Final Schedule
Well, its my last day in Hyderabad. I might be leaving this city behind and never seeing it again. It's weird to think about. Other people have said that I'll be back. The workers at the center said we have to come back again someday. Aparna wrote on my final journal that she thinks I'll definitely be stopping by again. Plus, at the mosque we visited in the city there was a bench and there's a story that everyone who sits on the bench will come back to the city again. I sat on the bench so I have to come back. Can't argue with that I suppose.
I most likely won't have internet access for the rest of my trip, unless we stop at an internet cafe sometime along the way. So below I'm going to post the schedule that Dr. Cohen emailed to me so that you'll all know what I'm up to. I'll probably keep a written journal for the last 10 days and then type it up when I get back home so make sure you check back later for the end of the story!
As promised, here is more info about our trip to No. India.
The American Insitute of Indian Studies will be supplying a vehicle,
driver and tour guide during the entire trip: Delhi - Agra - Jaipur -
Delhi. I've already told you about where we are staying.
In Delhi: we have plenty of time to explore the old and new aspects of
the city. Delhi's history is documents back to around 500 A.D. There are
approx. seven old cities of Delhi, in the order of age:
Lal Qila (Rai Pithora)ca. 900 - 1200 AD
Kutb Minar/Quvvat-ul Islam Mosque 1200 - 1250
Tughlukabad 1250 - 1300
Siri and Hauz Khas 1300 - 1350
Firozabad 1350 - 1400
Purana Qila (Shergarh)1400 - 1625
Shahjahanabad 1625 - 1900
Then, there's New Delhi, which dates effectively from around 1910.
We'll see some of the above between July 22 and 24th. We leave for Agra
on the morning of July 25th. Pitt's Chancellor Nordenberg might visit
India and take you all out to dinner on the evening of July 24th!
Drive to Agra -- see lots of interesting sights along the way!
We'll be in Agra for two nights (July 25 and 26); there, we'll see:
Taj Mahal
Agra Fort, built by the Mughal emperors Akbar and Jahangir and Shah
Jahan
Sikandra, the tomb of Akbar
Itmad-ul Daulah, tomb built by Nur Jahan, queen of the Mughal emperor
Jahangir, for her father. Said to be the architectural inspiration for
the shape of the Taj Mahal.
Relax a bit and do some shopping. Agra is well known for certain kinds
of handicrafts: carved/inlaid marble, brassware, jewelery, peta (dried
pumpkin sweet)
Leave for Fatehpur Sikri by road on July 27th morning. The 'new' capitol
of the Mughal emperor Akbar. He later abandoned it and returned to Agra
Fort.
Continue on to Jaipur. Stay in Jaipur 27th and 28th night. In Jaipur
we'll see:
Amber Fort (ride an elephant) - oldest fort belonging to the royal
family of Jaipur
Jaipur City Palace
Jaipur Museum (full of lots of neat things)
Shopping at great stores specializing in Rajasthani handicrafts -
clothing, housewares, artwork, gemstones/jewelery, musical instruments,
everything!
Leave for Delhi by road on 29th morning. Stop in Alwar along the way if
there's time -- an interesting royal capitol. Have lunch somewhere on
the road.
Back in Delhi on the 29th of July, staying at the YMCA again -- visit
places we missed, hang out at Connaught Place, the central hub of New
Delhi (YMCA is within walking distance) -- emporia for all the states of
India within walking distance of YMCA, featuring speciality items from
each state.
I most likely won't have internet access for the rest of my trip, unless we stop at an internet cafe sometime along the way. So below I'm going to post the schedule that Dr. Cohen emailed to me so that you'll all know what I'm up to. I'll probably keep a written journal for the last 10 days and then type it up when I get back home so make sure you check back later for the end of the story!
As promised, here is more info about our trip to No. India.
The American Insitute of Indian Studies will be supplying a vehicle,
driver and tour guide during the entire trip: Delhi - Agra - Jaipur -
Delhi. I've already told you about where we are staying.
In Delhi: we have plenty of time to explore the old and new aspects of
the city. Delhi's history is documents back to around 500 A.D. There are
approx. seven old cities of Delhi, in the order of age:
Lal Qila (Rai Pithora)ca. 900 - 1200 AD
Kutb Minar/Quvvat-ul Islam Mosque 1200 - 1250
Tughlukabad 1250 - 1300
Siri and Hauz Khas 1300 - 1350
Firozabad 1350 - 1400
Purana Qila (Shergarh)1400 - 1625
Shahjahanabad 1625 - 1900
Then, there's New Delhi, which dates effectively from around 1910.
We'll see some of the above between July 22 and 24th. We leave for Agra
on the morning of July 25th. Pitt's Chancellor Nordenberg might visit
India and take you all out to dinner on the evening of July 24th!
Drive to Agra -- see lots of interesting sights along the way!
We'll be in Agra for two nights (July 25 and 26); there, we'll see:
Taj Mahal
Agra Fort, built by the Mughal emperors Akbar and Jahangir and Shah
Jahan
Sikandra, the tomb of Akbar
Itmad-ul Daulah, tomb built by Nur Jahan, queen of the Mughal emperor
Jahangir, for her father. Said to be the architectural inspiration for
the shape of the Taj Mahal.
Relax a bit and do some shopping. Agra is well known for certain kinds
of handicrafts: carved/inlaid marble, brassware, jewelery, peta (dried
pumpkin sweet)
Leave for Fatehpur Sikri by road on July 27th morning. The 'new' capitol
of the Mughal emperor Akbar. He later abandoned it and returned to Agra
Fort.
Continue on to Jaipur. Stay in Jaipur 27th and 28th night. In Jaipur
we'll see:
Amber Fort (ride an elephant) - oldest fort belonging to the royal
family of Jaipur
Jaipur City Palace
Jaipur Museum (full of lots of neat things)
Shopping at great stores specializing in Rajasthani handicrafts -
clothing, housewares, artwork, gemstones/jewelery, musical instruments,
everything!
Leave for Delhi by road on 29th morning. Stop in Alwar along the way if
there's time -- an interesting royal capitol. Have lunch somewhere on
the road.
Back in Delhi on the 29th of July, staying at the YMCA again -- visit
places we missed, hang out at Connaught Place, the central hub of New
Delhi (YMCA is within walking distance) -- emporia for all the states of
India within walking distance of YMCA, featuring speciality items from
each state.