Making Paper from Rags

Yes, I am still on the same day.
After a very delicious lunch of freshly made Indian food,
We traveled by auto to the Paper Making Factory.

Rags waiting to be sorted and hand shredded.

Finished sheets are stacked between sheets of muslin.
Next the water will be compressed out.

Hanging up to dry, large black and white sheets of paper.

Cooking Class

After our wonderful school visit, we walked a short distance to the home of our Orchha guide.
Inca's wife, Rajni's had a cooking school in her home.
We started off the class making Dosa.

The dosa are being fried in soy oil.

Cooking puri on the electic cook top.

Private School in Orchha

After visiting the Palaces in Orchha, we had the opportunity to visit a private school.
The school is for first through eighth grade.
All students buy their uniforms and workbooks.
Twenty-five percent of the students get to go free because of their parents' income.

This class is learning to write in Hindi.

The older students classes were located upstairs.
Four classes in one large area separated by the yellow curtains.

Beautiful Hindi teacher

 School ended about 1:00 and everyone headed home. Most walked or got a ride home
In a jeep. Many of the older students had bicycles.
Notice there are no carpool lines..

Six Palaces and Twenty-Two Temples

July 23
Orchha - Six Palaces and twenty-two temples in one location.
In the morning we we're joined by Inca, tour guide for the palaces and temples.

View of more palaces from palace window.

First palace was a baja mahal or king's palace.
Built by

It was built by the king of the region in 1531.

View from king's apartment.

The paintings on the walls of the queens and kings rooms are still intact after almost 500 years.

Palace number two was built as a gift for Jeringer, the fourth Mughal ruler.

It took 20 years to build the palace.

He came to Orchha for only one night.

Carved elephants greeted the king when he arrived at the entrance.

Palace number three was built for prince. It is now the site of a luxury hotel.

Train to Orchha

Early morning, July 24
Took a train to Orchha

We sat in the first class train.
This meant we had air conditioning and comfortable seats.
Economy car has only wooden planks for seats
and is very, very crowded.

Orchha is located in the district of Madhya Pradesh and has a population of only 10,000 people.

I think there was a cow in Orchha for every person.

Cow greeted me as I walked through around the cenotaphs
In the early morning.

Our hotel was right on the river and across the road from Cenotaphs.

View of river from hotel garden.

In the background is one of 14 cenotaphs
Each one dedicated to a ruler of Orchha.

Baby Taj early in the morning

July 22
At 6:30 in the early morning Susan and I took an auto to see the Tomb of l'Timed-Ud Dailah.
Called by many the "Baby Taj."

Mr. Prim, experienced auto driver in Agra

The tomb was built by the wife of Mughul ruler Jeranger to honor her father.

White marble on the outside, the inside was frescos of vases, trees, flowers, tea cups, and saucers.

We were the only people there at this early hours.
The ticket man and a few pigeons.

Frescoes of blue flower vases were in  little  notch all over the inside.

At the Taj

Monday, July 21

What more can I say.
This is a picture that I took at the Taj Mahal in the early evening.

We took turns taking pictures in front of the Taj Mahal.
Not a bad place to take a picture.