Our wanderlust satiated...for now...

After seeing a Bengal Tiger in the wild, one might think that India had provided all it could in terms of incredible experiences. Given the enormity and diversity of the sub-continent that could not be further from the truth. We departed the stunning Bandavgarh National Park and took a five hour drive north-west to an area known as Khajuraho, which had been recommended to us by an Italian couple whilst diving in Borneo. Khajuraho is a stunning collection of temples and monuments dating from around 850 – 1150 AD. Unfortunately only about 20 temples survive from the historic 85+ which were built during the Chandela dynasty and covered an expanse of nearly 20 square kilometres. The tour company had again arranged a very informative guide who interpreted the diverse temples and their intricate carvings and sculptures for us. Khajuraho has become known for its extensive selection of erotic sculptures depicting all manner of sexual escapades and a phenomenal variety of positions, supposedly performed by the rather sensual and clearly athletic Hindi devotees. Although our modern society’s preoccupation with sex has seemingly dominated the appeal of these temples, their rich carvings tell of far more than the occasional threesome. Depicted amongst the sculptures are intimate details of life at the time, women putting their make-up on, men sitting at writing desks, armies lined up for parade, and farmers working the fields. One incredibly clever sculpture even frames an elephant as laughing at the tryst which is taking place on the pillar alongside it. For me, perhaps the most interesting of all was a temple on which six different religions are represented through their various symbols. Built to showcase religious tolerance, this example fortunately escaped the Muslim conquerors who were intent on destroying many others in order to prevent the local Hindu people from gathering for prayer, or perhaps for plotting their revenge.

A trip to India would not be replete without the traditional train journey, and so the next morning found us driving northwards to Jhansi station, where we boarded the train to Agra. Being a short train journey of only a few hours it perhaps doesn’t quite qualify as the real deal, but at least provided us some insight into this popular mode of transport. Upon arrival in Agra our first stop was the famous Red Fort. This site lives up to its name, particularly in the afternoon sunlight haze of Agra. The Fort was built during the extensive rein of the Mughal Empire by Emperor Shah Jahan in 1639, during a time when the Mughal dynasties occupied much of northern India. The intricate architecture and painstaking work to construct this fort is hard to comprehend and we tried to take in the detailed history which the guide continually fed us. Shah Jahan is also the emperor famous for commissioning the Taj Mahal, which sits further along the Yamuna River. Sadly for him however, the power cravings got the better of his heir to the empire, who subsequently overthrew Shah Jahan and locked his dad in a room in the Red Fort, overlooking the Taj Mahal. He thus spent his days watching over the burial tomb of his favourite wife, until such time as he joined her himself.

Whilst planning our trip to India I had been somewhat reluctant to visit the Taj Mahal, having decided from previous travels that cities can begin to look the same. However, again following the suggestions of a few friends, and of course also allowing Esti a say in the travel planning, we found ourselves queuing up with the thousands of tourists who visit this site each day. It did not disappoint. The scale and grandeur of this “monument to love” escapes words; only by standing alongside it can one fully appreciate the complexity and beauty of this building. The entire complex within which it sits took about 20 years to complete, and applied the skills of 20,000 local artisans. Consider that next time you complain about delays with your contractor. The white marble shimmers in the midday sun and the intricately inlaid gems of various assortments add to the romance of the tomb. It is without a doubt that most magnificent manmade structure I have ever seen. Of course, a manmade structure cannot compete with the beauty of my wife...

Having topped up our cultural experiences over a few days, we returned once again to the wilds. Although Keoladeo National Park is not quite as wild as the others which we had visited, it served its purpose – birding. Our last dedicated bird watching stop on our itinerary also did not disappoint, and neither did our ageing guide. His English may have been limited, but his birding abilities most definitely were not, and we clocked up a comfortable 200 species during our three days in this area. A novelty was using the cycle rickshaw as transport around this extensive wetland system, allowing one to cover the ground and habitats in relative quiet, and without working up too much of a sweat. This Park was initially a royal hunting grove, but fortunately that activity has ceased many years ago and it now draws many birding fanatics to savour its pleasures. The diversity of waterbirds was not to be outdone by the diversity of raptors, and specials from the trip included Egyptian Vulture, Imperial Eagle, Dusky Eagle-Owl and Indian Spotted-Eagle. But perhaps the nesting Sarus Cranes, a pair of Indian Coursers and Bar-headed Geese, famous for their high migration routes over the Himalayas, were the highlight for the trip.

Without wanting to sound spoilt, by this point our travel bug had been fully saturated, and in fact our cups were beginning to “runeth over”. The cities in particular, with their ceaseless noise and hordes of people were beginning to wear our (perhaps more accurately – Dale’s) patience thin. But after planning and dreaming about this adventure for so long, and realising that it would soon be over, we sucked it up and headed out to explore the city of Jaipur. The various Forts, temples and monuments once again capturing our attention. The Hawa Mahal, with its beehive like structure, is an icon of the city, built to allow the numerous courtesans of the Mughal king to enjoy the street parades from their individual windows, whilst maintaining their privacy. As a scientist, the vast Jar Mantar simply blew my mind. All manner of massive astronomical instruments for tracking the starts sit alongside each other within one of the ancient city compounds. The following day we visited the massive Amer fort, with its amber coloured walls high above Jaipur, designed to keep the city safe during an attack. Judging by the number of forts and fortresses, these emperors lived in a contested time, with your sovereign reign always under threat. A last stop through the local markets relieved us of some currency, but fortunately fulfilled our gifting needs for family and friends back home.

A short flight from Jaipur brought us to our final stop in India – Mumbai. We took time to head into the city centre and again viewed the interesting monuments, before making the obligate trip to a giant street market and even bigger shopping mall. The “gate of India” is a remarkable monument, which was built by the British during their colonization, to welcome the queen should she decide to visit. Rather ironically and perhaps deservingly, the only time it was actually used was by the exiting British soldiers, when they left the city following India’s independence. Sampling some local craft beers took us full circle to our first day in India in Bangalore, two months prior, and rounded out our stay on the sub-continent. Having been away from home for almost five months, swapping beds and jumping locations every few days almost for the entirety, we were relieved to touch down back in Johannesburg. The god of the pilgrim and the traveller, the elephant god Ganesh, had indeed blessed us beyond our wildest dreams, and supplied us with experiences to cherish for a lifetime.