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Agra - Taj Mahal. Built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in 1631 in memory of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
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Agra - Taj Mahal
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Agra - Taj Mahal. Is it fair that one man should possess all this STUDLINESS? If only I could share with the...shall we say...less gifted. ;)
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Agra - Taj Mahal
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Agra - Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal is closed on Fridays because services are still held weekly at this mosque.
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En route to Agra. Every time we crossed a pradesh (state/province) line, tax had to be paid...and roadside entertainers had to be tipped. ;)
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Agra - Akbar's Tomb
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Agra. After this ride, this rickshaw driver instituted a new policy: No more Americans. I thought the guy was going to have a heart attack. ;)
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Agra - Agra Fort
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Agra - Train Station
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Old Delhi - Jama Masjid. Laying the prayer mats at the mosque.
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Old Delhi. Only in Vietnam is crossing the street more dangerous! ;)
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Old Delhi. Yeah, I've got a power problem...mind tracing that line?
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New Delhi - Raj Ghat. Shrine to Mahatma Gandhi (spot where he was cremated). New Delhi was built by the British.
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Old Delhi. Part of the Humayun's Tomb complex.
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Old Delhi. Part of the Humayun's Tomb complex.
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Old Delhi
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Old Delhi - Quwwat-ul-Islam Masjid, the first mosque in India.
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Old Delhi
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New Delhi
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Jaipur - Hawa Mahal (Palace of Winds). Built in 1799...with 593 windows...so that royal women could look down into the market below without being seen
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Jaipur - Amber Fort. Elephant ride -- a bumpy one -- to the top!
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Jaipur - Amber Fort
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Jaipur - Amber Fort. Built in 1592 by Raja Man Singh.
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Jaipur - Amber Fort
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Jaipur. This shop is in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most knots per square inch in a silk carpet. Now you know. ;)
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Jaipur - Amber Fort
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Jaipur. Not quite the Great Wall of China, but still impressive.
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Jaipur. Cows have owners...they wander around and return on time for milking...but the bulls have no owners...they pretty much do what they want.
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Jaipur - City Palace
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En route to Khajuraho. In the countryside, kids don't beg for money...they ask for PENS to use in school...notice the writing gesture.
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En route to Khajuraho
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Khajuraho. The temples were built between 950-1050 AD by the warrior kings of the Chandela Dynasty.
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Khajuraho
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Khajuraho. I'll have to see some ID before you can view these next few shots...the carvings include depictions of Kamasutra positions.
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Khajuraho. Don't try this at home. ;)
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Khajuraho. Couldn't get everything into the shot...to the left three elephants are staring straight ahead...this one is distracted by the action.
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Khajuraho - Jain Temples. Jain is a branch of Hinduism that teaches nonviolence...no hunting scenes are included in the carvings.
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Khajuraho. There were 80+ temples and only 20+ have been excavated. Where are the rest? The town is built over them.
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Khajuraho
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Orchha - Jahangir Mahal. Built in the 17th century for ONE visit by ONE emperor!
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Orchha - Ram Raja Temple. Lord Vishnu's supposed to have ten incarnations...the first was a fish, seen here.
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Orchha - Ram Raja Temple
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Orchha. The blocks and dyes are for henna painting...body art.
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Orchha - Sunset over the Betwa River...in the background are cenotaphs...basically it's a big cemetery.
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Orchha. Not really a Hindu shaman but he plays one on TV. ;)
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Orchha. A small town, very laidback ambience...it was a welcome change from the chaos of Agra and the other big cities.
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Orchha. This is a barber shop.
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Orchaa. Vegetable market.
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Orchha. Just hangin' out with the bovines. ;)
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Varanasi - Ganges River. The nightly Hindu ceremony..."pilgrims" come from all over India...and tourists from around the world...to attend.
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Varanasi - Ganges River. Climbing down one of the many ghats (steps leading to the water).
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Varanasi - Ganges River. Why weren't more people actually taking a dip? No major festival was in progress; by Indian standards, it was COLD!
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Varanasi - Ganges River. Cremations go on 24 hours a day. If you are cremated in Varanasi, you break the reincarnation cycle and go to Nirvana.
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Varanasi - Ganges River. Varanasi, one of the oldest cities in the world, is dedicated to Lord Shiva, one of the trinity along with Vishnu and Brahma.
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Varanasi - Ganges River
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Varanasi
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Varanasi
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Varanasi
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Varanasi
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