Bethlehem Lutheran Church

Yesterday, we spent the full day at Agra! Our first stop was one of the modern seven wonders of the world, the Taj Mahal. It was indeed magnificent. 4 of our girls donned their sariis and were followed by "paparazi". Megan, a mother of a 2-year-old herself, was asked to hold an Indian 2-year-old so his father could take a picture. The architecture of the Taj and all the fine detailed carving and semi-precious stone in-laid in white marble were the first and obvious attractions, but it is the romance story that undergirds the architecture and outshines the stone and minarets! After giving birth to her 14th child, Mumtuj, the wife of King Jahan (the 5th Mogul king of India), she died. She had made 3 dying wishes of her husband: 1) do not ever marry another, 2) be forever kind to their children, and 3) build the most beautiful moseleum, which is the Taj Mahal. In Hindu, this means "crown palace." Mumtuj had a nickname of Taj Bibi, hence the name. Should not be confused with a palace; it is a tomb. After the Taj, we visited Agra's Red Fort. Then a marble carving institute. The craftsmen are descendents of the Taj craftsmen. It is a threatened tradition, because it is hard on the carvers eyes. But the government has created incentives for young people to learn this craft. Because the crafts and traditions are understood as so valuable, the city of Agra has banned industry. Due to loss of jobs, Agra is the only Indian city without taxes. Industry was banned so that there is no pollution to discolor the white marble. For me it was a witness of hope that there is sources of work without degredation of earth! Today, we are touring Delhi, both the "new" and "old" cities. Our guide, Pankaj, is wonderful, full of knowledge and humor of "his" city. He shares with us that in India, everything has a meaning. For example, his name means "lotus flower". The lotus flower has symbolic meaning for both Hindus and Muslims. The lotus flower is born in the mud, and must use much energy to bloom up and out of he mud. But the flower cannot avoid the mud; it must go through it to bloom to its fullest. Like the lotus flower, our lives are surrounded by mud, we cannot escape it. We must exercise our spirituality to fully bloom and overcome the mud. Today, we are touring India's largest Muslim mosque, Mahatma Gandi's burial site and museum, a Shiek Temple, India Gate, Old Delhi markets, the Red Fort (equal to Independence Hall in the US), Qutabah (a war memorial).