Delhi & Agra

This weekend was one for the books! I had the incredible opportunity to make a weekend trip to see a few popular sites around Delhi and Agra. I stayed at the home of a local family and was in safe hands the entire trip.

The first day consisted of traveling by train to New Delhi. The first stop was Akshardham, which is a temple dedicated to Bhagwan Swaminarayan. He was the youngest yogi; he began his journey at 11 years old. Inside, I learned about his life and renunciation of the world through a film and boat ride. Afterwards, I went to the India Gate, where the Indian Army is honored by a memorial arch.

Akshardham Temple

Akshardham Temple

India Gate

India Gate

The next day, I took a six hour drive to Agra to see the Red Fort and Taj Mahal. The Red Fort is the palace of the raj, or king, who built the Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal is a tomb for Mughal emperor Shah Jahan and his wife Mumtaz Mahal and sits between a guesthouse and a mosque. The architecture is stunningly symmetric. The stones used for details glow in the moonlight. People from all over the world came to visit this extraordinary site.

Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal

Red Fort

Red Fort

On the way home from Agra, I made a stop in Mathura. There is a street in this city that is lined with Hindu temples. At night, the temples are showered in colorful lights. I visited one temple, the Prem Mandir, which is devoted to the Hindu god Krishna. Surrounding the temple were scenes that tell different stories of Krishna. People packed like sardines on this average Saturday night to give offerings and make a round inside the temple with their families. 

Prem Mandir

Before my train back home the next day, I was able to visit four more places. The first stop was a Jain temple that the local family I stayed with visits often. The next stop was Chhatarpur Temple, where several people gathered inside to make offerings to their gods and listen to the guru speak from scriptures.

Jain Temple

Chhatarpur Temple

Next was the beautiful Lotus Temple. This temple has the appearance of a lotus flower, India's national flower, and is one of the famous Bahá'í Houses of Worship around the world. The architecture blew me away, and the inside of the temple has a dome shaped ceiling. It is surrounded by eight pools of water to represent the eight petals of the flower, which sit above pond water. The last stop was at Iskcon Temple, another temple devoted to the Hindu god Krishna.

Lotus Temple

Lotus Temple

Iskcon Temple

The trip was incredible, and each of these places exceeded my expectations. Of course, the Taj Mahal was my favorite! I enjoyed my stay with the family who hosted me in their home as well. I made it back safely to Drishti, and I am ready and refreshed for these last three weeks. The standards that I teach are finished with exams now. Before moving onto their next standard, the administration has decided to have "bridge courses." These courses will address and clarify the main topics of each subject so that students are absolutely confident in the basics of the next standard they will be moving to in March. With only 20 days left to go, I am cherishing every moment!