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Sun Rise at the Taj Mahal
Day 7: Feb 5
“The Taj Mahal rises above the banks of the river like a solitary tear suspended on the cheek of time.” ―Rabindranath Tagore
In my opinion, the only way to see the Taj Mahal for the first time (or even the 10th time) is to wake up at dawn and watch the sun rise over this magnificent citadel–and that’s exactly what we did this morning. We’ve all been traveling a lot over the last few days and the idea of such an early wake up call was not remotely exiting. But no one wanted to miss this and come 5:15am we were all on the bus to the Taj. Having visited the Taj a few times now, I’m always surprised by how moved I am to witness the sun rising and casting its first rays on this magnificent symbol of love. It’s an experience like none other.
Visiting the Taj Mahal is something not to be missed. Join me in March 2015 when I return with my 11-day Meditation retreat in North India, celebrating Holi.
Built by Emperor Shah Jahan as a memorial for his second wife, the Taj took some 20,000 workers from India and Central Asia to help construct this massive marble mausoleum. During the construction process there was even assistance from specialists from as far as Europe to help produce the exquisite semi-precious stone inlay work.
After our enchanting early morning at the Taj Mahal we headed back to the hotel for breakfast and to begin our journey west to the little known village of Samode in Rajasthan.
The sun rise at the Taj Mahal is not to be missed.
This friendly guide showed us all the best spots to stand and take photos!
The Taj Mahal reflected in Sonya’s glasses…another one of the guide’s “recommended” photos.
I pose with (from left) Uta from Munich, Laura and Reena from the Virgin Islands, and Sonya from Brisbane, Australia.
The view of the Taj Mahal though some of the trees in the garden
I’ve always wanted to take this photo. After much research and hiking I found the spot to capture this.
Looking at the Taj Mahal and the Yamuna river through some ruins further down river.
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The Train to the Taj Mahal
Day 6: Feb 4 We started our day with a sunrise Puja at the southern group of temples in Khajuraho dedicated to Lord Siva. I had the honor of performing the ritual of abhishekam, the bathing of the central deity with an offering of milk, yogurt, and flowers. The temple reverberated with the sac...
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Day 5: Feb 3 Our last morning in Varanasi was so very special. The group engaged in a vigorous yoga asana practice in the morning with Robin and then I led everyone through a meditation continuing to focus on the intent that each person brought with them on the trip and on manifesting their purp...
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Day 3 – Yoga, Meditation and Priest Training School
Day 3 : February 1st Some say that a visit to Varanasi is an experience of self-discovery and eternal oneness of body and soul. However this magical city affects you, it has been agreed that Varanasi offers everyone a unique and breathtaking experience.The past two days we spent fully immersed in...
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Varanasi: The doorway between worlds…
Day 2: January 31 We got up early this morning and headed to the airport to fly west from Kolkata to the ancient and beautiful city of Varanasi. There are many ways to get to Varanasi but flying is definitely the quickest and easiest. We arrived safely and ventured into town by bus then boarded&h...
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