Auto-Expo is one such fair that is most awaited by the Professionals, Experts and the General Public alike. It is a biennial automotive show which takes place at New Delhi during February 1st week every alternate year. It is Asia’s largest & World’s second largest Motor Show (after International Motor Show, Germany).
It was a dream for me & few others in the group to visit
this Auto-Tech-Fest. We 6 of us colleagues planned for this year, 6 months in
advance. We did our flight ticket bookings as well as stay arrangements in
August 2015. We decided to allocate 2 days at the Expo & the 3rd day for
sight-seeing (we decided to visit The Tajmahal). Auto-Expo Tickets (Passes)
opened in November 2015 on BookMyShow & we could be the first ones to have
booked them.
Finally, we started our Auto-Expo trip on February 7, 2015
(Sunday). We boarded 7 pm Indigo flight to Delhi from Pune. We had done our
stay arrangements at Greater Noida (near to the Expo Venue). This was to avoid
daily travelling from Delhi to Greater Noida which is good 50 kms plus. We got out of airport by 9.30 pm. We headed
for the Airport Metro (Orange line) & reached New Delhi. From here changed
over to Yellow Line till Rajiv Chowk. And then to Blue Line till Botanical
Garden. It was about 12 midnight & we hadn’t had eaten anything. And we
came to know that Greater Noida is still about 30 kms away from here. We
searched a Vaishnav Dhaba nearby which was about to close. Requested him to
provide some dinner. And then took a cab to our Guest House at Greater Noida.
We reached our Guest House at 1 am.
February 8, 2015:
Next morning, after breakfast we started for the India Expo Mart, venue for the Auto-Expo. Botanical Garden Metro Station is the last Metro Stop for visiting Auto Expo & there are regular Bus Service provided during the Expo Time. We took an Auto-rickshaw & reached the Gate at 9.35 am. Opening time is 10 am; however, they opened the gates 10 minutes early.
Next morning, after breakfast we started for the India Expo Mart, venue for the Auto-Expo. Botanical Garden Metro Station is the last Metro Stop for visiting Auto Expo & there are regular Bus Service provided during the Expo Time. We took an Auto-rickshaw & reached the Gate at 9.35 am. Opening time is 10 am; however, they opened the gates 10 minutes early.
Sports Car - Renault |
Sports Car - Hyundai (F0) |
Creativity was at its peak at various pavilions – from color
combinations, lights, proms, performances, games, photographs, gifts,
competitions, etc. And not to forget, the Racing Cars /
Bikes, Concepts, New Launches, Unveilings, New Technology & off course
Beautiful Models complementing them all.
Obviously, rush was more at the Luxury Cars Pavilion – BMW,
Merc & the Audi. We started with Renault, Tata Motors, Jaguar, Mercedes,
Volkswagon, BMW, Datsun & Nissan. By the time we reached Audi, there was
extreme rush. There was a queue all around the pavilion. We decided to skip it
for time being & come back again tomorrow. We covered other pavilions of
Jeep, Fiat, Ford, Mahindra, Honda, Toyota, Chevrolet & Maruti. There was a
special pavilion dedicated to the Vintage Cars & Bikes by HMCI (Heritage
Motoring Club of India). There were stunt shows by 2-Wheeler Companies &
Tyre Manufacturers.
Scale Model - Corvette |
Scale Model - Rolls Royce |
February 9, 2015:
After a tiring 1st Full Day we returned next day for half-a-day venture. As we entered inside, we headed straight for Audi. We were the first ones to get entry inside. Then we covered the 2-Wheelers - Hero, Suzuki, Honda, Yamaha, Piaggio, Vespa, TVS.
After a tiring 1st Full Day we returned next day for half-a-day venture. As we entered inside, we headed straight for Audi. We were the first ones to get entry inside. Then we covered the 2-Wheelers - Hero, Suzuki, Honda, Yamaha, Piaggio, Vespa, TVS.
Audi |
Yamaha Bikes lined-up |
Vespa - The Black Beauty |
TVS - interestingly placed logo |
Renault Pavillion - one of the best pavillions |
Indian Pavillion - unique placements |
Triumph Pavillion - unique placements |
Peugeot - 3-Wheeler Bike |
Unique Car Model - made out of Mobiles |
Stunning Corvette at the Chevrolet Pavillion |
Many foreigners visit the Taj Mahal. And there being no dedicated
domestic airport at Agra, flight connectivity is very limited. Yamuna
Expressway serves as a very quick transport facility. There is a proposed Taj
International Airport which will further boost tourism in the region.
