First trip to India - Tami and Yael's trip March 2019 Instructor: Morris Raz
First day of the trip (Wednesday) –
We flew to India with Air India,
Our plane left an hour late from Ben Gurion and landed an hour ahead
of time in Delhi, strange!
From the field in Delhi we went to Kutub Minar,
The minaret is an ancient stone structure that symbolizes the
victory of Muslims over the rulers of the region.
It was built by the Mamluk Kutab in the 12th century from the
remains of Hindu temples.
Kutub Minar is located in South Delhi. Open from sunrise to sunset.
Admission costs $ 5 per tourist and is free for children up to the age of 15.
In November, an annual music festival is held at the Kutub Minar complex.
If you are around this month you should check out the exact dates of
the festival.
From there we proceeded to Temple of Bahá’í Houses
of Worship,
The Baha’i prayer house in Delhi is built of white marble and is surrounded
by beautiful pools and gardens.
The building is located in the south of New Delhi, the capital of India.
It is a large and impressive temple, shaped like a lotus flower.
There we learned how much the number 9 is sacred and that believers
always strive for international unity and symmetry,
The ideal of symmetry, beauty, and order is important to them.
Admission to the lotus temple is free.
How to get there? A rickshaw from the Maine Bazaar, Rs 150,
a 20-30 minute drive.
Next stop is Lunch at the Connaught Place shopping center, near the
Maine Bazaar,
There we shared our first meeting of Indian food, bought and donated
to the Gypsy families.
Notice, these gypsies don’t let go, especially if they donate.
Towards the end of the day, we went on a visit to Paharganj,
also known as the Maine Buzzer “Hiking Ghetto”,
It is not the largest market in which the Chabad House is located.
Where is the Maine Bazaar? The Main Bazaar is located in New Delhi,
west of Delhi’s Western Railway Station.
We completed our first day of the trip at Vivanta By Taj Surya a very
impressive and beautiful hotel!
The second day of the trip (Thursday) –
Good morning, we left the hotel and went to Old Delhi (Old Delhi)
to Jama Masjid, It is the largest mosque in India, an example
of Muslim architecture in India.
The mosque was built by Shah Jan, of the Mughal Empire
(Muslims of Mongolian origin).
Shah Jaan also built the Taj Mahal which looks like the end of the trip!
We then did a rickshaw tour of Chandi Chuk, the market of ancient Delhi
And we got to see authentic and fascinating sights that were a bit of
a dime with us.
The next destination is Raj Ghat, the memorial and memorial site to
Mahatma Gandhi,
The place where Gandhi’s body was burned.
From there we moved on to the Burla family home, the place where Gandhi lived after the Declaration of Independence of India, where he was also murdered.
After visiting the memorial site and the museum, we headed for lunch
at the Connaught Place commercial center
Again we had to deal with the Gypsy harassment.
From there we proceeded to the Sikhi temple, of course,
we also took off our shoes and we covered our heads with a bandana
(as in all temples).
In the temple, we first toured the local chapel and spotted the holy
book to which the worshipers carry their prayers,
From the Temple, we moved into a dining room that feeds all
visitors on site for free,
We watched the kitchen and food preparation. The size of the pots is amazing!
Some of us helped make the local bread, all the jobs on the spot are
done by Sikh volunteers.
From there we drove to the temple of Hara Krishna, and attended the
puja ceremony,
It is a daily ritual in this temple, separate from the day of singing and dancing.
After a long drive, we returned to the hotel, not before we saw pictures
that could only be in India:
When our charming driver was stopped by another bus driver,
which almost caused us an accident,
The driver stopped the bus, ran to the vehicle in front of him and
without a second punched in the driver’s face,
Which put us in danger. A day full of experiences!
The third day of the trip (Friday) –
At 8:30 in the morning, we said goodbye to our hotel,
towards Jaipur which is in Bergistan.
Rajasthan The land of the Maharajah (kings),
India’s most colorful and second-largest country.
