfhckM6tnM/VAlYC7rytlI/AAAAAAAADl4/RSIEKKUABeU/s1600/9%2BGuda%2BMandap%2B.JPG" height="472" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The Guda Mandap, or Sanctum Sanctorum. This building once housed the golden idol of Surya, and also had a Sikhara.<br />
<br />
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZEvaUiWD3jQ/VAlX5tE19yI/AAAAAAAADkU/hz60HZMogeE/s1600/10%2BGuda%2BMandap%2B.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZEvaUiWD3jQ/VAlX5tE19yI/AAAAAAAADkU/hz60HZMogeE/s1600/10%2BGuda%2BMandap%2B.JPG" height="436" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Incredible statuary on the side of the Guda Mandap. The main statues are of the twelve forms of Surya, known as the Adityas (the leader of whom is Vishnu), along with the gods of the directions, of whom there are eight in the Hindu pantheon. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DeaNFGN3vWw/VAlX5CnDEsI/AAAAAAAADkI/dJY1sl7jYwY/s1600/11%2BGuda%2Bmandap%2Bentrance.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DeaNFGN3vWw/VAlX5CnDEsI/AAAAAAAADkI/dJY1sl7jYwY/s1600/11%2BGuda%2Bmandap%2Bentrance.JPG" height="640" width="598" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Incredibly dense carvings on the entrance to the Guda Mandap.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jpGHVb_-0Ik/VAlX7atbKsI/AAAAAAAADko/K2PH-Ee69Zg/s1600/12%2BGuda%2Bmandap%2Bentrance%2Bcarvings.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jpGHVb_-0Ik/VAlX7atbKsI/AAAAAAAADko/K2PH-Ee69Zg/s1600/12%2BGuda%2Bmandap%2Bentrance%2Bcarvings.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Sculptures around the entrance of the Guda Mandap. In the center, the three seated figures are depictions of Surya, while to the left are erotic carvings, which are quite numerous at Modhera (though not so noticeable as on the more famous temples of Khajuraho).</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-twUc1C3j9xU/VAlX7nzqnoI/AAAAAAAADkc/bynHtD86kjI/s1600/13%2BGuda%2BMandap%2Bexterior%2Bcarvings.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-twUc1C3j9xU/VAlX7nzqnoI/AAAAAAAADkc/bynHtD86kjI/s1600/13%2BGuda%2BMandap%2Bexterior%2Bcarvings.JPG" height="640" width="570" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Carvings on the outside of the Guda Mandap.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lHgFz1toYyE/VAlX8JdToRI/AAAAAAAADkg/ZA8nJvDaGw0/s1600/14%2BGuda%2BMandap%2Bexterior%2Bcarvings.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lHgFz1toYyE/VAlX8JdToRI/AAAAAAAADkg/ZA8nJvDaGw0/s1600/14%2BGuda%2BMandap%2Bexterior%2Bcarvings.JPG" height="314" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
.........and even more carvings. As I recall, the larger figures were close to being life sized. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ui6g8JPLfg0/VAlX9GNPP9I/AAAAAAAADkw/4tI4rZ3O5Qg/s1600/15%2BGuda%2BMandap%2Bexterior%2Bcarvings.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ui6g8JPLfg0/VAlX9GNPP9I/AAAAAAAADkw/4tI4rZ3O5Qg/s1600/15%2BGuda%2BMandap%2Bexterior%2Bcarvings.JPG" height="640" width="442" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
One of the most impressive statues on the side of the Guda Mandap.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IV9PAqJNDfM/VAlX9S_bf5I/AAAAAAAADk4/HcQ6clyByvY/s1600/16%2Bsun%2Bgod.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IV9PAqJNDfM/VAlX9S_bf5I/AAAAAAAADk4/HcQ6clyByvY/s1600/16%2Bsun%2Bgod.JPG" height="640" width="512" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A large panel depicting Surya, identifiable by the lotus he's carrying, which symbolizes the sun (he should have two, but the other seems to have worn off), and by the seven horses that he's riding.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
For more on Solanki architecture, go to, check out <a href="http://evenfewergoats.blogspot.com/2014/08/rani-ki-vav.html">http://evenfewergoats.blogspot.com/2014/08/rani-ki-vav.html</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Patrick A. Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05731722419862161376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049395502639291836.post-62945280094027765052014-08-13T00:31:00.000-07:002014-09-09T16:15:13.242-07:00Rani ki Vav<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fQorIty_6iM/U-Z7RKHI1aI/AAAAAAAADTw/xbBYMSTebOU/s1600/1+Rani+ki+vav.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fQorIty_6iM/U-Z7RKHI1aI/AAAAAAAADTw/xbBYMSTebOU/s1600/1+Rani+ki+vav.JPG" height="490" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Rani ki vav, arguably the world's most impressive stepwell. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Simply put, Rani ki vav, or "The Queen's Stepwell," in the little northern Gujarati town of Patan, is one of the foremost man made wonders of India. The stepwell is generally thought to have been built by Queen Udayamati of the Solanki dynasty as a memorial for her deceased husband, Bhimadeva I, in the late 11th century. At the time, the Solankis ruled over much of what we now refer to as the state of Gujarat, and their reign is often viewed as a golden age in the history of the region. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
While the physical remains from the period are not great in number, the few Solanki buildings which still exist are truly exceptional. Patan, once known as Anhilwara, Anahillapura, Anahillavada, or any one of several other names, was the capital of the Solanki kingdom, though the vast majority of the traces of Solanki rule have long since been swept away, starting in the 13th century when the city was sacked first by Qutbuddin Aibak of the Delhi Sultanate, and then, later in the same century, by his successor on the throne of Delhi, Allauddin Khilji. In the 21st century, there is little in the dusty, unassuming little city, other than the step-well of course, to remind one that Patan was once the center of an empire. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
That makes a visit to Rani ki vav all the more startling: In the middle of nowhere, in a city which, though certainly not unfriendly or particularly backwards nonetheless does not feel like it should have ever been at the center of anything, one suddenly comes across one of the most awe-inspiring man made sights in the country. This is in part because the well was far more than a merely functional building. In northwest India, where rainfall is scanty and water tables are deep on account of the regions sandy soil, the building of a step well was viewed as a meritorious act, and the wells themselves as places of worship. It can also be said that the well, like all monuments, was a means by which the Solankis could physically demonstrate their immense wealth and power, something which it certainly does: Even when there are so few remaining physical reminders of the Solankis existence, Rani ki vav all by itself indicates that theirs was an age of incredible artistic prowess. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Rani ki vav is to step wells what the Taj Mahal is to tombs and what Mehrangarh Fort is to fortresses. While there may be larger step wells in India, there aren't many, and those that are don't boast anything approaching the almost hallucinogenic profuseness and technical skill of Rani ki vav's incredible carvings. Yet, it seems that because stepwells are a relatively obscure form of architecture, Rani ki vav will remain relatively little known well into the foreseeable future (despite the having having been made into a UNESCO world heritage site just earlier this year.)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
For centuries, the well was abandoned, during which time it filled almost entirely with silt. Much of what remained above ground by the 19th century was carted off and used as building materials for other constructions. It wasn't until 1986 that the A.S.I. began the process of excavating and conserving the monument. Given how little care the stepwell has received since the 13th century, it's a wonder that there's anything left at all. Yet, even in its ruinous condition, Rani ki vav projects an incredible opulence, and nearly a thousand years ago, when the building had yet to face the ravages of time and Muslim invaders, it must have been among the very grandest sights in India. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VXelo8NY7NU/U-Z7UKT21ZI/AAAAAAAADUU/sRA2jC4fqls/s1600/2+Rani+ki+vav.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VXelo8NY7NU/U-Z7UKT21ZI/AAAAAAAADUU/sRA2jC4fqls/s1600/2+Rani+ki+vav.JPG" height="499" width="640" /><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Looking into the step well. In its original form, the well would have had seven terraces, each on a separate level, along with a large <i>torana</i>, or ceremonial gateway, and so would have looked very different from what you see here. There would have been considerably more shade inside, and the lowest levels would receive very little direct sunlight except in the middle of the day. Over time the <i>torana</i> has disappeared, and the uppermost terrace has been stripped away, leaving only remnants of the lower six. While even after a millennium of neglect the sheer quantity of sculpture within the step well is an amazing thing to see, when it was built Rani ki vav apparently contained close to twice as many statues. At the back, or western, edge of the construction is the primary well shaft, the deepest part of Rani ki vav, which is now annoyingly off limits to the public. This was dug deep enough to allow access to the water table of the Saraswati River, which even as late as the 1980s still replenished the well, though the shaft has since gone dry. In front of the well shaft is a rectangular reservoir. A long flight of steps, with seven separate landings for each terrace, leads up from the reservoir, while two small secondary staircases (both, again, out of bounds) lead down from just in front of the well shaft. When the stepwell was still filled in with silt, the only thing in the picture above that remained unburied was the topmost few meters of the well shaft. Until the 1980s virtually all of the statues and columns pictured here were underground, encased in silt. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As a tourist site Rani ki vav leaves much to be desired. Visiting the step well is frustrating, as no matter where you're going in Gujarat, getting to Patan requires quite a long detour, and once you get there, you find that much of the actual structure is blocked off and, even worse, impossible even to see. One can go some of the way down into it, but an awkwardly placed railing not only prevents you from going further, but also stops you from getting a view of the most impressive parts of the step-well (a problem which could be easily fixed if the A.S.I. would simply move the railing forward a few feet.) Both the main reservoir and the well shaft, the two deepest and therefore most impressive parts of the building, are off limits. My experience of visiting was made more annoying by a security guard who insisted on being an impromptu and largely ignorant ("This vav is 5000 years old") guide in order to try and get rupees out of me...The really was no getting away from him either, given it was just him and me down in the pit at 11 A.M...no other tourists were willing to brave the heat...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Still, these things shouldn't discourage one from visiting the stepwell. What one can see is still incredible, and even in its ruinous state and with the flaws in its presentation by the A.S.I, Rani ki vav is still in my estimation one of the very most spectacular archaeological sites in all of India. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s6DSz1kOFUw/U-Z7UHx_wiI/AAAAAAAADUQ/c82IhwGfovk/s1600/3+Rani+ki+vav+looking+east.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s6DSz1kOFUw/U-Z7UHx_wiI/AAAAAAAADUQ/c82IhwGfovk/s1600/3+Rani+ki+vav+looking+east.JPG" height="640" width="462" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This is an eastward facing view from the top of the well shaft, which gives a good impression of just how much of the structure is missing. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XkX1Mq0iEWY/U-Z7VG0dakI/AAAAAAAADUo/kBBokHGpWCw/s1600/4+Rani+ki+vav+pillars.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XkX1Mq0iEWY/U-Z7VG0dakI/AAAAAAAADUo/kBBokHGpWCw/s1600/4+Rani+ki+vav+pillars.JPG" height="358" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Profusely carved columns and niches inside Rani ki vav, looking straight towards the back of the well shaft. The statue in the middle is Vishnu reclining on the serpent Shesha, while the niche to the right depicts Ganesh and his consort, and that to the left shows Vishnu and Lakshmi seated on Vishnu's mount Garuda. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IkhUGxPQz6s/U-Z7V9vCvTI/AAAAAAAADUs/QZ91XzHJLw8/s1600/5+Rani+ki+vav+main+well.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IkhUGxPQz6s/U-Z7V9vCvTI/AAAAAAAADUs/QZ91XzHJLw8/s1600/5+Rani+ki+vav+main+well.JPG" height="640" width="520" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Looking directly down into the well shaft. It really is a shame that one is not allowed down there, especially since the shaft is the most intact part of the whole stepwell. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VnueH4FQvdY/U-Z7XqbL1PI/AAAAAAAADU0/jW-GIzi5HJI/s1600/6+Rani+ki+Vav+sculptural+panel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VnueH4FQvdY/U-Z7XqbL1PI/AAAAAAAADU0/jW-GIzi5HJI/s1600/6+Rani+ki+Vav+sculptural+panel.JPG" height="640" width="508" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The incredible walls of the stepwell. The lower down one goes, the more of the statuary remains. However, apparently in some of the niches on the upper levels, the statues were never installed, implying that the stepwell was never entirely finished. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Wf05iis2SKA/U-Z7bml9LoI/AAAAAAAADVQ/oVdkYxuVk4Y/s1600/7+Rani+ki+vav+sculptural+panel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Wf05iis2SKA/U-Z7bml9LoI/AAAAAAAADVQ/oVdkYxuVk4Y/s1600/7+Rani+ki+vav+sculptural+panel.JPG" height="640" width="592" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
More incredible statuary. This view would not have been possible before the stepwell fell into ruin: What we would be seeing here would be the bottom of one of the terraces. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PJCWE5BX5NA/U-Z7ZVDQJYI/AAAAAAAADVA/rEJz3K8I-KM/s1600/8+rani+ki+vav+statuary.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PJCWE5BX5NA/U-Z7ZVDQJYI/AAAAAAAADVA/rEJz3K8I-KM/s1600/8+rani+ki+vav+statuary.JPG" height="612" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Closer on assorted statues.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ebv8eg5r9Jo/U-Z7aDyv_tI/AAAAAAAADVE/gFbiNMpxL_U/s1600/9+rani+ki+vav+reclining+vishnu+in+main+well.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ebv8eg5r9Jo/U-Z7aDyv_tI/AAAAAAAADVE/gFbiNMpxL_U/s1600/9+rani+ki+vav+reclining+vishnu+in+main+well.JPG" height="640" width="500" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A view through a stone corridor toward one of the reclining Vishnus at the back of the well shaft. Vishnu is the primary deity of the of the stepwell, and a large proportion of the sculptures are depictions of one of his many forms. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fg4qBRk4N8g/U-Z7QB4K4XI/AAAAAAAADTk/LhTam3hcpA0/s1600/10+rani+ki+vav+sculptures.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fg4qBRk4N8g/U-Z7QB4K4XI/AAAAAAAADTk/LhTam3hcpA0/s1600/10+rani+ki+vav+sculptures.JPG" height="640" width="564" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Presumably a depiction of one of the many Gauris, who are different forms of Parvati, Shiva's consort. Another common motif in the stepwell, Gauris were worshiped as the center of their own, woman-centric cult. After sculptures of Vishnu, carvings of Gauris and other forms of Shiva's consort are the most numerous inside the stepwell. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pTHZv0MXhy4/U-Z7QKmsFmI/AAAAAAAADTg/4AVIWbL-VJs/s1600/11+rani+ki+vav+Hanuman.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pTHZv0MXhy4/U-Z7QKmsFmI/AAAAAAAADTg/4AVIWbL-VJs/s1600/11+rani+ki+vav+Hanuman.JPG" height="640" width="534" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A somewhat worn statue of a four armed Hanuman about to strike a blow.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ocPQQxJbkIQ/U-Z7R5m9joI/AAAAAAAADT0/PIwhNl9ADBk/s1600/12+rani+ki+vav+Varaha.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ocPQQxJbkIQ/U-Z7R5m9joI/AAAAAAAADT0/PIwhNl9ADBk/s1600/12+rani+ki+vav+Varaha.JPG" height="640" width="414" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Varaha, Vishnu's bore headed incarnation, striking a heroic pose. Note the goddess on his elbow caressing his snout. The scene being depicted here is Varaha lifting the Earth Goddess up from the depths of the ocean. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AVciNPxRCzg/U-Z7R2aUBII/AAAAAAAADT4/OtFXI-GuJvQ/s1600/13+Rani+ki+vav+Mahishasuramardini.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AVciNPxRCzg/U-Z7R2aUBII/AAAAAAAADT4/OtFXI-GuJvQ/s1600/13+Rani+ki+vav+Mahishasuramardini.JPG" height="640" width="470" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Durga slays the bore demon, her lion attacking from the side. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7FoxXQN5le4/U-Z7ST8GzLI/AAAAAAAADT8/SRcUHr5saPg/s1600/14+Rani+ki+vav+Nayika+Karpuramanjari+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7FoxXQN5le4/U-Z7ST8GzLI/AAAAAAAADT8/SRcUHr5saPg/s1600/14+Rani+ki+vav+Nayika+Karpuramanjari+.JPG" height="640" width="298" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A Camphor spirit, as represented by a bathing maiden. Camphor is what was traditionally burnt in Hindu religious ceremonies. Note the bird to the left apparently drinking the droplets of water falling from the maiden's hair. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QHk68lqxStM/U-Z7U-_WtRI/AAAAAAAADUc/ojXQSbCEXd0/s1600/15+Rani+ki+vav+Nagakanya.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QHk68lqxStM/U-Z7U-_WtRI/AAAAAAAADUc/ojXQSbCEXd0/s1600/15+Rani+ki+vav+Nagakanya.JPG" height="640" width="334" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A naked serpent woman, along with three owls above, and a peacock behind her legs. The depiction of snake spirits inside the stepwell is fitting, as snakes are regarded as primarily being water dwellers in Hindu mythology. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
If you ever happen to find yourself in Patan, I would advise that you try and get to Rani ki vav early in the day. I took the pictures above at about 11 A.M...which, besides being tremendously hot, was also not the best time as far as lighting was concerned. In some of the other more intact stepwells in Gujarat the sun only reaches the lowermost levels at midday, hence the best light is between 10 A.M. and 12 P.M. I had thought the same would hold true at Rani ki vav, but it proved not to be the case, mostly because so much of the original structure no longer exists, allowing the sun in even into the deepest levels during most of the day. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Much of my information above comes from the handy Archeological Survey of India publication on Rani ki Vav by Kirit Mankodi. They sell it for rs. 30 at the ticket booking window, and it really is worth it.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
For more on Solanki architecture, go to: http://evenfewergoats.blogspot.com/2014/09/modhera.html</div>
<br /></div>
Patrick A. Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05731722419862161376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049395502639291836.post-25321283975385611702014-05-02T15:33:00.000-07:002014-05-02T15:33:14.641-07:00Agra 7: Itimad-ud-Daulah's Tomb and Chini ka Rauza<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PamzpmtSF7E/UzC53LCYdnI/AAAAAAAADQA/7anSwHPiSLM/s1600/1+Itimad-ud-Daula.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PamzpmtSF7E/UzC53LCYdnI/AAAAAAAADQA/7anSwHPiSLM/s1600/1+Itimad-ud-Daula.JPG" height="536" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The top of the fantastic tomb of Itimad-ud-Daulah, in the very first direct sunlight of the day.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Along the east bank of the Yamuna, across from the Taj, Agra Fort, and the Old City, are the remnants of a long series of Mughal gardens and tomb enclosures. I had hoped, on my last morning in Agra, to take a long walk along the entire riverfront and see most of these, though I wound up pressed for time and was forced to only visit a couple of the highlights: The spectacular tomb of Itimad-Ud-Daulah, and the interesting and unique Chini ka Rauza, or China Tomb.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Itimad-ud-Daulah's tomb was built by Nur Jahan, empress of Jehangir and the most powerful woman of the Mughal era, for her father Mirza Ghiyas Beg. A talented administrator of Persian origin, Ghiyas Beg rose to the rank of prime minister, and was bestowed with the moniker "Itimad-ud-Daulah" which means "Pillar of the State." </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The man himself is perhaps better remembered for his descendants than for his own achievements. His daughter, as Jehangir's twentieth and favorite wife, is often described as the power behind the throne in the latter part of Jehangir's reign, due to the emperor's ever increasing love of opium and alcohol. As the emperor's closest confidant, at a time when the Mughal ruler possessed near absolute power, she was in a position to influence the entire course of the empire. It was only upon Jehangir's death that her position was undermined, as she backed the wrong side in the succession struggle which followed, running afoul of Shah Jahan. Still, she was given a luxurious confinement after Shah Jahan secured the throne, during which she built Ghiyas Beg's Tomb.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Ghiyas Beg was also grandfather of Mumtaz Mahal, the woman who inspired and is buried in the Taj, via another one of his daughters. He was therefore the great grandfather of the emperor Aurangzeb, who ruled over the empire at its greatest extent, and witnessed the beginning of its decline.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
His tomb is interesting from an architectural standpoint because it marks the start of the shift from the very eclectic, stylistically mixed buildings of Akbar's time, to the more restrained, persianized structures of Shah Jahan's. The mausoleum is also, famously, one of the first major Mughal buildings to be largely constructed out of white marble. This has led to the tomb being called the "baby Taj," and being often viewed as a model for the more famous mausoleum. This comparison is rather unfortunate: Other than the use of white marble, the tomb of Itimad-ud-Daulah is very much unlike the Taj, and deserves to be seen in the light of its own merits and not merely as a stepping stone to the other building. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Though the mausoleum is far from obscure, it draws nothing like the vast crowds that flock to the Taj. I visited it right after dawn and spent nearly forty five minutes at the site taking photos in the rapidly changing lighting conditions. It wasn't until I was leaving that other people began to show up. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i_xwFHbqf2A/UzC6BeV2lHI/AAAAAAAADRE/_9y5pHaZc1A/s1600/2+Itimad-ud-Daula.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i_xwFHbqf2A/UzC6BeV2lHI/AAAAAAAADRE/_9y5pHaZc1A/s1600/2+Itimad-ud-Daula.JPG" height="466" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The tomb of Itimad-ud-Daulah at dawn. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0P2-zO2zijw/UzC6KlzHSjI/AAAAAAAADSI/__5n4uLdytI/s1600/3+Itimad-ud-Daula.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0P2-zO2zijw/UzC6KlzHSjI/AAAAAAAADSI/__5n4uLdytI/s1600/3+Itimad-ud-Daula.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Tomb</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hd1X5I8in4c/UzC6Me5QLNI/AAAAAAAADSQ/u9wZNBp0QYU/s1600/4+Itimad-ud-Daula.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hd1X5I8in4c/UzC6Me5QLNI/AAAAAAAADSQ/u9wZNBp0QYU/s1600/4+Itimad-ud-Daula.JPG" height="466" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A view on the side of the tomb. The most striking feature of the mausoleum is its incredible inlay work. All of the colored patterns visible here are fitted stones. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OXA6StmuaZU/UzC6MtkEpQI/AAAAAAAADSY/v3WCtp4DZOs/s1600/5+Itimad-ud-Daula.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OXA6StmuaZU/UzC6MtkEpQI/AAAAAAAADSY/v3WCtp4DZOs/s1600/5+Itimad-ud-Daula.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Another view on the incredible inlay work. The technique here is at an interesting transitional point between the spectacular but simpler patterns of Akbar's Tomb, and the more intricate <i>peitra dura </i>work of the Taj Mahal. Many sources make the mistake of referring to the technique here as <i>peitra dura </i>(which literally means "hard stone" and was imported from Europe...hence the Italian), however this variety of stone inlay work had been known in India for quite some time.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pRR5IH_iHBk/UzC6MqDMdcI/AAAAAAAADSU/AU9CLn7Q3jk/s1600/6+Itimad-ud-Daula+arch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pRR5IH_iHBk/UzC6MqDMdcI/AAAAAAAADSU/AU9CLn7Q3jk/s1600/6+Itimad-ud-Daula+arch.JPG" height="640" width="410" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
One of the very fine <i>jali </i>screen windows on the side of the tomb.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H3BnXfBp2l4/UzC6OhAik9I/AAAAAAAADSo/3UkkyU0PH5I/s1600/7+Itimad-ud-Daula+Minaret.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-H3BnXfBp2l4/UzC6OhAik9I/AAAAAAAADSo/3UkkyU0PH5I/s1600/7+Itimad-ud-Daula+Minaret.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
One of the minarets. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8DwtS_wL-xY/UzC6P7dNNDI/AAAAAAAADSw/RJdPNGT2gbo/s1600/8+Itimad-ud-Daula+stone+inlay.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8DwtS_wL-xY/UzC6P7dNNDI/AAAAAAAADSw/RJdPNGT2gbo/s1600/8+Itimad-ud-Daula+stone+inlay.JPG" height="582" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Close on one of the inlaid stones.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ep8aRkSZ2eM/UzC6QDlq7fI/AAAAAAAADS0/mvIG76ykeHA/s1600/9+Itimad-ud-Daula+Gate.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ep8aRkSZ2eM/UzC6QDlq7fI/AAAAAAAADS0/mvIG76ykeHA/s1600/9+Itimad-ud-Daula+Gate.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Looking out from the north entrance of the mausoleum, to one of the false gateways of the tomb enclosure. As with Akbar's tomb compound, here there is only one "true" gateway through the wall around the tomb, while the other three serve merely ornamental purposes.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--TnahV_GYJk/UzC53VjJovI/AAAAAAAADP8/yYH38t4g-9o/s1600/10+Itimad-ud-Daula+interior+painting.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--TnahV_GYJk/UzC53VjJovI/AAAAAAAADP8/yYH38t4g-9o/s1600/10+Itimad-ud-Daula+interior+painting.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Both the inside and the outside of the tomb are fantastically decorated. The interior is covered in exquisite paintings, mostly of plants. Note that, in the center of the picture, above the cenotaph, you can see through the jali screen window to the east gate of the enclosure. The grave marker is that of one of Ghiyas Beg's relatives, a large number of whom are buried in the tomb.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8TqPFA4Ptic/UzC53W9aNVI/AAAAAAAADP4/WIjHZY6AkJ4/s1600/11+Itimad-ud-Daula+interior+painting.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8TqPFA4Ptic/UzC53W9aNVI/AAAAAAAADP4/WIjHZY6AkJ4/s1600/11+Itimad-ud-Daula+interior+painting.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Paintings in the central chamber of the tomb, housing Ghiyas Beg's grave. The chamber is spectacularly covered in paintings, though unfortunately the light was not strong enough to get a good picture with my little camera (I need a new one). </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_BDIDKrYOSU/UzC55wPoeYI/AAAAAAAADQQ/-eyuOuXOozs/s1600/12+Itimad-ud-Daula+in+bright+sun.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_BDIDKrYOSU/UzC55wPoeYI/AAAAAAAADQQ/-eyuOuXOozs/s1600/12+Itimad-ud-Daula+in+bright+sun.JPG" height="474" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A little later in the day, just as more tourists were arriving. The speed with which white marble changes color in different lighting never ceases to amaze.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
After leaving the Tomb of Itimad-ud-Daulah, I had just enough time to walk north and visit a few of the nearby monuments. The most prominent of these was the Chini ka Rauza, or China Tomb, which is the early 17th century mausoleum of Mullah Shukrullah Shirazi, a prime minister in Shah Jahan's court who was also a poet and the brother of the calligrapher who worked on the outside of the Taj Mahal. His tomb is one of the most unusual in all of North India. Architecturally it's very simple, even to the point of being drab, with flat sides, an unusually small dome, and short minarets. But what stands out are the incredible, if now partially effaced, panels of blue, green, and black tile work which once covered the exterior of the tomb. These explain the simplicity of the architecture: The whole tomb was designed solely around having large flat spaces on which to display the tile work.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dhqweONND_Q/UzC57El1PmI/AAAAAAAADQY/TZ29_J7WyM8/s1600/13+Tomb+of+prince+Parwiz.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dhqweONND_Q/UzC57El1PmI/AAAAAAAADQY/TZ29_J7WyM8/s1600/13+Tomb+of+prince+Parwiz.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Not far from the almost perfect tomb of Itimad-ud-Daulah is this neglected, creepy, dilapidated mausoleum. It is the tomb of Prince Parwiz, one of the brothers of Shah Jahan. Virtually all of the ornamentation once on the outside of the tomb has been stripped away, while the inside is being used as a cow shed. As I recall, a couple of locals had shacks built right next to it. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y8rGinAVSnE/UzC565duEVI/AAAAAAAADQU/9PqapqwdvnY/s1600/14+Zahara+Bagh+Chatri.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y8rGinAVSnE/UzC565duEVI/AAAAAAAADQU/9PqapqwdvnY/s1600/14+Zahara+Bagh+Chatri.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
An excellent corner turret, one of the few architectural remains of a Mughal garden from Mumtaz Mahel's time called Zahara Bagh. The body of water to the left of the picture is the sad revolting river of putrescence that was once the Yamuna. This was taken from the Chini ka Rauza tomb enclosure. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UkRcr0l6q9I/UzC58zjUMjI/AAAAAAAADQo/XR-hzWHsjZI/s1600/15+Chini+ka+Rauza.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UkRcr0l6q9I/UzC58zjUMjI/AAAAAAAADQo/XR-hzWHsjZI/s1600/15+Chini+ka+Rauza.JPG" height="524" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The north side of the Chini ka Rauza, which has the most surviving tile work. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rnteSChxZqc/UzC590rwPKI/AAAAAAAADQs/L4P_4GUzL6U/s1600/16+Chini+ka+rauza+tile+work.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rnteSChxZqc/UzC590rwPKI/AAAAAAAADQs/L4P_4GUzL6U/s1600/16+Chini+ka+rauza+tile+work.JPG" height="506" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Tile work on the south side of the tomb. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JuuVV85GE-o/UzC5-zxzdcI/AAAAAAAADQ4/DbdCwvXSv88/s1600/17+Chini+ka+rauza+tile+work.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JuuVV85GE-o/UzC5-zxzdcI/AAAAAAAADQ4/DbdCwvXSv88/s1600/17+Chini+ka+rauza+tile+work.JPG" height="640" width="528" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Plants and geometric designs. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y6w6xhUMXFM/UzC6AjZ-_QI/AAAAAAAADRA/Q67Uqcr1URg/s1600/18+Chini+ka+rauza+tile+work.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y6w6xhUMXFM/UzC6AjZ-_QI/AAAAAAAADRA/Q67Uqcr1URg/s1600/18+Chini+ka+rauza+tile+work.JPG" height="640" width="470" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Tile work</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xzmzZHfGw1g/UzC6Belt4TI/AAAAAAAADRM/MLpySZsBLag/s1600/19+Chini+ka+rauza+tile+work.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xzmzZHfGw1g/UzC6Belt4TI/AAAAAAAADRM/MLpySZsBLag/s1600/19+Chini+ka+rauza+tile+work.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Close up on a well preserved tile work plant.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-17QovG3wcO0/UzC6DwGg6LI/AAAAAAAADRY/KdEpdEyNuOM/s1600/20+chini+ka+rauza+tile+work.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-17QovG3wcO0/UzC6DwGg6LI/AAAAAAAADRY/KdEpdEyNuOM/s1600/20+chini+ka+rauza+tile+work.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Blue calligraphy. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hTnpi3pnddk/UzC6Fyrl4wI/AAAAAAAADRg/yA6QepEuGrk/s1600/21+chini+ka+rauza+interior+painting.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hTnpi3pnddk/UzC6Fyrl4wI/AAAAAAAADRg/yA6QepEuGrk/s1600/21+chini+ka+rauza+interior+painting.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The interior of the Chini ka Rauza is also richly decorated, though you have to be able to track down the <i>chowkidar </i>to get in. These painting were apparently restored, though not in the last few decades, judging by their current condition. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6z3dWk3Wrf8/UzC6GCvkdSI/AAAAAAAADRk/uZiFwVTPKQU/s1600/22+chini+ka+rauza+interior+painting.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6z3dWk3Wrf8/UzC6GCvkdSI/AAAAAAAADRk/uZiFwVTPKQU/s1600/22+chini+ka+rauza+interior+painting.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
While the paintings certainly don't look new, and are very impressive in their own right, it's hard to say how much of them are original. A photo from the turn of the 20th century shows much less visible painting than is evident here. Apparently the tomb was used as a residence for a while, and many of the original paintings were covered in soot from decades of people building fires inside the mausoleum.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V_xrXl8hePE/UzC6GfIOEyI/AAAAAAAADRo/KZUs79RAx8M/s1600/23+chini+ka+rauza+interior+painting.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V_xrXl8hePE/UzC6GfIOEyI/AAAAAAAADRo/KZUs79RAx8M/s1600/23+chini+ka+rauza+interior+painting.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Still, certain parts of the interior decoration, such as the fragment of plaster under the arch in this picture, probably do date to the 17th century.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b9L-tZY0ssg/UzC6I4KvJQI/AAAAAAAADR4/_-BSBlv5LKg/s1600/24+chini+ka+rauza+interior+painting.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b9L-tZY0ssg/UzC6I4KvJQI/AAAAAAAADR4/_-BSBlv5LKg/s1600/24+chini+ka+rauza+interior+painting.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Light coming through the entrance to the tomb. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The tomb of Itimad-ud-Daulah is all too often left out of tourist itineraries, which is a pity, as it is one of India's most perfect architectural achievements. The Chini ka Rauza may have seen better days, but it's still a fascinating place to visit, and, like so many historical structures in India, deserves better care.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So, this is the end of my series on Agra. The city has its flaws, but a lack of things to see is not one of them. As fond as I am of Mumtaz Mahel's mausoleum, there is much more to Agra than the Taj. Spending only one day, or half a day, in Agra is really not enough time, and I think that the city as a whole would have a better reputation if visitors didn't hurry through it.....</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
.....but that's just me.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d4MnLIWYf40/UzC6J1QciXI/AAAAAAAADSA/fgIm5bhA8wY/s1600/25+chini+ka+rauza+fish+eating+small+woman.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d4MnLIWYf40/UzC6J1QciXI/AAAAAAAADSA/fgIm5bhA8wY/s1600/25+chini+ka+rauza+fish+eating+small+woman.JPG" height="404" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Graffity, presumably by a little kid, of a woman sitting in a fish's mouth, on the east side of the Chini ka Rauza. </div>
<br /></div>
Patrick A. Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05731722419862161376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049395502639291836.post-70412951907407174012014-04-26T21:37:00.004-07:002014-04-26T21:38:47.791-07:00Agra 6: The Old City<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SGE_z9g5ZS8/Uy_0iIed6wI/AAAAAAAADJ4/VfbTCGjcJTo/s1600/1+Old+Agra+courtyard.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SGE_z9g5ZS8/Uy_0iIed6wI/AAAAAAAADJ4/VfbTCGjcJTo/s1600/1+Old+Agra+courtyard.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A late 19th or early 20th century courtyard, somewhere deep in Agra's fascinating old city.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As odd as it may sound, there is a vast and deeply historical part of Agra, India's most heavily touristed city, which is almost entirely ignored by outsiders. This is The Old City, the bustling, incredibly intense, impenetrable seeming region of Agra north of the Red Fort and west of the Yamuna. Here, beginning in the 16th and 17th centuries, were the great mansions of the Mughal elite and the business communities which profited from the Mughal court's ridiculous expenditures (which apparently largely drove the economy of the entire empire.) </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As the Mughals went into decline, so to did the city, and most of the great mansions slowly fell into ruin and were abandoned. Still, the city remained a major trading center, and went though something of an economic resurgence in the 19th century under colonial rule. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In the 21st century, Agra's Old City is a huge and confusing anachronism. It's a place where the 21st century is desperately trying to establish itself and is so far failing miserably. While the grand Mughal mansions have (mostly) long since crumbled into oblivion, smaller buildings from latter centuries have sprung up among the ruins, frequently oriented around the plan of the older buildings. And so, while there may not be any extant physical remnants of the Mughal mansions, their imprints, in the form of the layouts of many of the neighborhoods within the city, remain. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The Old City is now incredibly congested. Thousands of cars and trucks and auto-rickshaws and motorbikes sharing limited space on streets laid down before the combustion engine was even invented leads to terrible traffic. The city is not easy to explore, and yet, of all the places in Agra, it is perhaps the most rewarding to spend time in. Around every corner there's something interesting, and something very few visitors ever clap eyes on. Yet, unlike the Taj, or Agra Fort, or Sikandra, the Old City is not a museum: It's a place where communities in Agra have lived and worked since before the Mughal period, giving the area an unbroken connection with the past.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As such, I highly recommended visiting. Even more so when one considers that many of the buildings in the photographs below might not exist in a few years time. Also, at least in my experience, other than plenty of staring (that's if you're a conspicuous white foreigner!), I encountered almost no typical Agra type tourist hassles (as in, pushy guides, touts, hawkers, etc. etc.) There seems to be very little in the way of conservation work being done in the Old City, which is refreshing in a way (nothing destroys a monument quicker than a shoddy restoration job), but it also shows that nobody really seems to care that much about the area in terms of its historical value.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Much of my information comes, again, from Lucy Peck's comprehensive <i>Agra: The Architectural Heritage, </i>though even the details provided there are limited. I visited twice, on two longish walks, though obviously the city still contains plenty of sights that I did not see.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0WsSfWvECUQ/Uy_0o7dcvHI/AAAAAAAADLE/Qrd2xPXL9Nk/s1600/2+Agra+Jami+Masjid.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0WsSfWvECUQ/Uy_0o7dcvHI/AAAAAAAADLE/Qrd2xPXL9Nk/s1600/2+Agra+Jami+Masjid.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Agra Jama Masjid, the Old City's most prominent building. Some sources say it was commissioned by Shah Jahan and dedicated to his daughter Jahanara, while others claim it was Jahanara herself who built it. The mosque was once directly linked to the Delhi Gate of Agra Fort via a large market area, though that was obliterated by the British when they ran a rail line through in the 19th century. The British also destroyed the mosque's front gate during the Sepoy Uprising, creating an awkward arrangement where the courtyard of the mosque opens almost directly onto the street. You'll notice that the domes above the mosque seem to be receding behind the building. They were built without drums, and hence don't stand out as much from the rest of the structure as do the domes on most other Mughal buildings. I haven't been able to figure out what happened to the missing minaret above the prayer hall. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CWBdq9kUCto/Uy_0vhv_CNI/AAAAAAAADMc/XoxeoWq6fVg/s1600/3+Agra+Jami+Masjid+Mihrab.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CWBdq9kUCto/Uy_0vhv_CNI/AAAAAAAADMc/XoxeoWq6fVg/s1600/3+Agra+Jami+Masjid+Mihrab.JPG" height="640" width="512" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The primary mihrab of the mosque, along with people sitting out the heat of the day. I was there at around 3 P.M., after afternoon prayers, and the whole place was fairly quiet. Local Muslims using the prayer halls in mosques to hang out in the afternoon is a common sight in India.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M-tnl7wPuOU/Uy_014E8LCI/AAAAAAAADOA/GmNV471zFck/s1600/4+Jami+Masjid+Chatris+and+Madrasa.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M-tnl7wPuOU/Uy_014E8LCI/AAAAAAAADOA/GmNV471zFck/s1600/4+Jami+Masjid+Chatris+and+Madrasa.JPG" height="472" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Perhaps the most striking architectural feature of the mosque are the long lines of c<i>hhatris </i>lining either side of the courtyard, seen here. The people at the left of the photo are part of a small madrasa that's run inside of the mosque. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IXkht8o8rIE/Uy_06KL7KOI/AAAAAAAADPI/T9NIqpqMoJA/s1600/5+Old+Agra+Bazaar.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IXkht8o8rIE/Uy_06KL7KOI/AAAAAAAADPI/T9NIqpqMoJA/s1600/5+Old+Agra+Bazaar.JPG" height="520" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This is a typical crazy alley in the bazaars north of the Jama Masjid. They seem to be selling everything here from toys to food to jewelry.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Z0E63qMVOk0/Uy_06pstxjI/AAAAAAAADPM/aEAhawTgGHM/s1600/6+Cheap+Toy+Guns.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Z0E63qMVOk0/Uy_06pstxjI/AAAAAAAADPM/aEAhawTgGHM/s1600/6+Cheap+Toy+Guns.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A gigantic number of cheap toy guns. There was in a small alley which sold absolutely nothing but these "Baby Toy Pistols." </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DDW2karfm20/Uy_07NBuNLI/AAAAAAAADPU/xxFKX0BEYvQ/s1600/7+Agra+old+City+Temple.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DDW2karfm20/Uy_07NBuNLI/AAAAAAAADPU/xxFKX0BEYvQ/s1600/7+Agra+old+City+Temple.JPG" height="640" width="514" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
What I think is a temple gateway on Peepal Mandi road, probably from the 19th century. In front is a bike repair shop, a fruit seller, and a man selling funny hats on a stick.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nhDhFSVpSwU/Uy_07tw-p7I/AAAAAAAADPk/thGZTkfvcqs/s1600/8+Funny+hat.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nhDhFSVpSwU/Uy_07tw-p7I/AAAAAAAADPk/thGZTkfvcqs/s1600/8+Funny+hat.JPG" height="640" width="396" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A funny hat seller.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CeM4Qn6rB84/Uy_07wUMqrI/AAAAAAAADPc/VfmITKj_QAw/s1600/9+funny+hat+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CeM4Qn6rB84/Uy_07wUMqrI/AAAAAAAADPc/VfmITKj_QAw/s1600/9+funny+hat+2.JPG" height="640" width="448" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
That's what the funny hats do...you blow on a little tube and the tassels fly out. They also make an undignified noise. I had to follow this guy around for a little while to catch him at it. I think the person staring at the camera to the left thought I was strange. In the background is the Jama Masjid. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UhPuhWf4YvU/Uy_0hwljv-I/AAAAAAAADJo/rqV0EIbpwwY/s1600/10+Old+city+doorway.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UhPuhWf4YvU/Uy_0hwljv-I/AAAAAAAADJo/rqV0EIbpwwY/s1600/10+Old+city+doorway.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Traditional doorway and balcony on a street called Rawat Pada. Note the wood carved figure on the lower right side of the door.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H4BW-3DPof0/Uy_0h9kEn8I/AAAAAAAADJs/ET1-THS3Pew/s1600/11+Rawat+Pada+Temple.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H4BW-3DPof0/Uy_0h9kEn8I/AAAAAAAADJs/ET1-THS3Pew/s1600/11+Rawat+Pada+Temple.JPG" height="640" width="492" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
An unusual, probably late 19th century balcony in Rawat Pada, with music playing figures carved into pillars. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WOvLOVODwHY/Uy_0jz5mLPI/AAAAAAAADKE/IJejL9hT6I0/s1600/12+Rawat+pada+religious+perefenelia.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WOvLOVODwHY/Uy_0jz5mLPI/AAAAAAAADKE/IJejL9hT6I0/s1600/12+Rawat+pada+religious+perefenelia.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Street selling religious paraphernalia. Rawat Pada.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h7MFmP08_bo/Uy_0j2icvWI/AAAAAAAADKA/6jFywBjfWA8/s1600/13+Agra+Old+City+house.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h7MFmP08_bo/Uy_0j2icvWI/AAAAAAAADKA/6jFywBjfWA8/s1600/13+Agra+Old+City+house.JPG" height="640" width="468" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A traditional balcony, and peeking monkey, above shops. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BYUE3mysi3U/Uy_0ksk8SPI/AAAAAAAADKM/hjbQWAaydR8/s1600/14+Agra+old+city+house.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BYUE3mysi3U/Uy_0ksk8SPI/AAAAAAAADKM/hjbQWAaydR8/s1600/14+Agra+old+city+house.JPG" height="640" width="506" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Traditional 19th century housing being swallowed up by 21st century commercialism. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SYsmYD8QS3Q/Uy_0lsZ--rI/AAAAAAAADKc/VAVgHeLCMww/s1600/15+Agra+Old+city+house.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SYsmYD8QS3Q/Uy_0lsZ--rI/AAAAAAAADKc/VAVgHeLCMww/s1600/15+Agra+Old+city+house.JPG" height="640" width="433" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Dilapidated 19th century housing above a cooking ware shop. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uqD68uFO5KI/Uy_0l7PONzI/AAAAAAAADKY/OP88INPBbXc/s1600/16+Art+Deco.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uqD68uFO5KI/Uy_0l7PONzI/AAAAAAAADKY/OP88INPBbXc/s1600/16+Art+Deco.JPG" height="640" width="495" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