On the way we visited Vrindavan. It is the place where, as
per mythology, Lord Krishna used to play in his childhood days. It is near to
Mathura, his birthplace & Gokul, where he spent his childhood. Lord Krishna
performed Raas-Leela with Radha & other Gopis in the Vrindavan forest along
with Balarama & his cowherd friends.
Banke-Bihari Temple is the main temple of Vrindavan.
However, since it was located inside the old town & it is closed in the
evening, we decided to skip this. We also had to reach Agra in time.
We therefore visited other two temples, which are
comparatively recent ones & the tourist attractions.
ISKCON Temple is dedicated to Krishna-Balarama, built in
1975. Alongside of Krishna-Balarama, there are Gaura-Nitai &
Radha-Shyamsundar. It is one of the main ISKCON temples
in India and
internationally. The architecture is beautiful with well carved arch in the
centre & similarly carved structures on both sides. The temple complex
houses a meditation hall, souvenir shop, etc.
ISKCON Temple |
ISKCON Temple - Intricate Arch at the entrance |
Prem Mandir |
Prem Mandir - Entrance |
Prem Mandir - Colorfully Lit at the Night |
February 10, 2015:
Next day morning after a quick breakfast, we started off for the Most Photographed Structure on Earth. Taj Mahal is located on the southern bank of River Yamuna in Agra. There are 2-3 entry gates; however the most common is the West Gate (Fatehpuri Gate). Other two are Fatehabad Gate (East Gate) & Siddhi Darwaza (South Gate). Fueled vehicles are not allowed till the entry point; vehicle parking is about 200 meters prior. Battery Operated Cars or Camel Carts are available. However, they are not really required. One can easily walk those 200 meters.
Next day morning after a quick breakfast, we started off for the Most Photographed Structure on Earth. Taj Mahal is located on the southern bank of River Yamuna in Agra. There are 2-3 entry gates; however the most common is the West Gate (Fatehpuri Gate). Other two are Fatehabad Gate (East Gate) & Siddhi Darwaza (South Gate). Fueled vehicles are not allowed till the entry point; vehicle parking is about 200 meters prior. Battery Operated Cars or Camel Carts are available. However, they are not really required. One can easily walk those 200 meters.
There is one caveat – if in case you hire those Battery Cars
or Camel Carts, just insist the driver to take straight to the Taj unless you
are interested in some shopping. Else, they lie to you & trick you to the
‘so-called’ Meena Bazaar for a possible shopping (which in turn earns them a
commission). Our Battery Car driver told us that now Taj Complex is closed for
an hour for cleaning & hence he took us for shopping; we in turn insisted
for taking us to the Taj instead. The Taj Complex was very well open. Taj Mahal
Complex is open throughout the day.
Taj Mahal is open from Sun-rise to Sun-set every day except
Friday. It is closed on Fridays for tourists (only open for offering Namaaz).
Taj Mahal is also open at night only during Full Moon Night & 2 Nights
before & after. There is a limit to number of tourists (400) to enter, on
first-come-first-served basis.
Outside the West Gate is the ticket counter. This part of
building is called “Saheli Burj” or Tower of Friend (Female). Ticket rate for
Indians is Rs. 20 while for Foreigners is Rs. 750. After separate queues for
Indians & Foreigners, we entered the Taj Complex. The street in front is
called as the Bazaar Street lined with small cells with a verandah &
arches. Maybe, the famous Meena Bazaar used to be held here during Shahjahan’s
time. The first view of the iconic Taj is seen from here towards left. With
Fatehpuri Courtyard in foreground & a walled structure in between, Taj can
be only seen as its dome.
The First View:
The First View:
Roads from all three gates lead to an open rectangular space, the Forecourt (called as Jilaukhana). This place easily takes your attention to the mighty & huge structure, Darwaza-i-Rauza (Gate of the Mausoleum). This is indeed a Gate worthy enough for the Gem that remains inside. As we started to enter through this Gate, view of Taj Mahal getting unfolded in front of our eyes, is mesmerizing. Towards the northern end of the Complex stands The Taj Mahal with an expanse of greenery, water body and fountains in between. The entire complex is bounded on three sides by fortified walls while 4th side is the mighty Yamuna.