We visited the Monkey Temple in Bagletta J,
it is a beautiful temple nestled in a hidden channel.
A neglected temple that knew better days.
The highlight in this place is the amount of Asus-origin monkeys
found in the temple grounds.
They get their food from Jaipur authorities, which aims to keep
the monkeys away from the city center.
We shot and filmed with the monkeys even if some of us were
initially afraid to approach them.
After a short drive, we wandered around the city of Jaipur,
known as the pink city, with about 3.6 million inhabitants.
The town was painted in pink in 1876 in honor of the visit of
Prince Wales and Queen Victoria,
Pink is a symbol of hospitality.
We were staying at a well-off warrior family home.
Visit Jaipur city and visit the palace and the ghost palace.
We entered an impressive house, dressed the women in a sari
when some of the men were content with whiskey and rum.
From there we took a short drive to our Hotel Paradise Jaipur
where we will be staying for the next two days.
Good night India!
The fourth day of the trip (Saturday) –
This morning we headed for Amer Fort in Jaipur
And we climbed to the fort mounted on elephants.
This fortress was built on the remains of the ancient building,
by Raja Man Singh, in 1592.
And it was the capital until 1727,
Then Jai Singh II stated that there is no more threat than the Mughal rulers
And decided to establish a new town 9 km from Amber in the plain (Jaipur),
to which all the government officials moved.
From here we drove towards the Carpet Factory and stopped at the
Jal Mahal Floating Palace,
Which used to be a summer palace where the Maharajah did not live,
but only came to him for vacation.
Floating Palace Address:
Amer Rd, Jal Mahal, Amber, Jaipur, Rajasthan 302002, India
No photography is allowed inside the palace.
In the carpet and textile factory we saw how the fabrics are dipped
(they can be silk, cotton and more)
With timber seals carved by precision dipping,
Then dip them in vinegar to create a chemical process that
preserves and improves color quality.
Then we saw all the carpet making stages when the first step is
the weaving process,
Which takes over more than 500 families that have joined together.
In the process work with 3 different materials:
Silk, camel wool and cashmere wool, produced from the soft part below
the goat’s cashmere neck.
Carpet quality is then performed by burning the carpet
And test that it is not flammable (synthetic material is flammable)
And cleaning the carpet that gets dirty during its production period by
washing it 3 times.
Then cut the rug 3 times.
From there we proceeded to the Maharaja Palace.
A palace that still belongs to the Maharaja family.
In the 1950s the palace began to function as a museum.
One of the reasons for the Maharaja’s palace to be lowered from
the Amber Fort is the development of his hobby –
Astronomy and the establishment of an astronomical observatory.
Maharaja Jai Singh II built 5 astronomical observatories in India from
1727 to 1734.
The golden flag set at the top of the palace is a lightning rod.
The main courtyard is also used for rich weddings today
(the cost of renting the place is about $ 60,000 for a wedding).
We ended our busy day watching an Indian (Bollywood) movie at
Raj mandir,
The largest movie theater in India with 1237 seats.
Real cinema of yesteryear …
This ended another day full of experiences!
Tomorrow we will head towards Pushkar.
The fifth day of the trip (Sunday) –
Today we travel to Pushkar, the city of God in Rama.
Pushkar is a holy picturesque market town, which lies on the banks of
Pushkar Lake.
In this lake you can see, throughout the day, Hindus believers perform
various baptisms and rituals.
Pushkar is full of temples (about 550 temples in one big city),
interesting markets and alleys.
Pushkar holds a camel and cattle fair once a year, every year.
At noon, we met with the local guide there for Lala,
Which led us to a beautiful view of the holy city of Pushkar.
A cable car led us to the Savitri Temple, which is on a high hill,
On the way there you see lots of squirrels and monkeys.
We learned why Brahma, who is the Creator God, has only one temple,
We heard about Sabatiri and Sarasuti Brahma’s first wife,
Which cursed all who would launch a temple to Brahma.