An interesting Art-Deco building, and monkey, in the middle of rather a shady alley. Just as it did in the west, Art Deco made a fairly strong impression in India during the 20s and 30s, and in many older parts of Indian cities, the last truly interesting buildings come from that period. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OXvmcdplp0s/Uy_0n8U_J1I/AAAAAAAADKw/xRtxW8jpt7U/s1600/17+shady+crumbling+alleyway.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OXvmcdplp0s/Uy_0n8U_J1I/AAAAAAAADKw/xRtxW8jpt7U/s1600/17+shady+crumbling+alleyway.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A typical, crumbling, back alley, along with eccentric electrical arrangements. Judging by the slab of red sandstone visible in the side of the building to the left, and some of the other structures in the immediate vicinity, parts of these buildings probably go back quite some time. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VZUbo8k30AE/Uy_0naGK7nI/AAAAAAAADKo/AyHgCsio63Q/s1600/18+old+city+old+structure.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VZUbo8k30AE/Uy_0naGK7nI/AAAAAAAADKo/AyHgCsio63Q/s1600/18+old+city+old+structure.JPG" height="640" width="412" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This building, partially obscured by electrical wires, appears to be from rather earlier than most of the surviving historical structures in the city. Stylistically, it looks like it could very well date from the 18th or 17th centuries. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TO5_PO1iGH4/Uy_0nvzqarI/AAAAAAAADKs/ydvywzRMOlg/s1600/18.5+Old+city+temple.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TO5_PO1iGH4/Uy_0nvzqarI/AAAAAAAADKs/ydvywzRMOlg/s1600/18.5+Old+city+temple.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Small balcony above the street. I was told, admittedly by several drunk fellows, that this was a "thousands years old" temple...It may be a temple, but it's probably not a thousand years old.</div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GwTDk_NTB2Q/Uy_0oQGh4VI/AAAAAAAADK8/885j4gZuQq4/s1600/19+Old+city+art+gallery.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GwTDk_NTB2Q/Uy_0oQGh4VI/AAAAAAAADK8/885j4gZuQq4/s1600/19+Old+city+art+gallery.JPG" height="640" width="523" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
An unexpected art galley under the railway tracks.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3LpGEUT2Yi0/Uy_0pVM_8QI/AAAAAAAADLI/z6bwNOAEooc/s1600/20+Old+city+gate+or+temple.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3LpGEUT2Yi0/Uy_0pVM_8QI/AAAAAAAADLI/z6bwNOAEooc/s1600/20+Old+city+gate+or+temple.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A very large, interesting gateway deep in the Old City, along with plenty of motorbike traffic. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z3oinVswtd4/Uy_0pzn32oI/AAAAAAAADLU/7JMdvyojHc8/s1600/21+Akbari+Masjid+kinari+bazaar+road.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z3oinVswtd4/Uy_0pzn32oI/AAAAAAAADLU/7JMdvyojHc8/s1600/21+Akbari+Masjid+kinari+bazaar+road.JPG" height="586" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Looking south along Kinari Bazaar Road, one of the the main drags of the old city. The red sandstone building to the left is the Akbari Masjid, which is old enough to have needed a major restoration job in the nineteenth century.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gCq1qJKVb5U/Uy_0rdzx3wI/AAAAAAAADLo/bMc3592NQwA/s1600/22+hideous+weird+art+deco.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gCq1qJKVb5U/Uy_0rdzx3wI/AAAAAAAADLo/bMc3592NQwA/s1600/22+hideous+weird+art+deco.JPG" height="638" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Vat Jewelers "Finest Showroom of Imitation Jewelry." A truly bizarre, stylistically mutant, facade at an intersection just north of the Akbari Masjid, probably from the early 20th century. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zYPnL7lzZbI/Uy_0rFjNB7I/AAAAAAAADLg/GivJ36QaRHU/s1600/23+hideous+weird+art+deco+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zYPnL7lzZbI/Uy_0rFjNB7I/AAAAAAAADLg/GivJ36QaRHU/s1600/23+hideous+weird+art+deco+.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Another bizarre early 20th century facade on Kinari Bazaar road, with a mixture of indigenous and Art Deco elements.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fHwjJi30lgc/Uy_0resGw9I/AAAAAAAADLk/m1PMR7zaaYU/s1600/24+Kinari+bazzar+house.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fHwjJi30lgc/Uy_0resGw9I/AAAAAAAADLk/m1PMR7zaaYU/s1600/24+Kinari+bazzar+house.JPG" height="640" width="435" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Perhaps the most striking structure on Kinari Bazaar road, if memory serves, opposite the Vat Jewelers building. The lower balcony is clearly significantly older than the upper, which may be late 19th or early 20th century. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1gd6dFEQRVI/Uy_0tN0x3zI/AAAAAAAADL4/Izon6YhR3u0/s1600/25+kinari+Bazaar+house.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1gd6dFEQRVI/Uy_0tN0x3zI/AAAAAAAADL4/Izon6YhR3u0/s1600/25+kinari+Bazaar+house.JPG" height="640" width="521" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Looking straight up at the lower balcony.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GB9qnTrbxoI/Uy_0tgaVgrI/AAAAAAAADL8/RiE3ED_ZsUU/s1600/26+wedding+item.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GB9qnTrbxoI/Uy_0tgaVgrI/AAAAAAAADL8/RiE3ED_ZsUU/s1600/26+wedding+item.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Big wedding-light-flower-cart-thing....I have no idea what these are called but I happened across a garage full of them....along with two guys having an argument....</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--CjQ8whw9P4/Uy_0tgB-IbI/AAAAAAAADME/KUsPNgxfmw0/s1600/27+Kashmiri+bazaar+gate.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--CjQ8whw9P4/Uy_0tgB-IbI/AAAAAAAADME/KUsPNgxfmw0/s1600/27+Kashmiri+bazaar+gate.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A 19th century gateway, which was obviously once the entrance to a large enclosure, on Kashmiri Bazaar Road. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WPpCTGx0ULc/Uy_0uVGcIaI/AAAAAAAADMM/oO3b_SkQu-I/s1600/28+Kashmiri+bazaar+gate.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WPpCTGx0ULc/Uy_0uVGcIaI/AAAAAAAADMM/oO3b_SkQu-I/s1600/28+Kashmiri+bazaar+gate.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Looking back out through the same gateway onto the electrical chaos outside. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GrOzkPOGNEI/Uy_0ug3N7MI/AAAAAAAADMQ/YloTS2P5KLM/s1600/29+Gun+Shop.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GrOzkPOGNEI/Uy_0ug3N7MI/AAAAAAAADMQ/YloTS2P5KLM/s1600/29+Gun+Shop.JPG" height="640" width="573" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
An Old City gun shop.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bJuDOV0jWI0/Uy_0wSPjxxI/AAAAAAAADMs/jMHLsv5nyoo/s1600/30+Vishnu+temple.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bJuDOV0jWI0/Uy_0wSPjxxI/AAAAAAAADMs/jMHLsv5nyoo/s1600/30+Vishnu+temple.JPG" height="640" width="603" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A small, silver-painted 19th century Vishnu Temple. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2fOL7ITVN_Q/Uy_0wJc8emI/AAAAAAAADMk/seC1CPzKaj0/s1600/30.2+Motamid+Khan+masjid.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2fOL7ITVN_Q/Uy_0wJc8emI/AAAAAAAADMk/seC1CPzKaj0/s1600/30.2+Motamid+Khan+masjid.JPG" height="640" width="451" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A minaret of the Motamid Khan Masjid, on Kashmiri Bazaar Road, one of the few genuine Mughal buildings in the city, dating from the 17th century. Note the <i>Chini Khana </i>decorations on the lower part of the minaret. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fdBJcs3V0mY/Uy_0w_Rb3BI/AAAAAAAADMw/CMOoGFkBd-c/s1600/30.5+Kala+Mahal+Corner+Turret.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fdBJcs3V0mY/Uy_0w_Rb3BI/AAAAAAAADMw/CMOoGFkBd-c/s1600/30.5+Kala+Mahal+Corner+Turret.JPG" height="640" width="510" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Another fragment of a genuine Mughal building called the Kala Mahal, a very large, Jehangir period haveli, built for Raja Gaj Singh of Jodhpur. The haveli has largely disappeared, the only surviving remnants being two small turrets, which themselves seem to be well on their way to oblivion. This one is fast disappearing under advertisements for an Akshay Kumar film from 2004 called "Aan: Men at work," which Wikipedia states is "about the life of a police officer fighting crime constantly." An odd fate for the last vestiges of a 17th century Mughal mansion. From what I've seen, in various Old Cities in India, the turrets, towers, or minarets, at the corners of historical buildings are frequently the last things to get obliterated. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qQjbFSz9M50/Uy_0xsW70iI/AAAAAAAADNA/GrcZZ52BBHI/s1600/31+Old+Agra+Garden+corner+turret.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qQjbFSz9M50/Uy_0xsW70iI/AAAAAAAADNA/GrcZZ52BBHI/s1600/31+Old+Agra+Garden+corner+turret.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A rather better preserved Mughal corner turret, this one from a garden which has since been filled in with development. This area, where the old city butts up against the Yamuna, was apparently once lined with gardens, all of which have over the centuries disappeared. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CYn10_GnXM0/Uy_0x_LrnrI/AAAAAAAADM8/6rflop_jUvM/s1600/32+Mubarak+manzil.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CYn10_GnXM0/Uy_0x_LrnrI/AAAAAAAADM8/6rflop_jUvM/s1600/32+Mubarak+manzil.JPG" height="640" width="458" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A tower of the Mubarak Manzil, an Aurangzeb period building in the Belanganj area of the Old City, of which, again, very little of the original building survives but the corner towers (for example, those air conditioning units to the right of the tower were not part of the original Mughal conception!). The building was the headquarters of the Colonial Customs House for a while. It has a fairly incredible gateway on the south side, though at the time I visited this was unfortunately partially hidden by another, modern, metallic gateway. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jtglZ_L5Rpw/Uy_0ybHEieI/AAAAAAAADNM/bN8G94d2Ftk/s1600/33+Suraj+Bhan+Phatak.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jtglZ_L5Rpw/Uy_0ybHEieI/AAAAAAAADNM/bN8G94d2Ftk/s1600/33+Suraj+Bhan+Phatak.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A large, interesting haveli. This is in the northeast part of the old city, in an area called Belanganj, which was where the most successful merchants in colonial Agra had their houses. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VJTniWbyEkw/Uy_0zGdG92I/AAAAAAAADNY/7LhkG-Blnk8/s1600/34+Suraj+Bhan+Phatak.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VJTniWbyEkw/Uy_0zGdG92I/AAAAAAAADNY/7LhkG-Blnk8/s1600/34+Suraj+Bhan+Phatak.JPG" height="640" width="430" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Closer on one of the corners of the facade of the Belanganj haveli. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JaA3_er8ohY/Uy_0zl3NTLI/AAAAAAAADNc/uju8Br1LAFc/s1600/35+Haveli+gate.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JaA3_er8ohY/Uy_0zl3NTLI/AAAAAAAADNc/uju8Br1LAFc/s1600/35+Haveli+gate.JPG" height="640" width="534" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Another large haveli gateway, with a guy carrying a big bag through it.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EHYmpIStXSU/Uy_0z-vLCFI/AAAAAAAADNg/-0MDggaQNxo/s1600/36+Haveli+Gate+detail.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EHYmpIStXSU/Uy_0z-vLCFI/AAAAAAAADNg/-0MDggaQNxo/s1600/36+Haveli+Gate+detail.JPG" height="640" width="430" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Haveli gateway detail.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TBXzwC3oRc0/Uy_00iVBmoI/AAAAAAAADNs/en9KWw3RVMg/s1600/37+Old+Agra+Haveli.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TBXzwC3oRc0/Uy_00iVBmoI/AAAAAAAADNs/en9KWw3RVMg/s1600/37+Old+Agra+Haveli.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Haveli gateway. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eKLqHjeZXOI/Uy_01jkz01I/AAAAAAAADN4/vCPhMdzi8j0/s1600/38+Old+agra+Haveli.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eKLqHjeZXOI/Uy_01jkz01I/AAAAAAAADN4/vCPhMdzi8j0/s1600/38+Old+agra+Haveli.JPG" height="640" width="486" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
An interesting, probably late 19th century house.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RMiEp71w6XY/Uy_01lPs81I/AAAAAAAADN8/nhlx2FuMt98/s1600/39+Old+Agra+Haveli.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RMiEp71w6XY/Uy_01lPs81I/AAAAAAAADN8/nhlx2FuMt98/s1600/39+Old+Agra+Haveli.JPG" height="640" width="482" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A haveli gateway partially obscured by potato sellers. In the old city, no effort is made towards making the interesting old buildings visible, and often just getting a photo of the damn things means risking life and limb in crazy traffic. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H6AOfe7w0GE/Uy_021fgaRI/AAAAAAAADOQ/uAhsKBeHHH8/s1600/40+Old+City+windows.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H6AOfe7w0GE/Uy_021fgaRI/AAAAAAAADOQ/uAhsKBeHHH8/s1600/40+Old+City+windows.JPG" height="460" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
An ornate wooden balcony. The top panels of the left and right windows have carvings in the shape of Gujarati style struts, as seen in Akbari period architecture.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Xz7i7bQmgj0/Uy_03mnJGnI/AAAAAAAADOY/fWzjMznUMlY/s1600/41+parade.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Xz7i7bQmgj0/Uy_03mnJGnI/AAAAAAAADOY/fWzjMznUMlY/s1600/41+parade.JPG" height="640" width="526" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Mata Ka Jagran, and mother goddess. I bumped into a large procession with numerous eclectic floats on my way back out of the Old City the second time I visited. Mata Ka Jagran, which is what it says at the top of the sign, is a form of all night worship...though here it seemed to manifest itself as a large party and parade...<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o3yhGnPqL9s/Uy_039tCPFI/AAAAAAAADOg/OofgeQljjEs/s1600/42+Mughal+fireworks.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o3yhGnPqL9s/Uy_039tCPFI/AAAAAAAADOg/OofgeQljjEs/s1600/42+Mughal+fireworks.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
"Bebsite.www.Mughalfireworks.com"</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v0HqxLjjn54/Uy_04JFqyuI/AAAAAAAADOc/Dy3LYfcuJFI/s1600/43+Jami+Masjid.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v0HqxLjjn54/Uy_04JFqyuI/AAAAAAAADOc/Dy3LYfcuJFI/s1600/43+Jami+Masjid.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The domes of the Jama Masjid over the city.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ao7migBvyT0/Uy_04x7CizI/AAAAAAAADOo/LRWpyXJgSC8/s1600/44+Jami+Masjid.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ao7migBvyT0/Uy_04x7CizI/AAAAAAAADOo/LRWpyXJgSC8/s1600/44+Jami+Masjid.JPG" height="518" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Jama Masjid at dusk, from the stairs that lead up to the old railway station, between the mosque and Agra Fort. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--98e0zOED0c/Uy_05Mjh96I/AAAAAAAADO4/XWrKy9RM6dc/s1600/45+Agra+Old+city+jami+masjid+sunset.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--98e0zOED0c/Uy_05Mjh96I/AAAAAAAADO4/XWrKy9RM6dc/s1600/45+Agra+Old+city+jami+masjid+sunset.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Jama Masjid evening silhouette. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
While most places one visits in Agra are very controlled environments, the Old City is just the opposite. Going there is a genuine adventure, world's apart from a dawn visit to the well manicured gardens of the Taj, but one well worth having.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5liOjuQbARQ/Uy_05Z0EcnI/AAAAAAAADO8/8jDrxzEVKKw/s1600/46+dinosaur+of+agra.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5liOjuQbARQ/Uy_05Z0EcnI/AAAAAAAADO8/8jDrxzEVKKw/s1600/46+dinosaur+of+agra.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I knew the Old City was old, but I didn't realize it was <i>that </i>old.</div>
<br /></div>
Patrick A. Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05731722419862161376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049395502639291836.post-7129038307725956252014-04-20T12:01:00.003-07:002014-04-20T12:02:49.701-07:00Agra 5: Not Getting to Firoz Khan's Tomb<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HRmsuBdX_Vk/UyoTyLMhMEI/AAAAAAAADJY/SJxmvmasuLA/s1600/DSCN4244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HRmsuBdX_Vk/UyoTyLMhMEI/AAAAAAAADJY/SJxmvmasuLA/s1600/DSCN4244.JPG" height="346" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Hot action and glamour. Bizarre poster for some American Z grade western that was being shown dubbed into Hindi at local cinema halls in Agra. Don't ask me how the distributors got their hands on this undoubtedly classic film.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
South of Agra, on the road that leads towards Gwalior, is the tomb of Firoz Khan, and I have never been there. My abortive attempt at visiting the tomb, quite unexpectedly, turned into the most genuine adventure I had during my time in Agra, and while I wound up with absolutely no nice pictures from my strange misadventure, it was still very much experience worth having. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The identity of Firoz Khan is somewhat murky, though most sources claim that he was the caretaker of Shah Jahan's Harem, who died in 1647. His tomb, which lies about 5 Km south of Agra, is by most accounts quite grand and more than worth a look, though, as I was to find out the day that I tried, virtually nobody goes there.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It was the afternoon after I had gone to Sikandra. The weather had cleared, and it was turning into rather a splendid late afternoon. I had an auto drop me off at the intersection of the road to Gwalior with one of the main roads inside the city. From there, I started walking south, through the fringes of Agra, where the city begins to slowly peter out into the countryside. The weather was good for walking, so I thought I would go several kilometers before I started asking random passers by where the tomb was.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It's funny in India just how quickly one can go from a place that's completely dominated by the foreign tourist trade to places where non-Indians are a rare and exotic sight. Despite being only ten or fifteen minutes from the Taj Mahal, one of the world's foremost tourist attractions, where I was now was a place that clearly does not see foreigners. People started giving me the classic, "What the hell is he doing here?" look, which is neither friendly or unfriendly, just sort of a mixture of curious and confused. I knew I was well off the beaten path.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
After walking for maybe thirty minutes, I started asking people going about their business where the tomb was, and immediately I knew I was in trouble. I seem to recall going up to about ten different people, from cops to fruit sellers to teenagers playing cricket, and none of them knew what I was going on about when I brought up "Firoz Khan's Tomb," or "Firoz Khan Ki Maqbara." "Firoz Khan ki Maqbara Kahan hai?" mostly got head scratching and directions to the Taj. Still, it was worth noting that unlike in the area just south of the Taj Mahal where all of the backpackers stay, here, as a foreigner, I could actually have a conversation with random people on the street and not have it devolve into some sort of ridiculous scheme to wheedle money out of me....one of the pluses of getting out into less frequented areas.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I wandered around in circles for quite a while, unsuccessfully trying to get some sort of bearing towards the tomb (and entertaining the locals), and was starting to wonder if the tomb hadn't been torn down and replaced by a high-rise or something, when a cycle rickshaw guy came up to me and asked me where I was trying to get. I explained to him about the tomb, and then he looked at me with a bemused expression, and explained to me that he lived nearby. He then offered to take me there, and I accepted the offer. Poor fellow didn't know what he was in for. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The rickshaw wallah took me west of the road, into an area of poor, though obviously very new, houses probably belonging to people who had recently moved in from the countryside. The roads were dirt and in very poor condition, and the area was very much unlike what had been described in my guidebook, which gives one the impression that the immediate vicinity around Firoz Khan's Tomb is fairly open (though maybe that's my mistake and not the guidebook's...or maybe the area's changed drastically in the past few years).</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As the two of us bumped down the tangle of dirt roads, being regarded suspiciously by the locals, I started pondering whether the rickshaw wallah wasn't pulling some odd, convoluted, and very labor intensive trick. The neighborhood was getting worse, and the roads so rough that the rickshaw wallah couldn't pull me any faster than I could walk. Then I saw, off in the distance, the dome of the tomb rising above some very ad-hoc looking housing. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The rickshaw turned a corner, and ahead of me I saw a large red sandstone gate, very elaborately decorated with <i>Chini Khana</i>, and in good condition. But as the rickshaw pulled up, people of all ages started emerging from their houses and gawking at me, and a loud and spirited conversation (which everybody assumed I couldn't understand) ensued as to what possibly could have brought me there. The rickshaw wallah informed everybody that I had come to see the tomb, at which point the crowd, which must have numbered at least thirty (including children, who made up about 60-70%), started loudly discussing something which I couldn't follow. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Not quite sure what to make of the weird scene, I wandered off towards the gate, and saw that it was locked. Now, this is not atypical of India's more obscure monuments: One sometimes has to hunt down the c<i>howkidar </i>or groundskeeper, to open up places like this, and it's par for the course that they'll expect a small tip.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I went back towards the crowd, saying "<i>chabiya?" </i>(keys), and making an opening a lock gesture. After some more discussion that involved the word's <i>chabi </i>and c<i>howkidar </i>and <i>Darwaza kolo </i>(open the door), an old surly looking fellow emerged from the crowd. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
"Locked, hai, locked," he informed he.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
"Haan, toe, app chowkidar hai?" (are you the chowkidar?)I responded in my broken Hindi.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
"Haan," </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
"Toe, aap key pass chabiya?" (do you have the keys?)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
"Nahi." (no).</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This rather took me aback....the groundskeeper's job is to have the keys..that's why the Archaeological Survey of India pays him...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
"Toe...eh...chabiya kahan hai?" (so....where are the keys?)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
"Yahan nahi." (not here)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
"Yes, I know that, but....kahan hai?"</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
"Tourism Office."</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
"Tourism Office Kahan hai?" (where is the tourism office?)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
"Agra mein." (in Agra)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
"Toe...kyun chabiya app key pass nahi hai?" (so...why are'nt the keys with you?)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
"Tourism Office."</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
"Kya?"</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
"Tum Tourism Office jao." (Go to the tourism office.)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
"Leiken...kyun chabiya app kay pass nahi hai? Agra paanch kilometer door. Yeh....shit!" (why aren't the keys with you? Agra's five kilometers away. This....shit!)</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The surely fellow now crossed his arms and got silent and even more surely. I pressed him a few more times, but he had decided not to talk to me anymore. He withdrew into the crowd, who were still all chatting with one another, though I could see him looking at me and talking about me, with the occasional "b<i>ehen chod" </i>(I refuse to translate)<i> </i>rising up out of the conversation. I really wasn't sure what exactly I had done wrong.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I explained to the rickshaw wallah that I would be happy to pay the chowkidar to let me in. But the rickshaw wallah only reiterated that I'd have to go to the tourism office, while the chowkidar turned around and walked away.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The whole sequence of events had been quite strange, and I thought then that maybe the best course of action would be to go back to my hotel and cut my losses...but then, I thought, what the hell else did I have to do that afternoon?</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The rickshaw wallah had already offered to take me to the tourism office, so I thought I might as well take him up on it. I had expended far to much energy by this point to not see the damn tomb. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Though, as I was riding the five kilometers back into Agra, being pulled in and out of traffic, something occurred to me: Why would the key be at the tourism office? The site is administered by the Archaeological Survey of India, and the chowkidar was ostensibly in their employ. But government tourism offices are run by a different agency. They might have been able to contact the A.S.I., but they probably wouldn't have the keys there at the office.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Getting back into town, the rickshaw wallah pulled up next to the office and waited. I told him he could go, but he was having none of it: I think by this point he had spent so much time trying to get me to the tomb that he was expecting a pretty big reward for his efforts. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I walked into the office, which was a fairly typical affair with some maps of Agra and posters of the Taj. There were a couple of "Tourism Officers" there, sitting around looking a little bored. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I went up to a lady behind a desk and told her that I had tried to go into Firoz Khan's Tomb, but the chowkidar had told me that I had to come here to get the key....whereupon the lady behind the desk looked at me like I was crazy. She called over a male subordinate to help figure out what the hell I was going on about. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The next ten minutes were taken up, not with deliberations on the location of the keys, which I knew instantly were not in the possession of the tourism office, but with me trying to explain to the tourism officers what the tomb of Feroz Khan was, and where it was located. Though these were people assigned by the government to promote tourism in Agra, none of them had heard of the building. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
For a while, the tourism officers went down the list of major monuments in Agra, and after exhausting all of those possibilities, produced a map and asked me to point the tomb out...except it wasn't on it. Finally, I told them that the rickshaw wallah knew where it was, and that if I could just get my hands on the keys, then he could take me and it would be fine. But the tourism officers informed me that, if the keys were not with the chowkidar, the only other place they would be would be in the Archaeological Survey of India office...which was closed...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The topic of conversation now swung towards the chowkidar. The male tourism officer, who was doing most of the talking by this point, seemed to be just as perplexed by the chowkidar's behavior as I was. It was weird that he didn't have the keys, and even weirder that he sent me to the tourism office to get them.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I had by this point accepted that I wasn't going to get to see the 17th century tomb, but the tourism officer was getting indignant. It was the chowkidar's job to let people into the tomb, you see, and the government was paying him for it. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Now the afternoon took another unexpected turn: The lady behind the desk ordered her subordinate to go to the tomb and get to the bottom of things, and I was requested to come along, and then file an official report on the problems I had encountered...who exactly the report would go to was a question I never got a coherent answer to.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The tourism officer and I emerged from the building. The rickshaw wallah was still waiting outside, though now that he saw that he was going to be pulling along an extra person back down to the tomb, he looked less than happy to see me. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We set off, and I found myself travelling along the same five Km stretch of road for the third time that afternoon. I talked a bit with the tourism officer, who seemed like a swell guy, though he had only been posted to Agra a few weeks before and didn't really know the place too well. He appeared to regard the whole affair with a mix of anger and embarrassment: Justifiably, he was pissed that the chowkidar wasn't doing his job, but I think he also felt that the episode reflected badly on India as a whole. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The three of us (the rickshaw wallah, the tourism officer, and me) eventually arrived back at the gate to the tomb, though if the locals had been shocked to see me the first time, they were even more so the second time around. A crowd formed instantly around us, and I recognized most of the people from before, though the chowkidar was conspicuously absent. The rickshaw stopped, and the tourism officer got off and immediately addressed the locals.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
He started demanding that they tell him where the chowkidar was, and when nobody gave him a straight answer, the conversation devolved into a shouting match, with all twenty locals against the tourism officer, and the locals coming off second best.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As far as I could tell, the tourism officer was making legal threats against chowkidar, and the chowkidar's family and relations were trying to make excuses for him. But the tourism officer was having none of this, and in short order his threats were getting the locals genuinely scared. Soon the whole crowd of them started furiously arguing simultaneously with the tourism officer and with each-other over what they should do. Insults went flying in every direction. I have no idea what the Tourism Officer was specifically threatening the locals with, but it was enough to get the whole neighborhood worried, desperate, and pissed off.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Standing back near the entrance of the tomb, no longer the center of attention, I marveled at what I had started. My attempt to visit the 17th century tomb had shook up the entire locality. It had certainly not been my intention to ruin anybody's day, though it did seem, even if I couldn't understand the exact circumstances, that the chowkidar had it coming.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Yet, for all his efforts, the tourism officer couldn't get the chowkidar to appear. He had managed to wrest the man's phone number from the crowd, but the chowkidar wasn't picking up. After a final round of threats, the tourism officer decided that it was time to leave the field of battle. The two of us got back on the cycle rickshaw (the rickshaw wallah by this point looking thoroughly sick of the whole affair) and started to ride off. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
But as we tried to leave the neighborhood, several ladies (don't ask me why each one was a lady) approached us, and came up to talk to the tourism officer, all in rather shady, hushed tones of voice. The impression I got was that they were trying to make him some sort of offer, perhaps a bribe, though when I asked him about it, he said they were "Just making excuses and shifting blame." They were apparently ratting other people in the neighborhood out, and, according to the tourism officer (who, for all his righteousness and indignation, was perhaps not a totally reliable source), trying to make it seem like other people were responsible for the chowkidar's failure to be present with keys.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Now we rode back, for the fourth and final time along the five km stretch north to Agra. I tried to get out of the tourism officer why the chowkidar had not had the keys, and indeed why the episode had created such a giant stink, but there was clearly something the man didn't want to tell me. For his part, he made no attempt to hide his embarrassment and disgust, and between almost uncomfortably profuse apologies at my not getting to see the tomb, went into lengthy disquisitions on the moral decline of Indian society, brought about, according to him, by a mixture of easy money, T.V., porn, bad politicians, holy men, and just plain laziness.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
He went on to say that, if I wished to see the tomb, I could come with him the next morning, when, theoretically, the keys would be obtainable. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
"But there's no need," he said.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Why's that?" </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
"It's totally wrecked. Ruined. This is not a proud monument."</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
"Totally wrecked?"</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
"That is how they treat their heritage...they don't care for historical buildings. It is totally destroyed!"</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This was a very odd attitude on the tourism officer's part. Yes, the locals had certainly been behaving badly, and the locale left much to be desired, but the tomb itself, as nearly as I could see, was in really fairly good, or at least not appallingly bad, condition. I had seen historic buildings in vastly more desperate shape just earlier that day when I went to Sikandra.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It seemed then that the tourism officer's anger at the way the locals had been behaving sadly blinded him to the fact that the tomb was still something worth seeing, and a possible tourist site, if only the Archaeological Survey of India would have the intelligence and foresight to open the damn thing up. Though I was certainly on the man's side as far as the chowkidar was concerned, and though the man had really gone very far out of his way, in part at least, for my benefit, the fact that he saw the tomb as "totally destroyed," worried me. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The truth is, the vast majority of the historical buildings in India are under some sort of pressure. All one needs to do is take a twenty minute walk in the back lanes of Old Delhi to see dozens of old and interesting structures which are in rough neighborhoods and deplorable condition. Yet the fact that these structures are under such threat is precisely why they should be taken notice of. If simply being in a difficult location made a historical site not worth bothering with, then it would make sense to simply do away with the larger part of India's architectural heritage. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Yet again, the three of us wound up back at the tourism office, where I filled out my report. I had to write (in my atrocious handwriting), about a page long account of my experiences trying to reach Firoz Khan's Tomb, while both the lady behind the desk and the tourism officer were very particular that I should make it abundantly clear that I "was very disappointed"...which actually I wasn't, in the final analysis: Though I hadn't made it to the tomb, the day had turned out vastly more interesting than I had thought it would. And who knows? Maybe the report actually made a difference. At least one thing that I can be sure of is that the good folks at the Agra tourism office now definitely know where Firoz Khan's tomb is. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I bid farewell to the tourism officer, and asked, as politely as possible, if the rickshaw wallah would drop me back at the hotel. He was willing, and since he had gone so far above and beyond the call of duty that day, I gave him a big tip.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br /></div>
Patrick A. Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05731722419862161376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049395502639291836.post-54977778307193388682014-03-28T13:27:00.000-07:002014-03-28T13:28:19.296-07:00Agra 4: Sikandra<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yQcz_HAkRsk/UyjSDalHylI/AAAAAAAADHM/RKTJr4H4qOs/s1600/30+East+gate+chini+khana.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yQcz_HAkRsk/UyjSDalHylI/AAAAAAAADHM/RKTJr4H4qOs/s1600/30+East+gate+chini+khana.JPG" height="640" width="342" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Truly excellent carvings on the side of one of the false gateways to the tomb of the Mughal emperor Akbar. The carvings say a great deal about the man, as they show that he did not adhere to a strict interpretation of Islam, which forbids any sort of art depicting humans or animals. It's rather a shame that by Shah-Jahan's time the Mughals had shifted away from incorporating carvings of living things other than plants into their buildings. The quality of the craftsmanship here is extremely high, as it is throughout Akbar's tomb complex. It's interesting to speculate where Akbar's style of architecture would have gone had it outlived him.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Sikandra is an area about 10km West of the Taj Mahal. It's assumed that the name comes from Sikander Lodi of the Delhi Sultanate, who moved his capitol from Delhi to Agra in the 16th century. Why his name was applied to this particular patch of ground, is unclear, as his stronghold was most probably at the location of today's Agra Fort, while there are no Lodi era remains in the immediate vicinity (though the dates of some of the buildings in the area are a matter of controversy).</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
When one visits Sikandra, what one is almost certainly going to see is the mausoleum of Akbar the Great, which is one of the subcontinent's greatest and most awe inspiring tomb complexes. Yet, oddly, it is not especially well known. This is due to its being close to the Taj, but not quite close enough for people visiting the Taj to take the time to come out and see it. But while the Taj may be the more perfect tomb, Akbar's mausoleum is in a way the more interesting. It's architecture is vastly more eclectic and unusual, making the mausoleum unlike any other tomb in Agra. It also includes four massive and spectacularly decorated "gates." Only one, that on the south side of the square tomb enclosure, actually allowed people in and out of the complex, while the other three, rather like the <i>Mehmankhana </i>of the Taj Mahal complex, served as guesthouses and to make a more satisfying composition. Each of these "gates" are monumental in their own right, and are all very different from one another and worth investigating. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The drawback of Akbar's Tomb is that, like all too many of the major monuments in Agra, a large part of it is closed off. If this weren't the case, I think I would like it as a place to visit as much as the Taj Mahal. Yet there is still plenty to see, and the fact that so many tourists exclude it from their itineraries is a shame. Even if not for its merits as architecture, the site is important for the man who's buried there, who in the historical scheme of things was far more influential than Shah Jahan or Mumtaz Mahal.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Scattered around outside of the tomb complex are a number of old buildings, from the early Mughal period onward, in highly variable states of repair. They are all obscure, and some of them are in the process of being rapidly digested by the modern world. A few are now in the midst of construction sites, in locations which make it doubtful that they will remain in existence much longer.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I had the bad luck of visiting the area in the very worst lighting possible. I went at dawn, hoping for strong directional lighting that would emphasize the red sandstone that the monuments are largely composed of, but it was overcast that day, and I didn't have the time to go again. The color in my photographs was mostly sort of washed out and dreary looking, so I decided to get rid of he color entirely on most of these. It would be nice to go again sometime and see the buildings as they were meant to be seen: In blazing sunlight....hopefully I'll get the chance. I will be leading people here on trips I'm running later this year, so who knows....</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uSyCM5UFNEQ/UyjR6ekIoUI/AAAAAAAADFw/7xQKDTGNqCQ/s1600/2+Colonial+church.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uSyCM5UFNEQ/UyjR6ekIoUI/AAAAAAAADFw/7xQKDTGNqCQ/s1600/2+Colonial+church.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Not a Mughal building. A colonial church south of Akbar's Tomb, at about 6:30 in the morning.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DInJqOJNSpM/UyjSEKQoFfI/AAAAAAAADHU/gznF05-v_FE/s1600/3+Mariam's+Tomb.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DInJqOJNSpM/UyjSEKQoFfI/AAAAAAAADHU/gznF05-v_FE/s1600/3+Mariam's+Tomb.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Mariam's Tomb. This is the mausoleum of one of Akbar's wives, Mariam al-Zamani, who gave birth to the next Mughal emperor, Jehangir, who built the tomb. Mariam al-Zamani, who's original name was Heer Kunwari, was born a Hindu, and was the daughter of the Rajput ruler of Amber. Her title, which was bestowed on her after she gave birth to Jehangir, means "Mary of the Age." She was evidently Akbar's favorite wife (and the only one to have been buried within close proximity of him). She exercised a great deal of influence at Akbar's court, and remained a Hindu, leading many to suspect that she played a major part in Akbar's religious tolerance. She was played by Aishwarya Rai in the 2008 film Jodhaa Akbar, opposite Hrithik Roshan, though the name Jodhaa is a misnomer that was given to Mariam al-Zamani in the 18th or 19th century. The history of the tomb itself is somewhat controversial. Most sources, including the A.S.I. website, say that it was originally a Lodi building that was converted by the Mughals into a tomb, though Lucy Peck in her <i>Agra: The Architectural Heritage </i>disputes this, and asserts that it was entirely built during the Mughal era.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ELhA2CbPOO8/UyjSOJX4T6I/AAAAAAAADIg/vqmC9n2IRwU/s1600/4+cenotaph.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ELhA2CbPOO8/UyjSOJX4T6I/AAAAAAAADIg/vqmC9n2IRwU/s1600/4+cenotaph.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Mariam's grave, in a crypt under the tomb, lit by a small LED flashlight.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JRH7mzI0Rs4/UyjSO10ZHDI/AAAAAAAADIs/7pydT_jTJpY/s1600/5+Early+Mughal+Tomb.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JRH7mzI0Rs4/UyjSO10ZHDI/AAAAAAAADIs/7pydT_jTJpY/s1600/5+Early+Mughal+Tomb.JPG" height="420" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Small Tomb outside of Akbar's mausoleum complex. Like that of Mariam's Tomb, the history of this building is unclear. It is not known who is buried here, and while some sources say it dates from the Lodi period, others assert it was an early Mughal construction. The only really certain thing about it is that it comes from a somewhat earlier point in history than the majority of the buildings nearby.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pYca5coPo0c/UyjSPPScJ2I/AAAAAAAADIw/3BjF4rsLJVc/s1600/6+Kanch+Mahal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pYca5coPo0c/UyjSPPScJ2I/AAAAAAAADIw/3BjF4rsLJVc/s1600/6+Kanch+Mahal.JPG" height="640" width="524" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The splendid Kanch Mahal, just outside of Akbar's Tomb enclosure. Here, judging by the decoration, it's obvious that the building dates from around the same time as those in Akbar's tomb enclosure. The purpose of the building, however, is a matter of debate. It's said either to be a palace for members of Akbar's harem, or, again according to Lucy Peck, some sort of gateway. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cVQOSpeIsBQ/UyjSQU7KFnI/AAAAAAAADI8/zSYISFjIlw0/s1600/7+Kanch+Mahal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cVQOSpeIsBQ/UyjSQU7KFnI/AAAAAAAADI8/zSYISFjIlw0/s1600/7+Kanch+Mahal.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A view centering on one of the projecting balconies of the Kanch Mahal. Notice the two elephants in the shadows under the balcony. The the windows of the balcony are made of stone carved so finely as to become a transparent screen, in what is known as <i>jali </i>work. Lucy Peck bases her claim that the building is a gate on the fact that only the north facing side of the structure is decorated, while the south side is left plain. While this is an odd detail, there doesn't seem to be any indication of what it would be a gate too...It's fairly incredible how much confusion exists over these monuments. It makes you wonder whether anyone really knows anything at all about anything....</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DK-nbqF6HZ4/UyjSQXNEC4I/AAAAAAAADI4/dGrI-hC9ft0/s1600/8+Akbar's+Tomb+South+Gate.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DK-nbqF6HZ4/UyjSQXNEC4I/AAAAAAAADI4/dGrI-hC9ft0/s1600/8+Akbar's+Tomb+South+Gate.JPG" height="574" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The southern gateway to Akbar's Tomb, which is, along with the tomb itself, one of Agra's greatest buildings. The tops of the four minarets were restored, having at one time fallen down either because of an earthquake or from being used as target practice for cannons. The first time I visited Agra, I remember seeing this gateway from the windows of a tour bus and feeling sad that we weren't stopping here. It wasn't until my fourth trip that I got the chance.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oQ1AY6srO4E/UyjSQlOFi2I/AAAAAAAADJA/kK5Uhzq3dDo/s1600/9+Akbar's+Tomb+South+Gate+Detail.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oQ1AY6srO4E/UyjSQlOFi2I/AAAAAAAADJA/kK5Uhzq3dDo/s1600/9+Akbar's+Tomb+South+Gate+Detail.JPG" height="640" width="464" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Closer on the gate. Note the two fellows to the left of the opening for scale. The flowers and designs on the gate are not paintings, but inlaid stones. The fitted stonework here is some of the most impressive in Agra, and makes a very interesting contrast to that of the Taj Mahal. Here, while the technique is simpler, the effect is less restrained and in a way more spectacular.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dzCDAaiOFrM/UyjRyPJLBnI/AAAAAAAADEc/Rcr_2naG2pk/s1600/10+Akbar's+Tomb+south+gate.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dzCDAaiOFrM/UyjRyPJLBnI/AAAAAAAADEc/Rcr_2naG2pk/s1600/10+Akbar's+Tomb+south+gate.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Looking up at a corner of the south gate. Note the two swastikas. No, Akbar was not a Nazi. The Swastika is a sign of good luck in various Indian religions, and its presence on Akbar's nominally Islamic mausoleum is a testament to the man's religious syncretism. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JrusPjpo04s/UyjRyb18AbI/AAAAAAAADEg/2JFHketzfK4/s1600/11+Akbar's+Tomb+South+Gate+Detail.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JrusPjpo04s/UyjRyb18AbI/AAAAAAAADEg/2JFHketzfK4/s1600/11+Akbar's+Tomb+South+Gate+Detail.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Inlaid stonework on the south gate. This is one of the few pictures that worked reasonably well in color, though I had to turn the contrast up as high as it would go.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QACf2AzRNzk/UyjRzqGWupI/AAAAAAAADEw/-2sSPP2_bU8/s1600/12+Akbar's+Tomb+South+Gate+Detail.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QACf2AzRNzk/UyjRzqGWupI/AAAAAAAADEw/-2sSPP2_bU8/s1600/12+Akbar's+Tomb+South+Gate+Detail.JPG" height="640" width="466" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The north facing side of the South Gate.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lid0QVi3joo/UyjR1y95dVI/AAAAAAAADE8/Q7tZXo3Gt6g/s1600/13+South+Gate+Sgrafitto.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lid0QVi3joo/UyjR1y95dVI/AAAAAAAADE8/Q7tZXo3Gt6g/s1600/13+South+Gate+Sgrafitto.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Sgraffito</i> decorations on the inside of the arches of the southern gateway. <i>Sgraffito</i> is a process where two different colored layers are applied to a surface, and then patterns are scratched out of the upper layer, exposing the lower. The very intricate decorations here contrast sharply with the inlaid stonework on the outside of the building.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P0KkxBfhTU8/UyjR1zuv65I/AAAAAAAADFA/1WoHKKTlXL0/s1600/14+Akbar's+Tomb+south+gate+stone+inlay+detail.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P0KkxBfhTU8/UyjR1zuv65I/AAAAAAAADFA/1WoHKKTlXL0/s1600/14+Akbar's+Tomb+south+gate+stone+inlay+detail.JPG" height="640" width="498" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A column of simple, yet very striking, inlaid stonework, in a pattern that looks almost tribal.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p4uHMKzu96E/UyjR13fMcaI/AAAAAAAADE4/VlxSJ_Mjofs/s1600/15+Akbar's+tomb+distant.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p4uHMKzu96E/UyjR13fMcaI/AAAAAAAADE4/VlxSJ_Mjofs/s1600/15+Akbar's+tomb+distant.JPG" height="494" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Akbar's mausoleum, from a distance. One of Agra's most unusual monuments, the design of the tomb, rather than being focused around the classic dome of most mausoleums of the period, is instead a series of five platforms that get steadily smaller the higher they go. Akbar's body is buried in a chamber underneath the building, though his main cenotaph is on top of the uppermost platform. The construction of the mausoleum seems to have been planned out and started in Akbar's lifetime, though finished during his son Jehangir's rule. The building is very impressive when viewed from a distance, though one is not allowed to go up onto the platforms. This is a huge pity, as the most interesting part of the tomb to see up-close would seem to be the white marble top level, where Akbar's main cenotaph is located. The whole of the upper part of the structure is only visible from far away. As one gets closer, the upper platforms recede, until one doesn't have any real sense of the overall form of the building.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Igdaa_qnqTk/UyjR22sSxiI/AAAAAAAADFQ/oBynyuYTONk/s1600/16+Akbar's+tomb+nearer.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Igdaa_qnqTk/UyjR22sSxiI/AAAAAAAADFQ/oBynyuYTONk/s1600/16+Akbar's+tomb+nearer.JPG" height="640" width="598" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Closer to the Tomb.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8inwq9N7B-4/UyjRyLKx9qI/AAAAAAAADEY/ZPyFqWshhas/s1600/1+Akbar's+Tomb.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8inwq9N7B-4/UyjRyLKx9qI/AAAAAAAADEY/ZPyFqWshhas/s1600/1+Akbar's+Tomb.JPG" height="488" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
