Exquisite Love: The Taj Mahal

Few words are necessary to introduce the Taj Mahal, the world's most famous monument to love.

I grew up in what I am firmly convinced is the most beautiful city in the world: Rome. I was used to seeing the majestic remnants of what once was the center of one of the most powerful empires ever existed, as a matter of daily life. So, no surprise if I have always thought that nothing could impress me.

However, the first time I saw the Taj Mahal I just stared at it, speechless and with tears in my eyes. I had never seen so much beauty in a building.

The Taj Mahal widely recognized and the finest example of Mughal art. It is dedicated to Arjumand Bano Begum also known as Mumtaz Mahal, wife of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan who was so in love with her that when she died of childbirth in 1631, he wanted to build something of such a beauty that would last for ever.
In 1983, UNESCO included the Taj Mahal along with the nearby Agra Fort in its list of World Heritage Sites.

In 1633, two years after Mumtaz Mahal 's death, work started on what was going to be the ultimate monument to eternal love. More than 20,000 people worked for 17 years to build the Taj Mahal.

Shah Jahan summoned the best architects and artisans of his time from as far away as Baghdad and Persia to erect a temple to love that would enchant hundreds of thousands of people for centuries to come.

The building is not as impressive for its size as it is for its exquisite architecture and perfect symmetry. The central body is a topped by a 35-meter high dome surrounded by four similar smaller domes. At the four corners of the plinth stand minarets. The minarets are slightly tilted outward so that if anything happened they would fall away from the main building. The four minarets have a purely ornamental function and are not used for religious purposes.

The whole construction is covered in white marble that it is less porous than that used in statues and it is less susceptible to corrosion and pollution. The fact that there are no factories in a radius of 50 kilometers and regular restoration works contribute to preserving the monument.

The whole edifice is inlaid in pietra dura of different colors. The same carving techniques are still used today by the descendants of the artisans that built the Taj Mahal for repair works. Their modern artifacts can be (unfortunately) seen in the many shops for tourists where your guide, rickshaw driver, bicycle wallah or taxi driver will take you whether you want or not.

For a more detailed description of the Taj Mahal and its history, click here.

GETTING THERE
If you are in Delhi, you can either opt for a day tour by bus (most hotels will be able to help you) or you can take the train. The Taj Express leaves early in the morning from Nizamuddin Station and the return train leaves Agra Cantonment Station in the late afternoon. It takes about two and a half hours each way. You'd be surprised at how efficient the Indian railway system is.
Once in Agra the best way to get to the Taj Mahal is to take an auto rickshaw. Ask the driver to go from the side access. It's a 10-15 minute drive form central Agra that will take you through a maze of small alleys and reveal an aspect of India that most of us do not want to think about.

WARNINGS
Whatever you do in India, never pay the price you are asked (except entrance fees to monuments). Bargaining is part of the culture. Just do not overdo it. Remember that 10 rupees (25 US cents) are nothing to us, but are a meal to them.

The driver will invariably tell you he knows a place where you can get silk, fabrics, carpets, jewels or anything else you may be looking for at a very low price. Usually they take you to a shop that pays them a commission, which ultimately you pay. And if something seems too good to be true… well you know…

At times, especially during peak tourist season, long lines form at the entrance of the Taj Mahal and other monuments. Someone is likely to approach you telling you they can get you in from a side entrance or help you skip the line. Again, common sense should prevail and if there really is another entrance don't you think people would be lining up there as well?

Once inside the chances of a guide approaching you to offer his/her services are very high. It's up to you. Some are good while some others just read from a guidebook.

Sorry, wrong runway... A true story!!

I thought this could only happen in movies!!

Location: Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai, India, aboard flight SQ421 from Mumbai to Singapore on April 11, 2008.

The flight was on time, boarding was proceeding smoothly. Once on board we were welcomed by the reassuring voice of the captain and the enchanting smiles of the flight attendants. Everything went by the manual and we left the gate five minutes before scheduled.

Then, it all began. After a wait of about 20 minutes on the taxiway, where we were treated to the sight of planes landing and taking off in front of us, the first announcement. At first it sounded like the too familiar "because of traffic congestion we will be a few minutes late." So far, no big deal.

Another 20 minutes or so go by and an angry captain starts saying "This is unbelievable," "I cannot believe it." He then tries to explain that the air traffic control (ATC) gave wrong directions and then he goes into some technical explanation of why we cannot take off from Runway 14, the one that had been assigned to our flight). He asks passengers to be patient -- as if we had any other choice -- and to wait a little bit more while he talks to ATC.

About an hour and a half after leaving the gate, the captain tells us that we have to go back to the gate and wait until the other runway, Runway 27, is available. He was furious. He kept saying "I have never seen anything like this," "It is unbelievable."

Once we were at the gate the captain explained what had happened. The plane, a B777-300 needs a full length runway to take off, but we were entering the runway at mid-point so the plane was supposed to go back and do a 180 degree turnaround to utilize the full length of the runway. However, because of the structure of the plane it was impossible to do the U-turn as there was some construction equipment near the runway and the pilot judged it to be too close to the runway to execute the maneuver safely. Moreover, the only way to access the runway at the top was to use two taxiways which were closed -- but not marked as such on the papers that the pilots receive from the airport authorities before the flight.

Result: We went back to the gate where we waited for about another hour until R27 was available. Total delay: three hours…

Unfortunately I have no way to hear the version of the ATC Mumbai, so I'll take the captain's word for it.

Keeping the flickering flame of justice alive

April 28 marks the 32nd anniversary of a little known but landmark moment in the history of India and of the world's legal system.