And we also heard about the parallel of Brahma and Sarasothi with
Abraham and Sarah (as opposed).
We watched the adorable langur monkeys in action and let them
eat bamboo that they loved so much …
From there we headed for an Israeli lunch at the Third Eye Restaurant.
Before the end of the day we arrived at the jaguar palace a lovely hotel with a special design and a very kind staff.
After settling in to the hotel, we went out on camels to the vantage point
Here we watched a gypsy dance performance, where we took a picture of
the sunset in the desert.
From there we returned to the hotel for a vegan dinner, as is the case
with all vegetarian Pushkar and we went to bed, good night!
Day 6 of the trip (Monday) –
This morning we could wake up relatively late,
Some of us started the day with a relaxing and fun yoga class
in the hotel lawns.
Later we left the hotel on foot for a tour of the Chabad House,
There we were welcomed by the local rabbi who welcomed us
wholeheartedly and on the way, he won the mitzvah when some of
the men prayed in the morning.
Pushkar is a holy town for Hindus, and they are commanding
pilgrimage to this place,
That’s why we saw a lot of Indian pilgrims in Pushkar.
Also, we had the privilege of attending a parade of the Lord
Vishnu, a procession that took place along the main street,
There was a magical atmosphere in the air, real happy music and
lots of flowers.
We attended the puja ceremony at Pushkar Lake,
The puja is basically a ritual of worshiping God and giving gifts to God.
At the end of the ceremony we threw flowers on the lake.
We didn’t say goodbye until we conquered more shopping destinations,
The Ruby Jewelry Store and the Himalayan Products Store.
7th Day Trip (Tuesday) –
Today we had a very early wake-up call, as we have a long drive ahead.
We will only reach our destination at 4 pm. Our destination for today:
the ghost town of Petipur Sikri.
It is a city built by a man named Akbar, who was the grandson of
Babur (founder of the Mughal Empire).
The city was built where a Muslim Sufi saint lived by Salim Chisti who
predicted Akbar, Who at that time was childless, that he would soon
become a father.
Akbar, who became a father, built a mosque and a mausoleum
for baskets after he passed away and that was the beginning of the
city of Petipur Sikri.
Akbar was known as a scholar and tolerant of other religions,
This is evident even in a pillar-shaped monument found in the city.
It has reference to all the prevailing religions in India at that time.
Akbar had 3 official women (Muslim, Christian, and Hindi)
and each had its palace.
The Muslim had a small room in all but had many mirrors and gems
Inlaid with walls combined with lamps and candles that together
created an impressive glow.
Christian had a palace in the shape of a cross, and Hindi had a
palace with a courtyard partly facing the lake,
There was also its summer palace, a palace that was open to the
winds that in contact with the lake water-cooled and were pleasant.
On the other side, she also had a winter palace which was closed and warm.
Also, much of the palace is also a Hindu temple as is common in
every Hindu house. How much glory!
Akbar, his entourage and his family used to watch and listen
to musical performances in the area on the beautiful stage,
Which was surrounded by water with lotus flowers floating on it.
Today, a wall-covered Sikri Petipur in the shape of the letter-C,
in the open (as the letter itself) used to be
A lake that has dried up is probably the main reason for
abandoning the city after only 14 years (due to water scarcity).
The buildings in the city have been wonderfully preserved ever since.
From there we proceeded to our luxurious Hotel Clarks Shiraz which
is in the city of Agra.
The eighth and final day of our trip (Wednesday) –
Today was his day we were waiting for the whole trip!
Today we will visit the cherry on the whipped cream, which is the Taj Mahal.
The impressive mausoleum that Shah Jaan built for his wife Mumtaz Mahal
The name means: Taj = crown, tent = palace.
The place has been declared a UNESCO International Heritage Site and
is also one of the seven new world wonders.
This is an example of architectural works. The color of the structure
changes during the day depending on the location of the sun.
At the entrance to the complex, there is a gate decorated with
Persian decorations made with chisel and contents with gems.