And even closer.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-glTAqGo5mEU/UyjR3Y1YmXI/AAAAAAAADFU/cOPIt3GsUrA/s1600/17+Akbar's+tomb+close.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-glTAqGo5mEU/UyjR3Y1YmXI/AAAAAAAADFU/cOPIt3GsUrA/s1600/17+Akbar's+tomb+close.JPG" height="640" width="554" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The entrance to the tomb itself. Note that, from this close, the higher platforms are barely visible.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CAkg1-D8nfc/UyjR3ru8-VI/AAAAAAAADFg/tBgVho8FXok/s1600/17.5+Akbar's+tomb+upper+stories.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CAkg1-D8nfc/UyjR3ru8-VI/AAAAAAAADFg/tBgVho8FXok/s1600/17.5+Akbar's+tomb+upper+stories.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The nearest one can get to a close up view of the fascinating upper stories of the tomb. The whole design of the building is based around the oft ignored notion in Islam that one's grave should be exposed to the elements in order to receive god's blessings. While Akbar's body is deep underground, he still has a cenotaph, in the middle of a courtyard on the uppermost platform, which is open to the sky. The top story is the earliest structure in Agra that I can think which is largely made of marble. Again, it's a shame one is not allowed up there.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PlMaSKvv_Ww/UyjR4f43rbI/AAAAAAAADFc/rVivHlHwIiI/s1600/18+Akbar's+Tomb+lobby.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PlMaSKvv_Ww/UyjR4f43rbI/AAAAAAAADFc/rVivHlHwIiI/s1600/18+Akbar's+Tomb+lobby.JPG" height="640" width="476" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A brightly painted chamber in the tomb, just inside the entrance to the building. Through the door is a corridor leading to Akbar's burial chamber. You can just see his grave under the light. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MwE1hoNB0Ls/UyjR6rvjXhI/AAAAAAAADF8/qy3gx7sJGec/s1600/19+Akbar's+tomb+lobby+painting.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MwE1hoNB0Ls/UyjR6rvjXhI/AAAAAAAADF8/qy3gx7sJGec/s1600/19+Akbar's+tomb+lobby+painting.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Closer on some of the decorations on the wall.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4tCmFPJ1SCw/UyjR6ycHPjI/AAAAAAAADF0/odpp2kK0hPE/s1600/20+Looking+towards+Akbar's+burial+chamber.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4tCmFPJ1SCw/UyjR6ycHPjI/AAAAAAAADF0/odpp2kK0hPE/s1600/20+Looking+towards+Akbar's+burial+chamber.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The way to Akbar's grave. Once you walk through the door to the corridor leading to the burial chamber, the walls are bare and there are no more decorations of any sort. It's a creepy place.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1GOAQO_a7Qc/UyjR7ikn09I/AAAAAAAADGA/2QcBHo5YcdI/s1600/21+akbar's+burial+chamber.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1GOAQO_a7Qc/UyjR7ikn09I/AAAAAAAADGA/2QcBHo5YcdI/s1600/21+akbar's+burial+chamber.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Lamp over Akbar's grave. That guy standing behind the grave was in the middle of giving a tour to a bunch of Indian tourists. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3jmzwyEmhOw/UyjR83mUCbI/AAAAAAAADGU/wAAIW4uzsp0/s1600/22+Akbar's+burial+chamber+lamp.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3jmzwyEmhOw/UyjR83mUCbI/AAAAAAAADGU/wAAIW4uzsp0/s1600/22+Akbar's+burial+chamber+lamp.JPG" height="640" width="478" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The lamp above Akbar's grave.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gzEewAgl1aU/UyjR87gI0_I/AAAAAAAADGQ/JfFa7mb73EU/s1600/23+Jali+and+south+gate.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gzEewAgl1aU/UyjR87gI0_I/AAAAAAAADGQ/JfFa7mb73EU/s1600/23+Jali+and+south+gate.JPG" height="640" width="504" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Looking from the lobby of the tomb, back towards the south gate, through a <i>jali </i>screen.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_E23rvFxq5k/UyjR9UVLNGI/AAAAAAAADGY/tpakQ56_VLY/s1600/24+Akbar's+tomb+west+gate.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_E23rvFxq5k/UyjR9UVLNGI/AAAAAAAADGY/tpakQ56_VLY/s1600/24+Akbar's+tomb+west+gate.JPG" height="640" width="552" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The fantastic western false "gateway" to the tomb complex. Here, the decorations consist of inlaid stonework, paintings, and low relief carvings. According to Lucy Peck, the upper rooms of the building served as lodging. The main purpose of this building seems to have been simply visual. The true western gateway to the complex in nearby, though it is small and unspectacular. Of the three false "gates" of the complex, this one is in the best condition.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J1k2vpFdtTQ/UyjSAQnNYMI/AAAAAAAADGs/uqe16HuTh-A/s1600/25+west+gate+Iwan+paintings.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J1k2vpFdtTQ/UyjSAQnNYMI/AAAAAAAADGs/uqe16HuTh-A/s1600/25+west+gate+Iwan+paintings.JPG" height="494" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Looking up at the top of the truly spectacular <i>Iwan </i>of the western "gate." Those black things hanging down are gigantic bees nests. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZjeEplePac0/UyjSAWZY6rI/AAAAAAAADGo/MrnAL0JQWf8/s1600/26+west+gate+exterior+carvings.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZjeEplePac0/UyjSAWZY6rI/AAAAAAAADGo/MrnAL0JQWf8/s1600/26+west+gate+exterior+carvings.JPG" height="640" width="558" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
One of the sides of the eastern "gate." </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1Ngz46xfoCw/UyjSAgUcPcI/AAAAAAAADGw/svjrk4SSqqE/s1600/27+west+gate+exterior+carvings.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1Ngz46xfoCw/UyjSAgUcPcI/AAAAAAAADGw/svjrk4SSqqE/s1600/27+west+gate+exterior+carvings.JPG" height="640" width="344" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Every surface is profusely decorated.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8n11IYWfmSA/UyjSCSYgbiI/AAAAAAAADHA/bKWY0ckn_zQ/s1600/28+west+gate+faded+paintings.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8n11IYWfmSA/UyjSCSYgbiI/AAAAAAAADHA/bKWY0ckn_zQ/s1600/28+west+gate+faded+paintings.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Inside one of the small rooms at the back of the "gate." The ceiling here was clearly once extensively painted, though the paint has since mostly faded away.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7a85f5WyC1o/UyjSCoiGZBI/AAAAAAAADHI/IjEf2VrgGOg/s1600/29+Akbar's+tomb+north+gate.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7a85f5WyC1o/UyjSCoiGZBI/AAAAAAAADHI/IjEf2VrgGOg/s1600/29+Akbar's+tomb+north+gate.JPG" height="618" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The crumbling north "gate" of the tomb complex. Of the three false gates, this one is the largest, though also the most ruinous. Why the condition of the eastern and western "gateways" is so much better is hard to say. The whole northern part of the complex seems to receive very little upkeep. The area is badly overgrown. It makes one wonder exactly how much restoration has taken place on the other "gates." The weed-choked remnants of a walkway lead out the ruins pictured above, though when I tried to get closer, a security guard came after me and prevented me from proceeding. Another pity. The northern gate appears to have once been similar in size to the south gate. It also includes two floors once used as lodging. Note the remnants of carved <i>Chini Khana </i>decorations on the inside of the <i>Iwan</i>. <i>Chini Khana </i>refers to a style of decoration, prevalent during Jehangir's time, usually depicting vases inside of ornate niches. The <i>Iwan </i>here is much wider than that of the western "gateway," and the style of decoration is quite different, being mostly carvings rather than paintings.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CxfMz6p1ZUI/UyjSHrUdWQI/AAAAAAAADHw/pf6WCwcREOw/s1600/31+East+Gate+chini+khana.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CxfMz6p1ZUI/UyjSHrUdWQI/AAAAAAAADHw/pf6WCwcREOw/s1600/31+East+Gate+chini+khana.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i>Chini Khana </i>carvings on the eastern "gate." This is a different angle on the same carvings that appear at the top of this post. The eastern "gate" is fairly similar to the western "gate," the main difference being that, though it once seems to have had paintings on the inside of its <i>Iwan, </i>these have since faded away.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HpmTEMZjxHQ/UyjSHhzIRgI/AAAAAAAADH0/EuDfgt6KU-0/s1600/32+Bhuri+Khan%2527s+mosque.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HpmTEMZjxHQ/UyjSHhzIRgI/AAAAAAAADH0/EuDfgt6KU-0/s1600/32+Bhuri+Khan%2527s+mosque.JPG" height="544" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The picturesquely dilapidated mosque of Bhuri Khan. This is in a cluster of very obscure, rapidly decaying ruins east of Akbar's Tomb, in an area of newly built high rises and housing projects. I'm fairly sure that this is the only picture of this building online. The information available on the structure is limited. It seems to date from the early to mid Mughal period. I have no idea who Bhuri Khan was. If you look this building up on Google, the only reference you get to it is a brief paragraph in an Archaeological Survey of India report from 1874. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7cPOlMyj56Q/UyjSHEyaTpI/AAAAAAAADHg/BPUlMGQFsI0/s1600/33+dilapidated+tomb.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7cPOlMyj56Q/UyjSHEyaTpI/AAAAAAAADHg/BPUlMGQFsI0/s1600/33+dilapidated+tomb.JPG" height="640" width="602" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
An unnamed, disintegrating, tomb north of Bhuri Khan's mosque. In Lucy Peck's book, which is copyrighted 2008, she describes this tomb as being in the middle of scrub land. Now it's in the middle of a giant construction site, surrounded by very new, shoddily constructed looking apartment buildings. It's actually a fairly dodgy place to visit. When I wandered in here, the area was full of construction workers obviously from rural areas of U.P. or Bihar. None of them spoke a word of English, and they were really surprised to see me. After a couple minutes, the whole lot of them started simultaneous begging from me and calling me a behenchod (which isn't a nice thing to say....don't make me go into detail), so I beat a hasty retreat. Other than that it's probably mid to late Mughal, I have no information whatsoever on this tomb, not even a name. This is the only picture of it online, and may in fact be the only picture of it that will ever be online: I got the impression that this building was probably about to get knocked down, either to clear space or on accident. It's in such bad condition, it looks like if that bird in the upper left hand corned landed on it, the whole thing would fall to bits.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3_Up-4XaCi8/UyjSIoeuDlI/AAAAAAAADH4/ui4JN9kH6ME/s1600/34+Tomb+used+as+cowshed.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3_Up-4XaCi8/UyjSIoeuDlI/AAAAAAAADH4/ui4JN9kH6ME/s1600/34+Tomb+used+as+cowshed.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A chamber under the unnamed tomb being used as a cow shed. This is probably where the body of whose ever tomb this is was kept. Creepy.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TMDDRYSeEs8/UyjSKOwDziI/AAAAAAAADIA/FwRUMZSxBq0/s1600/35+Suraj+bhan+gateway.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TMDDRYSeEs8/UyjSKOwDziI/AAAAAAAADIA/FwRUMZSxBq0/s1600/35+Suraj+bhan+gateway.JPG" height="454" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The excellent Suraj Bhan gateway, a little over a kilometer east of Akbar's Tomb. This building has had an odd career. It appears to have once been a garden gateway, and it probably dates to Jehangir's reign. In Lucy Peck's book, and in the few sources that have anything to say about it online, the gateway is described as being locked away in an enclosure, decaying and uncared for. But when I visited, the building appeared to be under private ownership, and was in the process of being converted into a wedding hall. I'm sure there's a shady story there, as the building is quite an impressive piece of history and should belong to the Archaeological Survey of India. I don't think I was supposed to barge in and investigate the building the way I did, but no one stopped me. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-76qNG9cZKKA/UyjSL1r34KI/AAAAAAAADIU/pg8fEXjfBz8/s1600/36+Suraj+Bhan+gateway+chini+khana.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-76qNG9cZKKA/UyjSL1r34KI/AAAAAAAADIU/pg8fEXjfBz8/s1600/36+Suraj+Bhan+gateway+chini+khana.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Extensive <i>Chini Khana </i>carvings on the inside of the Suraj Bhan gateway. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UdIRohEUHUM/UyjSLQkEpkI/AAAAAAAADII/2djYhSwQ2QU/s1600/37+Pachin+Mandir.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UdIRohEUHUM/UyjSLQkEpkI/AAAAAAAADII/2djYhSwQ2QU/s1600/37+Pachin+Mandir.JPG" height="640" width="532" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The gateway to the Pachin Mandir, next to the Suraj Bhan gateway. Judging solely by the style of architecture, I would say it's from the mid to late 19th century.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In spite of the annoyance of not being able to climb on top of the tomb, Akbar's mausoleum complex remains one of India's greatest historical sites. That it is not better known would seem to be yet another manifestation of the Taj-centrism which effects all aspects of tourism in Agra. While the Taj is obviously the more beautiful building, Akbar's tomb is interesting in totally different ways, and deserves to be treated as destination in its own right rather than just a side trip on the way to Mumtaz Mahal's mausoleum. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
There are other monuments in Sikandra that I did not see, though I fear most of these are obscure and probably in exceedingly poor condition. Like so much of India's heritage, these structures won't be with us much longer. The whole area is in the process of being swallowed up by giant building projects, which will undoubtedly sweep away large swaths of history, leaving only a few of the most prominent structures to future generations.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
To sum all this up, I highly recommend, if you find yourself in Agra, to take a trip to Sikandra, and give yourself the time to visit it properly. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t7Q7PDZgVgw/UyjSL2egmCI/AAAAAAAADIM/2d_QU5C9Z5I/s1600/38+Akbar's+tomb+garden+blackbuck.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t7Q7PDZgVgw/UyjSL2egmCI/AAAAAAAADIM/2d_QU5C9Z5I/s1600/38+Akbar's+tomb+garden+blackbuck.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Some of the heard of Black Buck who live in the garden inside the tomb enclosure.</div>
<br /></div>
Patrick A. Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05731722419862161376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049395502639291836.post-71359627219477688772014-03-24T14:16:00.001-07:002014-03-24T14:16:38.803-07:00Agra 3: Roman Catholic Cemetery<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QyhYPmQDGoQ/UxU4a8HysbI/AAAAAAAADB4/ky8MZ83reqs/s1600/1+Hessing's+Tomb.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QyhYPmQDGoQ/UxU4a8HysbI/AAAAAAAADB4/ky8MZ83reqs/s1600/1+Hessing's+Tomb.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The rather splendid late Mughal style tomb of John Hessing, the most prominent mausoleum in Agra's 460 year old Roman Catholic cemetery. The information available about Hessing is vague and often contradictory, but from what I've been able to find, it seems that he was once a soldier in the Dutch East India Company army who fought the British in Ceylon during the fourth Anglo-Dutch war. After the British victory, they took possession of the Holland's territories in India, but Hessing decided to stay in the subcontinent and find employment as a professional soldier. He entered the service of the Nizam of Hyderabad, and then moved on to serve with the Marathas, fighting as an officer in their army against both other Indian armies and those of the British East India company. In 1799 he assumed command of Agra Fort and held it until his death. The tomb was commissioned by his wife Anne and their family. It is usually said that, like the Taj Mahal, the Tomb of John Hessing was built out of grief at the loss of a loved one. For this reason, and also because Anne Hessing was apparently inspired by the Tomb of Mumtaz Mahal, the Tomb of John Hessing is frequently referred to as the Red Taj. This is rather unfair, as it makes it sound as though Hessing's Tomb is little more than a cheap imitation of the Taj, when in fact it is very much its own mausoleum. The architecture is similar in certain respects, but the design of the tomb is, in the final analysis, just not that much like the Taj. The building itself, which betrays hardly any European architectural influences, is considered one of the finest European tombs in India. In style, the mausoleum is entirely Mughal, despite the fact that Hessing was a Christian.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
Agra's Roman Catholic cemetery is one of the city's most interesting and most overlooked historical sites. The graveyard is in a part of the Agra that is not often visited by tourists, and if you ask an autowallah to take you there, he'll probably either look at you with a blank expression and then drive away, or take you somewhere else entirely (and then try and make you pay for it). </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The cemetery is remarkable for a variety of reasons, the first being the exceptional character of the inmates. Many of the more prominent tombs are those of European mercenaries and adventurers, such as John Hessing, Walter Reinhardt, and the first Englishman ever to buried in India, John Mildenhall. While many of the graves are British, the most prominent tombs are of a Dutchman and a dark-skinned European of indeterminate origin, both of whom were at one time or another actively fighting against the British East India Company. Though the cemetery is Catholic, many of the internees were from other Christian denominations. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The graveyard dates all the way back to the 1550's, when Armenian Christians who had moved to Agra during Akbar's reign started burying their dead there. A great number of the most prominent Europeans who died in North India during the Mughal and colonial periods followed, and the burials continued all the way into the early 20th century. Therefore the graves here span the vast majority of the history of European political involvement in India. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The styles of the graves and tombs say a great deal about both the people buried in them and the historical periods they inhabited. The centerpiece of the cemetery, Hessing's Tomb, along with that of Walter Reinhardt, belong to men who, through their military abilities, rose to prominence in India during the second half of the 18th century, a time during which Europeans in India were more likely to embrace Indian culture than in the later phases of European colonialism. Walter Reinhardt even went so far as to marry an Indian woman, who would go on to become rather more famous than he ever was. However, the graves dating the from the mid-19th century onward become increasingly European in style. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
What's perhaps most interesting about the two most prominent tombs is how completely the builders embraced Mughal architectural sensibilities. In the case of John Hessing's tomb, there is not even a stylistic synthesis. The tomb is entirely Mughal in design, and you wouldn't know just by looking at it that it contains a Christian. Walter Reinhardt's tomb, frequently referred to as Samru's tomb, would be the same were it not for the crosses on the top of the otherwise thoroughly Islamic looking structure. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The information available about the graveyard is not so much limited as it is confusing. This is brought about both by the obscurity of the place as a tourist attraction and also by the lack of agreement on the events of the exciting, but frequently not entirely wholesome, lives of many of the people buried here. For example, when reading about Walter Reinhardt, different sources will claim we was from France, Germany, Switzerland, and virtually every other country in Western Europe. To make things even more confusing, most of the sources online seem to make mistakes as to who is buried in which tomb. Many of the people who have visited the graveyard have had an A.S.I. guard show them around, and I suspect that this one guard's tours have provided a large proportion of the information available on the internet. But, while I was there, there was nobody to guide me. I had to figure out who was who and where they were buried after the fact.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I got lost on the way there....Auto drivers from Taj Ganj don't seem to know where it is, so I had to navigate via landmarks in a part of the city I had never been to before. By the time I got there, it was late in the afternoon, with an overcast sky. I put a bunch of these photos in black and white, not just to be pretentious, but rather because with the colors being so fuzzy and muted under those lighting conditions, the pictures often just looked better without any color at all. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xtBF65PEiG0/UxU4fzzcWPI/AAAAAAAADDM/uiT0jg2zSxA/s1600/2+Samru's+tomb+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xtBF65PEiG0/UxU4fzzcWPI/AAAAAAAADDM/uiT0jg2zSxA/s1600/2+Samru's+tomb+.JPG" height="640" width="536" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Samru's Tomb, right, along with another unidentified European Tomb.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RpDsUPKYX4M/UxU4gXseSvI/AAAAAAAADDQ/uXJkXhkuAac/s1600/3+Samru's+Tomb.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RpDsUPKYX4M/UxU4gXseSvI/AAAAAAAADDQ/uXJkXhkuAac/s1600/3+Samru's+Tomb.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Tomb of Walter Reinhardt, also known as Sombre or Samru, a European Mercenary of dubious nationality. The name Sombre, of which Samru is a local corruption, comes from his dark skin. No one seems to be quite sure where he came from. Apparently the strongest evidence points to his having been from Germany, though other sources claim he was from France or Luxembourg. The events of his career are similarly confusing. A formidable professional soldier, he appears to have arrived on the subcontinent in the 1760s and become something of a professional turncoat, fighting at one time for both the British and the French, along with a variety of Indian rulers. He wound up in the service of the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II, who granted him the Principality of Sardhana, now in Uttar Pradesh. He married a Muslim nautch girl, who later converted to Catholicism and is usually referred to as Begum Samru. When Samru died in 1778, his wife wound up in command of the mercenary army that had been raised in Sardhana, which consisted of both Europeans and Indians. She led this force in combat, fighting on the side of the Mughals. As such, she is considered to have been India's only Catholic ruler. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iBF6Fmh7GDI/UxU4gXQuFPI/AAAAAAAADDg/iQMvgmh6Q0U/s1600/4+Graves.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iBF6Fmh7GDI/UxU4gXQuFPI/AAAAAAAADDg/iQMvgmh6Q0U/s1600/4+Graves.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Other, later, Christian Graves in the cemetery.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7m8-tyAt4AY/UxU4hVxl6XI/AAAAAAAADDk/mV0jGTWiHkw/s1600/5+Christian+grave.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7m8-tyAt4AY/UxU4hVxl6XI/AAAAAAAADDk/mV0jGTWiHkw/s1600/5+Christian+grave.JPG" height="640" width="502" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The early 20th century grave of a certain Captain Pierce Henry.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e8Wx2SDqdO0/UxU4h6byAEI/AAAAAAAADDo/XM7khO5q8Og/s1600/6+Francis+Ellis+Tomb.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e8Wx2SDqdO0/UxU4h6byAEI/AAAAAAAADDo/XM7khO5q8Og/s1600/6+Francis+Ellis+Tomb.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Another Christian Tomb. I'm afraid I don't know who's it is. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rjt9I7B1wuE/UxU4iDav9RI/AAAAAAAADDw/pPJi7CvsGJ0/s1600/7+Padre+Santus'+chapel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rjt9I7B1wuE/UxU4iDav9RI/AAAAAAAADDw/pPJi7CvsGJ0/s1600/7+Padre+Santus'+chapel.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Marty's chapel. This is the oldest building in the cemetery, dating from Akbar's time. It was built around 1611 to honor the memory of an Armenian merchant by the name of Khoja Mortenepus (A.K.A. Khwaja Mortenepus or Khoja Martyrose). There was evidently a large Armenian community in Agra during the period. Many of them came either as traders or as missionaries. Akbar allowed Catholic priests to preach openly and attempt to make conversions, though they don't appear to have made much headway in Northern India. Also buried in the chapel is an Armenian Bishop by the name of Zakur of Tabriz, along with a large number of other priests of various nationalities. Looking at the door to the chapel, you can just make out some small ribbons that have been tied to the bars. This is a common practice at Sufi shrines. Also, inside the tombs, there are places where Hindus and Muslims have been burning offerings. Apparently the chapel has become an Tantric and/or sufi shrine over the years, though the information available about this aspect of the chapel's history is very sketchy. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_3QwLtrgDJM/UxU4a5CKaWI/AAAAAAAADB8/aIgzekVY-vI/s1600/10+Padre+Santus+chapel+floor+slab.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_3QwLtrgDJM/UxU4a5CKaWI/AAAAAAAADB8/aIgzekVY-vI/s1600/10+Padre+Santus+chapel+floor+slab.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A floor slab inside the martyr's chapel, marking the burial of a priest who died in 1664. The writing is in Portuguese.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vSU-718TFtw/UxU4amPQ09I/AAAAAAAADB0/1-zLis_2z2Y/s1600/11+Padre+Santus+chapel+floor+slab.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vSU-718TFtw/UxU4amPQ09I/AAAAAAAADB0/1-zLis_2z2Y/s1600/11+Padre+Santus+chapel+floor+slab.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Another floor slab, in rather poorer condition.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Xuj8LeXHS6o/UxU4jMJqzAI/AAAAAAAADEI/j8_kZdh0O4g/s1600/9+Padre+Santus+chapel+floor+slab.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Xuj8LeXHS6o/UxU4jMJqzAI/AAAAAAAADEI/j8_kZdh0O4g/s1600/9+Padre+Santus+chapel+floor+slab.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A floor slab where the inscription is almost gone. Most of the inscriptions inside the chapel are in fairly bad shape, having been stepped on repeatedly for the past 350 years or so.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O136g0SFzfE/UxU4b85WqDI/AAAAAAAADCM/060ri8zGpz8/s1600/12+Khwaja+Mortenepus++.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-O136g0SFzfE/UxU4b85WqDI/AAAAAAAADCM/060ri8zGpz8/s1600/12+Khwaja+Mortenepus++.JPG" height="640" width="328" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
What I think, if memory serves, is the burial vault of Zakur of Tabriz. You can just make out an inscription in Persian below the cross.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yg_qPlBQ4MQ/UxU4cnBxY1I/AAAAAAAADCY/VLg_IIa33eU/s1600/13+unknown.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yg_qPlBQ4MQ/UxU4cnBxY1I/AAAAAAAADCY/VLg_IIa33eU/s1600/13+unknown.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This is another chapel, presumably from the late 18th century. Try as I might, I wasn't able to find any solid information about its history. The building is rather more Mughal in style than the Martyr's chapel.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--nUHwyK-oA4/UxU4cmldHAI/AAAAAAAADCU/fcsqlcc_70k/s1600/14+unknown.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--nUHwyK-oA4/UxU4cmldHAI/AAAAAAAADCU/fcsqlcc_70k/s1600/14+unknown.JPG" height="640" width="500" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Inside the unidentified tomb/chapel. Like the other tombs in the cemetery, this one presents an interesting mix of Christian and Indian motifs.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A700k0XOFtM/UxU4dF67nmI/AAAAAAAADCc/422bpohrybo/s1600/15+unknown.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-A700k0XOFtM/UxU4dF67nmI/AAAAAAAADCc/422bpohrybo/s1600/15+unknown.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The grave stone in the tomb. I think the inscription is in Portuguese, though "Mementomori" is Latin, a phrase meaning, roughly, that no matter who you are, you're going to die. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0ClWNJ7-C30/UxU4dzj-9GI/AAAAAAAADCs/Agz4mdSpJPw/s1600/16+John+Mildenhall+grave.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0ClWNJ7-C30/UxU4dzj-9GI/AAAAAAAADCs/Agz4mdSpJPw/s1600/16+John+Mildenhall+grave.JPG" height="640" width="448" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The recently restored grave of John Mildenhall, an early English traveler to India and the first Englishman known to have been buried on the subcontinent. He is, again, rather a murky character, and the information available on him onlinle is frequently rather incoherent, though fortunately there is a whole chapter of the book <i>Early English Travelers in India</i> by Ram Chandra Prasad available on Google, which deals with him. Mildenhall made two great journeys to India. During the first, he attempted, entirely on his own recognizance, to negotiate trade concessions for Great Britain with the Mughal Emperor Akbar, apparently claiming to be an ambassador of Queen Elizabeth and the newly formed English East India Company (which he was not). Exactly how much success he had is not clear. While in his own account of his time at the Mughal court he claims to have achieved his goal of obtaining from Akbar the same trading rights for England as had been granted to the Portuguese, the fact that representatives of the East India Company had to negotiate with the Mughals several years later for the same rights casts serious doubts on his assertions. Jesuit priests at Akbar's court were apparently suspicious of the man, and advised the emperor against negotiating with him. Still Mildenhall, upon returning to England, attempted to sell whatever concessions he had gained from Akbar to the East India Company, though after some negotiations the company declined, being suspicious of his character and unwilling to meet his price. Later, Mildenhall was entrusted by the Company to sell a large consignment of goods in the Levant, but Mildenhall, after arriving with the shipment in Aleppo, stole the goods and headed with them back to India. There he died, though only after men from the East India Company had caught up to him and confiscated at least some of the goods. He's not an especially famous traveler, nor one who can be said to be massively important. His effort to expand English influence in India failed, as did his robbery attempt. One of the few details that most sources agree on is that he was a scoundrel, though he seems to have been rather a brave one.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c1F7Wk9n_uc/UxU4erj7tfI/AAAAAAAADCw/Tr3CDSO9Fjo/s1600/17+Hessing's+Tomb+Inside.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c1F7Wk9n_uc/UxU4erj7tfI/AAAAAAAADCw/Tr3CDSO9Fjo/s1600/17+Hessing's+Tomb+Inside.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The interior of John Hessing's tomb, with the graves arranged as they might be were they in a typical Mughal Tomb.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bGmMhNX5CQw/UxU4el-7y8I/AAAAAAAADC0/HgVPBLayZHE/s1600/18+Hessing's+Tomb+Cupola.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bGmMhNX5CQw/UxU4el-7y8I/AAAAAAAADC0/HgVPBLayZHE/s1600/18+Hessing's+Tomb+Cupola.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Corner chatri on the top of Hessing's Tomb.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4P0QzgbQ5-o/UxU4e-HhvQI/AAAAAAAADC8/GnQZjXR3GAc/s1600/19+Hessing's+Tomb.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4P0QzgbQ5-o/UxU4e-HhvQI/AAAAAAAADC8/GnQZjXR3GAc/s1600/19+Hessing's+Tomb.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Hessing's Tomb, just before the point when it became too dark to take photographs.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In a city that absorbs a large portion of India's tourism, Agra's Roman Catholic cemetery goes largely unnoticed. Yet, as a repository of interesting though obscure history, the graveyard is just as fascinating as any of the other, more frequented, parts of the city, while the two principal tombs, those of John Hessing and Walter Reinhardt, are worth visiting solely for their architectural merits. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It may not be Agra's most overwhelming or spectacular historical sight, but it's more than worth visiting. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A NOTE ON SOURCES:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It was unusually difficult tracking down information on the cemetery and the people in it. What I've written above is as close to the facts as I felt I could get, though I don't guarantee that it's all correct. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I originally learned about Agra's Roman Catholic Cemetery from Lucy Peck's <i>Agra: The Architectural Heritage.</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
While searching for information, I used online excerpts from the books <i>Early English Travelers in India </i>by Ram Chandra Prasad and <i>Jesuit Missionaries in Northern India and Inscriptions</i> by Henri Hosten.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I used a wide variety of websites, most importantly:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~chaterfamilytree/Armenian_Graves_in_Agra.html</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=2148308</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
http://allegriatravels.blogspot.com/2012/08/forgotten-souls-catholic-cemetery-agra.html</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
http://www.tribuneindia.com/2000/20000625/spectrum/main3.htm</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
http://agra.nic.in/lesser_known_monuments.html</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Patrick A. Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05731722419862161376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049395502639291836.post-74638755428263352262014-03-17T17:03:00.002-07:002014-03-17T17:03:25.953-07:00Agra 2: Agra Fort<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-anQN35kNztQ/UxUImX_z4pI/AAAAAAAAC-k/M2lhPPIeaAY/s1600/1+Jahangiri+Mahal+Detail.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-anQN35kNztQ/UxUImX_z4pI/AAAAAAAAC-k/M2lhPPIeaAY/s1600/1+Jahangiri+Mahal+Detail.JPG" height="640" width="578" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Red sandstone carvings in the Jehangiri Mahal of Agra Fort. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Because of its proximity to the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort is the second most visited historical site in Agra. The fort is one of the most extensive, and also most intact, collections of Mughal architecture in India. The Delhi Red Fort is similarly spectacular, and may have at one point been just as impressive as the fortified city in Agra, but unfortunately time has not been kind to the fortress in Delhi, which, due to the British clearance of large parts of the compound after their crushing of the Sepoy uprising, is little more than a hollow shell of itself. Nearby Fatehpur Sikri, the short lived capital city of Akbar, also contains a large concentration of the greatest buildings of the Mughal period, but they were all built within a relatively short period of time and all reflect the Indo-Islamic architectural tastes of Akbar's reign. Agra Fort on the other hand contains a mixture of buildings in both the Akbari style and in the later, more austere, style of Shah Jahan. Thus it is perhaps the only place in the world where one can see the very different architectural styles of the Mughal empire's two most prominent builders literally side by side.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The site of Agra Fort is known to have been fortified at least as early as the 11th century, while the city itself seems to go back much further. The last rulers of Delhi before the Mughals, the Lodis, shifted their capital to Agra at the start of the 16th century. After Babur, the first Mughal emperor, defeated the Lodi's at the battle Panipat, he occupied the fort and made Agra his capital. However, over the course of the next hundred years the Mughal court would shift several times back and forth from Agra, until Shah Jahan finally decided to move it permanently to Delhi.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The fort that exists today is largely the work of Shah Jahan and Akbar, the original, pre-Mughal fort having been replaced early in Akbar's reign. Akbar's son Jehangir may have made some additions to his father's work, but it was Shah Jahan, Akbar's grandson, who made the most lasting impression on the fort, demolishing many of the Akbari buildings, and anything that might have been built by Jehangir, and building many of the fort's most remarkable structures. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I visited the fort first thing in the morning, having woken up well before dawn and walked there from Taj Ganj, next to the Taj Mahal. I was the first tourist in the fort, and unlike the Taj, Agra Fort isn't a madhouse at 6 A.M. I didn't start seeing giant crowds until around 8:30, by which time I was leaving. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As a place to visit, the fort is a little frustrating because a number of it's most impressive sites are off limits. All but around a quarter of the enclosure is occupied by the army, and a large part of that quarter is not open to visitors. The historical main entrance to the fort, which, even from a distance, is clearly as impressive as the Lahori Gate of the Delhi Red Fort, is closed to the public, as is the white marble Moti Masjid, or Pearl Mosque, which, dating from Shah Jahan's reign, is said to be for mosques what the Taj Mahal is to tombs. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a1-CKUFpJWI/UxUItn0IVaI/AAAAAAAAC_4/z5F2J7LLlvI/s1600/2+Agra+Red+Fort+Moat.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a1-CKUFpJWI/UxUItn0IVaI/AAAAAAAAC_4/z5F2J7LLlvI/s1600/2+Agra+Red+Fort+Moat.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The outer walls of the fort, and their reflection in the moat, on the way in. Guides like to tell stories about the moat having been once full of bloodthirsty crocodiles. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hwCytLloBkk/UxUIxaXVIcI/AAAAAAAADA0/j7JC48iYaYE/s1600/3++Amar+Sing+Gate.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hwCytLloBkk/UxUIxaXVIcI/AAAAAAAADA0/j7JC48iYaYE/s1600/3++Amar+Sing+Gate.JPG" height="640" width="438" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Amar Sing Gate, historically a secondary gate to the fort, though it's now the main way in for visitors. It was once known as Akbar Darwaza, or Akbar's gate, and served as his private entrance. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B-cC01ALneU/UxUIxvTIbOI/AAAAAAAADAw/_1YD2QAu6yA/s1600/4+Amar+Sing+Gate+Detail.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B-cC01ALneU/UxUIxvTIbOI/AAAAAAAADAw/_1YD2QAu6yA/s1600/4+Amar+Sing+Gate+Detail.JPG" height="464" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Close on the well preserved remains of tile work on the exterior of the Amar Sing Gate. Though it's the smaller of the fort's two gates, it's still an exceptional piece of architecture.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YX9zzOXLkdY/UxUIyEebvLI/AAAAAAAADA8/NP1UwfEJGXE/s1600/5+Diwan-i-Am.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YX9zzOXLkdY/UxUIyEebvLI/AAAAAAAADA8/NP1UwfEJGXE/s1600/5+Diwan-i-Am.JPG" height="606" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Diwan-i-am. Built by Shah Jahan, this is where the emperor would address the public. A similar, though rather less grand, structure exists in the Delhi Red Fort.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T6OIaKv7txE/UxUIyk2sF9I/AAAAAAAADBI/U-HUhGFNFXM/s1600/6+Diwan-i-Am.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-T6OIaKv7txE/UxUIyk2sF9I/AAAAAAAADBI/U-HUhGFNFXM/s1600/6+Diwan-i-Am.JPG" height="640" width="526" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Arches in aches, plus a security guard, in the Diwan-i-am. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FZz97Uph9gk/UxUIzPr3kAI/AAAAAAAADBQ/m7EqHXai9z4/s1600/7+Diwan-i-Am.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FZz97Uph9gk/UxUIzPr3kAI/AAAAAAAADBQ/m7EqHXai9z4/s1600/7+Diwan-i-Am.JPG" height="626" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Diwan-i-am was built out of red sandstone, though, in-keeping with Shah Jahan's love of white marble, the red rock was covered in white plaster to make it look, at least from a distance, as though the building was made solely of marble. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bynl68XufHA/UxUIzWkjpZI/AAAAAAAADBU/25r_xcRwq4A/s1600/8+Shah+Jahan's+throne+Diwan-i-Am.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bynl68XufHA/UxUIzWkjpZI/AAAAAAAADBU/25r_xcRwq4A/s1600/8+Shah+Jahan's+throne+Diwan-i-Am.JPG" height="442" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Takht-i-Murassa, or throne room, in the Diwan-i-am, from which Shah Jahan would address the public.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VitSCqVA21c/UxUI0NC39dI/AAAAAAAADBg/9k9YOs9GaWs/s1600/9+Red+Fort+Moti+Masjid.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VitSCqVA21c/UxUI0NC39dI/AAAAAAAADBg/9k9YOs9GaWs/s1600/9+Red+Fort+Moti+Masjid.JPG" height="582" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The closest thing one can get to a view of the Moti Masjid, from the Diwan-i-am. From what little one can see of it, the Moti Masjid is clearly the most spectacular mosque in Agra, though it's apparently been off-limits since at least 2008. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vhThUznaYv0/UxUImdqlX4I/AAAAAAAAC-g/-x3VeyRIumo/s1600/10+John+Colvin's+Grave.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vhThUznaYv0/UxUImdqlX4I/AAAAAAAAC-g/-x3VeyRIumo/s1600/10+John+Colvin's+Grave.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The rather out of place looking grave of John Colvin, in front of the Diwan-i-am. John Colvin was the British lieutenant governor of the Northwest Provinces during the Sepoy Uprising. He found himself trapped in Agra, and with the rest of the Europeans and Christians in the city was forced to withdraw to the fort, which had since been taken over by the British army. He died there of cholera before the end of the uprising.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DqR3M_S5Ufk/UxUInphaXpI/AAAAAAAAC-0/VV1XACoGqrA/s1600/11+Agra+Red+Fort+Ramparts.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DqR3M_S5Ufk/UxUInphaXpI/AAAAAAAAC-0/VV1XACoGqrA/s1600/11+Agra+Red+Fort+Ramparts.JPG" height="584" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The western wall of the fort, in the first real sunlight of the day. The Yamuna used to flow just outside of the outer wall, which you can see to the right of the picture, though the river has since shifted further to the west. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0bnokzd-Ay4/UxUIpuRIY5I/AAAAAAAAC_I/UwbXD26XWSk/s1600/12+Agra+Fort+Diwan-i-Khas+slab+throne.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0bnokzd-Ay4/UxUIpuRIY5I/AAAAAAAAC_I/UwbXD26XWSk/s1600/12+Agra+Fort+Diwan-i-Khas+slab+throne.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Jahangir's black marble throne, with the Taj and the Shah, or Musamman, Burj in the background. That crack is said to have been made by a Jat ruler who briefly occupied the fort in the 18th century.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rn-mHG4DnyE/UxUIoTXwjMI/AAAAAAAAC-4/s5HlyMR1ePU/s1600/13+Khas+Mahal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rn-mHG4DnyE/UxUIoTXwjMI/AAAAAAAAC-4/s5HlyMR1ePU/s1600/13+Khas+Mahal.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
