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| Taj
Mahal : stands on the bank
of River Yamuna, which otherwise serves
as a wide moat defending the Great Red
Fort of Agra, the center of the Mughal
emperors until they moved their capital
to Delhi in 1637. It was built by the
fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan in
1631 in memory of his second wife, Mumtaz
Mahal, a Muslim Persian princess. |
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Taj
Gates : As a tribute to a beautiful
woman and as a monument for enduring love,
the Taj reveals its subtleties when one visits
it without being in a hurry. The rectangular
base of Taj is in itself symbolic of the different
sides from which to view a beautiful woman.
The main gate is like a veil to a woman’s
face which should be lifted delicately, gently
and without haste on the wedding night. In
indian tradition the veil is lifted gently
to reveal the beauty of the bride. As one
stands inside the main gate of Taj, his eyes
are directed to an arch which frames the Taj.
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Fatehpur
Sikri : 40 kms from Agra, the city
of Fatehpur Sikri served as the capital of
the Mughal empire between 1570 and 1586. Fatehpur
Sikri is now a World Heritage site. The finest
monuments within this area are the Diwan -
i - Am, Diwan - i - Khas, Panch Mahal, Jama
Masjid, Panch Mahal, Buland Darwaza and the
tomb of Saint Sheikh Salim Chisti.
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Fatehpur
Darga : This white marble structure
contains the tomb of Shaykh Salim Chishti,
the Sufi holy man who was Akbar's adviser
and teacher. Akbar came to him originally
because he had been unable to produce a male
heir, and Shaykh Chishti promised that Akbar
would have a son if Akbar entrusted the education
and upbringing of the boy to Shaykh Chisti.
The prediction came true, and Akbar's son
Jahangir was indeed raised by the Sufi holy
man. In addition, Akbar had the entire city
of Fatehpur Sikri built around Shaykh Chisti's
abode, which was about 24 miles west of Agra.
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Karni
Mata Mandir :
The famous 600 years old temple is
situated at Deshnok, 35 Kms away from
Bikaner and dedicated to Karni Mata,
an incarnation of Goddess Durga. Shri
Karaniji was the Goddess of the Bikaner
royal family. When the Bikaner King
achieved victory over the Mughal King
Kumaran, Rao Jaitasi, to commemorate
the event built this temple. The temple
has huge intricately carved silver
gates which were donated by Maharaja
Ganga Singh.
Unique features
of the temple: The thing which
strikes everyone with wonder is the
presence of thousands and thousands
of rats in the temple which freely
moved about unscared of anyone Despite
the presence of the rats in great
numbers. At no time in the past plague
broke out here. There was no incidence
of plague at all. People deem this
as an miracle of Karanimata. In the
whole world this is a unique temple
where rats freely move out.
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Brahma
Kamal : The flower of Lord Brahma
also known as King of Himalayan flower. Very
lucky if u see it bloom. It is a rare flower
and blooms only at midnight and typically
once in 14 years !!
Botanical name:
Saussurea obvallata
The Brahma Kamal, a member of the Sunflower
Family, is an excellent example of plant life
at the upper limit of high mountains (3,000
to 4,600 meters). |
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In membranous, boat-shaped floral trusses,
it bears 2-6 sessile or shortly peduncled
glabrous heads bearing purple or bluish flowers
with brown bluff. Even in the cold air of
the ice-bound arena, they come to bloom because
of the warm space created by the leaf-cover-a
device that qualifies the plant to become
one of the sacred species whose flowers are
offered up, as pointed out by Edgeworth, at
the shrines of Badrinath. The glabrous, toothed
leaves are 10 to 21 cm. log, the uppermost
terminating into incurved, bladdery, veined,
translucent, globose or hemispheric pale head,
7.5 cm. to 15.5 cm. in diameter. The herb,
15 to 46 cm. tall, has a pubescent or glabrate
stem as thick as a little fingure. Its thick
curved root is applied to bruises and cuts. |
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