India pt.4- Karauli to Agra and the Taj
Part 4 of your Golden Triangle Itinerary
Day 6: Jaipur-Karauli
Catch your bus from Jaipur to Karauli, a smaller, much less touristic heritage town of Rajasthan, which will take around 5 hours through beautiful villages and countryside. This gorgeous little town will show you how people live outside the cities, where on the tour we were lucky enough to stay in the royal family’s house. Go for a walk around the historical and colourful village where all the houses and shop facades are painted in pastel blues, purples and pinks. Adorable cows, dogs, goats and pigs roam the streets and the people are all so kind and beautiful, working on their little businesses and smiling at you as you walk past.
Walk to Karauli city palace and see the most gorgeously detailed structure of the incredible remains. Watch out for all the monkeys!
Karauli City Palace
Go inside the temple at 6pm and watch the men and women dressed in brightly coloured dresses as they sing and pray at this lively and festive time where the priest comes out and greets everyone. You’re not allowed to take pictures or wear shoes but the people will be very interested in you and would love to meet you.
Day 7: Karauli-Agra
The time has come guys, and what better way to end an amazing adventure than to see the one and only Taj Mahal?!
A train from Karauli to Agra is a bit more expensive because not many of them stop at the small villages. Get a train nice an early so you have time to relax and freshen up before seeing one of the Wonders of the world. Aim to get to the Taj at around 4 so you can walk around, explore and take a bazillion photos before watching the sunset over the magnificent white marble facade that seems to illuminate when the sun hits it.
The Taj Mahal was built by the Mughal Emperor of Agra for his beloved wife, Mumtaz, or Taj for short (Mahal meaning memorial). Her last dying wish was for him to build something to show the world how strong their love was as she was on her death bed after giving birth to their 14th child. She also wished for him to never marry again and to treat all the children equally. The absolutely incredible structure, like nothing else of it’s kind, was built in 1632 and cost 32 million rupees to construct, which at that time was worth US $827 million.
If you’re a westerner, especially a blonde one, people will swarm around you and want to take pictures with you against the stunning backdrop. This might make you feel glamorous and famous or simply annoyed. Either way it’s a funny experience. I should definitely have started charging.
Day 8: Return to Delhi
A train from Agra to Delhi will take roughly 5 hours. You might want to book your flight home from Agra so you don’t have to go all the way back to Delhi, but return tickets to Delhi will work out much cheaper as it’s the main city. After my return to Delhi, I decided to relax and indulge on some delicious curries at various recommended restaurants for the next day until my flight to Goa to have some down time by the beautiful beaches of Southern India. Read my next blog for my recommendations and stories of the amazing Goa, a place I’m seriously considering living in one day.
Hope you enjoyed!
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