The Main Gate : Darwaza-i-Rauza |
In all, twenty eight types of precious and semi-precious
stones were inlaid into the white marble. Each stone has cut to the shape,
polished & faceted to the requirement & then laid into the marble to
create the design. E.g., inside the dome, there is design of a Lotus on the
Marble Jali. These Lotus flowers are all over. Each Lotus design is of couple
of inches in dimension & it consists of 64 pieces of orange coloured
stones, precisely cut & inlaid. Amazing...
Apart from precious stones inlaid in a pattern, another attraction
is the Calligraphy. Amanat Ali Khan Shirazi was the incharge. Verses from Holy
Quran are inscribed in Arabic in Black Marble. The black marble lettering is
inlaid into white marble scroll-like borders that frame the architectural
features. It is used to decorate both the south gateway and main mausoleum.
Externally, the main structure is built on a two layers. The
1st stage of Red Stone which houses two symmetric buildings on East
& West while 2nd stage of large square plinth of Marble at the
centre. The main building is coordinated by 4 minarets at each corner. These
minarets are slightly tilted towards outer side. This is to avoid them falling
on the Main Structure in place of an earthquake. The dome is one such
attractive portion of the structure visible from a long distance & is
unique to the Taj. 4 cupolas as well as 16 Decorated Pinnacles (or Guldastas)
surround the dome. The Finial is the top-most part of the structure with the
shape of crescent moon. It is said that originally it was made of gold, but was
replaced by a copy made of bronze later. Towards the eastern side, there is a
floor tiling of the exact replica of this finial on the ground.
The Taj is made of Translucent White Marble, which exhibit
different color shades at different time of the day.
Inside, is one of the most peaceful areas of the Complex.
Intricate “Jali-work” catches the eye as you enter. Inner walls are also
decorated with inlaid stones, just like outer walls. There are two Cenotaphs –
one at the centre is of Mumtaz Mahal, while by her side is of Emperor Shah
Jahan’s himself. Shah Jahan’s cenotaph is the only asymmetric portion of the
whole design. The actual Tombs (or Rouza) are in a room exactly below the
respective cenotaphs (which are the exact replica of the tombs). While entering
the mausoleum, one can see the stairs going down. Entry here is closed for
general public. Dome from inner side has a design resembling the Sun with a
Brass Lamp hanging down. This lamp was gifted by Lord Curzon (Viceroy of India)
in 1900s, crafted on the lines of one such lamp in a Cairo Mosque.
Taj Mahal, indeed, is the monument of exquisite
craftsmanship. Seeing is believing that a man can create such wonder. Rabindranath
Tagore has rightly described it as “A Teardrop on the Cheek of Time”. UNESCO
describes it as the Jewel of Muslim Art in India and one of the universally
admired masterpieces of the world's heritage.
The Cliche |
Another view - Mehman-khana towards left |
Visitors are not allowed to enter the Garden as well as
inside water body. They have to follow the well-laid pathway only. After a
brief wandering around, we reached till the Taj Mahal platform. On the extreme
right are the steps to reach the 1st stage of Red Stone platform. As
mentioned earlier, there are two symmetrical buildings on either side. The one
at East is the Mehman-khana (Assembly Hall) actually built to strike a balance
of symmetry against the Mosque at the West. Its original function was to
accommodate visitors for observing the death anniversaries of Mumtaz. On the West
is the Mosque, built again in Red Stone with white domes. As per Islam, a
Mausoleum has to have a Mosque to offer prayers. There is an Ablution Tank between
the Mosque & Taj Mahal which people use to wash before offering prayers.
The Corridor - Mehman-khana |
The Mosque |
Another View |
After capturing the beauty of this Most Beautiful Wonder of
the World, we turned around. There is a Taj Museum in the Complex. It is at the
left had side from Celestial Pool of Abundance. It describes the complete
history of Taj Mahal & its story.
Guides are available outside at the cost of as low as Rs.
200. Actually taking a Guide along is useful, however since we had very limited
time and we had to rush back to Delhi to catch evening flight, we didn’t hired
one.
By 11.30 am, we started our return journey. We reached Delhi
Airport for our return flight & reached home at 9 pm.