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India's Golden Triangleby Rod Lopez-Fabrega
If you have more time to spend before heading south to Jaipur in Rajasthan, keep in mind that to the north, Corbett Tiger Preserve is within easy reach of Delhi and in 1996 celebrated its 60th anniversary since the park's 1936 inauguration. The best time to visit is from February to May, and while there, it is still possible to look for the elusive prince of cats in safety from the not too comfortable, but incomparable vantage point of a "howdah" saddle on an elephant's back. Without doubt, the most interesting way to tour Rajasthan is on the Palace on Wheels, a luxury train with restored cars originally built for the private use of maharajahs and comparable in style and service to the Orient Express. However, for a visitor with limited time and budget, Indian Airlines has frequent and inexpensive daily flights for the short hop from Delhi to Jaipur. Under no circumstances should you even think of renting a car for a self-drive transit. Left-hand drive, suicidal truck drivers, wandering livestock and careless bicycle riders make Indian highways a thrill-to-be-missed.
Jaipur is the Pink City--reportedly painted that way to impress a visiting Prince of Wales in 1876 and kept that rosy color to this day by official mandate. This walled city was at the core of the "land of Rajputs", who for a thousand years were the ruling aristocracy before becoming a part of the Moghul empire. The magnificence of their lifestyles is still there to be seen by visitors to the City Palace, royal residence of the Maharajas of Jaipur; the current maharaja still occupies a portion of the palace. Within the compound is the elaborate and complex astronomical observatory of Jantar Mantar, and at one corner, facing out into the city, the Hawa Mahal or Palace of the Winds from which secluded aristocratic ladies of the court could watch parades and public spectacles. Today, these ladies would be amazed to see the streets below clogged with cars, carts, camels and cows in a seemingly perpetual rush-hour traffic that is hard to believe.
A short drive away (with an Indian driver, please) in the hills north of Jaipur is the fascinating Jaigarh Fort, a massive fortification and palace that is the gateway to the ancient walled city of Amber. Perched high on a cliff, the fort can only be reached by a long and very steep ramp best navigated via elephant taxi. Climb on and let the huge lumbering beast do the walking for you. Within the fort is the palace compound which includes regal chambers with intricately inlaid walls and ceilings and the remarkable Sheesh Mahal Hall of Mirrors, actually a small chamber entirely surfaced in mirror tiles. Visitors are admitted in small groups, lights turned out, and a candle lit by the guide. As the candle is moved, the room surfaces reflect a ghostly firmament of pinpoint lights. Also within the compound is a temple dedicated to the goddess Kali. On feast days it is literally awash with worshippers, multi-colored saris making a rainbow tide as devotees surge through the temple's corridors with offerings, eager to ring the temple gong that will attract Kali's attention.
A comfortable train ride away from Jaipur is the city of Agra, site of the fabled Taj Mahal--and much more--in the neighboring state of Uttar Pradesh. India's greatest poet, Rabindra Tagore, was not indulging in poetic hype when he described the Taj as "a teardrop on the cheek of eternity." Built by grief stricken Shah Jihan to commemorate the death in childbirth of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal, it is unquestionably the worlds most beautiful mausoleum. Despite hand-ringing from the locals who say upkeep of the Taj Mahal is not what it should be, by all means see it. Nothing you've ever heard about it is an over-statement. There are many four- and five-star hotels in Agra, but one that may be highly recommended is the Welcomegroup Mughal Sheraton. In addition to its five-star comforts, on a weekly basis, the hotel mounts a gala evening that is something to remember. Dinners may include such themes as an evening in the tents of the emperor, complete with elaborately uniformed waiters, regional cuisine, and a luxurious tent set up in the hotel's gardens.