View towards the Khas Mahal, shortly before the sun came out. The Khas Mahal, built in the 1630s, was Shah Jahan's sleeping quarters in the fort. Like most of Shah Jahan's other signature buildings, it's largely made out of marble. The two smaller building to either side are said to have been for Shah Jahan's favorite daughters Jahanara and Roshanara. </div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UYVoD7SUxBE/UxUIo5VpSNI/AAAAAAAAC_E/GviACIh2Ay0/s1600/14+Khas+Mahal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UYVoD7SUxBE/UxUIo5VpSNI/AAAAAAAAC_E/GviACIh2Ay0/s1600/14+Khas+Mahal.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Khas Mahal, after the sun came out. This was just after seven o'clock, while I still had the place to myself. A few minutes later and this area was swarming with other tourists.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wlIQtyAVDkY/UxUIpnLhbEI/AAAAAAAAC_M/EmYXgIE--mo/s1600/15+Khas+Mahal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wlIQtyAVDkY/UxUIpnLhbEI/AAAAAAAAC_M/EmYXgIE--mo/s1600/15+Khas+Mahal.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Looking towards a window facing east. Notice the translucent niches just above the window. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yKU5Xy4uJvc/UxUIrglKOwI/AAAAAAAAC_c/35bE6Nfk56I/s1600/16+khas+Mahal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yKU5Xy4uJvc/UxUIrglKOwI/AAAAAAAAC_c/35bE6Nfk56I/s1600/16+khas+Mahal.JPG" height="640" width="478" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Looking in the opposite direction. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lkS_xsv4tcI/UxUIr70PMqI/AAAAAAAAC_k/ojYdMZgg5eo/s1600/17+Khas+Mahal+Net+Vaulting.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lkS_xsv4tcI/UxUIr70PMqI/AAAAAAAAC_k/ojYdMZgg5eo/s1600/17+Khas+Mahal+Net+Vaulting.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Arch netting in the Khas Mahal</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LbBQWc1EvSg/UxUIr9AZlRI/AAAAAAAAC_g/GlPuU_Av7XI/s1600/18+Akbari+Mahal+Bastion.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LbBQWc1EvSg/UxUIr9AZlRI/AAAAAAAAC_g/GlPuU_Av7XI/s1600/18+Akbari+Mahal+Bastion.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A view towards the southwestern corner of the fort, towards a bastion of the Akbari Mahal, the earliest and least visited part of the complex. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MLJDVKIG4mQ/UxUItKjTbpI/AAAAAAAAC_0/9Mi3CS-xG3Y/s1600/19+Jahangiri+Mahal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MLJDVKIG4mQ/UxUItKjTbpI/AAAAAAAAC_0/9Mi3CS-xG3Y/s1600/19+Jahangiri+Mahal.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Looking into the Jehangiri Mahal. The Jehangiri Mahal, which is directly south of the area of the fort that contains Shah Jahan's pavilions, was rather confusingly built not by Jehangir, but by his father Akbar. It dates from around 70 years before the Khas Mahal, though it is stylistically so different that it seems like it should be from another period entirely. The structures here were constructed before the introduction of marble into Mughal buildings, while the emphasis on arches as structural elements is less than in more typical Islamic architecture. Instead, they employ the principals of post and lintel construction, which were well established in India even before the first Islamic invasions. The result is that a number of the rooms in the Jehangiri Mahal would not look out of place in Rajput fortresses. This fusion of architectural forms was unique to Akbar's reign. While Shah Jahan's buildings were innovative in their own way, they present a very different, and more thoroughly Islamic, aesthetic from those of his grandfather. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wfb9MnnR7ZY/UxUIvwzL0GI/AAAAAAAADAY/K0tEufc6Tq4/s1600/20+Jahangiri+Mahal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wfb9MnnR7ZY/UxUIvwzL0GI/AAAAAAAADAY/K0tEufc6Tq4/s1600/20+Jahangiri+Mahal.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Riverside courtyard of the Jehangiri Mahal. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uqzxKJIlggU/UxUIuP3LPxI/AAAAAAAADAE/os3FUbcELoo/s1600/21+Jahangiri+Mahal+Corbel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uqzxKJIlggU/UxUIuP3LPxI/AAAAAAAADAE/os3FUbcELoo/s1600/21+Jahangiri+Mahal+Corbel.JPG" height="640" width="456" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A richly carved bracket in a courtyard inside of the Jehangiri Mahal. Unfortunately, when I visited many of the rooms inside the Jehangiri Mahal were under restoration, hence the pipes. Still, this bracket gives one a good idea of the very different sensibilities at work inside the Jehangiri Mahal as opposed to in the later buildings. Here the focus is on very fine carvings, rather than inlay work, while many of the carvings themselves would not look out of place in a Hindu temple. The use of such brackets is of course unnecessary if one is using arched construction. While the white marble buildings of Shah Jahan's time get more attention, I find the intricate carvings and Indo-Islamic building styles of Akbar's time to be rather more interesting. Certainly, Akbar's buildings are much more alien, and, because of their eclectic range of influences, unlike anything else out there.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rEXztH1Vsys/UxUIuhDF80I/AAAAAAAADAI/iu8Kh5BJtCs/s1600/22+jahangiri+Mahal+Exterior.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rEXztH1Vsys/UxUIuhDF80I/AAAAAAAADAI/iu8Kh5BJtCs/s1600/22+jahangiri+Mahal+Exterior.JPG" height="640" width="596" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The outside facade of the Jehangiri Mahal. Most people apparently start their walk through the fort here, though I went in the opposite direction. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZItfYGC61D8/UxUIvSI6niI/AAAAAAAADAU/sxqTrWdPATE/s1600/23+Jahangiri+Mahal+exterior.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZItfYGC61D8/UxUIvSI6niI/AAAAAAAADAU/sxqTrWdPATE/s1600/23+Jahangiri+Mahal+exterior.JPG" height="640" width="432" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Carvings on the outside of the Jehangiri Mahal.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-urKznE607rY/UxUIv7MngGI/AAAAAAAADAg/WfpX8IpsPb0/s1600/24+Jahangiri+Mahal+exterior.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-urKznE607rY/UxUIv7MngGI/AAAAAAAADAg/WfpX8IpsPb0/s1600/24+Jahangiri+Mahal+exterior.JPG" height="456" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
More carvings on the outside of the Jehangiri Mahal. Note that the decorations on each panel, above and below, are different. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E2P_zwkPOMY/UxUImGsKW5I/AAAAAAAAC-o/tFlyms_MogM/s1600/1.5+Taj+from+Agra+Fort.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E2P_zwkPOMY/UxUImGsKW5I/AAAAAAAAC-o/tFlyms_MogM/s1600/1.5+Taj+from+Agra+Fort.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Shah, or Muthamman, Burj. Originally built by Shah Jahan for his beloved Mumtaz Mahal, it became his prison at the end of his life after his son Aurangzeb took the throne. Shah Jahan would see essentially this view every morning for the duration of his imprisonment. While he was confined within the fort, he was allowed a great deal of luxury, though he was prevented from exercising any sort of political power. After eight years, he died here, within sight of his wife's mausoleum. Unfortunately, again, visitors are prevented from going inside the Shah Burj, and have to be content with seeing it from a distance. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Agra Fort unquestionably is one of the greatest collections of Mughal buildings in North India, and those that can be seen are truly sublime. It is a little frustrating, however, that so many of the grandest parts of the fort are off limits. It is easy to blame the A.S.I., or whatever body administers the fort, for this. However, this would not be entirely fair. It's likely that at least the Shah Burj is off limits because of the disgusting habit of many visitors (going back as far as pre-British days) to scratch their names into and otherwise damage the monuments. It's well documented that early on during the period when British soldiers were stationed inside the fort, they damaged it quite badly, while modern visitors to other, less well protected monuments, seem to like noting better than declaring their love by scratching permanent marks into them. Frankly, given the massive array of threats that these truly wonderful buildings have faced over the centuries, it's a wonder anything of genuine historical value exists in modern times at all......</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
....Though that doesn't make it any less frustrating. The truth is that most of the fort's most significant buildings, such as it's main gate, it's primary mosque, and it's most romantic palace, are off limits. That, however, doesn't mean that the rs. 250 I expended seeing the place was ill-spent. Far from it. If the fort only contained the structures that are now open to the public it would still be worth traveling across the world to see. Hopefully one day not too far in the future the Shah Burj, Moti Masjid, and the main gate, will be open for visitors.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4vPEfcDsinM/UxUIxDld4tI/AAAAAAAADAs/CIYiSdrA6M0/s1600/25+Thank+You+for+not+scratching+on+the+monument.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4vPEfcDsinM/UxUIxDld4tI/AAAAAAAADAs/CIYiSdrA6M0/s1600/25+Thank+You+for+not+scratching+on+the+monument.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
"Thank you for not scratching on the Monument." </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
[Lucy Peck's "Agra, The Architectural Heritage," was invaluable in putting together this post.]</div>
<br /></div>
Patrick A. Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05731722419862161376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049395502639291836.post-67551680217912435392014-03-09T22:51:00.000-07:002014-03-09T22:51:43.549-07:00Agra 1: The Taj Mahal<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FRffZ02UDBw/UqYxxqkK7RI/AAAAAAAACz4/2SKb3BqcGhQ/s1600/1+Taj+Mahal+Dawn.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FRffZ02UDBw/UqYxxqkK7RI/AAAAAAAACz4/2SKb3BqcGhQ/s640/1+Taj+Mahal+Dawn.JPG" height="640" width="558" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Taj at dawn. Now there's a picture I bet you've never seen before. Actually, this is maybe the world's single most iconic image, but since the entire tomb complex is oriented around creating this very composition, you mustn't blame me for taking a cliched snap. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is the first post in a series I'm going to do on a very intense week long trip I took to Agra in October of 2013. My two main purposes in re-visiting Agra were to go to the places I had not been to before (and there were many), and also to conduct reconnaissance for trips I'm planning to lead. I had been to the Taj Mahal no less than three times previously, yet this was the first time that I had the chance to see it at dawn, so that's where I'll start. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Agra elicits mixed feelings from those who visit. While there are many people who come to India specifically to see the Taj Mahal, and they are rarely disappointed, from what I gather, for the average tourist their visit to Agra is little more than an afterthought. What one frequently hears is "If I'm in India, I have to see the Taj Mahal."But Agra is rarely the focus of their trip, the result being that they rush to the city, sometimes with as little as 12 hours to spare, and only see the Taj Mahal (usually not in the best lighting, which makes a huge difference) and maybe some of Agra Fort. This is a pity, as the city has much more to offer. Also, it's an annoying fact of Indian travel that a tourist in a hurry is a tourist more ready to part with cash. The locals who live off of the tourist trade are aware of this, and they exploit it ruthlessly, making the more frequented parts of Agra tout gauntlets where if you're a foreigner you can expect to have people trying to bully you out your money virtually every step of the way.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This gives the city its backpacker reputation as a "Shithole." There is even a whole class of travelers to India who actively pride themselves on not seeing the Taj Mahal. Others get so annoyed by the touts and rickshaw weirdos and crippled hawkers that they forget even to look at anything, and leave as soon as possible, though not before forming an overwhelmingly negative impression of the city they failed to see. Then you have folks who wander around the city feeling superior to the buildings, who see visiting the architecture as an insufficiently "deep" or "immersive" experience of the culture. All of these attitudes are of course perverse: While the Agra experience is one replete with annoyances, they are <i>merely</i> annoying in the vast majority of cases, yet the city's architectural wonders are not only some of the grandest buildings ever constructed, but are some of the greatest artistic achievements of the human species. In terms of being an almost impossibly grand concept perfectly executed, you can't do much better than the Taj, even if its image has become rather a cliche among cliches. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
While some supremely annoying individuals might snort at architecture as an art form because it does not "say" anything (though architecture that does "say" something is usually not my cup of tea), the truth is that architecture is the only human endeavor which can bring out the same sense of amazement that one feels when confronted with some vast natural wonder. A writer can describe a landscape, a painter can paint it, and a photographer can take a picture, but its only through architecture than human beings can actually create landscapes of their own. In that respect, architecture is undeniably the most visually staggering art form, and being in the actual physical presence of an object so simultaneous vast and beautiful as the Taj Mahal is among the most overwhelming experiences of a work of art that a person can have.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I think it can be safely assumed that virtually every inch of the exterior of the Taj, with the exception of parts of the roof, have been photographed millions, if not billions, of times. I myself took in the vicinity of 200 pictures during my dawn visit to the great monument, and I was not alone: Immediately upon opening, well over a thousand tourists poured into the compound. Though I think the picture above gives an impression of serenity, in fact the photo was hard won, the viewing platform I took it from being crowded with 40 or 50 travelers from every corner of the globe jostling one another to get a perfect shot of the Taj and it's reflection. As I recall, getting this picture involved lifting my camera above the heads of a family of super-rich Brits and hoping it turned out right. I was in no certain terms denounced as an asshole by a group of middle aged American women (who were obviously not morning people) dressed in their conception of local Indian garb. Yes, the Taj is not a place to seek solitude, even at 6 A.M., nor is it a place where one can have any reasonable expectation of taking a truly original photo, unless there's some very peculiar lighting or weather condition. The view in the picture above is so iconic that I can think of two different movies which portray the Taj being attacked by aliens (Mars Attacks and Men in Black 3). </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r9HYxbpXEpA/UqYx2o-ijyI/AAAAAAAAC0w/vn2-5P-czUI/s1600/2+Taj+mahal+reflection.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-r9HYxbpXEpA/UqYx2o-ijyI/AAAAAAAAC0w/vn2-5P-czUI/s640/2+Taj+mahal+reflection.JPG" height="514" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
An upside down photo of the reflection of the Taj. Despite the fact that even at dawn the complex is crawling with people, early morning is by far the best time to visit. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The Taj was built between 1632 and 1643 by the fifth great Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, in order to serve as a mausoleum for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died in 1631 giving birth to pair's fourteenth child. Shah Jahan's intention was that the mausoleum should be the most impressive ever commissioned, and a permanent monument of his love for Mumtaz. The tomb's original name was Rauza-i-Munavvara, or the "Illuminated Tomb", the current moniker "Taj Mahal" being a corruption of Mumtaz Mahal. The land it was built on was purchased from the Kacchwaha's of Amber (and later of Jaipur), the marble also coming from quarries in Rajasthan. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
While it is true that Shah Jahan had several other wives beside Mumtaz, and that after her death he developed into quite the voracious womanizer (it is even rumored that he died from an overdose of aphrodisiacs), all of the evidence points to his having been genuinely in love with Mumtaz during her lifetime. Certainly, of Shah Jahan's eight children who survived into adulthood, seven, including the next Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, were by Mumtaz. While she was alive, she seems to have been the closest person to the emperor, and his grief at her death appears genuine. Hence the tomb's overplayed reputation as a "monument to love" is not inaccurate.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It was during Shah Jahan's reign than Mughal architecture can be said to have reached it's zenith. A large number of India's greatest buildings other than the Taj Mahal were commissioned during his reign. Old Delhi, once known as Shahjahanabad, was largely his conception, and the two primary monuments in the city, Red Fort and the Jama Masjid, are both testaments to Mughal architectural sensibilities at their height. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
That being said, Shah Jahan was far from a spotless ruler. Before he gained the Mughal throne, he attempted a large though unsuccessful rebellion against his father Jehangir. Though he failed in this, a few years later, upon Jehangir's death, he was able to seize the empire, though only after exterminating all of his potential rivals, including his own brother. This was a precedent that would be followed by most of the Mughal rulers who came after him. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
That raises the question of whether Shah Jahan's moral turpitude should effect ones judgement of the artistic merits of the Taj Mahal. I have known people who dislike monuments generally for the simple reason that they tend to have been made by evil people. For my part, I think we're just sort of stuck with the fact that being a good artist doesn't make you a good person, and that if you only allow yourself to enjoy art that comes from perfectly enlightened people living in perfectly enlightened societies, then you wont have much to enjoy.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5zgYCCW_geo/UqYx485MbDI/AAAAAAAAC1U/uHFzW5dmJ-0/s1600/3+Taj+Mahal+Reflection.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5zgYCCW_geo/UqYx485MbDI/AAAAAAAAC1U/uHFzW5dmJ-0/s640/3+Taj+Mahal+Reflection.JPG" height="634" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A random fellow in the reflecting pool. Or, more correctly, a random fellow's reflection in the reflecting pool. Note the finial on top of the dome. This is made of brass and was placed there in the 19th century, replacing an earlier, gold finial. Though it looks rather like a trident, traditionally the symbol of Shiva, it is meant to represent the Islamic crescent moon. However, some view the finial's resemblance to Shiva's trident as further evidence that the Taj was once in fact a Hindu temple, which Shah Jahan merely converted into a tomb, after engaging in a massive conspiracy to leave a huge, false, paper trail and fool posterity into thinking the building was constructed by the Mughals. The theory was popularized by P.N. Oak, who also claimed that the Vatican and Stone Hedge were ancient temples to Shiva, and that both Christianity and Islam developed out of Vedic traditions. His ideas seem a tad far fetched to me, though he apparently managed to gain a certain amount of traction with them. I've had a number of discussions with people who refused to believe that the Taj could have been a product of Islamic rather than Vedic civilization.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Whatever people may say against Shah Jahan, the rumors of his cruelty towards either the workers on the Taj, or to the architect (depending on which guide you're talking to), are not true. He apparently never had anyone's hands cut off or eyes gouged out in connection with the building of the Taj. There are a variety of other myths about the complex which still have some currency even though there's no solid proof for them. Perhaps the most common is that another mausoleum, exactly the same as the Taj except that it would be made of black stone instead of white marble, was planned directly on the opposite side of the river, but was either ruined, or never completed (depending on which guide you're talking to). Sadly, this does not seem to have been the case. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3ouZ2SYqQGM/UqYx5P8ZXGI/AAAAAAAAC1c/ZUj8AaOVl4I/s1600/4+Taj+Mahal+Mausoleum+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3ouZ2SYqQGM/UqYx5P8ZXGI/AAAAAAAAC1c/ZUj8AaOVl4I/s640/4+Taj+Mahal+Mausoleum+.JPG" height="514" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The eastern side of the main tomb, with the shadow of one of the secondary buildings in the complex crawling across it. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZQLrCNlV-GA/UqYx5Dkxu_I/AAAAAAAAC1Y/-hw-8plhlgM/s1600/5+Taj+Mahal+Dome+chhatri+arch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZQLrCNlV-GA/UqYx5Dkxu_I/AAAAAAAAC1Y/-hw-8plhlgM/s640/5+Taj+Mahal+Dome+chhatri+arch.JPG" height="640" width="518" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Looking up at the dome. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K-vSF3oWsKE/UqYx7LtRGXI/AAAAAAAAC10/GGGn55gVlEo/s1600/6+Taj+Mahal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K-vSF3oWsKE/UqYx7LtRGXI/AAAAAAAAC10/GGGn55gVlEo/s640/6+Taj+Mahal.JPG" height="514" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The mausoleum and the marble platform, with some people for scale, about ninety minutes after the first picture in this post was taken. The most distinctive aspect of the architecture of Shah Jahan's reign is the conspicuous use of white marble. Most of the great buildings of the earlier Mughal emperors, such as the tombs of Humayun and Akbar, and the buildings in Akbar's short lived capital Fatehpur Sikri, were made of red sandstone, a material that was far more abundant in North India. The great thing about the marble of the Taj is the way it catches the light: At every time of day there's a different view. At dawn and sundown the marble goes just as red as the sun happens to be, but in the middle of the day the building is almost glaringly white...it's rather like looking at the world's most most colossal and perfectly proportioned igloo in the bright sunlight. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XOgOkztE9Xw/UqYx60voKTI/AAAAAAAAC1s/SG8okPSObpw/s1600/7+Taj+Mahal+Pishtaq+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XOgOkztE9Xw/UqYx60voKTI/AAAAAAAAC1s/SG8okPSObpw/s640/7+Taj+Mahal+Pishtaq+.JPG" height="640" width="392" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Looking towards the <i>pishtak </i>of the Taj. In Islamic architecture the rather undignified term pishtaq refers to an arched opening, which in this case leads into a rectangular gathering space inside the mausoleum called an <i>Iwan</i>. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8nPIRmoTk_I/UqYx7FywJjI/AAAAAAAAC1w/GMMndhMI-Yc/s1600/8+Taj+Mahal+calligraphy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8nPIRmoTk_I/UqYx7FywJjI/AAAAAAAAC1w/GMMndhMI-Yc/s640/8+Taj+Mahal+calligraphy.JPG" height="640" width="492" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Koranic inscriptions on panels next to the pishtaq, in a style of calligraphy known as Thuluth. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-31X-db9d0Fw/UqYx8bXtFRI/AAAAAAAAC2E/-tdaDo0ljBk/s1600/9+Taj+Mahal+Minaret.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-31X-db9d0Fw/UqYx8bXtFRI/AAAAAAAAC2E/-tdaDo0ljBk/s640/9+Taj+Mahal+Minaret.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A view of one of the minarets that are positioned on the four corners of the tomb platform. Apparently over the years several of the pillars have developed a slight outward tilt, though the Archaeological Survey of India doesn't expect any of the minarets to topple over anytime soon. The black strips of stone in between the marble slabs on the side of the pillar are actually inlaid. The minarets are largely made of either rubble or bricks, with an outside layering of marble.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mLMDyrYOKBI/UqYxyfa40oI/AAAAAAAACz0/hgaUwc_aFwI/s1600/10+Taj+Mahal+inlaid+stonework.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mLMDyrYOKBI/UqYxyfa40oI/AAAAAAAACz0/hgaUwc_aFwI/s640/10+Taj+Mahal+inlaid+stonework.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Stone inlay work on the side of the pishtaq. The Taj is famous for it's <i>pietra dura</i>, or hard stone inlay work, which had been imported from Italy during this period. However, it's often claimed that all of the inlay work on the mausoleum is <i>pietra dura, </i>when the decorations on the exterior of the tomb employ methods which had been known to local craftsmen for quite some time, as evidenced by the other tombs in the area, such as Akbar's and the tomb of Itimad-ud-Daulah, which prominently employ inlaid stone decorations. Still, the complexity of the stone work on the Taj Mahal was unprecedented in India at the time.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Unfortunately, one is not allowed to take photos on the inside of the mausoleum (though that doesn't stop some). The interior contains the most ornate inlaid stonework, along with the cenotaphs of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan. It's worth taking a small flashlight into the tomb and holding it directly against the inlaid stone flowers on the side of the screen that surrounds the cenotaphs. This causes the individual transparent stones which make up the flowers to light up. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It's funny that over time the Taj has become the symbol of India, given how many elements of it are essentially foreign. The Mughals themselves were of course not originally Indians but central Asians, the dynasty being the decedents of both Tamerlane and, further back, Genghis Khan. The language of the Mughal court (adopted during the reign of Humayun), was Persian, and Shah Jahan's taste in architecture was far more Persian and Central Asian than it was Indian. While with the structures of the very early Delhi Sultinate, and also with many of the buildings in Akbar's reign, there is a very distinct, visible, cultural and architectural fusion, with the Taj Mahal the indigenous characteristics of the building are much less pronounced. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hPGnLbWlKsc/UqYxyFqU84I/AAAAAAAACzw/_KnjwNJkShQ/s1600/11+Taj+Mahal+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hPGnLbWlKsc/UqYxyFqU84I/AAAAAAAACzw/_KnjwNJkShQ/s640/11+Taj+Mahal+.JPG" height="606" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The view south, from the platform at the northern end of the complex towards the main gate, across the garden. Other than serving the purely compositional purpose of providing a means by which one can see the refection of the Taj, the river at the center of the garden is symbolic of the rivers that are said to flow in heaven in the Koran. Throughout much if its existence the garden has been much less orderly than it is now, with many more large trees. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8t2FXvK9Trc/UqYxzHQn5RI/AAAAAAAACz8/kR6G-KV1CgA/s1600/12+Taj+Mahal+Mehmankhana.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8t2FXvK9Trc/UqYxzHQn5RI/AAAAAAAACz8/kR6G-KV1CgA/s640/12+Taj+Mahal+Mehmankhana.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
There are two large red sandstone buildings to the east and west of the Taj. The one to the west, facing mecca, is a functional mosque, while the other, pictured above, was built primarily to produce a more satisfying composition. From the outside it looks almost exactly the same as the mosque, though it does not have a prayer niche. It's usually referred to as the<i> Mehmankhana, </i>or guesthouse, and it was used as such, though it's main purpose was simply to be a pleasing visual counterpart of the mosque on the opposite side of the mausoleum. Note the tourists at the lower right and lower left hand of the building for scale. While only a subsidiary structure in the tomb complex, the mehmankhana is perhaps as telling of the Mughal's absurd wealth as the Taj Mahal itself. Were the building standing on its own and not overshadowed by the most famous man-made structure in the world, it would still be well worth visiting. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zRoWagTyaJI/UqYxzpYOEBI/AAAAAAAAC0I/WsKRtTRct8g/s1600/13+Taj+mahal+Mehmankhana.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zRoWagTyaJI/UqYxzpYOEBI/AAAAAAAAC0I/WsKRtTRct8g/s640/13+Taj+mahal+Mehmankhana.JPG" height="640" width="422" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Decorations on the side of the pishtaq of the mehmankhana. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O5pxROcFOpU/UqYxz--D1JI/AAAAAAAAC0M/K3MWVP8ILGs/s1600/14+Taj+mahal+Mehmankhana+arch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O5pxROcFOpU/UqYxz--D1JI/AAAAAAAAC0M/K3MWVP8ILGs/s640/14+Taj+mahal+Mehmankhana+arch.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The main arch at the eastern wall of the mehmankhana, which corresponds to the west, or Mecca facing, main prayer niche of the mosque.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YEt4jJotpU0/UqYx0-sIIUI/AAAAAAAAC0c/k9AZ10qhwvc/s1600/15+Taj+Mahal+Mosque.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YEt4jJotpU0/UqYx0-sIIUI/AAAAAAAAC0c/k9AZ10qhwvc/s640/15+Taj+Mahal+Mosque.JPG" height="640" width="594" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
View towards the Iwan and Mihrab of the mosque, looking west. The mosque is still in use. Every Friday, the whole complex is closed so that prayers can be held here. The pool in the foreground is for ritual ablutions for those who are about to pray at the mosque.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7fXrR5AZ2fs/UqYx1Wkew3I/AAAAAAAAC0k/5Jk2Me9Wr1U/s1600/16+Taj+Mahal+Mosque.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7fXrR5AZ2fs/UqYx1Wkew3I/AAAAAAAAC0k/5Jk2Me9Wr1U/s640/16+Taj+Mahal+Mosque.JPG" height="640" width="516" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Inside the mosque. A man pray's at the mihrab while a Japanese tourist takes a photo.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8A0OS50Yd0M/UqYx0_kFjOI/AAAAAAAAC0Y/Sgj5upjvBV8/s1600/17+Taj+Mahal+corner+Chhatri.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8A0OS50Yd0M/UqYx0_kFjOI/AAAAAAAAC0Y/Sgj5upjvBV8/s640/17+Taj+Mahal+corner+Chhatri.JPG" height="640" width="472" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
One of the four spectacular chatris that are positioned at each corner of the larger, red sandstone platform that the mausolem, the mosque, and the mehmankhana are on top of. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J4mRtphq7zQ/UqYx3ET6-uI/AAAAAAAAC00/rfQMTyY4Or8/s1600/18+Taj+Mahal+Corner+Chhatri.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J4mRtphq7zQ/UqYx3ET6-uI/AAAAAAAAC00/rfQMTyY4Or8/s640/18+Taj+Mahal+Corner+Chhatri.JPG" height="640" width="490" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A view from below the sandstone platform, near the Yamuna riverbank, looking up at one of the chatris. The view from outside the tomb complex gives one a more interesting look at the chatris, as you can see the lowest level, where they merge into the platform, and also the floral decorations around the outside. Towards the left you can also see the rear of the mehmankhana.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RoSSuucZJtU/UqYx3Go9bnI/AAAAAAAAC04/NS_B3-iahwc/s1600/19+Taj+Mahal+Gate.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RoSSuucZJtU/UqYx3Go9bnI/AAAAAAAAC04/NS_B3-iahwc/s640/19+Taj+Mahal+Gate.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The main gate into the enclosure that contains the Taj. As an example of the expert symmetry with which the complex is laid out, note the view of the <i>pishtaq</i> of the mausoleum proper through the arch of the gateway.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_gzemkgiUEc/UqYx3eQXNpI/AAAAAAAAC08/IQBQVTLUl3k/s1600/20+Taj+Mahal+viewed+from+Red+Fort.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_gzemkgiUEc/UqYx3eQXNpI/AAAAAAAAC08/IQBQVTLUl3k/s640/20+Taj+Mahal+viewed+from+Red+Fort.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A view southeast from Agra fort towards the Taj. Shah Jahan ended his life imprisoned in Agra Fort by his son Aurangzeb, who had, like his father, rebelled and then killed all rival claimants to the throne, including one of his siblings. This was roughly the view Shah Jahan had every morning during his imprisonment. After he died, his body was interred in the mausoleum next to his wife. The overthrow of Shah Jahan brought about the immediate decline of Mughal architecture. Aurangzeb, for reasons that are far from totally unjustified, did not encourage sort of monumentalism that had been a characteristic of most of the earlier Mughal emperors. He commissioned very few extravagant buildings, and his burial place, rather than being a grand mausoleum, is little more than an open grave. The Taj is therefore one of the last, and certainly one of the greatest, Mughal architectural achievements. After Shah Jahan, the political fortunes of the dynasty also went into a long slow decline, until by the mid 19th century it was little more than a pitiful remnant of its former self locked up in the Delhi Red Fort, and nothing the Mughals built over the course of those two hundred years came even remotely close to the grandeur of the Taj. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br /></div>
Patrick A. Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05731722419862161376noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049395502639291836.post-14562640274423678072014-02-17T17:53:00.000-08:002014-04-08T09:10:39.044-07:00Meghalaya Monsoon Itinerary<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4VESac62HW4/UZ6KRsMZrmI/AAAAAAAACQk/3R5O_z3NWUo/s640/All+pics+NIM+through+Cherrupunji+1115.JPG" /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Crossing the Nongthymmai living root root bridge, the longest of all (known) living root bridges, in the monsoon season of 2011. Believe it or not, the whole span is made of rubber tree roots that were trained across that stream over the course of a few decades by local Khasi villagers, making it one of the world's most striking examples of biological architecture. During this trip, we'll be staying in a small village about 45 minutes from here, in a little visited corner of northeast India that's simply abounding in fantastic things to see. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><u>MEGHALAYA MONSOON TRIP</u></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Here's some information on an itinerary I'm going to be running twice during this year's monsoon season in the northeast </span>Indian<span style="font-family: inherit;"> state of Meghalaya. Meghalaya receives more rainfall than any other place on the planet, and is home to centuries old living root bridges and one of India's friendliest and most interesting tribal communities: the Khasis. It's a place of stunning beauty, of four thousand foot deep, mist filled canyons, where there's literally a waterfall around every corner, and where the average day's walk involves crossing raging, monsoon-swelled torrents over suspension bridges not much wider than your foot that are strung across rocky chasms......</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></div>
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">.....so, this is not an itinerary for the faint of heart, but I guarantee, visiting the place with the world's most dramatic weather, and seeing that weather at it's most dramatic, is an experience that you'll take with you the rest of your life. Just be ready to get rained on!</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Our itinerary will also take in some of the "Classic" Indian tourists sites, such as the Taj Mahal and the bustling lanes of Old Delhi, and will give you a truly unique opportunity to get on and off the beaten path. You'll see the famous stuff in Delhi and Agra, but also dozens of incredible temples, mosques, mansions, bazaars, and ruins that most visitors miss. <b>SCROLL DOWN TO THE BOTTOM FOR A SET OF PICTURES OF WHAT WE'LL SEE!</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<u style="font-weight: bold;">EMAIL ME AT</u>: anselmrogers4@gmail.com if you would like more information or if you would like to reserve a seat. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Vlct4an_3eI/Uv1KzTyOSlI/AAAAAAAAC5U/Y7iLzJBBHX8/s1600/1+Erin+and+many+kids.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Vlct4an_3eI/Uv1KzTyOSlI/AAAAAAAAC5U/Y7iLzJBBHX8/s1600/1+Erin+and+many+kids.JPG" height="640" width="572" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Surrounded by kids in Delhi. Yes, one thing the North and Northeast Indian phases of our trip will have in common is hordes of little kids.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">DATES:</span></u></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>FOR JUNE: </b>The trip starts on <u style="font-weight: bold;">JUNE 13</u> and ends <u style="font-weight: bold;">JUNE 29</u>, not counting travel to and from Delhi International Airport. In order to confirm a seat on the June trip, please send me a small deposit (the exact amount TBA), by <b><u>MAY 1ST</u></b>. I'll need the balance by <b><u>MAY 23.</u></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><u><br /></u></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>FOR JULY: </b>The trip starts <u style="font-weight: bold;">JULY 18</u> and ends <u style="font-weight: bold;">AUGUST 3</u>, not counting travel to and from Delhi International Airport. In order to confirm a seat on the July trip, please send me a small deposit (the exact amount TBA), by <u style="font-weight: bold;">MAY 30</u>. I'll need the balance by <b><u>JUNE 27.</u></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><u><b>PRICING: </b></u></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
What I'll need is U.S. <span style="font-size: large;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">1350</u>, </span>payable through Paypal. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>WHAT THAT COVERS</b>: All accommodation. All in-country transport, including plane tickets, train tickets, metro cards, airport/train station pickups/drop-offs, auto-rickshaws, cycle-rickshaws. Entree fees for monuments. Camera fees. Guide charges. Tips. All expenses in the village of Nongriat. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>WHAT THAT DOES NOT COVER</b>: International airfare. Visa/passport processing. Health/travel insurance. Gifts. Meals in Delhi, Agra, Cherrapunji (average breakfast cost: 2 U.S., average dinner cost: 3-4 U.S.). </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
TOTAL ESTIMATED TRIP COST: U.S. 3000 (and much less without presents!).</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><b><u>ITINERARY:</u></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">[Note 1: Be advised that India is a very flexible place, which means that to adapt, we'll also have to be flexible. Hence, be ready for a few on-the-spot emendations to this itinerary once we get there...unpredictability is a vital part of the Indian experience. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Note 2: I've put all the place names in CAPS in case you want to do your own research on these areas.]</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Day</b> <b>1-Landing: </b>Arrive at New Delhi International Airport. I'll pick you up there, and then we'll transfer to our hotel in MAJNU KA TILLA, Delhi's center of Tibetian culture. We'll get settled in, and then get some sleep.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b style="font-family: inherit;">Day 2-Delhi: </b><span style="font-family: inherit;">We'll start the day with a ride on the Delhi Metro. From JOR BAGH STATION, we'll take our first auto rickshaw ride to fantastic HUMAYUN'S TOMB, the </span>mausoleum<span style="font-family: inherit;"> of the second Mughal Emperor and the direct architectural predecessor of the Taj Mahal.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> From there, we'll head to CANNAUGHT PLACE, and have a meal at a famous South Indian Restaurant called SARAVANA BHAVAN. After that, we'll take a brief sojourn to Delhi's most impressive step-well AGRASEN KI BAOLI, and one of it's most bizarre monuments, the JANTAR MANTAR, which are both within walking distance.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> We'll then retreat to the air conditioned metro before the worst heat of the afternoon sets in, and spend the middle part of the day resting in our hotel. Those who still have energy can come back out with me at around 3:30-4 in the afternoon, and walk to the nearby, though rarely visited (at least by foreign tourists!) NORTHERN RIDGE, an area of urban jungle with the most monkeys I've ever seen. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Dinner in one of the many good Tibetan restaurants in MAJNU KA TILLA.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Day 3-Old Delhi: </b>We'll devote this day to the exploration of Old Delhi, starting with the DELHI RED FORT. From there, we'll plunge into Old Delhi's fascinating back lanes, where we'll visit an assortment of old crumbling mansions, numerous bazaars specializing in everything from silver jewelry to wedding decorations, along with a number of Jain temples and mosques.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As the heat of midday approaches, we'll retreat to out hotel for our daily siesta. In the afternoon, we'll head back out to Old Delhi, and this time visit the GADODIA MARKET, Asia's largest wholesale spice market. After that, we can do a bit more sightseeing as we work our way to either KARIM'S or AL JAWAHAR, two restaurant's which specialize in Mughal food, for dinner.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">We'll get back early to MAJNU KA TILLA and get a good night's rest.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Day 4-Delhi to Agra: </b>We'll get up early and transfer to the NEW DELHI RAILWAY STATION. From here, we'll take an early morning train to Agra, arriving at around 8:15. We'll then transfer to our hotel in the TAJ GANJ neighborhood of Agra.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">For the rest of the morning, and the first half of the afternoon, we'll rest up and eat at the hotel restaurant. Then, in the evening, we'll head out to AGRA FORT. Dinner at the hotel.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Day 5-Taj Mahal and Sikandra: </b>As early as possible, we'll wake up and walk from our hotel to the entrance to the TAJ MAHAL, so we can visit the mausoleum in the least crowded, coolest, part of the day, under the best lighting conditions. We'll spend a while wandering about in the tomb complex, and then come back to our hotel and have lunch. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">After our daily siesta, we'll head out to the environs of Agra, to the tomb of the third, and greatest, Mughal emperor AKBAR, in SIKANDRA.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Dinner at our hotel.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Day 6-Itimad-Ud Daula-Agra Old City-Delhi: </b>We'll get up early and visit the fantastic TOMB OF ITIMAD-UD-DAULA and if we're feeling up to it, the immensely interesting CHINI KA RAUZA. Then we'll return to out hotel and sit out the hottest part of the day.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Later in the afternoon, we'll head out to the OLD CITY OF AGRA, a largely ignored maze of mansions, temples, mosques, and bazaars, which is very much off the radar of the average tourist itinerary.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Following that, we'll have an early dinner at our hotel, and then head via train back to Delhi, reaching our hotel in MAJNU KA TILLA around 11-11:30 PM.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Day 7-Delhi: </b>Anyone feeling fatigued by Agra will be encouraged to sleep through the morning on this day. People who are up for it can come with me to South Delhi to visit the QUTB MINAR, one Delhi's signature buildings, along with one of India's most important historical complexes.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">After lunch and our daily siesta, we'll head to OLD DELHI once again, but this time we'll make the trek to one of Delhi's most extraordinary sights: FEROZ SHAH KOTLA, where thousands of people come and crowd into a 700 year old ruined mosque to ask favors from disembodied spirits every Thursday. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Our dinner choices are either some relatively upscale restaurant in CONNAUGHT PLACE, or some place in MAJNU KA TILLA. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Day 8 Delhi-Guwahati-Cherrapunji: </b>Travel Day. We'll get up and take a relatively early flight to GUWAHATI, leaving the hustle and bustle of North India well behind. Flights range from two to three and a half hours. From GUWAHATI we'll get picked up by a four wheel drive vehicle and ride to our hotel, a cozy new backer's hostel called BY THE WAY in the town of CHERRAPUNJI. The ride should be between four and five and half hours, depending on weather and traffic conditions. Dinner in CHERRAPUNJI.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Day 9 Cherrapunji-Nongriat: </b>On this day, we don't have to get up early! We'll have breakfast in CHERRAPUNJI, and then transfer to a village called TYRNA, from where we'll start our 1500 foot hike down through tropical rain forest to the village of NONGRIAT, our home for the next five nights. On the hike down we'll cross two exciting wire suspension bridges, and two living root bridges.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">There won't be any rush. We can take our time getting there, and once we get there, we can settle in and relax.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Dinner at NONGRIAT GUEST HOUSE.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Day 10-13 Full days in Nongriat: </b>These will be our four full days in the village of Nongriat. There's no point coming up with a comprehensive itinerary for these days, as what we'll do on each day will depend to some degree on the weather and how energetic people are feeling.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Still, it's important to note:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1: Most hikes in the area immediately around Nongriat are possible in the rain.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">2: There is usually a sunny day every few days in Meghalaya, even in the monsoon season.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">3: One of the most rewarding activities in the Nongriat is simply sitting around the village meeting the friendly Khasis.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Activities in and around Nongriat: </span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1: There are six living root bridges in the immediate vicinity of Nongriat, all of which can be seen in wet weather.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">2: There is an additional, partly ruined, though still very interesting, root bridge, that we can see, though walking out on it is too dangerous.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">3: There are five dramatic wire suspension bridges (which are composed of steel cables that have been placed across streams) within ninety minutes walking of Nongriat. These bridges are perfectly safe, and they give the most spectacular views of the rain-swelled streams (as in, from a vantage point where you're suspended directly above them).</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">4: There is one bridge that is made from both steel wire and roots.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">5: There are seven other Khasi villages within walking distance of Nongriat. Most of these see far fewer foreign visitors than Nongriat, and are worthwhile day hiking destinations in and of themselves. They are NONGTHYMMAI, MYNTENG, RAMDAI, PYNEM DKHAR, MAWLAKHIAT, MAUSAHEW, and TYNDRONG. The trails between these villages have many of the most spectacular viewpoints in the area. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">6: There is another living root bridge in the vicinity of the village of TYNDRONG, which is the remotest village in the area. I am reasonably sure that I am the only outsider who has ever documented this bridge. The hike to it is one of the best hikes in the area.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">7: While swimming in the larger streams during the monsoon season is <b>ABSOLUTELY NOT ADVISED (!!!!!!) </b>there are a number of smaller water bodies where it will still be possible to take a dip and wash clothes. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">8: It will be possible to go out for short hikes after nightfall, on the wide, safe, concrete trails near Nongriat. All sorts of interesting animals are more active during the night, including civets, several varieties of crabs, various amphibians, and numerous insects, including a number of species of huge stick insects. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Day 14 Nongriat-Cherrapunji: </b>On this day we'll hike back up out of Nongriat, return to "BY THE WAY" in Cherrapunji, and take the afternoon and evening easy. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Dinner in Cherrapunji. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Day 15 Cherrapunji-Delhi: </b>We'll get up bright and early, ride to the GUWAHATI AIRPORT, fly back to Delhi, transfer to our hotel in MAJNU KA TILLA, and have dinner.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Day 16 Delhi: </b>I'm keeping this day free. If there was something else in Delhi that we missed earlier in the trip, we can see it on this day. Also, we can start shopping for presents and souvenirs.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Day 17 Delhi-End of Itinerary: </b>The morning through early afternoon are free. More shopping, or perhaps a visit to a sight in Delhi. Transfer to onward destination. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><u>PHYSICAL LEVEL</u>:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This trip <u style="font-weight: bold;">WILL INVOLVE QUITE A BIT OF WALKING</u>, much of it over very difficult terrain. Most of the trails in Meghalaya are little more than thousand foot staircases. Additionally, we will have to do some of these hikes with large packs. While we will not be in a rush at any time, and people of different physical abilities will be encouraged to go at their own respective paces, it is highly recommended that you be prepared to do some fairly tough hiking. All the most beautiful views in Meghalaya are won with physical exertion.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
