After going from Jaipur to Agra, and then to Varanasi, I was pretty much lovin North India. Finally it was time to get back, so we caught a train from Varanasi and chilled in Bombay (now known as "Mumbai") for a day, on the way back.

We reached Bombay late evening. Nothing much to do so David and I headed straight to my Sister's house to stay for the next 2 nights, before catching our train back to Manipal.

I've always loved Bombay. Its the place that I called Home for a couple of years. Many awesome memories in this city.

We only had one actual "day" of being in Bombay sadly. Apologies to my friends whom I couldnt meet ! We were really pressed for time.

You can check out my full albums below. All taken with a Nokia N82 :



Facebook albums :


A Day in Bombay



Share on Ovi album :-





Related Blog posts (related to or while on the move in North India) :

Leavin Varanasi . Mumbai here I come

In Mumbai





-Teh Cj

Read More......

After Jaipur and Agra, the 3rd stop on my Trip to North India, was Varanasi.

Varanasi is a city situated on the left (west) bank of the River Ganga (Ganges) in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, regarded as holy by Hindus, Buddhists and Jains, and one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world.
The culture of Varanasi is closely associated with the River Ganges and the river's religious importance. The city has been a cultural and religious centre in northern India for several thousand years.

We reached pretty late in the afternoon so there wasnt much we could do on day one, other than check out a Night Ritual at a Varanasi Ghat.

Day two was more eventful. We woke up at Dawn to catch our Boat ride down the Ganges. An amazing way to start the day.

Unfortch I fell ill for the second half of the day, so the guys I was travelling with, left me along in my Hotel room. I made it out for a brief walk though.

Day Three of Varanasi was the least eventful unfortunately. I was pretty ill so I confined myself to our Hotel Room, while the other people I was traveling with went around.

Got a couple morning pictures from our Hotel's rooftop restaurant before catching our Train to Bombay.


The place is definitely amazing.

You can check out my full albums below. All taken with a Nokia N82 :



Facebook albums :

Trip to Varanasi - Day One

Trip to Varanasi - Day Two

Trip to Varanasi - Day Three



Share on Ovi albums :-






Related Blog posts (related to or while on the move in North India) :

In Varanasi

Leavin Varanasi . Mumbai here I come




-Teh Cj

Read More......

After Jaipur, the second stop on my North India Trip, was Agra.

Agra is a medieval city situated on the banks of the river Yamuna in India. Its a city I've heard about ever since I was a kid. The Taj Mahal,The Baby Taj, the Agra Fort. So many things to see here.I took a ton of pics with my Nokia N82. Read on to check them out.


Agra has so many amazing medieval buildings to look at, its insane. Its like Disneyland for a photographer, really. Some of the more Touristy spots were :

The Taj Mahal :

Since we reached Agra at about 5am, we checked into our Hotel and headed straight to the Taj Mahal to catch it at Dawn and beat the Tourist crowd.

Agra's Taj Mahal is one of the most famous buildings in the world, the mausoleum of Shah Jahan's favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It is one of the New 7 Wonders of the world, and one of three World Heritage Sites in Agra.

It was really amazing. Not sure how to describe it as it is something that I've seen pictures of since I was little and now all of a sudden I have pics of myself in front of it.

I learned that there were guest rooms outside that anyone could stay in and that Shah Jahan was working on a Black Taj for himself on the other side of the river, but his son Aurangzeb imprisoned him in the middle, so it was never complete. His daughter then decide to bury him next to his wife, which broke the symmetry of the place. All the rest is completely symmetrical, hence why there is an identical building opposite the mosque that wasn't used. The one on the west is the mosque because it is in the direction of Mecca. Also, the script on the Taj, which is from the Koran, gets larger higher up to make it appear to be the same size.

The place is amazing. Words really cant describe it. Corny as that may sound.





The Agra Fort :

The Agra fort is massive. It was built in the 15th century by the 3rd Mughal ruler and is where Shah Jahan, the fifth, was imprisoned/under house arrest by his 3rd son, Aurangzeb for 8 years until he died. Aurangzeb was upset as his older brother was to inherit the throne, so he killed the 2 older and next younger brothers so that he could. There were 14 children total and the wife died while giving birth.

There were great views back to the Taj from the fort.





The Tomb of Itmad-Ud-Daulah (The Baby Taj) :

Empress Nur Jehan built Itmad-Ud-Daulah's Tomb, sometimes called the Baby Taj, for her father, Ghias-ud-Din Beg, the Chief Minister of Emperor Jahangir. Located on the left bank of the Yamuna river, the mausoleum is set in a large cruciform garden criss-crossed by water courses and walkways.

