The Oldest Living City on Earth

Bahhh!

Varanasi, the oldest city on Earth and one of seven most sacred Hindu cities in the India, is located on the banks of the Ganges river in the region of Uttar Pradesh, north-central India. Millions have flocked from all over the world to find salvation in the "holy" waters of the Ganges river, saving up over a lifetime to have their bodies cremated and ashes then dispersed in the river. It's prominence was so great at one time, Gautama Buddha gave his first sermon in Sarnath, only a few kilometers within the city of Varanasi. Though my stay in Varanasi was brief, the ancient feel to the city was palpable in every reach and corner, from the numerous ghats lining the riverbank to the ceremonies and processions taking place on a 24/7 basis. I began my day winding through the city, starting with some of its most esteemed institutions- a world renowned Hindu university, a monkey village! (no cameras sadly allowed) silk factories and the sites of temples centuries old.

Home of largest Hindu University

cheese!

girl talk

Woven hangings

Flower offering for the deities

Side street in Varanasi

Chillin' in pink.

Rikshaw

Outside a mainstream Hindu temple

Goats are a dime a dozen

The arduous process to create India's most revered textiles

India's "holy" cow feasting on a banquet of...trash.

TREASURES OF INDIA: AGRA FORT

Trying on an Indian garment for size (bindi not included)

Warning: Deep Hole!

Rare moment: father and son, viewing Taj Mahal from Agra Fort

Beautiful arches

My initials carved into History



Incredible detail work in sweeping arches

column aisle

How cute!!

Agra village

Taking it all in.

TREAURES OF INDIA: TAJ MAHAL

A palace fit for a queen

There are certain days in our lives we never forget: the jubilee of riding a two-wheeler for the first time, our first dollar from the Tooth Fairy, the day we come out of the DMV with an official driver's license- large status stuff. And then there's the day you witness one of history's most impressive marvels, and you do it in a country as foreign, exotic and extreme as India. Welcome to the Taj Mahal, ladies and gents...

outer grounds

girl taking water outside

detail work

inside the mauseleum

burial site

hi there

tiny ant-like people

Indians making the pilgrimage to their own

loved the colors and brocade embroidery on this Indian woman

series of arches

Indian school children visiting the Taj

Drawing replicas of the palace

Cheesy tourist pose, baby!

LOVE & LUV

As a sucker for love, I couldn't help posting some of my fave images/quotes for yours truly. This is the die-hard romantic coming right atcha, but I will always love fast and hard. Of course, with the years, I've gained some wisdom as well, and I'm not the same love-drunk fool I was in my starting years. But I will always be the girl who gives my heart and soul in everything I do, and to that right guy, nothing less than the best. So here's to that stuff that puts us on cloud 9, the stuff poets and crooners alike dedicate odes to- L.O.V.E.

The Agra, MY Agra.

 



A school of animal friends



Stepping into Agra was like stepping into another world- a world of clashing fixtures, grinding poverty, a majestic palace poised upon a hilltop, looking down into the slums of ad nauseum combustion, noise and frenzied traffic. Located on the banks of the Yemuna river, it became the center of power, the city of Mughal reign in the 16th century and ultimately, the birthplace of one of the greatest wonders ever to behold, the illustrious Taj Mahal.

 

For two centuries and more, travelers and poets have lavished praise on this monumental structure, becoming in its own right, synonymous with India. I needed to come and see it for myself, for what is a trip to India without witnessing the marvel with my own eyes?

 

Craftsman and artisans creating beautiful relics made from marble and imported precious stones

Lapislazuli, Amazonite, Tiger Eye, Coral, Turquoise, Black Onyx, Mother of Pearl



A replica of one marble slab from the Taj Mahal

 

The pictures above detail my trip to a beautiful art gallery, all hand-made items crafted laboriously and painstakingly on site grounds using the same materials the original builders used in 1631, the first year the Taj began it's 22 year period of construction. I was amazed to see that it took over one month to create a single hexagonal slab by hand, inlayed with precious stones imported from all over the East. The surface is incredibly smooth; sanders had to ensure that the gems would remain embedded in the indestructable marble for millennia to come. This illustrates the pure genius of utility combined with ineffable beauty.
 

A view of the great mausaleoum from a hilltop

Idling camel

scorching sunsets

Curled up and ready to slumber