To train, walk up and down lots and lots of stairs.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Additionally, anyone with either a fear of spiders, or of heights, should be advised that we will be seeing plenty of both, frequently at the same time.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">CLIMATE (and how we'll beat the heat)</u>: </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As this is a Summer trip, the temperatures will be quite hot. In North India, we'll plan it out so that we'll be indoors during the middle of the day. This does mean that we'll be going out and doing some of our sightseeing before breakfast. This has some advantages besides the temperature being at its most moderate. For example, we'll see the Taj Mahal in the best light of the day, at the time when the crowds are smallest, and when there's the least hassle. We'll also be out during most evenings.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In Meghalaya, it's going to rain....ALOT. Bring rain-gear, and make sure you have some sort of waterproofing on your backpack. Fortunately, the temperatures in Meghalaya are more moderate than in North India. Still, when it's not raining, the air will be exceptionally humid. Though we may get a sunny day or two, we'll probably end up doing much of our hiking in the rain. When it is raining, the temperature is usually quite pleasant. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">SPECIFIC HEALTH CONCERNS</u>: </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
[Note: I am not a doctor, and you are advised to consult with a trained medical practitioner several months before departing.]</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>FOOD: </b>Food tends to spoil easier in the Summer months due to the heat. For this reason, meat should generally be avoided unless it's from a relatively upscale restaurants with decent health standards. Leafy greens and unwashed fruits/vegetables should also be regarded with suspicion. Eating street food is generally unwise, particularly cut fruit. There are some exceptions, which I'll show you when we're there. Fruits with peels or rinds (bananas, oranges, litchis, unopened watermelons) are usually fine. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>WATER: </b>In Delhi, Agra, and Cherrapunji, only drink bottled water, and avoid drinks with ice. <u style="font-weight: bold;">DO NOT PUT TAP WATER IN YOUR MOUTH FOR ANY REASON</u>! Do not share water bottles, as this can facilitate the transmission of stomach ailments (this goes even if you're feeling fine). </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The water in Nongriat village is potable. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>HEAT: </b>Particularly in Delhi and Agra, always make sure to have at least 2 two liter bottles with you. Drink as much water as you can. Additionally, never go out into the heat of the day when you are hungry, as having an empty stomach will magnify the physical stress of being out in the heat. Salty foods and snacks prevent dehydration. Bring plenty of snacks with you, at all times.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>BUGS: </b>While you should consult with your doctor as to specific medications to be taken to combat certain mosquito and other insect born diseases, it is also highly recommended that you have a ready supply of bug spray. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">OUR </u><b><u>ACCOMMODATIONS</u></b>:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
[Note: Subject to change]</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We'll be staying at four different budget guest houses during our time in India. They are:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In Delhi:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
NEW PEACE HOUSE</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
House. No, 199</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
New Aruna Nagar Colony,</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Majnu Ka Tilla, Delhi</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
110054</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Tel: 011+91+23811888</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In Agra:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
SHANTI LODGE</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Chowk Kagjiyan,</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
South Gate, Taj Mahal</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Agra, 282001</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Tel: 01109412893530</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
http://hotelshantilodge.com/index.html</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In Cherrapunji:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
BY THE WAY</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
http://bythewaycherrapunjee.wordpress.com/</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g668046-d3877291-Reviews-By_The_Way-Cherrapunjee_Meghalaya.html</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
For Nongriat, see photos below.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><b>AND NOW FOR A HUGE SET OF PICTURES OF THINGS WE'LL BE SEEING, ROUGHLY IN THE ORDER THAT WE'LL BE SEEING THEM IN</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
[Note: All pictures were taken by me, unless credited otherwise.]</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-large;"><b><u>Part 1: North India</u></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E66m_ukxHd8/Uv1LEnfiM5I/AAAAAAAAC5Y/2m-8TBvYWe8/s1600/1+Humayun's+Tomb.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E66m_ukxHd8/Uv1LEnfiM5I/AAAAAAAAC5Y/2m-8TBvYWe8/s1600/1+Humayun's+Tomb.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Humayun's Tomb, the architectural predecessor of the Taj Mahal, and the first major sight on our itinerary. Delhi.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OOvAlOoSTAU/UTtSq_pMQlI/AAAAAAAACGo/fxGCsfTDAqQ/s640/5+People+in+Agrasen+Ki+Baoli.JPG" /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Agrasen Ki Baoli, Delhi's most impressive step-well, which is improbably located right in the middle of the city's business district. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AWCpb4qumhc/Uv1LoMgmo_I/AAAAAAAAC5g/2S9XWKqeN8A/s1600/1.5+Northern+Ridge+Monkeys.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AWCpb4qumhc/Uv1LoMgmo_I/AAAAAAAAC5g/2S9XWKqeN8A/s1600/1.5+Northern+Ridge+Monkeys.JPG" height="560" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Rhesus Monkey's in the Northern Ridge Reserved Forest. This is about a 30 minute walk from our hotel. I've never seen a higher concentration of Rhesus monkeys than in the Northern Ridge. Delhi. Picture by Erin Potter</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HlPdjqX_a7o/Uv1LobfLXaI/AAAAAAAAC5k/nsy2pRIlkPA/s1600/1.5+Northern+Ridge+Peacock.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HlPdjqX_a7o/Uv1LobfLXaI/AAAAAAAAC5k/nsy2pRIlkPA/s1600/1.5+Northern+Ridge+Peacock.JPG" height="460" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Northern Ridge also has peacocks. Delhi. Picture by Erin Potter</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Bp45iHat-Rk/Uv1MLJE_u1I/AAAAAAAAC6A/c8yVG80SG9E/s1600/Old+Delhi+chaos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Bp45iHat-Rk/Uv1MLJE_u1I/AAAAAAAAC6A/c8yVG80SG9E/s1600/Old+Delhi+chaos.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The crazy lanes of Old Delhi, with the 17th century Jama Masjid, one of India's largest and most famous mosques, in the background.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gyUCG4Kjrj0/Uv1MLcIN03I/AAAAAAAAC58/JX3LdSNIKFo/s1600/Old+Delhi+spice+market.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gyUCG4Kjrj0/Uv1MLcIN03I/AAAAAAAAC58/JX3LdSNIKFo/s1600/Old+Delhi+spice+market.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Gadodia Market, Asia's largest wholesale spice market. It's a heady mix of billions of chili peppers and surreal early twentieth century architecture. Delhi</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QMtpvP4VDc0/Uv1NBqn2NTI/AAAAAAAAC6I/scNUW3BboL8/s1600/1+Taj+from+Agra+Fort.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QMtpvP4VDc0/Uv1NBqn2NTI/AAAAAAAAC6I/scNUW3BboL8/s1600/1+Taj+from+Agra+Fort.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Agra Red Fort at dawn, facing East towards the Taj Mahal. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ov324qgSHVo/Uv1NHor2zhI/AAAAAAAAC6Q/zgjxQeH82F4/s1600/2+Taj+mahal+reflection.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ov324qgSHVo/Uv1NHor2zhI/AAAAAAAAC6Q/zgjxQeH82F4/s1600/2+Taj+mahal+reflection.JPG" height="514" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The reflection of the Taj Mahal at dawn. Agra.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BZmHFhV0-q4/Uv1NNAwvjLI/AAAAAAAAC6Y/xMBKGDBAqZg/s1600/16+Taj+Mahal+Mosque.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BZmHFhV0-q4/Uv1NNAwvjLI/AAAAAAAAC6Y/xMBKGDBAqZg/s1600/16+Taj+Mahal+Mosque.JPG" height="640" width="516" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Inside a mosque that is part of the Taj Mahal tomb complex. Agra</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TkmW6yY44Go/Uv1OotnrYNI/AAAAAAAAC6k/WDBLHYfEtWg/s1600/1+sikandra.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TkmW6yY44Go/Uv1OotnrYNI/AAAAAAAAC6k/WDBLHYfEtWg/s1600/1+sikandra.JPG" height="640" width="464" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The colossal gate to the tomb of Akbar the Great, who is generally regarded as the most important ruler of the Mughal Dynasty. Agra. The lighting was lousy and the picture looked best in black and white</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hgy6ThS4sAg/Uv1Oo84jvXI/AAAAAAAAC6g/TkfbQf-bwTc/s1600/2+Sikandra.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hgy6ThS4sAg/Uv1Oo84jvXI/AAAAAAAAC6g/TkfbQf-bwTc/s1600/2+Sikandra.JPG" height="488" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The tomb of Akbar the Great. Perhaps the most interesting building in Agra, Akbar's tomb may not be nearly as famous as the Taj, but it is nearly as impressive, in it's own, unique way. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L8wopiUzKpo/Uv1PXZxtjyI/AAAAAAAAC6w/rVhk8lnX4DU/s1600/1+Itimad+Ud+Daula.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L8wopiUzKpo/Uv1PXZxtjyI/AAAAAAAAC6w/rVhk8lnX4DU/s1600/1+Itimad+Ud+Daula.JPG" height="466" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The exquisite Tomb of Itimad Ud Daula at dawn. Agra</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fSnNTx6c2Hk/Uv1PnPnRAtI/AAAAAAAAC64/42AAycw0aII/s1600/Chini+Ka+Rauza.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fSnNTx6c2Hk/Uv1PnPnRAtI/AAAAAAAAC64/42AAycw0aII/s1600/Chini+Ka+Rauza.JPG" height="640" width="470" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Tile decorations on the side of one of Agra's most unusual buildings, the Chini Ka Rauza. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nVPYCucaKx0/Uv1PyP2ETfI/AAAAAAAAC7A/KLlG8wHuViQ/s1600/Old+Agra+Courtyard.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nVPYCucaKx0/Uv1PyP2ETfI/AAAAAAAAC7A/KLlG8wHuViQ/s1600/Old+Agra+Courtyard.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A courtyard in the rarely visited (by outsiders) old city of Agra. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IE47jUyzLVo/Uv1TRd2e47I/AAAAAAAAC8U/CeLO9HMmjZE/s1600/1+Old+agra+Durga.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IE47jUyzLVo/Uv1TRd2e47I/AAAAAAAAC8U/CeLO9HMmjZE/s1600/1+Old+agra+Durga.JPG" height="640" width="526" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Durga parade float. In the old city, you see things like this around every corner. Agra</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Rizm4jX-7Zk/UpltbsfRMII/AAAAAAAACv4/9rQWLsYoLIw/s1600/3+Qutb+Minar+Dawn.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Rizm4jX-7Zk/UpltbsfRMII/AAAAAAAACv4/9rQWLsYoLIw/s1600/3+Qutb+Minar+Dawn.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Qutb Minar at dawn. The Qutb Minar was built as a monument to the triumph of the first Islamic conquerors of Delhi. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rOsmmG-R3PQ/Uv1QCi2flhI/AAAAAAAAC7I/IDwsRSOAiqg/s1600/Erin+Potter+Qutb+Nich.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rOsmmG-R3PQ/Uv1QCi2flhI/AAAAAAAAC7I/IDwsRSOAiqg/s1600/Erin+Potter+Qutb+Nich.jpg" height="640" width="444" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
In a prayer niche which is part of a 13th century mosque. This is next to the world famous Qutb Minar. Delhi</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JUH-h1fI6XE/Uv1QQemtf0I/AAAAAAAAC7Q/WB9gac8duXo/s1600/1+Feroz+Shah+Kotla.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JUH-h1fI6XE/Uv1QQemtf0I/AAAAAAAAC7Q/WB9gac8duXo/s1600/1+Feroz+Shah+Kotla.JPG" height="640" width="540" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Inside the haunted corridors of Feroz Shah Kotla, the abode of disembodied spirits called Djinns. Every Thursday thousands of people come here to ask favors of them. Delhi</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><u>Part 2: Meghalaya</u></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ijbk0_U-1Qg/Uv1RX99LORI/AAAAAAAAC7c/DsonAzTlbs0/s1600/1+Nongthymmai+Living+Root+Bridge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ijbk0_U-1Qg/Uv1RX99LORI/AAAAAAAAC7c/DsonAzTlbs0/s1600/1+Nongthymmai+Living+Root+Bridge.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Nongthymmai bridge, the longest known living root bridge, late in the monsoon season of 2012. This is 45 minutes from our guesthouse in the village of Nongriat.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LqNH68ggV6o/Uv1RhyaGK-I/AAAAAAAAC7k/DK5lIqLV5u0/s1600/5+A+break+in+the+clouds.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LqNH68ggV6o/Uv1RhyaGK-I/AAAAAAAAC7k/DK5lIqLV5u0/s1600/5+A+break+in+the+clouds.JPG" height="640" width="558" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Cliff face and seasonal waterfall through a break in the clouds. In the dry season, there is no waterfall there at all. This was taken near the town of Cherrapunji.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4LklEBnvBPE/Uv1Rxere2qI/AAAAAAAAC7s/PmFAHHosvU0/s1600/1+nohkalikai+falls.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4LklEBnvBPE/Uv1Rxere2qI/AAAAAAAAC7s/PmFAHHosvU0/s1600/1+nohkalikai+falls.JPG" height="510" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Nohkalikai Falls, near Cherrapunji, on a sunny day late in the monsoon season of 2012. The size of the waterfall increases dramatically after a major rain. This was taken from a small overlook several kilometers outside of Cherrapunji.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DPykgen9m5M/Uv1SDmIUbhI/AAAAAAAAC70/VSXyxjaUNrI/s1600/1+Tree,+Cliffs,+and+waterfalls.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DPykgen9m5M/Uv1SDmIUbhI/AAAAAAAAC70/VSXyxjaUNrI/s1600/1+Tree,+Cliffs,+and+waterfalls.JPG" height="560" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Cliff face and numerous small waterfalls, from the trail that leads down to our guest house in the village of Nongriat.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Tylw7y3Rp1k/Uv1SQji9TdI/AAAAAAAAC78/ZvPDGvohkA8/s1600/2+Tyrna+footpath.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Tylw7y3Rp1k/Uv1SQji9TdI/AAAAAAAAC78/ZvPDGvohkA8/s1600/2+Tyrna+footpath.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The monsoon season is exceedingly green. Tyrna Village, which is where we start our hike to Nongriat.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-me9nwRoJj1I/Uv1StVVd6nI/AAAAAAAAC8E/Lg5Z3c65Aww/s1600/14+Wire+Bridge+Across+the+Umkynsan.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-me9nwRoJj1I/Uv1StVVd6nI/AAAAAAAAC8E/Lg5Z3c65Aww/s1600/14+Wire+Bridge+Across+the+Umkynsan.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A wire suspension bridge near Nongriat.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tXVs6obduAM/Uv1S4TfFrjI/AAAAAAAAC8M/LJ0RZ9PtvCk/s1600/2+Walking+Through+Nongriat.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tXVs6obduAM/Uv1S4TfFrjI/AAAAAAAAC8M/LJ0RZ9PtvCk/s1600/2+Walking+Through+Nongriat.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Nongriat village in the green.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M9ux1q1IlOU/Uv1Tm1M3-vI/AAAAAAAAC8c/7JL9HRLbVZQ/s1600/1+Umshiang+double+decker+root+bridge+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M9ux1q1IlOU/Uv1Tm1M3-vI/AAAAAAAAC8c/7JL9HRLbVZQ/s1600/1+Umshiang+double+decker+root+bridge+.JPG" height="402" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The world famous Double Decker living root bridge, which is literally a one minute walk from our guest house.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-owRObwcYdVM/Uv1T76XqwbI/AAAAAAAAC8k/4NT_FWhJtqQ/s1600/10+Nongriat+Guest+House+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-owRObwcYdVM/Uv1T76XqwbI/AAAAAAAAC8k/4NT_FWhJtqQ/s1600/10+Nongriat+Guest+House+.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Nongriat Guest house in the rain. It got a new paint job since this photo was taken. It's basic, but it's cozy enough, and you couldn't ask for a better location.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BT2GhMwfAwM/Uv1T76HhnNI/AAAAAAAAC8o/AZZXSH1lqho/s1600/11+Nongriat+guest+House+food.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BT2GhMwfAwM/Uv1T76HhnNI/AAAAAAAAC8o/AZZXSH1lqho/s1600/11+Nongriat+guest+House+food.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A typical tasty vegetarian dinner at the Nongriat Guest house....I was supposed to eat all that...</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uu7VRRdVdkY/Uv1UZunaFdI/AAAAAAAAC80/9PxeM5zaXfA/s1600/13+Large+Waterfall+Across+the+Umkynsan.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uu7VRRdVdkY/Uv1UZunaFdI/AAAAAAAAC80/9PxeM5zaXfA/s1600/13+Large+Waterfall+Across+the+Umkynsan.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A waterfall just upstream from the guesthouse. This waterfall doesn't exist in the dry season. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mYG17Atuq9s/Uv1Ue98DaqI/AAAAAAAAC88/y2uuXURmmr0/s1600/16+Hybrid+bridge,+root+bridge,+and+waterfall.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mYG17Atuq9s/Uv1Ue98DaqI/AAAAAAAAC88/y2uuXURmmr0/s1600/16+Hybrid+bridge,+root+bridge,+and+waterfall.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
One of the most spectacular spots in the area, about 20 minutes from the guest house. In front is a hybrid root-wire bridge. Behind that is a true living root bridge, and behind both of them is a waterfall which is no more than a tiny drip in the dry season. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-T8JDTjwG8BE/Uv1U5bu5cXI/AAAAAAAAC9E/pfYV08SyMS8/s1600/9+Simtung+River+Island+Flowers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-T8JDTjwG8BE/Uv1U5bu5cXI/AAAAAAAAC9E/pfYV08SyMS8/s1600/9+Simtung+River+Island+Flowers.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Monsoon flowers.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xX4Dbp2O0t8/Uv1U-SRiFkI/AAAAAAAAC9M/t0HOR-j03hs/s1600/11+Very+Mushroom+Log.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xX4Dbp2O0t8/Uv1U-SRiFkI/AAAAAAAAC9M/t0HOR-j03hs/s1600/11+Very+Mushroom+Log.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Ubiquitous monsoon mushrooms. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lIWr8WOQI_A/Uv1VXEtl_gI/AAAAAAAAC9U/XbXwKdtuanc/s1600/1+big+bridge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lIWr8WOQI_A/Uv1VXEtl_gI/AAAAAAAAC9U/XbXwKdtuanc/s1600/1+big+bridge.JPG" height="376" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Nongthymmai living root bridge. Picture by Glen (or Kurt?) Saunders. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--85tB5sth-A/Uv1Va65GkjI/AAAAAAAAC9c/BPQdzZKic-k/s1600/2+Mynteng+Bridge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--85tB5sth-A/Uv1Va65GkjI/AAAAAAAAC9c/BPQdzZKic-k/s1600/2+Mynteng+Bridge.JPG" height="416" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Erin Potter stands on a living root bridge near the village of Mynteng, about a 40 minute walk from Nongriat. I took this picture, though it was with Erin's camera. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6IrXlDn7hkc/Uv1VwBsa5uI/AAAAAAAAC9k/zwE8kN4i33Y/s1600/15+Glen+Saunders+Tyndrong+Bridge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6IrXlDn7hkc/Uv1VwBsa5uI/AAAAAAAAC9k/zwE8kN4i33Y/s1600/15+Glen+Saunders+Tyndrong+Bridge.JPG" height="500" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Glen Saunders stands mightily upon Tyndrong Bridge. As far as I know, I'm the first outsider who's reached this bridge in living memory (Glen is the second). The hike to this spot (about three hours one way) is one of the best in the area.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QC8L89mlA0I/Uv1WGk9lFKI/AAAAAAAAC9s/zt0Z5H1HhhE/s1600/Kids+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QC8L89mlA0I/Uv1WGk9lFKI/AAAAAAAAC9s/zt0Z5H1HhhE/s1600/Kids+1.JPG" height="640" width="454" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Espied by small Khasi children. Photo by Erin Potter.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w_p8kPRTktM/Uv1WHpMe0LI/AAAAAAAAC90/5aMSE9K2kgM/s1600/kids+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-w_p8kPRTktM/Uv1WHpMe0LI/AAAAAAAAC90/5aMSE9K2kgM/s1600/kids+2.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
More Khasi children...they're everywhere in those jungles.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_56xJX7-xkg/Uv1Waa7KafI/AAAAAAAAC98/gCPmMWgw-nk/s1600/4+Nongriat+Pineapple+in+Yard+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_56xJX7-xkg/Uv1Waa7KafI/AAAAAAAAC98/gCPmMWgw-nk/s1600/4+Nongriat+Pineapple+in+Yard+.JPG" height="640" width="436" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
.....And a big pineapple!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So, if any of that looked interesting, get in touch with me at anselmrogers4@gmail.com, and we'll go there!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Patrick A. Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05731722419862161376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049395502639291836.post-40771909072859734762014-01-26T23:42:00.000-08:002014-02-13T08:09:24.154-08:00An Unknown Living Root Bridge<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GtgOpjdVeGI/UuBLRi5HM5I/AAAAAAAAC2c/-aBJuBDeFtI/s1600/1+Tyndrong+Bridge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GtgOpjdVeGI/UuBLRi5HM5I/AAAAAAAAC2c/-aBJuBDeFtI/s1600/1+Tyndrong+Bridge.JPG" height="640" width="424" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Tyndrong Bridge </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
[Note: All of the spellings of Khasi villages below are merely my idea of how they should be spelled...I don't pretend to have a system, and many of these names I've never seen in writing. I have encountered the spelling "Tynrong" for "Tyndrong" a few times, and that does seem to be the more common version. However, I think for practical purposes, "Tyndrong" is a more useful English rendering of the word, as whenever I've heard it pronounced it definitely contains a rolled "D" sound between the "N" and "R" sounds, and if you were asking directions from some random Khasi in the middle of the jungle, I think you would be more likely to be understood with "Tyndrong" than "Tynrong."] </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A few months back, I decided to go exploring in the rugged jungle canyonlands west of the Khasi village of Nongriat, in a part of the northeast Indian state of Meghalaya which has seen almost nothing in the way of tourism. While on this expedition I discovered, quite accidentally, a living root bridge which I am now reasonably certain was previously unknown to the outside world. It runs across a stream just below the village of Tyndrong, which is about three hours of moderately difficult hiking from the world famous Double Decker living root bridge of Nongriat. Living root bridges are exceptional given that they are among the only forms of architecture that are grown rather than built. Given that there are less than twenty known examples in the world (which are all in the East Khasi Hills of Meghalaya, except for one in Indonesia), finding a new one is no small thing. However, I think that what stumbling upon a new living root bridge primarily indicates is that there are probably many more out there which are unknown to the outside world. There would seem to be a great deal more exploring to be done in the canyonlands of Meghalaya. Of course, saying that the bridge was "undiscovered" would not be true. Locals use it everyday, and presumably have for the past few hundred years. But what is notable is that no word of Tyndrong Bridge had reached people just a few </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
villages over. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I've visited Tyndrong Bridge twice now, the second time with my friend Glen Saunders, who came with me on an expedition I led to Northeast India that came to an end just a few days ago. As far as I know, he and I are the only non Khasis ever to have clapped eyes on the bridge, at least in living memory...and I may be wrong about that, though if any other non-Khasis have seen it, they've not done anything to make the outside world aware of its existence. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Getting to Tyndrong from the village of Nongriat is not difficult, though the information I had regarding the route was largely incorrect after a certain point. The first time I went I took a number of wrong turns, and went looking for the village in the wrong part of the canyon. As far as I can tell, though they're only separated by a few miles and three hours of moderate hiking, the villages of Tyndrong and Nongriat are worlds apart. The clans that founded Nongriat and most of the villages nearby originally came from a settlement upstream of Tyndrong called Thieding, and ensconced themselves in the valley below Nohkailikai Falls several hundred years ago, having been evicted from their homeland after losing a war with another Khasi village called Mauphu. The Thieding clans were then incorporated into the kingdom of the ruler of Sohra. But Tyndrong appears to have had rather a different history: I think it was part of the kingdom of the rulers of Shella (though I'm not sure). They speak a slightly different dialect of the Khasi language, and are rather further removed from the rest of the world. Though Nongriat is physically remote, being only accessible via ninety minutes of hiking over stairs, the world is coming to it, with ever more Israelis, Australians, Brits, Japanese, etc. arriving each year. But Tyndrong remains, for the moment, beyond tourism.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Tyndrong would be worth going to even if there weren't a living root bridge there. The hike is through jungles thicker and greener than those around Nongriat, and along the way is one of the most scenic, and also unexpected, swimming holes within walking distance of Nongriat. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The walk starts behind the Catholic church in Nongriat, where a path leads south for about 20-30 minutes to another village called Mynteng. At Mynteng, take any of a number of right turns. Ultimately, you'll wind up on a path through the jungle to the west of Mynteng, with a stream to your left. After only a few minutes, you'll come to a very new looking wire suspension bridge.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G7Fnmlkziso/UuBLbR9ToFI/AAAAAAAAC3w/KzubG95ZHak/s1600/2+New+Bridge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-G7Fnmlkziso/UuBLbR9ToFI/AAAAAAAAC3w/KzubG95ZHak/s1600/2+New+Bridge.JPG" height="640" width="424" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Very New Wire Suspension Bridge of Mynteng. This was built only in the past few months. There used to be a living root bridge across this stream, but it got washed out in a flash flood ten or fifteen years ago. You can still see a small part of the ruined root bridge, upstream of the new bridge. The wire bridge wasn't there the first time I hiked to Tyndrong in late October of 2013...everywhere in Meghalaya, things are changing fast.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
After the bridge, you come to a steep uphill section. It doesn't last very long, though it's one of the very toughest stretches of trail around Nongriat, and that's really saying something. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The worst part is over when you come to a small clearing. Beyond this is more stairs leading uphill, though the incline is not as steep. These stairs lead to a small village called Ramdait, with maybe twenty houses. From here, you want to take the trail heading left, or west. Just ask any villager for Tyndrong, and they'll point you the way. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The stretch of trail immediately west of Ramdait is the highest part of the hike. From here on, the whole way to Tyndrong is downhill, and if you find yourself heading up, you're going the wrong way. There are a number of expansive views along this section, along with two smallish streams. A minute upstream from where the path crosses the second watercourse there is an extremely beautiful waterfall and swimming hole, which is worth visiting. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NDVQVPOBQVU/UuBLeA-DFaI/AAAAAAAAC4I/rntw3LOvuC4/s1600/3+Ramdait+Falls.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NDVQVPOBQVU/UuBLeA-DFaI/AAAAAAAAC4I/rntw3LOvuC4/s1600/3+Ramdait+Falls.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Ramdait Falls and swimming pool. The cascade is about 75 feet high, and the pool, in late October, was maybe fifteen feet deep in the middle. I doubt that many tourists have been here, though it's one of the prettiest swimming holes in the area, and the only one I know of that's on the side of a cliff rather than down below in one of the main rivers. The pool is almost perfectly circular, the water emptying out of it on the south side and flowing in a narrow watercourse for only a few hundred feet before spilling over the lip of yet another precipice. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Beyond Ramdait Falls, the trail begins to descend, and soon comes to a T intersection with a steep stairway. If you go uphill, the stairs will take you, after an agonising 1500 foot deathmarch, to a village with a roadhead called Mausahew. However, the way to Tyndrong is downhill, to the left.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QMRBAq70o9c/UuBLe4sV0vI/AAAAAAAAC4c/tDGx5LRIPl8/s1600/4.5+slingshot+Khasi+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QMRBAq70o9c/UuBLe4sV0vI/AAAAAAAAC4c/tDGx5LRIPl8/s1600/4.5+slingshot+Khasi+.JPG" height="640" width="422" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A rugged Khasi chap on his way to Mausahew, at the intersection. Glen Saunders and I encountered this fellow as we were walking back to Nongriat, having visited the Tyndrong Bridge as part of a long day hike...yes, he posed for that picture, though he was walking along behind us for a while, shooting things with his slingshot. As nearly as I can tell, all Khasi boys learn to use slingshots at a very young age, much to the detriment of the local bird and ground squirrel populations. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
After the intersection, one heads down a series of steps that get gradually less steep. The jungle here is thicker and greener than around Nongriat, and the soil becomes red in color. There are vastly more ferns. I get the impression that the area gets more rain than Nongriat, perhaps because it's on a south facing slope, directly in the path of the moisture coming up from the Bay of Bengal, while Nongriat faces east. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In some time, you'll come to a sort of square stone enclosure, situated at the point where the path splits into three branches, one straight ahead, due south, one to the right, down from the enclosure, and one off to the left. When I first came to this point, I was forced to guess which way to go. There was nobody around (I had'nt seen anybody for hours), so I decided to go in the general direction I had thought Tyndrong was. The path at this point leads along the crest of a ridge that runs across the top of a rugged peninsula. This is formed by the stream at the bottom of the canyon Nongriat is in flowing into the much larger river of the next canyon over. I had been told that Tyndrong was at the southern edge of this peninsula, so I went straight....which was wrong. I was now walking away from where I meant to be going. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L48LW5kSnX8/UuBLelDpkKI/AAAAAAAAC4Y/RvaJOmmOJdI/s1600/4+Khasi+Way+Station.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L48LW5kSnX8/UuBLelDpkKI/AAAAAAAAC4Y/RvaJOmmOJdI/s1600/4+Khasi+Way+Station.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The stone enclosure. It seems to be quite old, and looks like it might have been meant as a camp...if you ever come this way, make sure you turn right here, that is, if you mean to get to Tyndrong. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I wandered for quite some distance through thick, lonely, and very unfamiliar jungle. I had plenty of food and water with me, and a huge pack, but it was late in the day and I was considering making an about face, and perhaps beating an ignominious retreat to Nongriat, when I met a random fellow out working in the jungle. Needless to say, I'm pretty sure a Delawarean coming down the trail at him was the last thing he expected. We had a long conversation, in broken bits of four different languages (English, Hindi, Khasi, and a bit of Assamese, largely from his side), and after much effort he pointed me in the right direction. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x8GtcTwRjeg/UuBLf_Z9FbI/AAAAAAAAC4o/hp7KXl5ovgA/s1600/5+Khasi+Good+Samaritan.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x8GtcTwRjeg/UuBLf_Z9FbI/AAAAAAAAC4o/hp7KXl5ovgA/s1600/5+Khasi+Good+Samaritan.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A good Samaritan</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
When I came back with Glen Saunders, I didn't repeat my mistake. After the enclosure, it's perhaps a twenty minute walk to edge of Tyndrong. All you have to do at that point is stay on the most prominent trail. One path leads to the right, and then one comes in from the left, but you keep straight, and soon you'll reach the top of the village.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The first time I came to Tyndrong, I approached it from rather an odd direction. I wound up wandering into the village from behind its large Presbyterian Church, hearing it long before actually stumbling into it. While still enveloped in the jungle, without a clear impression of where I was going, I began to pick out the sound of children playing loudly, accompanied by mid to late 90's dance or techno (if there is a distinction) music (there is no escaping it, even in remotest Meghalaya). This last time, when Glen and I walked to Tyndrong as a day hike, there was again trashy Euro pop playing somewhere, perhaps even from the same house. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7CAK9lDhSZU/UuBLg-Y__4I/AAAAAAAAC4w/wqM82cWEzb0/s1600/6+Tyndrong+Presbyterian+Church.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7CAK9lDhSZU/UuBLg-Y__4I/AAAAAAAAC4w/wqM82cWEzb0/s1600/6+Tyndrong+Presbyterian+Church.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Presbyterian Church in Tyndrong. My first view of the village. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Tyndrong lies on a long narrow slope, with valleys on either side, which runs down towards a river which is still some distance below. I had been told that the river was only around twenty minutes walking from the village, and on first arriving in Tyndrong I still didn't think I had reached the my intended destination because the bottom of valley still seemed to be somewhere between 1000-1500 feet below me...however, again, my information was incorrect. Tyndrong is actually rather higher in elevation than Nongriat, and getting to the river from the village, though not an especially difficult hike, still takes a little while. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cYS4Il81bII/UuBLiJ8W5CI/AAAAAAAAC5A/t2vktfHfvpg/s1600/8+Tyndrong+Catholic+church.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cYS4Il81bII/UuBLiJ8W5CI/AAAAAAAAC5A/t2vktfHfvpg/s1600/8+Tyndrong+Catholic+church.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Catholic Church in Tyndrong, and a dog. As far as I know, Tyndrong is divided between the Presbyterians and Catholics, with Catholics (I think) forming the minority. It was actually from a Keralite Catholic priest who was conducting a mass in Nongriat that I first heard about the village back in 2012. I think it's a fairly safe assumption that most of the outsiders who have reached Tyndrong have gone there on business associated with the Church. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v3RnYCpqb2Y/UuBLiUdHSwI/AAAAAAAAC5E/3plEze2m5BM/s1600/9+Pool+below+Tyndrong.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v3RnYCpqb2Y/UuBLiUdHSwI/AAAAAAAAC5E/3plEze2m5BM/s1600/9+Pool+below+Tyndrong.JPG" height="640" width="582" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A large pool about 45 minutes below Tyndrong. This is part of the river that drains what I call, for lack of any other name that I know of, "The Great Western Canyon." The huge gorge that Nongriat is at the bottom of is only a side canyon to this much larger chasm. I would spend the next several days exploring this canyon, which is, as far as I can tell, virtually untouched by tourism. The pools in the river here are much larger and deeper than those near Nongriat, and they're full of big fish. The water in them isn't quite as clear as in those around Nongriat, probably because this river drains a much bigger area. Not far downstream from this point the river apparently becomes navigable by inflatable rafts, and it's possible to float to Bangladesh. Two of the very few other tourists to come to Tyndrong walked through the village in order to the gain access to the river and float to the next country. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The first order of business when I arrived in Tyndrong was to find a place to stay for the night. It of course was not hard to find someone to talk to: Wherever I went I immediately became the center of attention, and pretty soon I had virtually the entire village was wondering what the hell I was doing there. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
While I was totally dependant on the hospitality of the villagers, I didn't want to impose. Trying to find some place to sleep, I spent a little while trying to locate either Tyndrong's headman or the local school teacher, perplexing numerous villagers along the way. Finally I asked a random, rather concerned looking man if it was possible for me to stay in the Presbyterian Church for the night. He didn't know English, though he did know a little of what he called "Bazaar Hindi," and that was enough for us to get by. He decided then and there, for reasons that I didn't quite understand, that I was his responsibility, though at first he didn't seem quite happy about it. He told me that there was no hotel in the village, and that the people of Tyndrong were poor, and wouldn't be able to provide me with much in the way of food. He seemed to assume, because I was from elsewhere, that I would be picky and unsatisfied with his hospitality. But he still offered to let me stay at his house.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The man had something like seven children, including a baby who was less than a year old. His home was badly eaten by termites, and resembled, except for the corrugated metal roof, what many northeast Indian houses made of wood must have looked like before the widespread introduction of concrete. I spent much of the remainder of the day sitting in the the man's home being gawked at by small khasis. Soon, not only had the man's entire family come back to the living room, but many of their friends, and a large portion of the little kids of the village, were crowding into the house. At one point there must have been at least 25, plus several adults.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I did my best to talk with my host, who seemed to warm up to the idea of my being there after a cup of tea. His Bazaar Hindi was rather a different commodity than my smattering of Formal-to-the-Point-of-Being- Risible Hindi, but we made it work as well as it needed to. After a while, one woman, who worked at the village school, came in, and she spoke a certain amount of English, though I think she had quite a bit of trouble with my accent. One of her first questions was whether I was from Guwahati or Calcutta. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
By this point, I still wasn't sure how far away the river at the bottom of the canyon was. I also was pretty dirty after having spent the whole day hiking with a giant trekking bag on my back, so I thought I would try to get in a swim. I tried asking my host the way to the river, but he decided that he would lead me there personally, though he didn't understand that I meant the main river at the bottom of the canyon....and that misunderstanding is in fact the only reason I blundered into Tyndrong Bridge at all.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OT5FHS4kAHE/UuBLhR3-M7I/AAAAAAAAC44/ck7RfXS-c54/s1600/7+Tyndrong+house.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OT5FHS4kAHE/UuBLhR3-M7I/AAAAAAAAC44/ck7RfXS-c54/s1600/7+Tyndrong+house.JPG" height="412" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The house I stayed in. I took this picture on my second visit, when me and Glen Saunders came back to Tyndrong to get more pictures of the living root bridge, the few pictures I managed to take on my first expedition having not turned out very well (they were too dark, and there was no sense of scale on the bridge). Those kids in the doorway are two of my host's children, though he, like most of the men in the village, was out working in the jungle at the time. I did say "hi" to his wife though. That bag at the right hand side of the picture is full of Indian Bay Leaves, which seem to be the area's main crop during the middle of the winter. They're used in flavoring, though they also burn really nicely....me and my companions on my most recent trip to Meghalaya profitably spent a large portion of our time in Nongriat burning bay leaves, their highly flammable properties having been demonstrated to us by a mysterious intoxicated old Khasi fellow who shared our campfire for all of three minutes.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My host now started to lead me to a place where I could get a swim in. We started just behind his house, and then took a trail that led straight down from the village, into a narrow valley with a little rushing stream at the bottom. </div>