The walls are white marble from Rajasthan encrusted with semi-precious stone decoration.Many of Nur Jahan's relatives are interred in the mausoleum. The only asymmetrical element of the entire complex is that the cenotaphs of her father and mother have been set side-by-side.

The Tomb of Akbar the Great

On day two of our Agra trip, we headed to Akbar's Mausoleum after breakfast.

Akbar's tomb reflects the completeness of his personality. The vast, beautifully carved, red-ochre sandstone tomb with deers, rabbits and langoor monkeys is set amidst a lush garden.

Akbar himself planned his own tomb and selected a suitable site for it. To construct a tomb in one's lifetime was a Tartary custom which the Mughals followed religiously. Akbar's son Jahangir completed the construction of this pyramidal tomb in 1613.

The place was almost as peaceful as the Taj Mahal, really.






Honestly, I had an amazing time in Agra. I think its officially one of my favourite places in India.

It was really enchanting. I didnt get to see any flying carpets though ! Bummer. You can check out my full albums below. All taken with a Nokia N82 :




Facebook albums :


Trip to Agra - Day One

The Taj Mahal at Dawn

The Agra Fort

Tomb of Itmad-Ud-Daulah (The Baby Taj)

The Taj Mahal at Sunset

The Tomb of Akbar the Great

Trip to Agra - Day Two




Share on Ovi albums :-

Trip to Agra :





The Taj Mahal (at Dawn) :






The Taj Mahal (at Sunset) :






The Agra Fort :






The Tomb of Itmad-Ud-Daulah (The Baby Taj) :






The Tomb of Akbar the Great :









Related Blog posts (related to or while on the move in North India) :

In Agra

The Taj Mahal : Photographed with a Nokia N82

Panoramas of the Taj Mahal using an N82



-Teh Cj

Read More......

Over the next couple of days I'm going to try and upload all my pictures from my North India trip. All shot on my Nokia N82.

Our first stop in North India, was Jaipur.

Jaipur, also called "The Pink City", is the capital city of the state of Rajasthan in India. Founded in 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, a Kachwaha Rajput, who ruled from 1699-1744. Initially his capital was Amber (city), which lies at a distance of 11kms from Jaipur. He felt the need of shifting his capital city with the increase in population and growing scarcity of water. Jaipur is the first planned city of India and the King took great interest while designing this city of victory.

We saw some pretty interesting sights here. Some very stereotypical images of India.

Some of the more touristy sights were :-



The Jantar Mantar :

The Jantar Mantar was built in 18th century by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the huge masonary instruments were used to study the movement of constellations and stars in the sky. Enormous sun-dial still provide accurate time.

The Jaipur City Palace :

Situated in the heart of the old City, it occupies about one seventh of the old city area.

The palace is a blend of Rajput and Mughal architecture, it houses a Seven storeyed Chandra Mahal in the centre, which affords a fine view of the gardens and the city. Diwan-E-Am (Hall of public audience) has intricate decorations and collection of manuscripts, Diwan-E-Khas (Hall of private audience) has a marble pawed gallery Mubarak Mahal has a rich collection of costumes and textiles. There is a Clock Tower near Mubarak Mahal. Sileh Khana has a collection of armory and weapons. It has now been converted into a Museum.

The Hawa Mahal :

Built in 1799, by Maharaja Sawai Pratap Singh,it is the most recognizable monument of Jaipur. The 5 storied stunning semi-octagonal monument having 152 windows with over hanging latticed balconies is a fine piece of Rajput architecture. Originally designed for the royal ladies to watch and enjoy the processions and other activities, on the street below. Now it houses a museum.

Temple of the Sun God at Galta :

A steady 200m climb through a rocky barren gorge leads you to the Temple of the Sun God, also known as "The Monkey temple". The view of Jaipur from the top is amazing.

Jaipur was honestly, a very interesting, but tiring city. The heat was a little too intense for me. I think I spent a fortune on liquids to keep me from dehydrating. It wasnt my favourite place that I've been to, but I still loved being there. Jaipur is definitely an experience.


Do feel free to check out the albums. Like I said earlier, all pictures were taken with a Nokia N82 :



Facebook albums :

Trip to Jaipur - Day One

The Jantar Mantar - Jaipur

Jaipur City Palace - Jaipur

Temple of the Sun God at Galta - Jaipur

Trip to Jaipur - Day Two




Share on Ovi album :








Related Blog posts (while on the move in North India) :

Incredible !ndia

In Jaipur



-Teh Cj

Read More......