Port No. 24: Mangalore, India (3/26/12), and
Port No. 25: Goa, India (3/27/12) ...
... but we’re taking a gigantic “detour” to see the sensational TAJ MAHAL instead!
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∙ GEOGRAPHY 101
∙ Land Mass/Continent: Indian Subcontinent, aka South Asia (a region in Asia extending south to the Indian Ocean); it is also known as the Asia-Pacific region
∙ About The Taj Mahal: The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum (a monument enclosing the burial chamber of a deceased person) in Agra, India
∙ Distance From Home (San Diego, CA): 9,182 miles to Mangalore; 443 miles by plane from Mangalore to Mumbai, then, 724 miles by plane from Mumbai to Delhi, then 327 miles by car from Delhi to Agra
∙ The Water That Got Us Here: Indian Ocean; then by sky and land ...
∙ ITS PLACE IN HISTORY/INTERESTING FACTS
∙ Currency of India: The Indian rupee (INR)
∙ Official Language of India: Nope, not "Indian"; it's Hindi, with English as the secondary official language
∙ Local time in Agra:
∙ The Taj Mahal is the world’s most famous and most photographed mausoleum
∙ It was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his 3rd wife, Mumtaz Mahal
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| SHAH JAHAN |
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| MUMTAZ MAHAL |
∙ Shah Jahan was the Emperor of the Mughal Empire in the Indian Subcontinent from 1628 to 1658
∙ He was considered one of the greatest Mughals; his reign was called the Golden Age of the Mughals, one of the most prosperous of the Indian civilization
∙ He was one of the most powerful personalities on Earth
∙ He had, in his empire, the largest and most prosperous capital and some of the most delicate architectural masterpieces in the world
∙ Shah Jahan was grief-stricken when his wife died in 1631 during the birth of their 14th child
∙ Construction began the next year, 1632, and took 21 years and 20,000 workers to complete in 1653!
∙ The Taj Mahal is widely recognized as “the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage”
∙ “A poem written in white marble”, “the most extravagant monument ever built for love”
∙ It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983; in 2007, it was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World
∙ While the white-domed mausoleum is the most recognized, it’s actually an integrated complex of structures over 42 acres
∙ It attracts 2-4 million visitors annually
∙ Shah Jahan himself described the Taj Mahal in these words:
"Should guilty seek asylum here,
Like one pardoned, he becomes free from sin.
Should a sinner make his way to this mansion,
All his past sins are to be washed away.
The sight of this mansion creates sorrowing sighs;
And the sun & the moon shed tears from their eyes.
In this world this edifice has been made;
To display thereby the creator's glory.”
∙ Soon after the Taj Mahal’s completion, Shah Jahan was deposed by his son and put under house arrest at nearby Agra Fort
∙ Upon Shah Jahan’s death, his son buried him in the mausoleum next to his wife
∙ All areas of India present a risk of contracting malaria; a prophylactic is recommended for our visit here
∙ A funny travel video of India here: http://www.youtube.com/user/bestdestination#p/search/3/8-e5HAGREMk and for the Taj - http://www.youtube.com/user/THEWORLDOFTRAVEL#p/search/0/dQwrftTPDD8
∙ CLIMATE
∙ Agra features a semi-arid, bordering on a humid subtropic, climate
∙ HIGHLIGHTS/THINGS TO SEE
∙ The Taj Mahal - duh! - but that’s not all
∙ Red Fort aka Agra Fort - many of the events leading to construction of the Taj took place here
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| RED FORT, aka AGRA FORT |
∙ Itmad-ud-Daulah’s Tomb - many of its design elements overshadow the Taj
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| ITMAD-UD-DAULAH'S TOMB |
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