<div class="separator" dir="rtl" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-99y4BXMCRUk/UuBLQz08IBI/AAAAAAAAC2k/XrTrRpajJFo/s1600/10+Tyndrong+interesting+tree.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-99y4BXMCRUk/UuBLQz08IBI/AAAAAAAAC2k/XrTrRpajJFo/s1600/10+Tyndrong+interesting+tree.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I just really like this tree...on the way down to Tyndrong Bridge.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It didn't take long to reach the stream. I immediately saw that the path we were on led across the watercourse by way of some sort of bridge. But when I first saw Tyndrong Bridge, I wasn't immediately sure that it was made from roots that had been trained across the stream from the opposite bank. From some angles, the bridge looks like it's just made of wood and bamboo poles. Also, I had been specifically told that there were no living root bridges beyond Mynteng. But, as I got closer, I saw that the bridge did indeed consist of several large roots that had unmistakably been trained across the watercourse. The actual flooring of the bridge was made of bamboo, and there was only a railing on one side. The bridge appeared to have been damaged at some time, perhaps by a flash flood that had removed one side of it, or perhaps there had been some accident when the thing was initially being grown, and the other support never fully came into its own.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oxMSw2VruBg/UuBLRvluJoI/AAAAAAAAC2s/IbFypAMkLsQ/s1600/11+Tyndrong+Bridge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oxMSw2VruBg/UuBLRvluJoI/AAAAAAAAC2s/IbFypAMkLsQ/s1600/11+Tyndrong+Bridge.JPG" height="468" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Me crossing Tyndrong Bridge. Photo by Glen Saunders (with a camera owned by Erin Potter). Though the bridge is missing a large part, it's still significantly more sturdy than most of the bridges near Nongriat. The rather odd root on the right side of the picture may once have been part of the missing support.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PAPBZR4Ambk/UuBLUo-uQBI/AAAAAAAAC28/a-Xsf2MzKEg/s1600/12+Tyndrong+Bridge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PAPBZR4Ambk/UuBLUo-uQBI/AAAAAAAAC28/a-Xsf2MzKEg/s1600/12+Tyndrong+Bridge.JPG" height="640" width="424" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The view from the opposite side. Photo by Glen Saunders. From this angle, the bamboo poles rather decrease the aesthetic appeal of the bridge, but, then again, if they weren't there it would be much harder to walk on. Unlike most of the other living root bridges I've seen, this one has yet to become a tourist attraction. Next to the living root bridge is a small wire suspension bridge, which I think was an attempt to phase the living root bridge out. But the wire bridge is now ruined, and the living root bridge is once again the main way across the stream. The railing on the right side of this picture has a bunch of gashes in it, some of them quite deep, where people have been hitting it with machetes. When my host led me here the first time, he barely even looked towards the bridge, and seemed to find my interest in it somewhat strange. I think that for him a living root bridge is a totally commonplace object.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JSQcDIQdKiw/UuBLVG41CMI/AAAAAAAAC3A/qm9dnWIWDgU/s1600/13+Tyndrong+bridge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JSQcDIQdKiw/UuBLVG41CMI/AAAAAAAAC3A/qm9dnWIWDgU/s1600/13+Tyndrong+bridge.JPG" height="640" width="424" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A view looking up at the tree whose roots were harnessed to form the bridge. Most of the rubber trees that are used in the construction of living root bridges have multiple trunks, and vastly more branches. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X-udy3A8AIA/UuBLVNm8TpI/AAAAAAAAC3E/DiqpNVR5hRI/s1600/14+Glen+Saunders.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-X-udy3A8AIA/UuBLVNm8TpI/AAAAAAAAC3E/DiqpNVR5hRI/s1600/14+Glen+Saunders.JPG" height="640" width="424" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Glen Saunders stands mightily upon the span. I don't think that Tyndrong bridge is by any means the most beautiful of living root bridges, but it is one of the more unusual. Judging by the thickness of the roots, it's safe to assume that the bridge is well over 150 years, and may be as old as 250. I wasn't equipped to do any precise measurements, but the two larger roots that make up the side railings are in the vicinity of two feet thick, which means they've been there growing thicker for quite some time. The bridge may not be the oldest (known) living root bridges, but it's certainly one of the older ones....it was probably laying across that stream when Abraham Lincoln was president, when the Tai-ping's were rampaging across southern China and the later Mughals were still tottering on in Delhi. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fR5mndsvxGY/UuBLX5qWPzI/AAAAAAAAC3U/JXXuE3izmp4/s1600/15+Glen+Saunders+Tyndrong+Bridge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fR5mndsvxGY/UuBLX5qWPzI/AAAAAAAAC3U/JXXuE3izmp4/s1600/15+Glen+Saunders+Tyndrong+Bridge.JPG" height="501" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Glen, facing the other way now. Perhaps even more unusual than it's age is the fact that Tyndrong Bridge seems to have been designed differently from any of the other living root bridges that I've clapped eyes on (which is most of them by this point). To begin with, on the side which is still intact, it has two large supports, as opposed to what one usually sees which is a single railing. Assuming that the missing side of the bridge was the same as the surviving one, Tyndrong Bridge may have had five primary roots instead of the usual three. Also, on Tyndrong Bridge there are practically none of the smaller intertwined roots which on most living bridges make up a large part of the structure and take a major portion of the stresses that the bridges need to handle. In virtually all other root bridges the secondary roots are a vital part of the overall design, but here they're almost entirely absent. It's interesting to speculate how one would have walked across the bridge when the other side wasn't damaged: Without the secondary roots, it would be harder to make a floor for the bridge. Though the bamboo poles that are there now look a little ad-hoc, the bridge may have always had an artificial walkway. But what can definitely be said about the design of Tyndrong Bridge is that it is abnormal for its simplicity. What exactly this means I'm not sure. Perhaps it is actually older than all the other known living root bridges, and represents an earlier, more primitive way of making them. Or, maybe the people of Tyndrong all those generations ago saw other living root bridges and then decided to make their own, and the difference in design is a cultural matter. Or, maybe, the tree itself is just a slightly different variety of Rubber Tree. Or, maybe, for some reason, it was just easier to do it this way in this case....or, hell, maybe it was aliens. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RcAOB7nLLCQ/UuBLYW7NxQI/AAAAAAAAC3c/HYf1s-W72qA/s1600/16+Khasi+ladies+on+Tyndrong+bridge.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RcAOB7nLLCQ/UuBLYW7NxQI/AAAAAAAAC3c/HYf1s-W72qA/s1600/16+Khasi+ladies+on+Tyndrong+bridge.JPG" height="460" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Some local ladies having just crossed the bridge. On the second expedition, when Glen and I went there. It's still in use, though where this path leads, other than north along the eastern wall of the Great Western Canyon, is unknown to me. I walked along this path for a few minutes one morning, and though I didn't see any more living root bridges, the jungle there was darker and greener than anything on the other side of Tyndrong. If indeed there are lots of other living root bridges in the Khasi Hills waiting to be revealed to the outside world, this path would be a good place to start looking. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
When I first came to bridge, I didn't stay very long. My host immediately started leading me upstream in search of a suitably deep swimming hole. There was no path, only boulders with water running under them and greyish rock walls close on either side. The only way up was to climb. Suddenly, as the fact that I seemed to have discovered a living root bridge unknown to the outside world slowly sunk in, I found myself climbing precariously from hand hold to hand hold up slippery boulders into a jungle canyon that in all likelihood no other outsider had ever laid eyes on (now <i>that's </i>a sentence). As it was the end of October, the rainy season was long gone, and the Khasi Hills were drying out. Finding a pool deep enough to swim in required risking life and limb...at least for me. My host appeared unbothered by the dangers of the place. In fact, he led me up into the canyon barefoot. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8NkO2kbtBSU/UuBLYKWs3aI/AAAAAAAAC3g/2NwA-wDMviU/s1600/17+Jungle+man.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8NkO2kbtBSU/UuBLYKWs3aI/AAAAAAAAC3g/2NwA-wDMviU/s1600/17+Jungle+man.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
My host in Tyndrong...A jungle man indeed. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b9VDW5jAg3U/UuBLZiHunaI/AAAAAAAAC3o/pEzznvvWvxc/s1600/18+Jungle+man+and+waterfall.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b9VDW5jAg3U/UuBLZiHunaI/AAAAAAAAC3o/pEzznvvWvxc/s1600/18+Jungle+man+and+waterfall.JPG" height="640" width="512" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A waterfall in the stream above Tyndrong Bridge. Though my host didn't seem to find much interesting in the living root bridge, he went through fairly great pains to show me this waterfall, which is certainly worth seeking out. He seemed to really enjoy the spot...as I recall, we rested here for a little while and had a longish conversation about the relative merits of Nongriat and Tyndrong in Bazaar Hindi. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We did ultimately find a suitable swimming hole, and I did get a little bit cleaner. However, there was another trial right next to it, and as it turned out our life and death adventure up the watercourse wasn't really necessary...though we did see the big waterfall pictured above, so I suppose I shouldn't complain.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
After that, we went back to his house for dinner. There really wasn't much for me to do in Tyndrong after dark but sit around on the floor and have awkward exchanges...you could do worse.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m3U96vTRfTo/UuBLZ48GSwI/AAAAAAAAC3s/vYS-KOlCXm4/s1600/19+Khasi+kids.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m3U96vTRfTo/UuBLZ48GSwI/AAAAAAAAC3s/vYS-KOlCXm4/s1600/19+Khasi+kids.JPG" height="640" width="626" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
My host's baby reminded me of my niece. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vc3R_dwt_WI/UuBLbXb-7YI/AAAAAAAAC4A/Bxxhk8QN9pk/s1600/20+Khasi+Grandma.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vc3R_dwt_WI/UuBLbXb-7YI/AAAAAAAAC4A/Bxxhk8QN9pk/s1600/20+Khasi+Grandma.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
My hosts mother (I think, but I'm not sure...which is embarrassing...maybe his mother in-law).</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
We had what constitutes a typical poor Khasi's normal meal: a plate of white rice with a little bit of salt and a small cube of pork fat. My host had a little bit of whiskey and afterwards got rather more talkative, though, honestly, now that he wasn't carefully picking his words I had no idea what the hell he was saying for about 70% of the time. Still, he seemed to be enjoying himself. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Over the course of the following days I went on from Tyndrong and explored far into the Great Western Canyon, though I think that in the end I did little more than scratch the surface of the place. My experience just in Tyndrong showed me that, though the world is coming to Cherrapunjee and Nongriat, the larger part of the Khasi Hills are virtually unexplored by outsiders, and yet these untouristed regions are as beautiful, if not more so, than those which are receiving most of the attention these days. Given that there are parts of Northeast India vastly more remote than the Khasi Hills, I think it's safe to say that most of what's worth seeing in that region remains unknown. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I suspect that in the canyons of Meghalaya there are many more living root bridges than the world knows about.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z60wFZxzy9g/UuBLb5q3qcI/AAAAAAAAC4E/nW0iE8-3tuk/s1600/21+Jungle+Man+and+baby.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z60wFZxzy9g/UuBLb5q3qcI/AAAAAAAAC4E/nW0iE8-3tuk/s1600/21+Jungle+Man+and+baby.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
My host and the newest member of his family. By this point, he was smiling all the time and looking a little less severe, though his camera face remained rather on the serious side. I was hoping that I was going to be able to say hi the second time I visited Tyndrong, but he was out, and Glen and I needed to get back to Nongriat before the sun went down. Still, I owe this man quite a bit for showing me the way to Tyndrong Bridge, even if that hadn't been where he was trying to lead me. If anyone reading this ever makes it to Tyndrong, make sure to look him up.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
DIRECTIONS TO TYNDRONG BRIDGE FROM NONGRIAT:</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Starting in Nongriat, walk to Mynting-Ramdait-Tyndrong. At Tyndrong, find the large Presbyterian Church. In back of this is a large concrete water tank with a tap. Across from the tank is a blue house, badly damaged by termites. Walk behind the house. There you'll acquire a narrow path leading downhill. Keep taking the paths downhill until you come to the stream and Tyndrong Bridge. The waterfall pictured above is a little way upstream and requires a certain amount of scrambling.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br /></div>
Patrick A. Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05731722419862161376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049395502639291836.post-74354806517059107542013-12-19T04:42:00.000-08:002013-12-28T15:23:12.359-08:00Mehrauli: Qutb Minar Complex<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4iVVC0MLsIk/UpltcWTkfTI/AAAAAAAACv0/PJXJ_1-IJa0/s1600/1+Qutb+Minar+Mosque+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4iVVC0MLsIk/UpltcWTkfTI/AAAAAAAACv0/PJXJ_1-IJa0/s640/1+Qutb+Minar+Mosque+.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A highly decorated prayer niche. Part of the large mosque next to the Qutb Minar in Mehrauli. This part of the complex dates from the early 13th century, and was constructed by Iltutmish, the second ruler of the Mamluk, or Slave, dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate. This panel displays a variety of different decorative motifs, including two varieties of Arabic calligraphy. The carvings on the row furthest to the right are in an early Arabic script called <i>Kufic</i>, which seems to have developed in the fourth century, well before the advent of Islam. The earliest surviving Korans were written in the Kufic script, and the system of writing was used by a number of groups of central Asian Muslims who were culturally similar to the Mamluks. The carvings on the next row over are fairly stylized representations of leaves and vines, while the third row consists of more Arabic carvings, in this instance in the much later <i>Nashki </i>script. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My blog posts on Delhi have largely focused on the more obscure, or at least less touristy, places in that vast city. Yet, sometimes, it's good to go back and visit the classic sites. I've already done a blog post on the Mehrauli Archaeological Park, and at some point I'm going to do a post on the interesting things to see in Mehrauli Village, which I visited a few months ago. That being the case, it seemed fitting that I should do a write up on what most people come to see when they travel to Mehrauli, namely, the Qutb Minar and the complex of early Sultanate buildings around it. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The Qutb Minar is hardly off the beaten path. In fact, by some estimates, it's India's most visited tourist attraction, beating out even the Taj Mahal (probably due to the Qutb's very close proximity to an international airport). Despite this, the Qutb Minar isn't particularly well known outside of India. The first time I can remember seeing it was in an old obscure Bollywood movie from the seventies (it had something to do with a poor kid struggling on the streets....as I recall, it wasn't very good). While the Taj is for many people the very symbol of India, the Qutb Minar is, at best, and big weird tower in Delhi. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Yet, in some ways, the Qutb Minar would perhaps make a better symbol for India than the Taj. Work on the minaret began in the 1190s, just after the city's conquest by Muhammad Ghori, whose general and governor for the region, a Turk by the name Qutbuddin Aibak, would go on to found the first great Islamic kingdom based in Delhi, that of the Mamluks. The Qutb Minar therefore comes from the very earliest period of Islamic building in India, a time when many of the features we associate with classic Indian Islamic architecture had yet to develop, and the builders had to rely to a very large extent on Hindu artisans. This resulted in numerous Hindu motifs being incorporated into the Islamic buildings, creating a genuine synthesis of Islamic and Indian artistic sensibilities. Though the Taj is arguably the more beautiful building, it is also more "foreign" to India, as it represents a much more fully developed stage Indo-Islamic architecture, where the indigenous elements, though still present, are more thoroughly masked, while some of its most striking features, such as its p<i>ietra dura </i>inlaid stonework, are purely foreign innovations. However the Qutb Minar, though it is a monument to a non-Indian religion, is nonetheless a building constructed with the skills available to the Indian builders of the period. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fOVA6xwP5gI/Upltax6kaqI/AAAAAAAACvw/_BmbkAxmpOs/s1600/2+Qutb+Minar+Framed+by+Smith%2527s+Folly.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fOVA6xwP5gI/Upltax6kaqI/AAAAAAAACvw/_BmbkAxmpOs/s640/2+Qutb+Minar+Framed+by+Smith%2527s+Folly.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A view of the Qutb Minar at dawn, from Smith's Folly. The two buildings next to it are the Alai Darwaza, dating from the early 14th century, and the tomb of Imam Zamin. I visited the Qutb Minar first thing in the morning. This was right at the point in the day where the sun started to burn through the early morning fog/smog (fmog?) endemic to Delhi. Here you can clearly see each level of the structure. The first was constructed by Qutbbudin Aibak. Three more were added to that by his successor Illtutmish. Over time, the uppermost level was damaged, and then removed and replaced with two new levels by Firoz Shah Tughlaq in the latter half of the 14th century. Hence the variation in style between the first three levels and the last two. The three Mamluk levels are made of sandstone, while the two Tughlaq levels are composed of marble. Smith's Folly was an addition the British made to the Qutb Minar during a period of restoration in the early 19th century. It was originally a cupola that would go on top of the Minaret, but it was soon deemed to be stylistically out of place, so it was removed from the building and placed in that lawns nearby. Now it provides one of the best views of the Qutb Minar in the complex. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Rizm4jX-7Zk/UpltbsfRMII/AAAAAAAACv4/9rQWLsYoLIw/s1600/3+Qutb+Minar+Dawn.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Rizm4jX-7Zk/UpltbsfRMII/AAAAAAAACv4/9rQWLsYoLIw/s640/3+Qutb+Minar+Dawn.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Looking straight up at the Qutb Minar, just as the sunlight was getting stronger. Surprisingly, there is still some debate as to exactly what purpose the Qutb Minar served. It is frequently said that the building was meant as a tower from which a muezzin could climb up and issue the call to prayer for attendees of the mosque that was built next to it. But there's a problem with this theory, namely, that if the muezzin climbed to the top of the minaret, it would be impossible for anyone to hear him. He might possibly be able to be heard from the balcony on the first floor, but if the building was meant specifically for giving the call to prayer, why build the other three floors? Other sources describe the Qutb Minar as a giant watch tower, or a huge landmark to announce the location of the adjacent mosque, while some still implausibly maintain that the structure is actually a pre-Islamic Rajput building. What the minaret seems to be modeled on is another tower in Afghanistan, built by the same empire that Qutbuddin Aibak branched off from, called the Minaret of Jam. The purpose of that building seems to have been simply to commemorate the triumph of Islam, and it seems fairly certain that the Qutb Minar was built for the same reason, even if it also probably served other, more mundane functions associated with the mosque. But the main point of the thing seems simply to have been to impress, which it most certainly does, even after 800 years.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-92JBDjWacrQ/Upltc3dyO2I/AAAAAAAACwM/AijTFYJq8_w/s1600/3.5+Qutb+Minar+inscription+detail.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="586" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-92JBDjWacrQ/Upltc3dyO2I/AAAAAAAACwM/AijTFYJq8_w/s640/3.5+Qutb+Minar+inscription+detail.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Close on some of the inscriptions on the side of the minaret, a little later in the day. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MtG5N_nOBek/UpltdlAIc4I/AAAAAAAACwQ/MiTO3Pof_Eo/s1600/4+Qutb+Minar+First+Balcony.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="514" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MtG5N_nOBek/UpltdlAIc4I/AAAAAAAACwQ/MiTO3Pof_Eo/s640/4+Qutb+Minar+First+Balcony.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Close on the first floor balcony, and the top of the part of the structure built by Qutbuddin Aibak (with the addition of parrots for scale and added visual drama). Though the Qutb Minar is impressive from a distance, it's only when you get up close to it that you get the full effect. That slightly silly looking railing you can see on top of the balcony was another British addition from the first half of the 19th century. Of course, then you were probably allowed to climb up the thing, and I suppose the Brits didn't want people falling off. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l9MEwadT2_o/Upltdh_NCRI/AAAAAAAACwU/sB7IdTAn3_U/s1600/5+Qutb+Minar+Second+Balcony.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="494" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l9MEwadT2_o/Upltdh_NCRI/AAAAAAAACwU/sB7IdTAn3_U/s640/5+Qutb+Minar+Second+Balcony.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The second floor balcony, which is basically a less ambitious version of the first floor.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lNHv4r_7O9Y/UpluNCJuBvI/AAAAAAAACw0/jap5VQJxGpo/s1600/6+Qutb+Minar+Third+Balcony.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="488" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lNHv4r_7O9Y/UpluNCJuBvI/AAAAAAAACw0/jap5VQJxGpo/s640/6+Qutb+Minar+Third+Balcony.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The altogether more threatening looking third floor. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Surrounding the Qutb Minar is a large collection of early sultanate buildings, many of them incorporating fragments of earlier Rajput temples, along with a few Mughal structures. By far the most important building in the complex, other than the Qutb Minar itself, is the mosque. This is usually referred to as the Quwwat Ul-Islam, or Might of Islam, mosque, though that name was only given to it relatively recently. The mosque is one of India's earliest, and is rather a puzzling collection of ruins: The main prayer hall was built by Qutbuddin Aibak, and then additions were made both by Qutbuddin Aibak's successor Illtutmish and then by Alauddin Khilji, but they both failed to complete whatever it was they were planning, the result being that the complex is characterized by many awkward arrangements and unfinished buildings. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Some of the building materials used in the Quwwat Ul-Islam Mosque are famously parts of Rajput Jain and Hindu temples which the Muslims dismantled after taking the city. The whole complex was built on the ruins of a large Rajput fort called Lal-Kot. Strangely, therefore, the Qutb Minar complex, despite being a monument to the triumph of Islam, is the largest and best preserved collection of ancient Hindu ruins in Delhi. Virtually all Hindu temples in Delhi before the 12th century were destroyed by the invading Muslims. Therefore the temple columns which the Muslims incorporated into their own buildings are some of the very few fragments of the pre-Islamic history of Delhi that come down to us. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ObgR8YKaCac/UpluN7k4OBI/AAAAAAAACxA/un2FZDUStug/s1600/7+Imam+Zamin's+tomb.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ObgR8YKaCac/UpluN7k4OBI/AAAAAAAACxA/un2FZDUStug/s640/7+Imam+Zamin's+tomb.JPG" width="574" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The tomb of Imam Zamin. I've found conflicting information on who Imam Zamin was. Lucy Peck in her <i>Delhi: The Architectural Heritage</i> says that nothing is known about the man, while www.archnet.org claims that he was a saint from central Asia. This building actually comes from a much later period than most of the structures in the Qutb Minar complex. The dates from both sources agree (well...archnet says 1538, Lucy Peck says 1539). That puts it in the early Mughal period, just before Humayun was kicked out of India and Sher Shah Suri briefly took over. The vast majority of Mughal architectural achievements were still to come at this point, and this tomb would seem to have more in common with earlier Sultanate constructions. I do believe that this is the only building from this period within the ticketed monument, though the Jamali Kamali mosque and tomb in the adjacent Mehrauli Archaeological Park are from about twenty years earlier. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0y4eQA2thFo/UpluOyYHRpI/AAAAAAAACxQ/FL5dluuTXso/s1600/8+Alai+Darwaza+Entrance.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0y4eQA2thFo/UpluOyYHRpI/AAAAAAAACxQ/FL5dluuTXso/s640/8+Alai+Darwaza+Entrance.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
An opening into the Alai Darwaza, a finished gateway to an unfinished extension of the Qutb Minar mosque planned by Alauddin Khilji. The building dates from the early 14th century, after the introduction of true arches. Alauddin's plans called for a much bigger mosque compound with four large gateways, though this is the only one which ever actually came into being. Alauddin Khilji is one of the more important and interesting rulers of the Delhi Sultanate, and he leaves behind a decidedly mixed legacy. The man appears to have been one of the greatest campaigners ever to rule in Delhi, and in his capacity as a military leader seems to deserve credit for successfully defending India from the Mongols. But the downside of this was, instead of the Mongols overrunning most of India, Alauddin Khilji's armies penetrated further into the sub-continent than any Muslim invaders had previously. And while with later Muslim dynasties, such as the Tughlaqs and to an even greater extent the Mughals, we can talk about them incorporating their conquests into pan-Indian empires, many of the campaigns launched by Alauddin Khilji, such as those in South India, seem to have been more concerned with plunder than with actually placing those areas under Sultanate control. He also imposed stringent economic reforms, the purpose of which were ultimately to fund his military machine. They consisted in higher taxes and strict price controls on important commodities such as grain, the measures being enforced by severe punishments. Opinions vary widely as to the success of these measures. The Wikipedia article on the man gives one the impression the entire society benefited from them. Lucy Peck, who is my main source on the actual buildings in Delhi, gives a mixed appraisal of the market reforms, saying that they mainly served to benefit the Muslim aristocracy while greatly disadvantaging the Hindus. John Keay in his <i>India: A History </i>portrays the reforms as being successful only in the short term, and I suspect that his version of the events is the most accurate. The result of fixing such low prices on so many commodities was that profits went down with the prices, reducing purchasing power and finally putting people right back where they started. Additionally, the whole scheme depended on a huge network of spies and government agents, who were ultimately a part of Alauddin Khilji's military machine, an organization that only functioned with Alauddin Khilji at the controls. Once he died, his kingdom went immediately into decline, and the economic reforms he had tried to instate evaporated. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GPbEX-RgOD4/UpluPSn3FGI/AAAAAAAACxU/sD849W3N8jw/s1600/9+Alai+Darwaza+side.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GPbEX-RgOD4/UpluPSn3FGI/AAAAAAAACxU/sD849W3N8jw/s640/9+Alai+Darwaza+side.JPG" width="463" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The side of the Alai Darwaza. Alauddin Khilji's additions to the Qutb Minar complex would seem to characterize the man as someone who was extremely talented and yet hopelessly over ambitious. The Alai Darwaza is one of the most impressive buildings in the complex, and indeed in all of Delhi, yet it is also the only part of the grand scheme for a much bigger mosque that actually materialized. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CeBvKdjCkgk/UpluLs5rQgI/AAAAAAAACwc/7on67wb8bOM/s1600/10+Alai+Darwaza+Detail.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CeBvKdjCkgk/UpluLs5rQgI/AAAAAAAACwc/7on67wb8bOM/s640/10+Alai+Darwaza+Detail.JPG" width="526" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Ornamental niches on the Alai Darwaza, with parrot. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t8CZdRptb5E/UpluMNlgNRI/AAAAAAAACwk/DEId-rBUCMg/s1600/11+Alai+Darwaza+Window.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t8CZdRptb5E/UpluMNlgNRI/AAAAAAAACwk/DEId-rBUCMg/s640/11+Alai+Darwaza+Window.JPG" width="528" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Jali screen window in the side of the Alai Darwaza.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z2WB_OjGf7Q/UpluLDg7bRI/AAAAAAAACwY/D2sSuGqqrJo/s1600/12+Alai+Darwaza+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z2WB_OjGf7Q/UpluLDg7bRI/AAAAAAAACwY/D2sSuGqqrJo/s640/12+Alai+Darwaza+.JPG" width="450" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A large Star of David on the inside of the entrance to the Alai Darwaza. The Star of David frequently appears in Islamic art, and is often seen as a decorative motif on historical Islamic buildings throughout India. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l82XmN8RXwg/UpluMgmmFsI/AAAAAAAACws/VVSYgWVzsWU/s1600/13+Alauddin's+Madrasa.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l82XmN8RXwg/UpluMgmmFsI/AAAAAAAACws/VVSYgWVzsWU/s640/13+Alauddin's+Madrasa.JPG" width="510" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Alauddin's Madrasa, one of the few structures in the Qutb Minar Complex that Alauddin Khilji actually completed. This view is looking through what is said to be Alauddin's Tomb. The madrasa contrasts markedly with the Alai Darwaza as it is totally lacking in decoration, the outside layering of the building having been stripped off long ago, presumably to provide building material elsewhere.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OGxBLlGvlg8/UpluNrlb4gI/AAAAAAAACw4/xVCmJd3qgHs/s1600/14+Iltutmish's+Tomb.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OGxBLlGvlg8/UpluNrlb4gI/AAAAAAAACw4/xVCmJd3qgHs/s640/14+Iltutmish's+Tomb.JPG" width="403" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Iltutmish's Tomb. Iltutmish was the third ruler of the Mamluk Sultanate. Once a slave of Qutbuddin Aibak, he overthrew Aibak's son (who was only on the throne for about a year) in 1211, and was in power for the next two and half decades, making his reign the longest of any ruler during the Mamluk dynasty. His time on the throne seems to have been largely occupied both with suppressing revolts in what were theoretically the eastern provinces of the Mamluk domain, and with dealing with the successive waves of central Asian refugees being swept into India by the campaigns of Genghis Khan and his immediate successors. After his death in 1236, the kingdom descended into a long period of instability, during which Delhi had it's only female ruler, Iltutmish's daughter Razia. Although Qutbuddin Aibak started construction on the Qutb Minar, it was Iltutmish who finished it. He also started work on an extension to Aibak's mosque which, like Alauddin Khilji's, was never completed. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ejereWXr1b0/Uplu5xDrRuI/AAAAAAAACxo/NkIXqPtmQEw/s1600/15+Iltutmish's+Tomb.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ejereWXr1b0/Uplu5xDrRuI/AAAAAAAACxo/NkIXqPtmQEw/s640/15+Iltutmish's+Tomb.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Looking through the south entrance arch of Iltutmish's tomb. It is not known if the tomb once had a dome or not. It certainly looks as though one belongs there, but there is some debate as to whether the walls of the structure, which are surprisingly thin, would be able to support one. There is a possibility that the tomb was always open to the sky, as it is now, in order to fall in line with an oft ignored Islamic belief that a gravestone must be exposed to the elements in order to be blessed. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tzZxYQEp1YE/Uplu53W_TKI/AAAAAAAACxs/QrD9LbFP8hc/s1600/16+Iltutmish+Tomb+corner+arch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tzZxYQEp1YE/Uplu53W_TKI/AAAAAAAACxs/QrD9LbFP8hc/s640/16+Iltutmish+Tomb+corner+arch.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Corner arch in Iltutmish's tomb.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EEb5oLQDR8M/Uplu5qWMOiI/AAAAAAAACxk/Laim8nn9r1k/s1600/17+Alai+Minar.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="618" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EEb5oLQDR8M/Uplu5qWMOiI/AAAAAAAACxk/Laim8nn9r1k/s640/17+Alai+Minar.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Alai Minar, perhaps the world's greatest monument to failed self aggrandizing vanity projects. The Alai Minar was an attempt by Alauddin Khilji to build a minaret twice the size of the Qutb. He only managed to finish part of the first story before his death, and his successors never felt moved to keep going with the project. Now the weird unfinished rubble mass sits forlornly north of the mosque, ignored by the vast majority of visitors. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R6mvV41hxp8/Uplu71meCHI/AAAAAAAACx8/NfFbHfeVc1M/s1600/18+Qutb+Minar+Mosque+arches.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R6mvV41hxp8/Uplu71meCHI/AAAAAAAACx8/NfFbHfeVc1M/s640/18+Qutb+Minar+Mosque+arches.JPG" width="496" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The great arched screen at the western end of the Quwwat Ul-Islam mosque, behind which was once the mosque's prayer hall. This part of the mosque, along with the first story of the Qutb Minar, are the earliest Islamic structures in the complex, having both been built during Qutbbudin Aibak's brief reign. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1fZnkvc7acI/Uplu9PzeHGI/AAAAAAAACyI/GuYfnYOEpgE/s1600/20+Qutb+Minar+Mosque+arch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1fZnkvc7acI/Uplu9PzeHGI/AAAAAAAACyI/GuYfnYOEpgE/s640/20+Qutb+Minar+Mosque+arch.JPG" width="592" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The arches of the Quwwat Ul-Islam mosque must rank among India's most pronounced Hindu-Islamic artistic syntheses. Here, the form of the structure is Islamic, as are the various decorative motifs such as the calligraphic carvings and the renderings of plant life. But the actual artisans who built the screen were almost certainly Hindus who would have used methods familiar to them from working on temples. The arch here is not a true arch that takes the stresses from the surrounding structure, true arches having not yet arrived in India. Rather, the construction is trabeated, with the individual blocks of masonry on both sides of the arch extending further outwards the higher up they go, the blocks finally meeting each other at the top, the lower blocks being held in place by the weight of the blocks above them. This was a method that was well established in India, yet here it is being used in the construction of arches that on first glance look like the true arches of classical Islamic architecture. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qkXhSXhuxzo/Uplu9VfPddI/AAAAAAAACyM/m2JIQFLkzTU/s1600/21+Qutb+Minar+Mosque+arch+detail.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qkXhSXhuxzo/Uplu9VfPddI/AAAAAAAACyM/m2JIQFLkzTU/s640/21+Qutb+Minar+Mosque+arch+detail.JPG" width="588" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Incredible carvings on the side of the arch. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vPn9sVXoVQ0/Uplu_XWmjJI/AAAAAAAACyg/YL9QsY3i1ZI/s1600/22+Qutb+Minar+Mosque+Arabesque.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vPn9sVXoVQ0/Uplu_XWmjJI/AAAAAAAACyg/YL9QsY3i1ZI/s640/22+Qutb+Minar+Mosque+Arabesque.JPG" width="492" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Carvings on the side of the Quwwat Ul-Islam arched screen. Though the decorative motifs here, such as the Arabic calligraphy and the depictions of plant life, are common features in Islamic buildings throughout the world, the very exuberant, dense, high relief, and somewhat less stylized, manner in which they have been rendered is unusual, and much more in-keeping with Hindu artistic sensibilities than with those more often associated with Islam. Though the carvings do not include representations of living beings (the depiction of which Hindu sculptors excelled at), the work here still has a remarkably un-Islamic lack of restraint. </div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xTfGx2PN4SE/Uplu_RrmzDI/AAAAAAAACyk/4vK8hG5Vcs8/s1600/23+Qutb+Minar+Mosque+Arabesque+detail.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xTfGx2PN4SE/Uplu_RrmzDI/AAAAAAAACyk/4vK8hG5Vcs8/s640/23+Qutb+Minar+Mosque+Arabesque+detail.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Stone vines and flowers, on the Quwwat Ul-Islam mosque screen. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5V5TpSfx_ms/Uplu86iszAI/AAAAAAAACyE/k447MP_WG9k/s1600/19+Qutb+mosque+extension+Mihrab.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5V5TpSfx_ms/Uplu86iszAI/AAAAAAAACyE/k447MP_WG9k/s640/19+Qutb+mosque+extension+Mihrab.JPG" width="568" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A prayer niche on Iltutmish's extension of the mosque. Here, the carvings and calligraphy are more restrained, and also even more highly stylized, than on the earlier portions of the mosque. It's remarkable that the style of the carvings evolved so much over the course of only a few decades. The shallower relief carvings here, while still incorporating many indigenous elements, are nonetheless more typically Islamic. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2HaWrkDOUWY/Uplu-9OSVLI/AAAAAAAACyc/PXklzc3kydU/s1600/24+Qutb+Minar+Iron+Pillar.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2HaWrkDOUWY/Uplu-9OSVLI/AAAAAAAACyc/PXklzc3kydU/s640/24+Qutb+Minar+Iron+Pillar.JPG" width="490" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The famous Delhi Iron Pillar. This is the oldest single element of the Qutb Minar complex, and of all of Mehrauli for that matter, having been around 800 years old by the time the Muslims arrived. It was not forged in Mehrauli, but instead seems to have been brought there at some point by the Rajputs, though from where is a matter of debate. An inscription on the side of the pillar states that is was first placed on "Vishnupada Hill" by a certain king "Chandra," but, while there are a number of theories, the actual location of Vishnupada is unknown. "Chandra" is generally regarded to be Chandragupta II of the Gupta dynasty, though there's a problem with this as well, namely, that there were a number of other important "Chandras" at roughly the same time, and the inscription never mentions the word "Gupta." It is largely taken up with extolling Chandra's achievements, and the pillar itself seems to have been a monument to the man, and a way of legitimizing his dynasty's rule. There is reason to believe that it was once topped with an idol of Garuda, though that has since been lost. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5gumjtqw7IE/Uplu_pZiBZI/AAAAAAAACyo/9sJteqBMLtk/s1600/25+Qutb+Minar+Iron+Pillar+inscription.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="590" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5gumjtqw7IE/Uplu_pZiBZI/AAAAAAAACyo/9sJteqBMLtk/s640/25+Qutb+Minar+Iron+Pillar+inscription.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Close on the Sanskrit inscription on the side of the Iron Pillar, written in an early Indian writing system called Brahmi. The pillar has a number of extremely unusual characteristics, which once made it among the world's foremost metallurgical mysteries. For one, the iron of which the pillar made is of a purity that would not be matched in Europe until the 19th century. Even more extraordinary is the fact that after around 1700 years of exposure to the elements, the pillar has barely rusted. Recently, this has been explained by the high amount of phosphorous used in the forging process. This phosphorus, some of which wound up in the object itself, caused the formation of a protective film composed of a substance called "Misawite" when it reacted with oxygen in the air. This film, which is very slowly growing, has protected the pillar from further corrosion. Thus, though the pillar has rusted, it's rusted in an usual way which has prevented it from corroding as much as one would expect. Incidentally, if one looks up "Misawite" online, most of the hits one gets are articles about the Delhi Iron Pillar.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kSK3_7Jal1w/UplvAi3C-YI/AAAAAAAACy4/HigwoJwjyG8/s1600/26+Qutb+Minar+Mosque+Hindu+columns.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kSK3_7Jal1w/UplvAi3C-YI/AAAAAAAACy4/HigwoJwjyG8/s640/26+Qutb+Minar+Mosque+Hindu+columns.JPG" width="340" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Colonnade on the north side of the Quwwat Ul-Islam mosque, where Hindu temple columns have been stacked up one on top of another. The building materials here came from 27 Hindu and Jain temples that were destroyed by the Muslims. Usually, this act of destruction is portrayed as simple Islamic iconoclasm on Qutbuddin Aibak's part, though there are those who argue that the disassembly of the temples had political rather than religious motives. It is worth pointing out that Hindu rulers regularly destroyed each other's places of worship and appropriated each other's idols, as doing so was regarded as a way to weaken the other ruler's power. It certainly seems to be the case that the destruction of a conquered ruler's temples was common practice in India before the Muslims took over in Delhi, and it is likely that Qutbuddin Aibak was aware of the political significance of what he had done. Yet, given that Qutbuddin Aibak was not a Hindu himself, it is unlikely that he would have viewed the Rajput temples as being the source of any genuine power for those who built them. It is also telling that Qutbuddin Aibak demolished temples elsewhere in India, and that the destruction of Hindu shrines was often seen as a deed of great merit by the Ulema of various rulers of the Delhi Sultanate. Another possible, if rather more prosaic, motive behind Qutbuddin Aibak's destruction of the temples might have been that he simply needed to get his hands on large quantities of dressed stone. Since Hindu temples from this period were built without mortar out of carved blocks stacked on top of each other, disassembling and reassembling them is not that difficult. Certainly, in modern times, to restore an ancient stone Hindu temple that has collapsed is not that much of a technical challenge, while for Qutbuddin Aibak, building a whole whole new structure out of the already carved pieces of a Hindu temple would be vastly easier than starting from nothing. The real motivation behind the destruction of the temples was probably a combination of all three of the above motives, though in all likelihood Qutbbudin Aibak viewed the destruction of the idolatrous places of worship as a good and righteous deed, and therefore in his own mind that was probably his chief justification. Whatever the case may be, his actions do not smack of religious tolerance. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LMWEI3emoao/UplvBD9zqDI/AAAAAAAACzE/Fb5TwH6BHmI/s1600/27+Qutb+Minar+Hindu+Column.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LMWEI3emoao/UplvBD9zqDI/AAAAAAAACzE/Fb5TwH6BHmI/s640/27+Qutb+Minar+Hindu+Column.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A kirtimukha, or stylized monstrous face motif, that one encounters in Hindu and Buddhist temples all throughout Asia, at the top of one of the Quwwat Ul-Islam mosque pillars. Given the Islamic proscription against the depiction of living creatures, it seems odd that they would allow there to be so many of them on display in a mosque. It is usually assumed that carvings were covered with white plaster, though there is apparently no direct evidence support this.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gsRf-SY8QDw/UplvBG4gUXI/AAAAAAAACzA/H31tEpu_w2A/s1600/29+Qutb+Minar+Hindu+column.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gsRf-SY8QDw/UplvBG4gUXI/AAAAAAAACzA/H31tEpu_w2A/s640/29+Qutb+Minar+Hindu+column.JPG" width="542" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Column with various typical Hindu decorative motifs, including vases, kirtimukhas, and yali's (mythical elephant/lion hybrids). </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uENRgFAe81o/UplvBolf27I/AAAAAAAACzM/OciKcbp3Eyc/s1600/30+Qutb+Minar+Hindu+column+detail.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uENRgFAe81o/UplvBolf27I/AAAAAAAACzM/OciKcbp3Eyc/s640/30+Qutb+Minar+Hindu+column+detail.JPG" width="406" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Close on a fairly classic Hindu temple column. Note that many of the motifs that appear here would not be out of place elsewhere in the mosque, in particular the representations of plant-life.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So, that was the Qutb minar complex. Like I said above, at some point I'll get around to the least visited part of the vast complex of historical ruins in and around Mehrauli: Mehrauli Village itself....though it may be a while, so, stay tuned!</div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FvzmdPT50X8/UplvB8J5-wI/AAAAAAAACzY/p0wpn2JZ0pA/s1600/31+Smith's+Folly.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FvzmdPT50X8/UplvB8J5-wI/AAAAAAAACzY/p0wpn2JZ0pA/s400/31+Smith's+Folly.JPG" width="353" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Smith's Folly, the cupola that the British briefly added to the Qutb Minar, and then took down after only a few decades because they thought it looked silly. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br /></div>
