The Sun Never Sets on the British Empire

Part 12 – February 15, 2015.   Cricket rules for dummies, another Red Fort, the “Baby Taj”, and preparations for yet another wedding, this one Muslim Indian style.

At breakfast on Sunday the 15^th, two 10 year old German kids and their parents tried to explain the rules of cricket to us.  We learned that we can’t learn them without a book.  We do know that a ball hit over the boundary and out of the field of play on the fly is worth 6 points (runs?), one that rolls over or hits the boundary is worth 4 points, and one hit far enough for the batsmen (two run, one bats) to advance 20 or so yards before the ball is thrown at and hits the wicket(s) is worth 1 point, and if it’s hit such that the batsmen can shuttle back and forth more than once, it’s worth the number of shuttles achieved.  I think those are the only ways to score.  An out is made if the ball is caught on the fly.  I think that an out also occurs when the bowler (pitcher) hits any of the three wickets that the batsman was trying to defend, but I’m not sure. Then there’s the matter of the “overs”.  I’m still very fuzzy about those.  And the length of the game/match/test depends on the phase of the moon or something like that. Some go on for a couple of hours, some for a day, and some for weeks. It’s now World Cup time and the matches last until some team reaches 301 points (I think) and that takes about a day.  Today the match is India against Pakistan.  The Cup is taking place in Australia this year.

The Red Fort in Agra is even bigger and grander than the Red Fort in Delhi.  Here Shah Jahan, the man who built the Taj Mahal as a tomb for his wife (see Part 11), spent his last 6 years imprisoned by his second son.  The first walls, gates, and buildings were built by Akbar.  Shah Jahan built the imperial quarters (where he was eventually imprisoned) and the mosque.  And  Aurangzeb, the last of the great Mughal emperors, built the outer ramparts.

See the Taj Mahal form the fort if you have anti-smog glasses

Now, on to the “Baby Taj”, a tale of intrigue (1), lust (2), love (3), and death (4), and just a 100 rupee motor rickshaw ride away on the other side of the Yamuna River from the Red Fort. 

This gem was built in the early 1600s by a woman named Nur Jahan (Light of the World) as a mausoleum (see 4 above) for her father, Ghiyas Beg, a Persian, (and his wife) according to plans he had laid out.  Ghiyas Beg had been in Akbar’s court before Akbar died (see 4 above) and was succeeded by Jahangir.  When Jahangir took the throne, Ghiyas Beg became the Wazir (chief minister) (see 1 above).  Jahangir fell in love (see 2 and 3 above) with Ghiyas Beg’s daughter (Mehrunissa) who was already married (see 1 and 2 above) at the time (to a Persian).  When her husband died (see 4 above) in 1607, she entered Jahangir’s court as lady-in-waiting (see 2 above).  Four years later, in 1611, Jahangir married her.  She, Mehrunissa, then became known as Nur Mahal (Light of the Palace) and was later elevated to Nur Jahan (Light of the World) (see 1, 2, and 3 above).  As I said earlier, she had the Baby Taj constructed.  It had/has white marble facing inlaid with contrasting stone, a startling precedent for a Mughal building.  As it turns out, Nur Jahan’s niece, Mumtaz Jahan, was the woman (wife) for whom Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal (see 1, 2, 3, and 4 above) mausoleum.

And finally the wedding or at least preparations for it. 

One of the two women whose families own our “homestay” in Agra told us that her parents bought her 25 dresses for her wedding 15 years ago as well as 25 more for other women her family and in the wedding party.  My understanding is that’s not unusual for families with money.  The wedding preparations we heard and saw last night were not for such a wealthy family but that didn’t stop them from having a good time. 

At about 5:30 we heard lots of noise from a brass band playing in the road a few houses away.  We peeked out our gate and decided to investigate.  The band consisted of five horns, two drums, and a white horse.  They were serenading the groom-to-be as he sat in his front courtyard being prepared for transport on the horse to the venue of tonight’s party.  When we got to the house, the band was going strong, women were dancing, kids were running around, the groom-to-be sat on a cot disrobing, and the horse waited patiently.  An hour later, the same activities were still underway except that the horse and the groom-to-be had donned fancier vestments. Kids and adults were handing out money, as is the custom, as the groom was carried out blindfolded and wearing a fancy headdress and placed atop the horse.  Once he was atop the horse, he and the horse were led down the street to the accompaniment of the band, the dancers, and the whole crowd.  We bid them all “danaywad” (thank you) and good bye.  Our eyes had been opened to another interesting thing in the world. 

Terry and Sandy