For 21 months, between June 25, 1975 and March 21, 1977, President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, on request by then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, declared a State of Emergency under Article 352 of the Constitution of India. This in effect gave Gandhi the power to rule by decree, suspend elections and civil liberties.

It was then that the Indian Supreme Court was called to rule in the Jabalpur vs Shivkant Shukla case. The case centered on the legality of imprisoning people without court ruling. In a four-to-one decision, the court ruled that there was no recourse to courts in case a person was detained during emergency rule.

The contrarian voice, a thunder in the darkness of subservience to political power, was that of Justice Hans Raj Khanna, who passed away in February of this year at the age of 95.

Justice Khanna wrote in his dissenting opinion that the door of justice could never be shut for citizens, not even during the state of emergency. His courage and moral rectitude cost him the promotion to Chief Justice. When in January 1977 he was superseded for the post of Chief Justice, Khanna resigned.

In a brilliant essay entitled "Human Rights During Emergency" Soli J. Sorabjee, a former Attorney General of India, says that while civil rights may in exceptional circumstances be suspended, there are some fundamental rights, such as the right to life, the right to a fair trial and freedom from torture or cruel treatment, that cannot be suspended under any circumstances. Doing so "would destroy the basis of a civilized state and the rule of laws."

Let me quote the last paragraph of this essay: "It should never be forgotten that the ultimate justification for an emergency in a democratic State is to enable it to preserve vital values of a democratic society temporarily endangered on account of unexpected situations of exceptional gravity. Emergency cannot be declared for undermining the basis of democracy. […] In the absence of the Rule of Law, Lawlessness predominates, especially government lawlessness, when there is no authority to question government's action, no mechanism to control it and no institution to make it accountable and to check its excesses. However grave the emergency it should always be remembered that there exists an inseparable bond between legality, democratic institutions and the Rule of Law. Once that bond is severed, all ties with decent, civilised life have been severed and human beings become devoid of humanity."

On June 29, 2006, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the military commissions instituted by U.S. President George W. Bush to try terrorism suspects held at Guantanamo Bay were illegal. The administration turned to the Congress, which it controlled the time, to pass a law to allow the president to keep the commissions alive.

While the Supreme Court has so far been the only constraint for the Bush administration in its so-called "war on terror," it has refrained from ruling on the most controversial point: The legality of denying habeas corpus to the prisoners at Guantanamo.

Let's hope that the news of the passing away of Justice Khanna will remind the U.S. Supreme Court that their role is keep the flame of justice alive and put (belated and partial) remedy to one of the most shameful moments in U.S. history.

Colorful Chennai

Over the centuries, Chennai, the capital of India's southern state of Tamil Nadu, has grown from a fishing village into the fourth-largest city in India.

The city, also known as Madras, has not, however, lost its multicultural legacy, which ranges from the Pallavas to the Cholas, from the Mughals to the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British. Evidence is the range of architectural styles of the many historical buildings that dot the city.

One of the most representative examples of the local heritage is Kapaleeswarar temple, a fine example of Dravidian architecture.

This temple, located in the Mylapore district of Chennai, can be easily reached by taxi or three-wheeler from the city center.

As its name (not so obviously) suggests, the temple is consecrated to Lord Shiva. Kapalam means bowl [made out] of [a] skull and Easwara is another name of Shiva. According to Hindu mythology, at the dissolution of cosmos, all that remains is Lord Easwara holding a bowl of skull, from which the next cosmos will come out.

Kapaleeswarar, whose original structure dates back to the 13th century, was rebuilt by the Vijayanagar kings in the 16th century. Some say it was first built in the 7th century by the Pallava kings, on the site that now hosts Santhome Cathedral. The cathedral, about a mile from the temple, takes its name from the apostle St. Thomas, who is said to have lived and preached in the area in the middle of the 1st century AD.

The temple is painted every seven years in the bright colors of the Hindu tradition. However, according to my guide, the temple was repainted in 2006 (or 2007, he wasn't too sure) only two years after the regular maintenance as the local authorities were not satisfied with the results of the scheduled paint job. Whatever the reason, the temple looked gorgeous in its brilliance.

The most striking feature of this temple is the 37-meter-high gopuram, or pyramid-shaped tower, which is characteristic of Dravidian architecture. The gopuram is carved with intricate designs representing scenes from tales of the Hindu mythology.

Worth a visit to this temple are also the bronze statues of 63 nayanmars, or Shaivite saints that decorate the outer courtyard. The statues are carried in a parade throughout the city on the eighth day of the 10-day Arapattu Moovar festival, held each year between March and April. Another popular festival is Theppam, or float festival, held in late summer in the temple's vast tank.

Kapaleeswarar is a popular pilgrimage site for supposedly being the site of a miracle by Saint Gnanasambandar who sang a hymn to Lord Kapaleeswarar in order to resurrect a dead girl.

On a more cultural note, the temple is famous for being associated to Thiruvalluvar, a 1st century BC Tamil poet-saint who supposedly wrote the Thirukkural, one of the most revered works of Tamil literature. The Thirukkural, or Sacred Couplets, is a collection of aphorisms and moral rules that has had a profound influence on the cultural debate of the region.

Last, a few words of advice. First, like in all Hindu temples, you are not allowed to bring your shoes in. You can leave them either outside the temple (at your own risk) or in the shed to the left of the temple's entrance. A tip when you pick them up is appreciated.

Second: once in the temple you are likely to be approached by a "student" who will start guiding you through the temple. They are pretty good guides so it's worth listening to them. At the end of the tour give 40-50 rupees per each member of the group. If the guide complains, do not waste your time. Just give him the money and say that if he is not happy the alternative is nothing. Never give them what they ask for, even if it seems a small sum.

I was approached by three "students." Only the first one got my attention and my money.



For more photos of the temple and its festivals, click here.