Patrick A. Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05731722419862161376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049395502639291836.post-68832801819515871052013-09-13T03:17:00.001-07:002013-09-13T03:17:27.186-07:00Hampi Pt. 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5pM8FPmKO5M/Ue1ohRrhvII/AAAAAAAACpU/1l6fyN9ZgBU/s1600/1+Kadalekalu+Ganesha.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5pM8FPmKO5M/Ue1ohRrhvII/AAAAAAAACpU/1l6fyN9ZgBU/s640/1+Kadalekalu+Ganesha.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The 15 foot tall monolithic Kadalekalu Ganesha statue, in a shrine behind Hemakuta Hill. Carved out of a single granite boulder, this is one of the largest representations of Ganesha in the region. The word Kadalekalu means "Gram" in the local language, which the statue's belly is thought to resemble. In his hand, Ganesha is holding a rice cake, which he's eating with his trunk. I was surprised that this photo turned out as well as it did, given how little light there was in the shrine. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The great thing about Hampi is that it offers an almost limitless amount of places to explore. While there are a number of "must see" sites like the Lotus Mahal and the Vittala Temple, there are also a huge number of ruins and natural features in the area which see relatively little traffic. This post is going to focus on the less visited parts of the ancient capital, along with a few of the major sites that I missed on my first day exploring the ruins of Vijayanagara. As you might expect, here's much more to Hampi than what I've posted here. I think you could spend your whole life studying the area and still not see absolutely everything.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wu1CP0Ie-g8/Ue1omoaYgkI/AAAAAAAACqM/W4WSLjtmgq8/s1600/2+Temple+Columns.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wu1CP0Ie-g8/Ue1omoaYgkI/AAAAAAAACqM/W4WSLjtmgq8/s640/2+Temple+Columns.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Columns carved with Yalis in a subsidiary, and as far as I can tell recently restored, shrine up a short street that leads to the north of the Vittala Temple. The entire area are the Vittala Temple is covered with the remains of marketplaces and other temples, some of which are still in a totally ruined state. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fMxLPUQ-tVk/Ue1ooBGtXCI/AAAAAAAACqc/a5zBDvGArBg/s1600/4+Potsherds.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fMxLPUQ-tVk/Ue1ooBGtXCI/AAAAAAAACqc/a5zBDvGArBg/s640/4+Potsherds.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Travelling north of the Vittala Temple, along the banks of the Tungabhadra, I came to a small, though easily accessible, cave. Here I found lots and lots of potsherds. After this point, once I knew what to look for, I realised that almost anywhere you look in the Hampi area, the ground will be covered with fragments of pottery. That being said, I have no idea how old these these pieces here are. Pottery of exactly the same design as what was used during Vijayanagara's heyday is still very much employed in the area. These fragments could be 50 years old, or they could be 500 years old. However, there were a few things about the location of these particular potsherds which led me to believe that they had been around for a while. They were embedded in a pile of debris which was the result of rocks shifting around inside the cave and fragmenting. However old the potsherds were, they predated the pile of debris they were embedded in, which did not look recent. Also, the cave was in a fairly remote area, which, as far as I could tell, was not a site of human habitation any time in the past few centuries. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VBJSRqhAUY0/Ue1ooV-g9QI/AAAAAAAACqg/t08Wn_tOzm0/s1600/5+pot+lid.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VBJSRqhAUY0/Ue1ooV-g9QI/AAAAAAAACqg/t08Wn_tOzm0/s640/5+pot+lid.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The top of a pot, of the same design as the potsherds above, in an adjacent chamber. Given that the caves that honeycomb the granite hills in the Hampi area are so much cooler than the outside, I suspect that people who lived in the area used them for storing items that needed to be kept out of the heat. Many of the chambers that I looked into had broken pots in them. My guess is that there is probably still quite a bit of archeology to be done in the caves. For one thing, it wouldn't surprise me if the very first people who settled in the area selected the site because it offered them literally thousands of caves that they could use as natural shelters. Note the white object on the left of the broken pot, and the crescent shaped thing to the right. Those aren't trash, but rather the segments of the exoskeletons of deceased millipedes. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uSPXmhvN7ow/Ue1ope3Ep4I/AAAAAAAACqs/vRWRZX-Xkvg/s1600/6+Tungabhadra+marshlands+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uSPXmhvN7ow/Ue1ope3Ep4I/AAAAAAAACqs/vRWRZX-Xkvg/s640/6+Tungabhadra+marshlands+.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Marshlands in the middle of the Tungabhadra, looking south. Here you can just make out the Vittala Temple below the lefthand hill. The ridge in the center of the picture is Matanga Hill. The tiny point on top of the hill is the tower of a temple.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mHOzkWpF09Y/Ugv2kMRfJGI/AAAAAAAACug/9e64Anms_Hw/s1600/6.5+Kadalekalu+Ganesha+Scale+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mHOzkWpF09Y/Ugv2kMRfJGI/AAAAAAAACug/9e64Anms_Hw/s640/6.5+Kadalekalu+Ganesha+Scale+.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A view of the Kadalekalu Ganesha from the outside, with a person for scale. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oavzG1UQbsk/Ue1op7x-CHI/AAAAAAAACq0/5mUj5DZk9o8/s1600/7+Krishna+Temple+Granary.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oavzG1UQbsk/Ue1op7x-CHI/AAAAAAAACq0/5mUj5DZk9o8/s640/7+Krishna+Temple+Granary.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Inside a granary that was built as part of the Krishna Temple Complex. The building looks rather plain from the outside, but the inside consists of a number of high arched vaults. The construction is entirely Islamic in style, and contrasts markedly with the Hindu structures that it's located right next to. It's interesting how much of the purely functional architecture in Vijayanagara is derived Islamic (and, ultimately, Roman) designs. While Hindu architecture can be marvelously complex, and is very often exceedingly beautiful, the lack of true arched construction meant that it was not possible for builders in India using indigenous methods to enclose large spaces. Thus, for certain buildings, such as this granary, it made more sense to borrow foreign methods.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YdYEd2raE8I/Ue1oqn4cnvI/AAAAAAAACq8/_pBjffbBZEA/s1600/8+Plaster+Figures.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="466" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YdYEd2raE8I/Ue1oqn4cnvI/AAAAAAAACq8/_pBjffbBZEA/s640/8+Plaster+Figures.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The dilapidated brick and plaster tower of a smallish Vishnu Temple, beside the road that leads south from Hampi Bazaar. Here much of the plasterwork has been worn away, but you can still get an impression of how the temple might have looked centuries ago. On many of the temple towers in the vicinity, the plasterwork has been removed completely, leaving just the bricks. The figure in the niche to the right is Vishnu, accompanied by attendants (who are unfortunately now headless).</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U7VH-GaG7po/Ue1oq1BH02I/AAAAAAAACrA/oo6GkkQx8KE/s1600/9+Brick+Shikara+interior.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="536" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U7VH-GaG7po/Ue1oq1BH02I/AAAAAAAACrA/oo6GkkQx8KE/s640/9+Brick+Shikara+interior.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
This photo was taken looking straight up through the brick temple tower, or shikara. In this case, the shikara appears to be something rather more like a cone than a pyramid. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B7oJpGhIOz0/Ue1oh1_4R5I/AAAAAAAACpc/21Lrxz5Dvc0/s1600/10+Creepy+Kali.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B7oJpGhIOz0/Ue1oh1_4R5I/AAAAAAAACpc/21Lrxz5Dvc0/s640/10+Creepy+Kali.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A small shrine to Kali, that happened to be in the precincts of the Vishnu temple. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qegx_1PX3vE/Ue1ojIVT2_I/AAAAAAAACpk/DkuPjnn3RPM/s1600/11+chhatra.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qegx_1PX3vE/Ue1ojIVT2_I/AAAAAAAACpk/DkuPjnn3RPM/s640/11+chhatra.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Chhatra, or feeding house, in the jungle just off the road that leads south from Hampi Bazaar. I've not been able to find out much about this structure, beyond the short paragraph about it in the guidebook <i>Hampi Vijayanagara</i> by John M. Fritz and George Michell. However, as far as I can tell, it has the largest floor plan of any individual structure in Vijayanagara. Though it's not that far from the road, the building is hidden in fairly thick jungle growth, and is virtually impossible to see unless you're practically right next to it. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m4mcMIplCm4/Ue1ojoo9FhI/AAAAAAAACps/uu_ZAGYkj_E/s1600/12+chhatra.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-m4mcMIplCm4/Ue1ojoo9FhI/AAAAAAAACps/uu_ZAGYkj_E/s640/12+chhatra.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Giant spooky surreal colonnade in the Chhatra. The structure is interesting in its own right, largely because it's so huge, though it's also entirely functional, without even the slightest trace of decoration. Even the workmanship on the individual pillars is rough and primitive. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HwQR_ss6bL0/Ue1ok0u6wJI/AAAAAAAACp0/D79gyfWt1zI/s1600/13+scarecrow.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HwQR_ss6bL0/Ue1ok0u6wJI/AAAAAAAACp0/D79gyfWt1zI/s640/13+scarecrow.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A scarecrow, in the fields behind the Chhatra. It fooled me for a second or two. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r_ZH4v5Y3mA/Ue1olVk04GI/AAAAAAAACp8/rkMieN9tenc/s1600/14+Underground+Temple.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r_ZH4v5Y3mA/Ue1olVk04GI/AAAAAAAACp8/rkMieN9tenc/s640/14+Underground+Temple.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Inside a dank, flooded, Virupaksha temple, now known as the "Underground Temple," as parts of it were once buried. As nearly as I can tell, nobody is quite sure why it was built below ground level. The earliest parts of the structure date from the later half of the 14th century, though much of what one sees now are somewhat later additions. Rather a creepy place, the temple is now flooded most of the year because of water that seeps in from nearby fields, the water table having been significantly altered since the time the temple was built. The temple has very little in the way of sculpture, and is architecturally comparatively plain, but the fact that it is set below ground level and partially flooded gives an ambience that is unique among the temples of Vijayanagara. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P_xohyFJtvI/Ue1olyIIEDI/AAAAAAAACqE/KeuHp95RfWE/s1600/15+Underground+temple.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-P_xohyFJtvI/Ue1olyIIEDI/AAAAAAAACqE/KeuHp95RfWE/s640/15+Underground+temple.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A view across the flooded interior of the temple, towards a certain Mumbaikar and his reflection. He and a couple of his friends had been so good as to give me a ride on the back of a motor bike.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lzKWaVZz66A/Ue1peIebY_I/AAAAAAAACrQ/nS5ytcbamE0/s1600/16+crab.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="462" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lzKWaVZz66A/Ue1peIebY_I/AAAAAAAACrQ/nS5ytcbamE0/s640/16+crab.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Big damn temple crab. The water in the Underground Temple was full of great big crabs like this one. There was something rather eerie about them, which added to overall atmosphere of the place. This fellow was around five or six inches across, and probably would have made pretty good eating. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qIeZ72sgKks/Ue1pe58DJTI/AAAAAAAACrU/D3kFYEgf7To/s1600/17+nine-domed+reception+hall.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="470" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qIeZ72sgKks/Ue1pe58DJTI/AAAAAAAACrU/D3kFYEgf7To/s640/17+nine-domed+reception+hall.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Looking into a large, Islamic style structure, east of the the Underground Temple, and west of the Hazara Rama Temple, in an area full of ancient walls and the foundations of old palaces. It is referred to in my guide book simply as a "Nine Domed Hall," and is perhaps the most thoroughly Islamic looking building in the whole of the royal center. As to its precise purpose, I've not been able to dig up any information. It's apparently not a mosque, which is what I first thought it was. It started to rain that day, and I wound up hiding in this building for around an hour, waiting for it to stop.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--gRL175eGUE/Ue1pgEZG5BI/AAAAAAAACrk/3toIGhIfQ2o/s1600/18+pavilion.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="626" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--gRL175eGUE/Ue1pgEZG5BI/AAAAAAAACrk/3toIGhIfQ2o/s640/18+pavilion.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A two storied, hybrid-style, pavilion, just next to the nine-domed hall. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--sGDkeoYFUw/Ue1pgXQf5ZI/AAAAAAAACrg/7U2QBiHJl_Y/s1600/19+cloudy+sky.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--sGDkeoYFUw/Ue1pgXQf5ZI/AAAAAAAACrg/7U2QBiHJl_Y/s640/19+cloudy+sky.JPG" width="470" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Bad weather over the Royal Center. You can just make out one of the large, Islamic style watchtowers in the center of this photograph. It started pouring on me just after I took this.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z9nbZhhMwsE/Ue1pgyF_UgI/AAAAAAAACrw/9GQiYkDCaX4/s1600/20+Hampi+in+rain.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="572" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z9nbZhhMwsE/Ue1pgyF_UgI/AAAAAAAACrw/9GQiYkDCaX4/s640/20+Hampi+in+rain.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Hampi in the driving rain. The hill on the left is Matanga Hill. Shortly after taking this photo, I again wound up hiding from the rain in a historical building, this time a minor Shiva Temple. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nzkp4G1TWn0/Ue1pu1YOrLI/AAAAAAAACuI/cjq0ssWLiYA/s1600/39+Ganagitti+Jain+Temple.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nzkp4G1TWn0/Ue1pu1YOrLI/AAAAAAAACuI/cjq0ssWLiYA/s640/39+Ganagitti+Jain+Temple.JPG" width="448" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The late 14th century Ganagitti Jain Temple, south of the Royal Center. A relatively early structure by the standards of Vijayanagara, it was built by a Jain commander in the Vijayanagara army by the name of Irugappa.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A2i1fIuJT00/Ue1phX9HZJI/AAAAAAAACr4/b74djTPodt0/s1600/21+Bhima's+Gateway.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A2i1fIuJT00/Ue1phX9HZJI/AAAAAAAACr4/b74djTPodt0/s640/21+Bhima's+Gateway.JPG" width="466" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Bhim's gate, which is just behind the Ganagitti temple. It once served as an entrance to the Urban Center of the city. It would appear to be a fairly early sturcture, given that, unlike in most of the secular architecture in the city, here the builders of the gate did not adopt an Islamic style arch, but instead relied on a simpler, trabeated method. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0YvI1MyJs3Y/Ue1piOxrbLI/AAAAAAAACsA/aQvF2pUA_TY/s1600/22+A+sea+of+goats.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0YvI1MyJs3Y/Ue1piOxrbLI/AAAAAAAACsA/aQvF2pUA_TY/s640/22+A+sea+of+goats.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
As I was leaving Hampi Bazaar one day, I inadvertently found myself adrift on a sea of goats. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8lLm0ZOS-7s/Ue1pipYccdI/AAAAAAAACsI/rhasX9Qvcw0/s1600/23+Hampi+millipede.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8lLm0ZOS-7s/Ue1pipYccdI/AAAAAAAACsI/rhasX9Qvcw0/s640/23+Hampi+millipede.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">One of Hampi’s ubiquitous giant millipedes. These creatures seem to
thrive in the bouldermounds of central Karnataka. I would say that this
specimen is over a foot long.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho"; mso-fareast-language: JA;"> </span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-88uayTTUuHY/Ue1pjxOqESI/AAAAAAAACsQ/X8NJubre9yk/s1600/24+Hampi+millipede.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-88uayTTUuHY/Ue1pjxOqESI/AAAAAAAACsQ/X8NJubre9yk/s640/24+Hampi+millipede.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Closer on the giant striped millipede. </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o5NCmyKJepA/Ue1pkhqexEI/AAAAAAAACsc/RWMJE9x6cJY/s1600/26+Sugriva's+Cave.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o5NCmyKJepA/Ue1pkhqexEI/AAAAAAAACsc/RWMJE9x6cJY/s640/26+Sugriva's+Cave.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Sugriva’s Cave. For some reason it was decided that this
seemingly unexceptional pile of boulders were where Sugriva, the king of
Kishkinda during the events described in the Ramayana, hid away Sita’s jewels
after they had fallen out of Ravana’s flying chariot as it bore Rama’s wife
away to Lanka. I’m not sure how it became fixed in tradition that these
particular boulders were the ones where the jewels were kept. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vMmm1X33Aw0/Ue1plHQ5nlI/AAAAAAAACso/Mqe-S1mAwhM/s1600/27+Pony+and+egret.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vMmm1X33Aw0/Ue1plHQ5nlI/AAAAAAAACso/Mqe-S1mAwhM/s640/27+Pony+and+egret.JPG" width="602" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The egret seems to be whispering in the pony's ear. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nhw5PwRQHl4/Ue1ply5Xk3I/AAAAAAAACsw/whpAXKVnlxs/s1600/28+King's+balance.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nhw5PwRQHl4/Ue1ply5Xk3I/AAAAAAAACsw/whpAXKVnlxs/s640/28+King's+balance.JPG" width="558" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The King’s Balance, outside of the Vittala temple
complex. As I understand it, the function of this structure was, indeed, to
provide a means of weighing the kings of Vijayanagara. The ruler would be
suspended from a chain, and then weighed against gold. The amount of gold that
corresponded to the king’s weight would then be distributed to the city’s
priests. </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eBVvWDJMXDE/Ue1pmiLt5EI/AAAAAAAACs4/-gtRNwnkuRU/s1600/29+Talarighat+gate.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eBVvWDJMXDE/Ue1pmiLt5EI/AAAAAAAACs4/-gtRNwnkuRU/s640/29+Talarighat+gate.JPG" width="540" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A motorcycle passing through the Talarighat gate.
This was once an entrance into the urban core of Vijayanagara. </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CIWwYiByG_Y/Ue1pokjr51I/AAAAAAAACtI/7r22Yv8MyUw/s1600/31+Islamic+quarters.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CIWwYiByG_Y/Ue1pokjr51I/AAAAAAAACtI/7r22Yv8MyUw/s640/31+Islamic+quarters.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
The remains of one of the Islamic quarters of Vijayanagara.
This area was one of the more interesting of the barely visited/obscure, parts
of the ruined city, not necessarily for
the quality of the monuments, but rather for what it illustrated about life in
Vijayanagara. Though the rulers and most of the population of the city were
Hindus, the Muslim minority of the city was significant enough that it had its
own quarters, complete with mosques and Islamic style tombs. Hence, the Islamic
influence on the rulers of Vijayanagara extended further than merely borrowing
Muslim architectural methods. There were clearly a fairly large number of
Muslims who made Vijayanagara their home, and the rulers of the great city
would seem to have been happy to enlist their services. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BsoppFNMh-8/Ue1pn6hU6mI/AAAAAAAACtA/2HHnzXKoUhk/s1600/30+crude+tomb.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BsoppFNMh-8/Ue1pn6hU6mI/AAAAAAAACtA/2HHnzXKoUhk/s640/30+crude+tomb.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A crude tomb in the Islamic quarters. Though it can
definitely be said that there was a significant population of Muslims living
side by side with Hindus in Vijayanagara, it would be going too far to view
this as an indicator that the two populations were living together
harmoniously, or that the rulers of Vijayanagara were models of toleration. For
one thing, though the Islamic ruins in Vijayanagara are surprisingly extensive,
they are mostly fairly crude, and vastly inferior both to the Hindu buildings
in the city, and, not surprisingly, to the ruins of the former Sultanate
Kingdoms further north. The impression one gets looking at the simple tombs and
buildings in the Islamic Quarters is that the area was rather a ghetto. That
being said, given that the history of Deccan during this period is often
characterized as essentially a struggle between Hindu and Muslim, that the rulers of Vijayanagara were
willing to maintain such a large population of Muslims in their city is
significant in itself. </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vKfhPdrilS4/Ue1ppVe2smI/AAAAAAAACtQ/hWfNISBwTSw/s1600/32+Ahmad+Khan's+Tomb+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vKfhPdrilS4/Ue1ppVe2smI/AAAAAAAACtQ/hWfNISBwTSw/s640/32+Ahmad+Khan's+Tomb+.JPG" width="608" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Ahmad Khan’s Tomb. The largest and most technically adept buildings in the Islamic quarters are associated with an early 15<sup>th</sup> century military commander by the name of Ahmad Khan.This is the best looking building in the
Islamic quarters, even if it is a fairly typical piece of Islamic architecture.
It, along with Ahmad Khan’s Mosque, apparently once had outer coatings of
plaster which have since disappeared.<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FcsmKLNX16k/Ugv3QPKFWjI/AAAAAAAACuo/RgBlvkcjOD8/s1600/31.5+Ahmad+Khan's+Mosque.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="460" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FcsmKLNX16k/Ugv3QPKFWjI/AAAAAAAACuo/RgBlvkcjOD8/s640/31.5+Ahmad+Khan's+Mosque.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
Ahmad Khan’s Mosque. From a distance, the
building has none of the characteristics one associates with mosques, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6049395502639291836" name="_GoBack"></a>(for one thing, the prayer hall is covered). It looks rather
more like a very plain temple, and, oddly, features virtually no
Islamic architectural elements. However, if you go inside, you can see that
there is a prayer niche. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Qlrz6Ja2rTg/Ue1pqogkfyI/AAAAAAAACtY/8YAorx1t-Qk/s1600/33+Naga+stones.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="578" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Qlrz6Ja2rTg/Ue1pqogkfyI/AAAAAAAACtY/8YAorx1t-Qk/s640/33+Naga+stones.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
A ring of Naga Stones, which appear to have been found
elsewhere and then consolidated here. I blundered into these by wandering
behind the Islamic quarters. There was a concentration of smallish temples and
carvings in this area. However, I’ve not been able to uncover any information at all about these shrines.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Adom8cok_90/Ue1prGgMqJI/AAAAAAAACtc/TGraV3ODKro/s1600/34+ruined+temple.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Adom8cok_90/Ue1prGgMqJI/AAAAAAAACtc/TGraV3ODKro/s640/34+ruined+temple.JPG" width="528" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
A curious and obscure temple behind the Islamic
quarters. I never saw another temple
with this arrangement. The actual shrine was in a small chamber under a
boulder, while the tower was built on top. The brick and plaster structure is fairly
plain, with virtually no carvings of gods or goddesses, and it seems to be unrestored, though it is in unusually good condition. That green sign is a notice
that this is a protected monument. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X_DoTr7AjRE/Ugv3cmoX4TI/AAAAAAAACu0/K8JNGFrUqFk/s1600/34.5+mystery+Hanuman.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X_DoTr7AjRE/Ugv3cmoX4TI/AAAAAAAACu0/K8JNGFrUqFk/s640/34.5+mystery+Hanuman.JPG" width="450" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
This is a mysterious Hanuman Carving that I found just in
back of the temple in the last picture. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vnNZXHIIP_o/Ue1prwjIogI/AAAAAAAACto/7HlSE3u-Aic/s1600/35+Raghunatha+temple+gopura.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="616" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vnNZXHIIP_o/Ue1prwjIogI/AAAAAAAACto/7HlSE3u-Aic/s640/35+Raghunatha+temple+gopura.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
The brick and plaster Gopura, or ceremonial gateway, of the
Raghunatha temple complex, which is on top of Malyavanta Hill, to the south of
the Royal Center. There is a tradition that it was on Malyavanta Hill that
Hanuman and Lakshman, Rama’s brother, waited out the monsoon before proceeding
to Lanka to deal with Ravana and get Sita back.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OS0HCM9vIAM/Ugv4AeuFHTI/AAAAAAAACvA/Tliro7BaLW0/s1600/36+Raghunatha+Temple+Gopura.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OS0HCM9vIAM/Ugv4AeuFHTI/AAAAAAAACvA/Tliro7BaLW0/s640/36+Raghunatha+Temple+Gopura.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Another view on the same building. This Gopura
has one of the very best preserved brick and plaster towers in the whole Hampi
region. The complex also seems to receive only a fraction of the visitors the
other major sites in the area get. </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-crRGMfTZ9r4/Ue1ps0P4W4I/AAAAAAAACt4/ZVxttUC9asA/s1600/37+hampi+landscape+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="472" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-crRGMfTZ9r4/Ue1ps0P4W4I/AAAAAAAACt4/ZVxttUC9asA/s640/37+hampi+landscape+.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: left;">A view from the summit of Malyavanta Hill looking north out
over the urban core in a rare patch of direct sunlight. If you look carefully,
you can see quite a few minor ruins dotting the hillsides.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ryr_p59a0kM/Ue1ptwamCNI/AAAAAAAACuA/nh1fgZhi-_Q/s1600/38+Raghunatha+outer+wall+fish.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ryr_p59a0kM/Ue1ptwamCNI/AAAAAAAACuA/nh1fgZhi-_Q/s640/38+Raghunatha+outer+wall+fish.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Low relief carvings of fish on the outside of the
Raghunatha temple complex. The entire outside wall of the temple complex is
decorated with carvings of sea creatures. </span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So, that was Hampi, and this finishes (after nearly a year!) my series of eight posts on my travels through Karnataka. Looking back, after having spent so much time reserching and blogging about the state, Karnataka seems if anything more interesing than it did when I first exploring it. Every destination that I visited exceeded my expectations, and I would be happy to go back.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
<span style="line-height: 18px;">Not sure what I'll be writing about next. Stay tuned anyway!</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uf7olOk_LlQ/Ue1pvTEL5UI/AAAAAAAACuQ/2bSIfLS1IXA/s1600/40+The+running+rock+of+Hampi.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uf7olOk_LlQ/Ue1pvTEL5UI/AAAAAAAACuQ/2bSIfLS1IXA/s640/40+The+running+rock+of+Hampi.JPG" width="462" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The inspirational running rock of Hampi.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br /></div>
Patrick A. Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05731722419862161376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049395502639291836.post-28870482809453830502013-07-25T14:52:00.001-07:002013-07-25T14:53:37.020-07:00Anegondi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4JqLc8ygloA/UegHKxSlIbI/AAAAAAAACl0/dRAhqG0_7og/s1600/1+Tungabhadra+Coracle.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4JqLc8ygloA/UegHKxSlIbI/AAAAAAAACl0/dRAhqG0_7og/s640/1+Tungabhadra+Coracle.JPG" width="630" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Coracle crossing the Tungabhadra River, late in the afternoon. Coracles have been a means of conveyance in the Hampi area since prehistoric times, and even in the present they seem to have certain advantages over traditional boats. They're cheap, and so lightweight that they can be carried balanced on a person's head like a great big hat. Yet, with such low displacement combined with such a large amount of surface area in contact with the water, they can carry surprisingly heavy loads. The craft in this picture is holding three motorcycles and four people...what must be well over a thousand pounds in a vessel that looked like it weighed less than thirty. Coracles are used quite extensively in the Hampi region, sometimes just for tourist boat rides, but also because, at the moment, there's no bridge that connects Hampi with the settlements just on the other side of the Tungabhadra, such as Anegondi and Virupapur Gaddi. Note the dragonfly flying through the upper righthand corner of the picture. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The little, sleepy, laid back village of Anegondi (Anegondi meaning something like "elephant enclosure") is situated across the Tungabhadra river from the remains of the city of Vijayanagara. Though the ruins in Anegondi are less spectacular, the village has a longer history than the much more well known and frequented historical site on the opposite side of the river. It is also on the other side of the Tungabhadra that the rocky, central Karnataka boulderlands rise to their most spectacular heights.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Judging by the cave paintings in the area (which I looked for but never found), the Anegondi region has been a site of human habitation since prehistoric times. In Hindu mythology, nearby Anjaneya hill is regarded as the birthplace of Hanuman. There is reason to believe that the area was a part of Ashoka's Empire, and indeed, virtually every major player in South India, from the Chalukyas, Vijayanagara, the Bahmanis, Tipu Sultan, and the British, at one time controlled the village. It was in Anegondi that Hukka and Bukka, the founders of Vijayanagara, first established themselves, exploiting the power vacuum created by the waning influence of the Delhi Sultanate in the Deccan, before they went on to found the great empire that would hold much of South India under its sway. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
During my time in the Hampi region, I made two expeditions to Anegondi. In both cases, they were merely parts of very long day hikes, and given that I had to make it back to one of two river crossing well before sundown, I would not say that I had the chance to explore the area properly. There's still much more to see there, and hopefully someday I'll get the chance.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5q1nqG7i4Do/UegHOyUNe0I/AAAAAAAACmE/vL-OWulOyI8/s1600/2+Tungabhadra+River.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5q1nqG7i4Do/UegHOyUNe0I/AAAAAAAACmE/vL-OWulOyI8/s640/2+Tungabhadra+River.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A view of Anjenaya hill, which is believed to be Hanuman's birthplace, from a boat crossing the Tungabhadra. If you turn left on the road from the Vitthala Temple complex you come to the river after a few kilometers. From there, you have to be ferried across, either in a coracle or in a somewhat larger craft with an outboard motor. There is an unfinished highway bridge, which has apparently been in the works for around a decade and a half, that extends out into the center of the river. It partially collapsed in 2009, adding another ruin to the archeological site. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y9i3w3aT5VM/UegHTuZSPkI/AAAAAAAACmM/c5xtvdo3wvU/s1600/3+Anegondi+Chariot+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y9i3w3aT5VM/UegHTuZSPkI/AAAAAAAACmM/c5xtvdo3wvU/s640/3+Anegondi+Chariot+.JPG" width="632" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Wooden temple chariot with a corrugated metal roof and a woman selling vegetables next to one of the wheels, in the middle of Anegondi's main street. The vehicle is used for pulling an idol through the streets during festivals. Apparently the biggest celebration in Hampi is called the Virupaksha car festival, where giant representations of Shiva and his consort Pampa are carried through the main bazaar in huge, garishly decorated vehicles with much pomp and circumstance. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QjBkejktl84/UegHUW9e6iI/AAAAAAAACmU/DczNajIgHZM/s1600/4+Anegondi+Gagan+Mahal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QjBkejktl84/UegHUW9e6iI/AAAAAAAACmU/DczNajIgHZM/s640/4+Anegondi+Gagan+Mahal.JPG" width="542" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The 16th century Gagan Mahal, the focal point of Anegondi village. Built in the same secular architectural style as the structures in Vijayanagara's Royal Center, the palace was originally meant as a place where noblewomen could watch the streets below without revealing themselves. These days it serves as a council chamber (visitors are not allowed inside), having been donated to the town by the descendants of the Vijayanagar rulers, who still live in Anegondi. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AYJpuvJJcDA/UegHVmgyesI/AAAAAAAACmc/-rS1xLSVXqM/s1600/5+Old+Temple+collumn.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AYJpuvJJcDA/UegHVmgyesI/AAAAAAAACmc/-rS1xLSVXqM/s640/5+Old+Temple+collumn.JPG" width="522" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Very old temple column base in the Ranganatha Temple, the largest shrine in Anegondi proper. The carvings on the column are in an entirely different, earlier, style from those in Vijayanagara, and probably belong to the 12th-13th century. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7UXN2B52BSA/UegHVtpR6LI/AAAAAAAACmg/CS2m9-XfX08/s1600/6+Landscape.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7UXN2B52BSA/UegHVtpR6LI/AAAAAAAACmg/CS2m9-XfX08/s640/6+Landscape.JPG" width="564" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A huge boulder mound to the west of Anegondi. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dvTZjt51nUU/UegHWkqMXLI/AAAAAAAACms/Cs-TweymCeI/s1600/7+Anegondi+Landscape.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dvTZjt51nUU/UegHWkqMXLI/AAAAAAAACms/Cs-TweymCeI/s640/7+Anegondi+Landscape.JPG" width="594" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Big rocks, with a small house in front. And cows....many cows...</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QuXWpm6LMzg/UegHXw0JAHI/AAAAAAAACm0/iN0HVNu634U/s1600/8+Huge+Boulders.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QuXWpm6LMzg/UegHXw0JAHI/AAAAAAAACm0/iN0HVNu634U/s640/8+Huge+Boulders.JPG" width="626" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Big boulders next to what I think is a sugarcane field. For scale, note the little man walking just in front of the bouldermound to the right of the center of the picture. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HgGeue1Duww/UegHYRZLWyI/AAAAAAAACm4/tYY4__h6_CY/s1600/9+Landscape.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="584" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HgGeue1Duww/UegHYRZLWyI/AAAAAAAACm4/tYY4__h6_CY/s640/9+Landscape.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Up on a hill, looking south over many a rocky summit.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LwR_gOnANzg/UegHLkWA4UI/AAAAAAAACl8/B6Etq3Hgnwc/s1600/10+Ruined+Military+Structure.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LwR_gOnANzg/UegHLkWA4UI/AAAAAAAACl8/B6Etq3Hgnwc/s640/10+Ruined+Military+Structure.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
An old barracks, west of Anegondi. There is a long fortified ridge between the road one turns off of to get to Anegondi and the Tungabhadra. This is covered with old military structures from the post-Vijayanagara period. The buildings in this area employ a construction method not seen in Vijayanagara, which involves walls of very crude looking, smallish, undressed granite stones. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z2bRr1a4DX0/UegIBSo8dDI/AAAAAAAACnE/K411K4VrCDo/s1600/11+In+a+boulder+heap.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z2bRr1a4DX0/UegIBSo8dDI/AAAAAAAACnE/K411K4VrCDo/s640/11+In+a+boulder+heap.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The interior of a great boulder mound near the old barracks. In this case, the individual rocks are not packed so tightly that the spaces between them are totally cut off from the outside, leading to interesting lighting conditions (which, unfortunately, my camera is only barely able to capture). </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-evtyl9GOMxE/UegIB5p2BhI/AAAAAAAACnM/5Z2vBWFjxHg/s1600/12+old+carving.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-evtyl9GOMxE/UegIB5p2BhI/AAAAAAAACnM/5Z2vBWFjxHg/s640/12+old+carving.JPG" width="580" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A faint, weather worn carving, possibly of Shiva. This was in a small collection of ruins on the side of a hill northeast of Anegondi. The ruins looked like they dated from the post Vijayanagara period, and that they hadn't received any attention from the Archeological Survey of India. I don't remember there being the usual signs which announced that the ruins were protected monuments. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R2UnWJ4JEm8/UegICdWpXRI/AAAAAAAACnQ/vBaA0-nVf6M/s1600/13+Creepy+Temple.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="472" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R2UnWJ4JEm8/UegICdWpXRI/AAAAAAAACnQ/vBaA0-nVf6M/s640/13+Creepy+Temple.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The creepy forgotten temple of Anegondi, as viewed from about where I took the last picture. I've never been able to find any information on this temple at all, and as far as I can tell it receives almost no visitors. There's only a very faint trail that leads to it. The building is architecturally quite peculiar. It doesn't have a tower, and is mostly made of smaller granite pieces, with the individual stones getting smaller and smaller the higher up they are. However, the portion at the left is totally different, and made of much more heavily worked granite masonry with pilasters. It's almost as though the builders of the temple had originally thought that they would make the whole structure out of the larger masonry blocks, but gave up on that after a little while and decided to build the rest in a cheaper, easier, and uglier style. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YL_wHBHtXBs/UegIDhAUNiI/AAAAAAAACnc/1YJFlumlbq0/s1600/14+In+a+creepy+temple.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YL_wHBHtXBs/UegIDhAUNiI/AAAAAAAACnc/1YJFlumlbq0/s640/14+In+a+creepy+temple.JPG" width="528" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The creepy and not at all aesthetically pleasing interior of the temple. The presences of the small carvings of what seem to be a Shivling and a bull indicate that the temple may have been dedicated to Shiva. It was probably built by the later-day rajas of Anegondi, who traced their lineage back to the rulers of Vijayanagara. Though the temple retains some of the features of the vastly more spectacular Vijayanagara places of worship, the overall impression I got from the building was that it was made by a people who had fallen on very hard times, and in terms of their artistic skill had retained only barest trace of what their more illustrious forbears were capable of...rather unsettling. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hqw1IAqpq8s/UegIEROXhII/AAAAAAAACnk/mZ9tV8_8mAs/s1600/15+Fields.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hqw1IAqpq8s/UegIEROXhII/AAAAAAAACnk/mZ9tV8_8mAs/s640/15+Fields.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Looking across sugarcane, towards a banana plantation, with a big boulder mound behind it. This was one of the few times on this particular day that I had something approaching actual sunlight. After my first full day in Hampi, the weather took a turn for the worse, at least as far a photography was concerned. The sky was usually either overcast, or very very hazy. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yYgUFqHxjH8/UegIFhw4RsI/AAAAAAAACns/Mso9mfc1jTg/s1600/16+Ruins.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yYgUFqHxjH8/UegIFhw4RsI/AAAAAAAACns/Mso9mfc1jTg/s640/16+Ruins.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The ruins of an old pavilion. I came across this as I was walking beyond Anegondi, in search of some prehistoric rock-art, about which there was much signage, none of which told me where I actually needed to go. Still, I would up exploring far out into the countryside north of the Tungabhadra, which in terms of scenery is maybe the most beautiful part of the greater Hampi region that I clapped eyes on. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZV3whpZY_bM/UegIF7VWGRI/AAAAAAAACnw/Uww4CGVO70U/s1600/17+Village+and+Boulder+hills+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZV3whpZY_bM/UegIF7VWGRI/AAAAAAAACnw/Uww4CGVO70U/s640/17+Village+and+Boulder+hills+.JPG" width="450" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A small village built on rocks, with one of the very tallest boulder mounds in the area in the background. Few tourists seem to come this far out from Hampi, and the countryside has a much more unexplored feel. It's usually fairly easy to tell how far off the beaten path you've gone by the weirdness of the looks the locals give you. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j7GcFe2_gLQ/UegIHJz5a-I/AAAAAAAACn8/afIhGFhxTKQ/s1600/18+Languors.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j7GcFe2_gLQ/UegIHJz5a-I/AAAAAAAACn8/afIhGFhxTKQ/s640/18+Languors.JPG" width="504" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A picturesque band of Languors on the side of a granite slope. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k0j9bS9wJbQ/UegIHSUVZnI/AAAAAAAACoA/GypEN_jqi6s/s1600/19+Anjaneya+Hill.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k0j9bS9wJbQ/UegIHSUVZnI/AAAAAAAACoA/GypEN_jqi6s/s640/19+Anjaneya+Hill.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Anjaneya Hill. Regarded as the birthplace of Hanuman (Anjaneya being another name for him), the hill is one of the most prominent and easily recognizable features of the landscape around Hampi, and is visible from virtually any significant elevation in the area. It's a major pilgrimage site, and a staircase leads up to a small shrine on its summit. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g2yQAHOCKTk/UegIIYxpKBI/AAAAAAAACoM/POO9cOXtI8Q/s1600/20+Birthplace+of+Hanuman.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g2yQAHOCKTk/UegIIYxpKBI/AAAAAAAACoM/POO9cOXtI8Q/s640/20+Birthplace+of+Hanuman.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The small shrine to Hanuman at the top of Anjaneya Hill, where a priest endlessly recites verses from the Ramayana while gangs of unusually cheeky monkeys terrorize urban pilgrims and steal things. The view from the top of the hill is one of the best in the whole area. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iFhB2efRM0w/UegII89Q_BI/AAAAAAAACoU/nGM_sY5FhJQ/s1600/21+Birthplace+of+Hanuman.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iFhB2efRM0w/UegII89Q_BI/AAAAAAAACoU/nGM_sY5FhJQ/s640/21+Birthplace+of+Hanuman.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Sign announcing the birthplace of Hanuman, next to the shrine on Anjaneya Hill.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g-SUALMuCNY/UegIJaFtaXI/AAAAAAAACoc/V__4_Gzzw_g/s1600/22+Across+the+Tungabhadra+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g-SUALMuCNY/UegIJaFtaXI/AAAAAAAACoc/V__4_Gzzw_g/s640/22+Across+the+Tungabhadra+.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A view towards the south on the way down from Anjaneya Hill, towards distant boulder mounds in a short-lived pool of direct sunshine.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LL1a79901Ns/UegIKfI3ZNI/AAAAAAAACok/U0F7PLGfjuo/s1600/23+Vitthala+from+Anjaneya+Hill+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="610" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LL1a79901Ns/UegIKfI3ZNI/AAAAAAAACok/U0F7PLGfjuo/s640/23+Vitthala+from+Anjaneya+Hill+.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A view of the Vittala temple complex and the Tungabhadra from the steps on the way down from the summit of Anjaneya Hill. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SdQDqMpYNd8/UegILUffsTI/AAAAAAAACos/vrKkFuGrWeA/s1600/24+Anjaneya+Hill.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SdQDqMpYNd8/UegILUffsTI/AAAAAAAACos/vrKkFuGrWeA/s640/24+Anjaneya+Hill.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Leaving Anjaneya Hill, in one brief, very intense, burst of late afternoon sunshine.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AjIGHl8C2WY/UegIMJlJ5yI/AAAAAAAACo0/jcmdFW7RFu8/s1600/25+Bukka's+Aqueduct.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AjIGHl8C2WY/UegIMJlJ5yI/AAAAAAAACo0/jcmdFW7RFu8/s640/25+Bukka's+Aqueduct.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Bukka's aqueduct, a remnant of Vijayanagara's old hydraulic system, which I passed on my way back to Hampi bazaar from Anjaneya Hill. It looks like the center of the span is about to collapse any second.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Bukka's Aqueduct is next to the turnoff to a small, surreal, settlement called Virupapur Gaddi, which is entirely devoted to catering towards foreign backpackers. On the other side of that settlement is a ferry, where one can get a coracle back to Hampi Bazaar. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
There is much more to see in Anegondi itself, and indeed in the whole, huge, region north of the Tungabhadra, where the granite hills march on and on. Tourism does not seem to reach much further than the north bank of the river, and out in the countryside there would seem to be mile upon mile of virtually unexplored granite....hopefully, someday, I'll be able to go back....</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UeYjGPJm-tY/UegIM0IjAOI/AAAAAAAACo8/T5d8viOqOXk/s1600/26+Toad.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UeYjGPJm-tY/UegIM0IjAOI/AAAAAAAACo8/T5d8viOqOXk/s640/26+Toad.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Cave Toad.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br /></div>
Patrick A. Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05731722419862161376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049395502639291836.post-84018503607952092192013-07-17T10:23:00.000-07:002013-07-18T18:29:25.500-07:00Hampi Pt. 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0vQ-blwIyJg/UdkBA0ghCYI/AAAAAAAACgs/LyFVa9p-3gQ/s1600/1+Krishna+Temple+Maiden.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0vQ-blwIyJg/UdkBA0ghCYI/AAAAAAAACgs/LyFVa9p-3gQ/s640/1+Krishna+Temple+Maiden.JPG" width="246" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A beautiful maiden with a creeper, on one of the door jams in Vijayanagara's ruined Krishna Temple. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Combining an entire city's worth of incredible South Indian architectural marvels with one of the subcontinent's grandest landscapes, Hampi is unequivocally one of India's most magnificent historical sites.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The modern village of Hampi is nestled in the midst of the ruins of what was, in the 16th century, the world's largest city after Ming Dynasty Peking. The city was called Vijayanagara, and it was the capital of South India's final great Hindu empire. It was situated in an area naturally fortified by a river and enormous mounds of granite boulders, a region with a history that goes back well over a thousand years before the founding of Vijayanagara in the 14th century. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Hampi is an example of a place that directly owes all of its cultural achievements to geological forces. If the area was not the sight of such spectacular and easily defensible rock formations, it would not have been so consistently occupied. Nor would the materials used by the Vijayanagar builders, along with their forbears and successors, have been in such plentiful supply. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
It can be said, then, that the story of Hampi begins between 3 and 3.5 billion years ago, all the way back in the Pre-Cambrian period, when rising magma solidified underneath the Earth's surface, forming granite intrusions. Over thousands of millions of years, these extremely hard, subterranean masses of granite, which are among the very oldest rocks on the face of the planet, were exposed, and then subjected to a variety of erosive forces, which created and then slowly expanded fractures in the once solid rock. Over time, enough fractures formed that entire chunks of the granite formations became detached, and these continued to be gradually sculpted into rounded forms. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Geologically, the area is very similar to the rounded boulderlands of the Alabama Hills of California (which I wrote about in my post on Lone Pine). Given that those hills were used as a backdrop in so many classic Hollywood movies set in India, the most notable of which being Gunga-Din, one wonders if some film personality had actually travelled to, or at least heard of, Hampi, and decided that the Alabama hills would make a good stand-in. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The landscape is one of the most bewildering and surreal that India has to offer, and even if it were not the location of one India's grandest historical sites, it would still be worthwhile traveling hundreds of kilometers just to run around on the boulders....and yet, what makes Hampi so outstanding is that, for someone who is interested in both landscapes and history, it provides a gigantic dose of both. The ruins of Vijayanagara are spread over an area of 25 square kilometers, with a number of other settlements, such as Kamalapura and Anegondi, which were suburbs of the capital city and have numerous ruins of their own. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