Above the gate, there are 11 domes on one side and 11 more domes
on the other.
Each dome represents one year out of the 22 years it took to
build the Taj Mahal.
More than 20,000 slaves were built there. Shah Jaan started building
the Taj a year after her death of Mutthas in 1631 and finished building in 1653.
To Shah Jan, it was very important to maintain the symmetry of the structures,
But the absurdity is that it was his own death that led to the
construction of another grave alongside his couple,
An asymmetrically constructed tomb thus compromised the
symmetry of the burial area complex.
To the west of the complex is a mosque built in the shape of the Taj,
The mosque is still active on Fridays so the Taj compound is closed
on Fridays.
To illustrate the importance of symmetry in the structure, we will
tell you only to maintain symmetry
Build an identical building to the mosque opposite it on the east side
(where it is not worshiped),
This building was later used as a royal guest house.
Another interesting fact:
The miniatures on the Taj’s side that look straight are actually tilted at
a 92.5-degree angle and not 90 degrees because the engineers
feared an earthquake that would cause it
To the collapse of the Minirats on the Taj.
From there we proceeded to Dubai Gh Dh Dhobi Ghat open laundry in Agra,
We saw the workers of India in the river washing operation and
did not understand how clothes come out clean with this method.
Our next target is the marble factory
There we saw how to make the marble set with gems,
Coming from different places, we saw how the stones are glued
with epoxy glue whose components and production are secret
And he is probably the reason why the Taj Mahal is so well
preserved and not even one stone has fallen from it.
From there we continued, after eating lunch, to Agra Fort.
Agra Fort, also known as Lale-Qila
Built built between 1565-1573 (for 8 years) by Akbar,
In order to protect the Mughal royal family.
At the entrance to the fortress is a moat that at the time was filled
with water infested with crocodiles,
Then there was a 20-foot-high wall and then another moat
With hungry tigers and then another wall with an army ready to attack
any intruder.
After entering, we reached the first courtyard also known as Diwan
(the audience reception area),
In this area, we realized that although the fortress area is over 190 acres,
Only 25% of it is open to visitors and the rest is used by the Indian army.
Alongside the Diwan, the courtyard of the people, there is a mosque
that is closed only to prevent spying in part of the fortress under the control
of the Indian Army.
In the courtyard of the people there is an extension where the
people would gather at the king’s trials, at this gathering the women would
sit next to the king.
The next part of the palace was the boycott, the king’s concubines,
The only men who could get in there were the neutered eunuchs.
Even the guards were castrated, for every ruler of the Mughal Empire,
there were around 300 women.
The next part of the palace was the most important part of the palace
And this is Shah Jan’s porch that was imprisoned there by his son Organzab,
Who also bothered to murder his three brothers on his way to rule the throne.
It is said that for the past eight years Shah Jaan has spent doing two things:
One is to look at the Taj Mahal from his porch and the other is to cry.
We passed from there near the residence palace, next to the water
storage channels in the cistern below the palace and of course in
the Akbar Hindu woman’s palace.
Yes, the one with the Summer Palace and the Winter Palace with a
Sikh papyri,
There we saw her bedroom, the dining room and of course her private temple.
From there we went out into the garden and saw a piece of red
sandstone carved as one piece into a bathroom with stairs.
Where is the fort? Near the Agra Fort railway station.
Opening Hours: Daily 6 am to 5:30 pm.
Price: 300 rupees (entrance ticket to the Taj includes the toll fort!).
From the fortress we continued to a skins shop, were not allowed to
take pictures inside,
Each of us bought a beautiful leather bag and leather boots.
From there we moved on to other stores and mainly completed
shopping for Himalayan products.
In the evening we had dinner at our lovely hotel.
And so we ended our beautiful trip to Magical India!
Many thanks to our Champion Guide: Morris Raz.
Tomorrow we will leave the airport after breakfast and fly
home tired and satisfied.
Thanks to Tammy and Yael for a magical trip full of color, history,
rich culture and new kind of beauty!
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