At lunch time, come down from the citadel to the clean and attractive city of Gwalior and the Usha Kiran Palace, residence of the Maharajas of Gwalior. The palace's guest house has been restored by the Welcomgroup hotel chain and converted into a marvelous 30-room historic inn where time seems to have been halted circa 1936. As you explore its interiors, you half-way expect to run into Errol Flynn in maharaja costume and make-up and Myrna Loy in a slinky evening gown. An overnight stay is highly recommended, though lunch or high-tea visitors are welcomed. Delhi is the major gateway to India for most international flights, and Air India, the national airline, has daily direct flights from New York, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, and Chicago in the U.S. Check out the airline's site at http://www.airindia.com/directory.htm . The widest range of accommodations is available in India, from five-star U.S. and international hotel chains to the YWCA. Yes, it is a very diverse, complex and different culture, and there are extremes of incredible wealth and crushing poverty as well as a burgeoning middle class, but anyone who has traveled to Central or South America or other countries in Asia should experience no disabling "culture shock." What is more, there's virtually no language problem for English-speakers, English being the lingua franca of India. Finally, few places on Earth are as intriguing to visit, and a good starting point is the Golden Triangle. For more general information on India, check Explore India Tourism & Travel at
www.exploreindia.com/free/ads/tourism/trtindex.html
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TM
There still is a place in the world where you may have to step past a genuine snake charmer and his bobbing hooded cobra as you get out of your taxi to enter your five-star Sheraton Hotel.
That place is India, and, in an increasingly homogenized world, it's interesting to note that this country has not lost its exoticism as it acquires the trappings of the computer
age.
It would take you a lifetime to see all this fascinating sub-continent of a country has to offer the tourist, but it is possible to get a very good taste in ten days to two weeks in Northern India's Golden Triangle. This is the heart of "Jewel in the Crown" country. It is an area marked off at one corner by Delhi, the nation's modern capital, filled with the architectural relics of British colonialism
and alive with the business of the world's most populous democracy; at the second corner by Jaipur, the Pink City, capital of the state of Rajasthan and replete with splendid forts and palaces; and at the third corner in the state of Uttar Pradesh, by Agra, heart of the Moghul empire, site of the fabulous Taj Mahal and within easy reach of so many historic attractions that the U.S. National Park Service has petitioned UNESCO to classify the entire metropolis as a World's Heritage City. For example, three other cities honored with this designation: Antigua in Guatemala, Angkor Wat in Cambodia and Venice in Italy.
A two-night stay in Delhi--probably the least interesting corner of the triangle--should allow sufficient time to take in the walled city of Old Delhi with its imposing Red Fort, the teeming street fairs and craft shops that surround it, and nearby Jami Masjid, one of the most architecturally impressive mosques in Northern India. Within the Red Fort, be sure to go inside the exquisite marble Moti Masjid, the so-called Pearl Mosque,
built by Shah Jihan as a forerunner of the Taj Mahal and a little jewel on its own merits. In New Delhi, built largely by the British as their colonial administrative center, the vast hilltop containing the former Viceregal Lodge (now the official residence of India's Prime Minister), the house of Parliament, and the Memorial Gate is worth a visit. The awesome scale of this place is a clear indication of the important position India held in Britain's empire.
Other sights in the area that must not be missed are the abandoned city of Fatehpur Sikri and the citadel of Gwalior, both easily accessible as half-day trips from Agra. Built by Emperor Akbar and abandoned only 12 years later, Fatehpur Sikri's exquisitely proportioned buildings, some say have been an inspiration for "modern"
architecture.
The monumental mountain-top citadel of Gwalior
was impregnable for centuries, and from that location, the rulers controlled most of Northern India. One of the rulers whose numerous wives spanned the spectrum of religious beliefs, built a palace for each in her own style: a Muslim Palace, a Christian Palace, a Hindu Palace, and so on. Of special interest is Sas Bahu, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law temple.
It is considered one of the finest examples of Hindu architecture, and its complex interior maze of ramps, hidden stairs, and parapets begins to suggest the complexity of the relationship between its namesakes.