In its heyday, Vijayanagara was the largest, and presumably one of the richest, cities in India. It served as the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from the early 14th century, until the middle of the 16th century, when the city was reduced to ruins virtually overnight. In some of India's most dramatic history, Vijayanagara's army was defeated at the battle of Talikota, after which the world's second largest city was left undefended and open to plunder. It was never reoccupied, and even to this day, the area has much smaller population than it did at the height of the Vijayanagara Empire.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I spent four days there, during which, even though I would usually be up and about exploring for twelve hours at a time, I didn't even come close to seeing everything.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IjL1KxCoa0s/UdkBCm42ZWI/AAAAAAAACg8/BYqCDEDMxgI/s1600/2+Virupaksha+Temple+Gopura.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IjL1KxCoa0s/UdkBCm42ZWI/AAAAAAAACg8/BYqCDEDMxgI/s640/2+Virupaksha+Temple+Gopura.JPG" width="432" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The massive gopura, of ceremonial gateway, of Hampi's Virupaksha Temple, in nice late afternoon lighting. The gopura itself is, at least by the standard of the rest of Hampi area, is not very old at all, dating only from the early part of the 19th century. Oddly, it's not known exactly who built it. The temple that it serves as an entrance to, however, predates the founding of the Vijayanagara empire by around six hundred years, though most of the extant structures are from the 16th century. Virupaksha is a form of Shiva, and the temple venerates both him and a local goddess named Pampa, who is regarded as Virupaksha's consort. In the ruined city, there are no less than four massive temple complexes, each of them constituting small cities unto themselves, complete with their own reservoirs and the remains of large bazaars. However, the only one that remains a site of active worship is the Virupaksha Temple....It was also the only major site that I never went into. I would always leave my hotel room planning to visit the temple as I was coming back, but then I would wind up doing more during the day than I had planned, and night would have fallen by the time I was returning...It's very easy to get sidetracked in Hampi. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xN-gKh4pWqA/UdkBDQkq-nI/AAAAAAAAChE/wfqaP3zFFac/s1600/3+Hemakuta+Hill+Gateway.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xN-gKh4pWqA/UdkBDQkq-nI/AAAAAAAAChE/wfqaP3zFFac/s640/3+Hemakuta+Hill+Gateway.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
15th century double storied gateway, near the summit of Hemakuta Hill, behind the Virupaksha Temple complex. The gateway once served as part of a path that lead over the hill and down towards the Tungabhadra river, which formed the northern boundary of the city.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fUcKM6SFdek/UdkBD9bPIII/AAAAAAAAChM/C1UtOQS9BWE/s1600/4+Sasivekalu+Ganesha.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fUcKM6SFdek/UdkBD9bPIII/AAAAAAAAChM/C1UtOQS9BWE/s640/4+Sasivekalu+Ganesha.JPG" width="554" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Sasivekalu, or Mustard Seed, Ganesha, in a shrine on the opposite side of Hemakuta Hill from Hampi. The idol dates from the very early 16th century. He's holding a piece of his broken tusk, a goad for driving cattle, a ball of sweets, and a noose. In this depiction, his belly is bulging even further than it usually is (Ganesh is not viewed as a model of self control as far as his food habits go.) He has that cobra tied around his stomach because, in one story, he ate so much that he very nearly exploded, and only managed to keep his belly from popping by catching a snake and tying it around himself like a belt (though, on this statue, he seems to have tucked the snake into a belt he was already wearing.) The locals refer to this idol as the Sasivekalu Ganesha because the statue's belly is round like a mustard seed.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3IHaPeSl-yI/UdkBEbbyjOI/AAAAAAAAChU/KxORaWW0wG8/s1600/5+Yog+Narasimha+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3IHaPeSl-yI/UdkBEbbyjOI/AAAAAAAAChU/KxORaWW0wG8/s640/5+Yog+Narasimha+.JPG" width="582" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Perhaps Hampi's most iconic statue, a 22 foot tall image of Narasimha, Vishnu's wrathful form. In this depiction, Narasimha meditates after having just killed the demon Hiranyakashipu. He once had an idol of Lakshmi with him, though it has since been removed. The statue was commissioned in the early 16th century by Krishnadevaraya, the third emperor of Vijayanagara's Tuluva dynasty, who is generally regarded as the empire's greatest builder and most able ruler.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6Rae7pFnYSk/UdkBFFVWznI/AAAAAAAAChY/72dSUYUT3vY/s1600/6+Pavilion+Reflection.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6Rae7pFnYSk/UdkBFFVWznI/AAAAAAAAChY/72dSUYUT3vY/s640/6+Pavilion+Reflection.JPG" width="514" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Pavilion and reflection in an old reservoir at dusk. This was next to a ruined bazaar that leads up to Hampi's Krishna Temple complex. Note the colonnade in the background, which was once part of a line of shops that extended along either side of a road that leads to the front of the temple. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t3D7VWYi82s/UdkBGOJHMoI/AAAAAAAAChk/90qcTC60j_o/s1600/7+Hampi+Landscape.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t3D7VWYi82s/UdkBGOJHMoI/AAAAAAAAChk/90qcTC60j_o/s640/7+Hampi+Landscape.JPG" width="596" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Big boulders and the Tungabhadra. This is along the Northern edge of the ruined city. The trail from the modern village of Hampi to some of the more famous temples leads along the side of the river. The views are none too shabby...</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kgXkP5vBvV8/UdkBG6wA7LI/AAAAAAAAChs/ZjpzaTcGuW0/s1600/8+Hampi+Landscape.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kgXkP5vBvV8/UdkBG6wA7LI/AAAAAAAAChs/ZjpzaTcGuW0/s640/8+Hampi+Landscape.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
More granite across the Tungabhadra. Though the area possess a tumultuous, cataclysmic appearance, the rocky hills are actually not crumbling very quickly at all; they've just been at it so long that they look like they're constantly in the middle of an earthquake. In reality the region has been geologically dead for hundreds of millions of years. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O0LhGyYKxc4/UdkBHhBwkTI/AAAAAAAACh0/i04qWuQjjq4/s1600/9+Hampi+Landscape+and+ruin.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="576" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-O0LhGyYKxc4/UdkBHhBwkTI/AAAAAAAACh0/i04qWuQjjq4/s640/9+Hampi+Landscape+and+ruin.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A minor shrine across the river, at the base of a large boulder mound. Note the small stairway leading up to the ruin, which gives some impression of the size of the boulders. In the Hampi area, there are small ruins and 14-16th century carvings virtually around every corner. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5AbtirCkMOU/UdkBBoH_R4I/AAAAAAAACg0/jkib7Ifz9yI/s1600/10+Vitthala+temple+Garuda+Shrine+Chariot.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="564" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5AbtirCkMOU/UdkBBoH_R4I/AAAAAAAACg0/jkib7Ifz9yI/s640/10+Vitthala+temple+Garuda+Shrine+Chariot.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Garuda shrine in the shape of a chariot in the Vitthala temple complex. Dating from the mid 16th century, it is perhaps the most famous building in Hampi, and in all of Karnataka, for that matter (it features on many a tourist pamphlet). The God Vitthala is a Kannada rendition of Vithoba, a form of Vishnu who is worshipped in the southern parts of the Indian subcontinent. Garuda is Vishnu's mount. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uKkr53YYpWU/UdkBY2i8YoI/AAAAAAAACh8/hnAL0xvn0a4/s1600/11+Vitthala+Temple+Garuda+Shrine+Chariot.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uKkr53YYpWU/UdkBY2i8YoI/AAAAAAAACh8/hnAL0xvn0a4/s640/11+Vitthala+Temple+Garuda+Shrine+Chariot.JPG" width="614" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A different view on the stone chariot. The shrine once had a brick tower, and still did as of the middle of the 19th century, though it disappeared sometime after that. Also, the two elephants which seem to be pulling the chariot along are recent additions. I've seen a picture from the 1850s of what the shrine looked like back when it still had a tower, and I would say that it actually looks better without it. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZA24UoaFA0M/UdkBZZTrosI/AAAAAAAACiE/1QGSUzE7AZo/s1600/12+Vitthala+Temple+mandapa.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZA24UoaFA0M/UdkBZZTrosI/AAAAAAAACiE/1QGSUzE7AZo/s640/12+Vitthala+Temple+mandapa.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The incredible open mandapa, or pillared hall, of the Vitthala temple, dating from around the same period as the stone chariot. The Vitthala temple is generally regarded as the crowning achievement of Vijayanagara architecture, and tends to be the "must see" attraction at Hampi. It's interesting, then, that it is unknown who built the original temple. This mandapa, along with the chariot, are actually extensions of the earlier shrine, which were made by a succession of emperors and important people in the Vijayanagara court over the course of the 16th century. It's surprising that such seemingly delicate statuary should have survived the vicissitudes of the 16th century, when the Deccan Sultans apparently plundered Vijayanagara to such an extent that it funded many of their most extravagant building projects. Certainly, a few well placed canon shots into this mandapa would wreck fairly spectacular destruction, yet there does not seem to be much evidence of deliberate defacement. The reason for this may well be that the muslim kingdoms of the Deccan just weren't quite so iconoclastic as, for example, the rulers of Delhi in the north. It is more than likely that, just as Vijayanagara employed large numbers of Muslim troops, the Deccan Sultans almost certainly had large numbers of Hindus among their ranks, which would have made the ransacking of Hindu temples a risky political move. Though the Sultanate troops apparently engaged in a huge amount of looting and plundering (along with local bandits who arrive at the scene first, after the Vijayanagara defeat at Talikota but before the Sultanate troops arrived), they seemed to have been more concerned with the riches of Vijayanagara than with its religion. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J1YEt-kZJhQ/UdkBald3OOI/AAAAAAAACiM/OMaMUIzCezQ/s1600/13+Vitthala+Temple+columns.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="546" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J1YEt-kZJhQ/UdkBald3OOI/AAAAAAAACiM/OMaMUIzCezQ/s640/13+Vitthala+Temple+columns.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Closer on Vitthala columns and colonnettes (which is a real word, by the way). Each column is carved out of a single piece of granite. The colonnettes on the sides of the main shafts are said to ring with musical tones when tapped...a fact which signs at the site proudly proclaim, just before informing you that colonnette tapping is forbidden...actually, I'm not that bent out of shape about it. Apparently people would come and bang on the colonnettes with hammers. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ton4q4FRxYo/UdkBbORepwI/AAAAAAAACiQ/y0O0XGVAr4I/s1600/14+Vitthala+temple+columns.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ton4q4FRxYo/UdkBbORepwI/AAAAAAAACiQ/y0O0XGVAr4I/s640/14+Vitthala+temple+columns.JPG" width="348" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
One of the densely carved columns.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0WyCz7NFv5Y/UdkBbkotaJI/AAAAAAAACiY/lLrGtGmKTH4/s1600/15+Vitthala+Temple+carvings.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0WyCz7NFv5Y/UdkBbkotaJI/AAAAAAAACiY/lLrGtGmKTH4/s640/15+Vitthala+Temple+carvings.JPG" width="410" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Columns of a secondary mandapa in the Vitthala temple complex carved with Yali's, mythical creatures which are said to be more powerful than lions or elephants. They can be depicted with any number of combinations of animal attributes. The Yali's in this picture seem to have lion-like bodies, but with heads that have elephant trunks and tusks. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qwrb8sflXvI/UdkBcBiB8XI/AAAAAAAACig/3CRdz_rXgEk/s1600/16+Tiruvengalanatha+Ruined+Bazaar.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="416" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qwrb8sflXvI/UdkBcBiB8XI/AAAAAAAACig/3CRdz_rXgEk/s640/16+Tiruvengalanatha+Ruined+Bazaar.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Colonnade and bazaar street leading up to the Tiruvengalanatha temple complex, with Matanga hill in the background. During its heyday, Vijayanagara was one of the richest settlements on the planet, with much of the expenditures of the empire being lavished on the city. Its bazaars contained stalls selling not only agricultural products, but also luxury goods from all over the world. Though it can be assumed that the overwhelming majority these goods were looted at the time of the city's abrupt abandonment, small pieces of Ming Dynasty Chinese porcelain are still occasionally discovered.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AwETb2XJ-YA/UdkBc9NbvaI/AAAAAAAACis/CgoJkkLSE2A/s1600/17+Tiruvengalanatha+Temple+Layout.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="396" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AwETb2XJ-YA/UdkBc9NbvaI/AAAAAAAACis/CgoJkkLSE2A/s640/17+Tiruvengalanatha+Temple+Layout.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Looking down on the skeleton of the Tiruvengalanatha temple complex from Matanga Hill. The temple is dedicated to a form of Vishnu, and was built in the 1530s by Achyuta Devaraya, the great Krishnadevaraya's younger brother, and the last effective ruler of the Vijayanagara empire before the fall of the capital city around twenty years after his death. He was succeeded by a series of weak rulers, who were maneuvered to the side by Aliya Ramaraya, Krishnadevaraya's son in law, who as regent was the de-facto ruler of the empire. Vijayanagara had been at war with the Deccan Sultans to the north on and off for some time, and Ramaraya decided that he would try and deal with the Sultanates through intrigue, meddling in their affairs in such a way as to play them off against each other (kind of like the plot for <i>yojimbo</i> or <i>A fistfull of dollars</i>, but on vastly greater scale.) But the ploy only worked for a short time: The Sultanates, which were generally at war with one another, realized what the regent was up to, and, in one of the very few times in their history when they acted in concert, combined their forces against Ramaraya, which resulted in the defeat of the Vijayanagara army and the abandonment of the city. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7TA19MoB1yo/UdkBd45MjII/AAAAAAAACi0/lLi2Mw278dE/s1600/18+Tiruvengalanatha+Gopura.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7TA19MoB1yo/UdkBd45MjII/AAAAAAAACi0/lLi2Mw278dE/s640/18+Tiruvengalanatha+Gopura.JPG" width="528" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Looking from inside the temple, out through two gopuras, or ceremonial gateways, to the remnants of the bazaar outside, and a boulder hill beyond that. The Tiruvengalanatha temple lacks the architectural finery of its neighbour, the Vitthala complex. However, what it lacks for in detail it makes up for in sheer massiveness. The temple gives off much more of an impression of ancient hugeness than the Vittala Temple, though it is also in a worse state of repair. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_KgzoPm0xU/UdkBepwP2sI/AAAAAAAACi4/IMrdqZPG9uM/s1600/19+Tiruvengalanatha+Gopura.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N_KgzoPm0xU/UdkBepwP2sI/AAAAAAAACi4/IMrdqZPG9uM/s640/19+Tiruvengalanatha+Gopura.JPG" width="458" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Looking in the opposite direction, towards the center shrine of the temple. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JMt_SZUPq4E/UdkBfV_WgqI/AAAAAAAACjE/GIPGPPz0zpM/s1600/20+Inside+Tiruvengalanatha+Temple.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-JMt_SZUPq4E/UdkBfV_WgqI/AAAAAAAACjE/GIPGPPz0zpM/s640/20+Inside+Tiruvengalanatha+Temple.JPG" width="546" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Near the center of the temple complex, again, looking out, though the view through the gopuras is here obstructed by a small shrine. Note the highly dilapidated tower on top of the gateway. The towers in Vijayanagara were made of bricks with an outer coating of plaster, rather than granite, and unlike the solid stone constructions, which are made from some of the oldest and most durable rock on the face of the planet, the towers have not aged well. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GhRW5nDA0Rc/UdkBy4_IZEI/AAAAAAAACjM/OB7k2KEdSo4/s1600/21+Tiruvengalanatha+100-columed+hall.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GhRW5nDA0Rc/UdkBy4_IZEI/AAAAAAAACjM/OB7k2KEdSo4/s640/21+Tiruvengalanatha+100-columed+hall.JPG" width="588" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A view through the 100-columned hall in the Tiruvengalanatha temple complex, which contains quite a few interesting shallow relief carvings. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PAm8DxYMwsA/UdkBzbVV-DI/AAAAAAAACjU/DkxBWg5w7F0/s1600/22+Hanuman+and+Surasa.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PAm8DxYMwsA/UdkBzbVV-DI/AAAAAAAACjU/DkxBWg5w7F0/s640/22+Hanuman+and+Surasa.JPG" width="416" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I think this is a sequence from the Ramayana, where Hanuman encounters a sea monster by the name of Surasa, the mother of serpents, on his way to Lanka to free Sita. Surasa tells Hanuman that she wants to eat him, so Hanuman tells her that she can do so after he's completed his mission. However, the sea monster is having none of this, so Hanuman comes up with the expedient of shrinking himself to the size of a thumb, so that when the monster eats him, he's so small that he can immediately fly out of her ear.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WHvqXcABqLc/UdkB0pSMKFI/AAAAAAAACjc/jQ_BZanVTIs/s1600/23+shiva+and+Scorpion.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WHvqXcABqLc/UdkB0pSMKFI/AAAAAAAACjc/jQ_BZanVTIs/s640/23+shiva+and+Scorpion.JPG" width="526" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I was never able to figure out what was happening here, other than that there's a fellow playing a flute on top of a big scorpion...there is much to be mystified at in Hampi...</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DEy6OMrenpE/UdkB1Ak7ptI/AAAAAAAACjg/P_qBNkjn6dg/s1600/24+Big+Nandi.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DEy6OMrenpE/UdkB1Ak7ptI/AAAAAAAACjg/P_qBNkjn6dg/s640/24+Big+Nandi.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A really big Nandi Bull.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jwsgSs2zCOA/UdkB12q-FdI/AAAAAAAACjs/3BA8GggYdTY/s1600/25+Inside+Matanga+Hill.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jwsgSs2zCOA/UdkB12q-FdI/AAAAAAAACjs/3BA8GggYdTY/s640/25+Inside+Matanga+Hill.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Deep in the interior of Matanga Hill. Hampi is one of the most popular tourist destinations in India, and for good reason. Most of the region is not exactly untouched. But there is one major aspect of the area which does not seem to have been exploited by tourist operators. The great boulder mounds of the Hampi region are honeycombed with enclosed chambers. As far as I can tell, most of the mounds have huge fractures in them, which can go down over a hundred feet, and are essentially caves. Given that I was alone, without gear, it wasn't really sensible for me to go exploring every yawning opening I came across, though it's surprising that, with the number of people who are attracted to the Hampi region simply for its rock climbing opportunities, that so relatively little attention is given to the labyrinthine interior's of its giant outcroppings. From just what little I was able to explore, I think it is highly likely that some of the larger boulder mounds may contain miles or even tens of miles of cave passages. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UVSUbKiMG6c/UdkB2OQmfhI/AAAAAAAACj0/rHrrjQMHDNc/s1600/26+Inside+Matanga+Hill.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UVSUbKiMG6c/UdkB2OQmfhI/AAAAAAAACj0/rHrrjQMHDNc/s640/26+Inside+Matanga+Hill.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Even deeper inside a great fissure in the center of Matanga Hill, looking up at chokestones caught in a crack maybe a hundred feet above. Now, in this particular case, there was actually a stairway carved into the interior of the hill, which made exploring the chambers inside a not particularly dangerous proposition (I always carry a headlamp with me, and it came in handy here). I know absolutely nothing about who built the stairway, or to what purpose, other than that it allowed one to enter the hill by a narrow opening on one side, and then climb all the way through the outcropping and exit via a hole on the opposite side. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CloyjCQztrE/UdkB3unEgeI/AAAAAAAACj8/Ght1mL14q5Q/s1600/27+View+from+Matanga+Hill.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CloyjCQztrE/UdkB3unEgeI/AAAAAAAACj8/Ght1mL14q5Q/s640/27+View+from+Matanga+Hill.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The view north from Matanga hill, out over the boulderlands of central Karnataka. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9em-Ku0s5xY/UdkB4IY3CuI/AAAAAAAACkE/jCyJpkznYu4/s1600/28+Zenana+Watchtower.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9em-Ku0s5xY/UdkB4IY3CuI/AAAAAAAACkE/jCyJpkznYu4/s640/28+Zenana+Watchtower.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Watchtower in the so-called Zenana enclosure, which contains the majority of Vijayanagara's most famous secular architecture. The term Zenana, which means a place where the ladies of the court live, is misleading, as there's no indication that the area known as the Zenana Enclosure was used for that purpose. This is in the Royal Center of the ruined city, which is where the Vijayanagar court lived and ruled from. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dXI4DzloFXU/UdkB48ODznI/AAAAAAAACkM/2UsqQDmAth0/s1600/29+Lotus+Mahal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="472" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dXI4DzloFXU/UdkB48ODznI/AAAAAAAACkM/2UsqQDmAth0/s640/29+Lotus+Mahal.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Lotus Mahal, in the Zenana Enclosure. The building is thought to have served as a council chamber. One of the striking things about Vijayanagara is the sharp contrast between the ruined city's religious and secular architecture. While the temples employ solely indigenous architectural principles, which had been developed in the space of over a thousand years by the South Indian empires preceding Vijayanagara, the designers of the city's secular buildings created a hybrid style that used both indigenous and Islamic methods. Case in point, the pavilion on which the Lotus Mahal stands in Hindu is style, as are the conical tops of the building, which resemble South Indian temple towers. However, the large arches that form the load bearing members of the palace are foreign imports. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dTZXpcIvRAg/UdkB5ZKA77I/AAAAAAAACkU/oXdDqyeWh6E/s1600/30+Lotus+Mahal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dTZXpcIvRAg/UdkB5ZKA77I/AAAAAAAACkU/oXdDqyeWh6E/s640/30+Lotus+Mahal.JPG" width="444" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Close on the archway that leads through the center of the Lotus Mahal. The wall in the background is what surrounds the Zenana Enclosure. Most of the defensive walls in Vijayanagara comprise two layers of rather ill-fitting granite masonry, in between which is a layer of earth. The masonry blacks aren't cemented, so the only thing that keeps them standing is the earthen layer in the middle. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PPUC8d9Lc0Q/UdkB6QoX83I/AAAAAAAACkc/gYbUqgMwDZ0/s1600/31+Elephant+Stables.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PPUC8d9Lc0Q/UdkB6QoX83I/AAAAAAAACkc/gYbUqgMwDZ0/s640/31+Elephant+Stables.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The elephant stables of the Zenana Enclosure. One of Hampi's most iconic buildings, the stables are, again, in a hybrid style, with very Islamic looking arches. Each chamber was meant to hold two elephants, while the structure in the middle, which once had a tower that has since crumbled away, was meant for musicians. The green space in front of the stables was a parade ground, where troops and elephants would assemble for review by the Vijayanagar court. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-plzFSMzZOro/UdkB7AHIONI/AAAAAAAACkk/jb1AA8AM5p0/s1600/32+Hanuman+Statue.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-plzFSMzZOro/UdkB7AHIONI/AAAAAAAACkk/jb1AA8AM5p0/s640/32+Hanuman+Statue.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A giant, nine foot tall Hanuman slab, in a small temple adjacent to the Zenana enclosure. Hanuman is known locally as Anjaneya, and is frequently believed to have been born on a hill just a few miles away from where this picture was taken. However, how this giant frieze wound up where it did is something of a mystery. It seems to have been dragged in from somewhere else, and the temple that it's in has nothing to do with Hanuman. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0tTBl_8fRwA/UdkB8i5wxkI/AAAAAAAACks/fMxsFcKOMRg/s1600/33+Hazara+Rama+Temple+Exterior.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0tTBl_8fRwA/UdkB8i5wxkI/AAAAAAAACks/fMxsFcKOMRg/s640/33+Hazara+Rama+Temple+Exterior.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Carvings on the exterior of the Hazara Rama, or Thousand Ramas, temple. The Hazara Rama served as the royal chapel of the Vijayanagara rulers from the early part of the 15th century until the abandonment of the city. These reliefs stretch around the entire outside wall of the shrine, with what must be at least several tens of thousands of individual pictures. The sculptures are thought to depict the Mahanavami festival, the greatest celebration at Vijayanagara, during which the rulers prayed to the goddess Durga to give them victory in battle, as Ram had done in before his final fight with Ravana in the Ramayana. The festival apparently culminated in a giant procession. Note the horses, which are being led along by Central Asian muslim attendants. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cKBBA1FYW_4/UdkB9NqtAYI/AAAAAAAACk0/jJ-iO9oi-h4/s1600/34+Hazara+Rama+Temple+Ramayana+Carvings.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="376" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cKBBA1FYW_4/UdkB9NqtAYI/AAAAAAAACk0/jJ-iO9oi-h4/s640/34+Hazara+Rama+Temple+Ramayana+Carvings.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Pilasters and sequences from the Ramayana, carved inside the Hazara Rama temple. Here, the emphasis is placed more on the quality of carvings than on architectural grandeur. Unlike Vijayanagara's vaster temple compounds in the Sacred Center of the city, which were meant to accommodate thousands of devotees, the Hazara Rama temple was clearly meant to serve a much more select set of worshippers. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uFgIPT2Qce0/UdkB90Fwk8I/AAAAAAAACk8/ewjmxU_QM1E/s1600/35+Hazara+Rama+Temple+Ramayana+Carvings.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="398" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uFgIPT2Qce0/UdkB90Fwk8I/AAAAAAAACk8/ewjmxU_QM1E/s640/35+Hazara+Rama+Temple+Ramayana+Carvings.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
More Ramayana scenes. These reliefs are read from left to right and from bottom to top. I suppose the entire epic could be read comic book style simply by walking around in the temple.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0UdnHl7E2D8/UdkB-Q3eZgI/AAAAAAAAClE/DCd70ffRCCo/s1600/36+Hazara+Rama+Temple+Ganesh.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0UdnHl7E2D8/UdkB-Q3eZgI/AAAAAAAAClE/DCd70ffRCCo/s640/36+Hazara+Rama+Temple+Ganesh.JPG" width="534" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Inside the main shrine of the Hazara Rama temple. A depiction of Ganesh on a column which is, according to the excellent and highly recommended guide book <i>Hampi Vijayanagara </i> by John M Fritz and George Michell, made from an igneous rock called dolerite, which had to be brought to the site from elsewhere. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dAk3_vfo5sI/UdkB_UA5I2I/AAAAAAAAClM/8WTfMr8GRI4/s1600/37+Hazara+Rama+Temple+Tower.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dAk3_vfo5sI/UdkB_UA5I2I/AAAAAAAAClM/8WTfMr8GRI4/s640/37+Hazara+Rama+Temple+Tower.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
One of the towers in the Hazara Rama temple complex, with a fairly well preserved brick and plaster upper section. Note the many depictions of Hanuman on the lower, granite, part of the structure. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9ZjiVVkE8tg/UdkCAbUT6RI/AAAAAAAAClU/VO_UzA27pLg/s1600/38+Mahanavami+Platform+Carvings.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="440" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9ZjiVVkE8tg/UdkCAbUT6RI/AAAAAAAAClU/VO_UzA27pLg/s640/38+Mahanavami+Platform+Carvings.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Shallow relief carvings on the Mahanavami platform. Dating from the 14th century, the Mahanavami Platform is believed to be where the rulers of Vijayanagar would offer sacrifices to Durga during the great festival. The carvings on the platform would seem to depict as much of courtly life as the artists could cram onto the granite panels. In the foreground, the illustrations include hunting scenes on the bottom tier, above which are numerous dancing girls, an elephant, a mythical Yali, and jugglers. In the background are more hunting scenes, along with horses, and also camels in front of palm trees.This simple but engaging style of carving is unique to Vijayanagara.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RBKUowLMulc/UdkCAw1x-2I/AAAAAAAAClc/GB0BupW4hJU/s1600/39+Step-well.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RBKUowLMulc/UdkCAw1x-2I/AAAAAAAAClc/GB0BupW4hJU/s640/39+Step-well.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A step-well, in the vicinity of the Mahanavami Platform, which was discovered only in the 1980s. The whole ruined city of Vijayanagara, along with its suburbs, remain very active archeological sites. While I was there, I saw a number of foundations of buildings in the Royal Center which had only come to light in the past few years. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Wow, that was a long one...and what I posted here are just a few of the highlights! One could profitably spend months in Hampi. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So, my next post is going to be on one of the suburban settlements. Stay tuned!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zHZnVACPn8I/UdkCBmEwQ6I/AAAAAAAAClk/kwyvHC5tk0g/s1600/40+Carved+Musician.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zHZnVACPn8I/UdkCBmEwQ6I/AAAAAAAAClk/kwyvHC5tk0g/s640/40+Carved+Musician.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Not sure</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br /></div>
Patrick A. Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05731722419862161376noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6049395502639291836.post-77701136240776012262013-06-29T10:23:00.000-07:002013-06-29T10:23:32.153-07:00Feroz Shah Kotla<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3NS4wA35jx4/Ua_HHrTjF_I/AAAAAAAACWo/IvKzdjHYagg/s1600/1+Feroz+Shah+Kotla.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3NS4wA35jx4/Ua_HHrTjF_I/AAAAAAAACWo/IvKzdjHYagg/s640/1+Feroz+Shah+Kotla.JPG" width="540" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
In a chamber under the Feroz Shah Kotla Mosque. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The ruins of Firozabad, the fifth city of Delhi, stand tucked away next to a giant cricket stadium, just south of the former line of the walls of Old Delhi. It's not on most visitors itineraries, and even people I've know who have been living in Delhi for quite some time haven't gone there. The reason for this is, I think, relatively simple: Firozabad, otherwise known as Firoz Shah Kotla, is not pretty. Rather, it's scary, immensely atmospheric, and is generally considered one of Delhi's primary centers of supernatural activity....It's not for the faint of heart. Visiting the ruins on a Thursday afternoon, when people come from the surrounding area to petition disembodied spirits for favours and forgiveness in dark, dungeon-like chambers in the sad remnants of a once grand, but now almost totally destroyed, 700 year old city, is one of the most intense experiences that Delhi, a city that is nothing if not replete with intense experiences, has to offer. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Firozabad was built by Firoz Shah Tughlaq, the third ruler of the Tughlaq Dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate, in the middle of the 14th century. Firoz Shah was successor to Muhammad Bin Tughlaq, under whom the Delhi Sultanate reached its widest extent. Muhammad Bin Tughlaq's reign was, however, marred by ill-advised monetary experiments and a disastrous attempt to shift the entire population of Delhi to the city of Daulatabad in present day Maharashtra. His reign ended with much of the Tughlaq empire in revolt.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Muhammad Bin Tughlaq's successor is therefore remembered more as a ruler who brought stability to a troubled empire than as a great conqueror. Certainly, the succession from Muhammad Bin Tughlaq to Firoz Shah was the least bloody during the Tughlaq period. His policy towards the breakaway provinces of the empire was to allow them to go their separate ways, while at the same time consolidating what territory he had left. In this, he was successful, though his record is blemished somewhat by his persecutions of Hindus. His reign was characterized by far fewer major military campaigns than was the norm, and the majority of these were failures. Still, he successfully held back the threat of the Mongols, and is generally agreed to have brought about a time of relative peace and prosperity in Delhi.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
He was also one of Delhi's great builders, perhaps his most notable contribution to the architectural landscape of the city being the top two tiers of the Qutb Minar, the original top of the great minaret having been damaged previously. He also built an entirely new city of Delhi, called Firozabad, next to what was then the shores of the Yamuna, but is now the smog-choked Ring Road. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Now, at one time, Firozabad was evidently a sight to behold. Not long after Firoz Shah's death, it was visited by the great Mongol conqueror Tamerlane, who, even while he was extinguishing the Tughlaq Dynasty for good and killing the majority of the population of Delhi, found it sufficiently remarkable to order the construction of a similar mosque in Samarkand. But the city later fell on hard times. As newer incarnations of Delhi sprang up in subsequent centuries, Firozabad was plundered for building material. Many of the structures inside the city were torn down, the rubble from the ruined buildings then being incorporated into newer constructions. The result, after six centuries or so of this, is not pretty. Firozabad really is totally ruined, and looks like it should be occupied by spirits....which, according to many, it is. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Starting sometime in the 1970s, a rumor started to spread that the ruins were the abode of djinns. In Islamic mythology, djinns are said to be beings that Allah made out of smoke before he made human beings. They're not ghosts exactly, nor are they evil, though they're powerful and you want to try and avoid making enemies out of them. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
After Firozabad became rumored to be the home of djinns, people from near and far began to come to the ruined city to write letters and give offerings to the spirits in order to obtain their blessings and their forgiveness. Now, on a Thursday afternoon, the complex, which is usually largely empty, is full of people seeking to gain the favour of the djinns.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I went to Firozabad twice. The first time it was in the morning and I had virtually the whole complex to myself and could wander at will. The second time I went on a Thursday afternoon with my girlfriend Aneesha, and that proved to be much more of an experience, though with so many people there it wasn't possible to wander around the ruins quite so much...though the lighting was much better...Anyway, the photos below are from both trips. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xGaCcmRp3Sw/Ua_HJDtOg_I/AAAAAAAACW4/rtcnbGu-ki0/s1600/2+Outside+Feroz+Shah+Kotla.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xGaCcmRp3Sw/Ua_HJDtOg_I/AAAAAAAACW4/rtcnbGu-ki0/s640/2+Outside+Feroz+Shah+Kotla.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Walking up to the front gate of the ruined city. Firozabad is just south of Old Delhi, and is somewhat set back from Bahadur Shah Zafar Road. Right next to it is a giant cricket stadium, also titled Firoz Shah Kotla (which means Firoz Shah's citadel). Both names for the ruins, Firoz Shah Kotla and Firozabad, are rather confusing. More people have heard of the Firoz Shah Kotla cricket ground than the ruins, while Firozabad is the name of a number of other cities elsewhere in India.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rkPjBRspyGA/Ua_HJvt8ixI/AAAAAAAACXA/keKO8ktHuAc/s1600/3+Ruins+behind+gate%252C+Feroz+Shah+Kotla.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="414" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rkPjBRspyGA/Ua_HJvt8ixI/AAAAAAAACXA/keKO8ktHuAc/s640/3+Ruins+behind+gate%252C+Feroz+Shah+Kotla.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The ruins of the city. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vF2CMPv3Wkk/Ua_HKJQBf5I/AAAAAAAACXI/RthXPMivplM/s1600/4+Feroz+Shah+Kotla+Kites.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vF2CMPv3Wkk/Ua_HKJQBf5I/AAAAAAAACXI/RthXPMivplM/s640/4+Feroz+Shah+Kotla+Kites.JPG" width="568" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Ruins and Kites on a Thursday afternoon. When people give their offerings to the Djinns, they frequently include bits of edible stuff, which draws swirling hordes of hawks.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h6c1KCln3zQ/Ua_HKnNo2CI/AAAAAAAACXQ/QxS8kCaXNFE/s1600/5+Feroz+Shah+Kotla+palace+enclosure.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h6c1KCln3zQ/Ua_HKnNo2CI/AAAAAAAACXQ/QxS8kCaXNFE/s640/5+Feroz+Shah+Kotla+palace+enclosure.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Looking towards what remains of a now largely stripped away palace complex. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eZqGaVfOwqk/Ua_HLVdZ6QI/AAAAAAAACXY/dbLOj0aWoyE/s1600/6+Feroz+Shah+Kotla+Jama+Masjid.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eZqGaVfOwqk/Ua_HLVdZ6QI/AAAAAAAACXY/dbLOj0aWoyE/s640/6+Feroz+Shah+Kotla+Jama+Masjid.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The Firoz Shah Kotla Mosque. Like most of the buildings within the city, the majority of the mosque has been stripped away, though the qibla wall, parts of the northern wall, and the domed gateway you can see to the left, survive. There is also a network of passageways and chambers underneath the ruins which remain intact. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cRakIlVw43k/Ua_HMOFjbAI/AAAAAAAACXg/dff-Cq1rVZ8/s1600/7+Feroz+Shah+Kotla+Jama+Masjid+Gate.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cRakIlVw43k/Ua_HMOFjbAI/AAAAAAAACXg/dff-Cq1rVZ8/s640/7+Feroz+Shah+Kotla+Jama+Masjid+Gate.JPG" width="518" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Another view on the domed gateway. When Tamerlane visited in the late 14th century, this mosque was the largest in India. However, these days nobody knows what it looked like in its pre-ruinous state. The flat area behind the mosque was once the course of the river Yamuna. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--25_iV-Sw_U/Ua_HM_9WP1I/AAAAAAAACXo/jagGoXEYSbc/s1600/8+Prayer+niche+and+holy+books.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="606" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--25_iV-Sw_U/Ua_HM_9WP1I/AAAAAAAACXo/jagGoXEYSbc/s640/8+Prayer+niche+and+holy+books.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A small prayer niche in the side of the qibla wall stuffed with holy books and various religious oddments. Though the mosque is in such a sorry state of disrepair, it's still a very active place of worship, and receives crowds in the thousands on Fridays.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0iFpcaR2n_s/Ua_HNcCOarI/AAAAAAAACXs/LU0Hyq2P8Fw/s1600/9+Djinns.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0iFpcaR2n_s/Ua_HNcCOarI/AAAAAAAACXs/LU0Hyq2P8Fw/s640/9+Djinns.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
The djinns of Feroz Shah Kotla, in a chamber under the mosque...actually, these are people going to pray to the djinns, as viewed through the smoke of hundreds of candles.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DRCZoQvMkpk/Ua_HIDAo8LI/AAAAAAAACWw/bCYldAyGUhc/s1600/10+Letter+to+Djinns+Feroz+Shah+Kotla.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DRCZoQvMkpk/Ua_HIDAo8LI/AAAAAAAACWw/bCYldAyGUhc/s640/10+Letter+to+Djinns+Feroz+Shah+Kotla.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
A petition to a djinn. This was on my first visit to the complex. Then, Ferozabad was to me just a place on a map south of Red Fort. I knew nothing about the city other than that it was built by Firoz Shah Tughlaq. I remember walking down into the chambers under the mosque, and seeing these letters stuck to the insides of alcoves. I had no clue what was going on. I remember there being a very unsettling air about those ancient enclosed spaces inside the ruins. They certainly felt haunted, if no more so than many other Delhi ruins. These letters are sometimes appeals to the spirits for aide, and are sometimes confessions, the idea being that the djinns have the power to forgive sins. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hpJdintZWOA/Ua_Hn69bcxI/AAAAAAAACYA/eD_5bne2FHk/s1600/11+Praying+to+Djinns.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hpJdintZWOA/Ua_Hn69bcxI/AAAAAAAACYA/eD_5bne2FHk/s640/11+Praying+to+Djinns.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Praying to the djinns of Feroz Shah Kotla in one of the chambers under the mosque, on a Thursday. Once you've made your prayer, you're supposed to leave the room walking backwards, so as not to turn your back to the spirit, which is viewed as inauspicious. From what I've read, many orthodox Muslim clerics don't condone the practice of praying to the djinns. That being said, the practise is by no means limited only to uneducated people. Higher class, well educated Indians will sometimes seek the blessings of the djinns. </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZoriztaFJ5s/Ua_HoZu0QPI/AAAAAAAACX4/yWRdjbabohc/s1600/12+Leftover+offerings+to+Djinns.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZoriztaFJ5s/Ua_HoZu0QPI/AAAAAAAACX4/yWRdjbabohc/s640/12+Leftover+offerings+to+Djinns.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
One of the chambers under the mosque, not on a thursday...many of the offerings wind up lying around rotting on the ground.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_irGqIMoniU/Ua_Hsdh1rcI/AAAAAAAACYI/QtOZXQjlTis/s1600/13+Feroz+Shah+Kotla+Baoli.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_irGqIMoniU/Ua_Hsdh1rcI/AAAAAAAACYI/QtOZXQjlTis/s640/13+Feroz+Shah+Kotla+Baoli.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Feroz Shah Kotla circular step-well, in a different part of the complex. That water had big cat fish swimming around in it. Apparently it was technically closed due to incidents of people committing suicide there. However, that woman you can see at the top of the picture let me in anyway, for a tiny tip.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sdxHSn5eicA/Ua_HszHd0DI/AAAAAAAACYQ/38FqRoVd3NA/s1600/14+Feroz+Shah+Kotla+Baoli+stairs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sdxHSn5eicA/Ua_HszHd0DI/AAAAAAAACYQ/38FqRoVd3NA/s640/14+Feroz+Shah+Kotla+Baoli+stairs.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Looking up at a creepy circular stairway inside the step-well.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VAvRubowwKk/Ua_HtnuiEUI/AAAAAAAACYY/NS9L1B0UzIo/s1600/15+Ashoka+Collumn,+Feroz+Shah+Kotla.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VAvRubowwKk/Ua_HtnuiEUI/AAAAAAAACYY/NS9L1B0UzIo/s640/15+Ashoka+Collumn,+Feroz+Shah+Kotla.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Ruins and an Ashokan pillar, on a busy Thursday. The ruin is simply referred to as the "Pyramidal Structure," which indicates that the Archeological Survey of India doesn't know what function it used to serve. The building has been declared off limits, again, in the interest of public safety...you can see here how well that works. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C7mtPHT5o-8/Ua_HuGEMySI/AAAAAAAACYc/s_4OQHY5gS8/s1600/16+Beam+of+light,+Feroz+Shah+Kotla.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C7mtPHT5o-8/Ua_HuGEMySI/AAAAAAAACYc/s_4OQHY5gS8/s640/16+Beam+of+light,+Feroz+Shah+Kotla.JPG" width="452" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
An arch and a beam of light inside the "Pyramidal Structure."</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UHJzvR6gtsA/Ua_HvNVVzqI/AAAAAAAACYo/ogBGuk4X-KU/s1600/17+Ashoka+Column+Feroz+Shah+Kotla.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UHJzvR6gtsA/Ua_HvNVVzqI/AAAAAAAACYo/ogBGuk4X-KU/s640/17+Ashoka+Column+Feroz+Shah+Kotla.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Firoz Shah Kotla Ashokan pillar. The pillar dates from the 3rd century BC. It was made at the behest of the first truly pan-Indian ruler, and one of the most important figures in the spread of Buddhism, the Mauryan emperor Ashoka. The inscription is in an early Indian script called Pali, and is a list of Ashoka's edicts on such subjects as good governance and the proper treatment of animals. Firoz Shah Tughlaq apparently stumbled on it while he was out campaigning, and then, using the forced labour of an entire district, had the 27 ton pillar dragged to Delhi and placed atop the "Pyramidal Structure." You can see here that the top has fallen off. I've run across different accounts as to why this happened. One said that the top fell off while they were hoisting it up into its current position. Another stated that the pillar was damaged during the Sepoy Rebellion. An Archeological Survey of India pamphlet claimed that the Firoz Shah put a gold capitol on top of the pillar, which was subsequently robbed....I have no idea which story is true. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I admit, I never actually saw a djinn there, though if formless ancient beings made from smoke before the coming of man were going to exist at all, Ferozibad is definitely where they would live.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br /></div>
Patrick A. Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05731722419862161376noreply@blogger.com0