After our holiday in the US, we came back to India and spent some time at Mamaji’s place in the nicest area of New Delhi, right next to India Gate. We spent our time visiting family, catching up with cousins, going running in the mornings in the beautiful Lodhi Gardens and basking in the sun on Mamaji’s lush green lawn.
Then we went to Varanasi, where we stayed 2 nights on the banks of the river Ganges, right next to Dasaswamedh ghat – the biggest ghat, where they hold ganga ki aarti every evening. We visited a lot of beautiful temples, ate at interesting places, took a boat ride along all the ghats at the crack of dawn, and visited Ramnagar Fort on the other side of the river.
We visited Sarnath, which is a few kilometres from Varanasi – the place where Lord Buddha gave his first sermon after attaining enlightenment. It was an amazing place to visit. The ruins in Sarnath date back to King Ashoka’s period (approx 300 BC), including an impressive Lion Capital which once stood atop one of his famous (now ruined) pillars.
Our last stop was Agra. I finally saw the beautiful marvel in marble for the first time – the Taj Mahal. After spending a couple of hours appreciating Shah Jahan’s famous monument of love we moved on to the grand Agra Fort, from which the Mughal emperors once ruled over a large part of India. I was particularly spellbound by the beautiful marble carving work and decoration inside both the fort and Taj Mahal. Overall the trip was great fun for me, and a good chance to see a bit more of my own country. Check out the pictures below.
-Amarsha