Train to Agra

Last Saturday morning we woke up before dawn to catch our train to Agra. The taxi arrived at our gate exactly on time—a good omen! The driver, however, could speak no English and our limited Hindi wasn’t much help. We were finally able to communicate that we wanted to go to the train station and not the airport. We arrived at the station in plenty of time, the train appeared on schedule, and we were soon on our way.

Upon arrival in Agra, we arranged to have a taxi take us around for the day. Our driver convinced us that it would be better to see the Taj Mahal in the morning because it would be less crowded. He was right. There were no long lines and we soon had our first breathtaking view of this monument that Emperor Shah Jahan built in memory of his beloved second wife Mumtaz Mahal. We were told that 20,000 people worked on its construction from 1631 to 1653.

Needless to say, the bottom two photos are of the Taj. The top photos are of the Agra Fort and of the Itimad-Ud-Daulah or the baby Taj. The two in the middle are of Fatehpur Sikri. Our guide told us that design of the pillar at Fatehpur Sikri allegedly represents the three religions of Islam, Hinduism, and Christianity.

It’s hard to describe the Taj without using superlatives. I especially like Tagore’s description of it as—“a tear drop on the face of eternity.” The white inlaid marble and the unique symmetry of the oriental architecture combine to create that effect. Considering the ravages of history, it’s hard to believe it has been preserved so well throughout the centuries. It still looks immaculate.

At noon we took the taxi to visit Fatehpur Sikri, the capital city Emperor Akbar began building forty kilometers west of Agra in 1571 and abandoned fourteen years later. Our tour guide was especially keen to tell us that Akbar had a Hindu, a Christian, and a Muslim wife. He pointed out the legendary palaces of each wife in the royal quarters of the city. I was especially intrigued by the way the architecture of the city maximized the use of water and air to make a comfortable and habitable space in this dry, hot climate. It has things to teach contemporary designers of urban spaces.

The Jama Aasjid mosque is beside the palace area of Fatehpur Sikri. The tomb of Sufi saint Shaikh Salim Chishti is in the courtyard of the mosque. Emperor Akbar credited the saint for the long awaited birth of his first surviving son. Our guide said that the mosque is not maintained by the government and relies on the donations of visitors for its upkeep. He entreated me to buy a cloth and some flowers to put on the tomb—the proceeds of which purportedly would go to support needy children. I was also given a thread to tie on the marble lattice screen of the tomb as a prayer for any special request I might have.

Our day was now well spent and we headed back to the Shanti Lodge, our hotel in Agra. It’s a budget hotel along a narrow, winding lane in the old city. The management and cleanliness of the hotel is basic at best. The most that it has going for it is a great view of the Taj Mahal from its roof top restaurant. We loved ordering cups of chai and absorbing the view at dusk and early in the morning.

The next morning we hired an auto rickshaw to take us to some other places in Agra. First, we went to Agra Fort, a massive red sandstone fort and palace complex. More than any other place we visited, it gave us a sense of the might of the Mughal Empire during the height of its power. The massive walls of the fort once enclosed an entire inner city. During that time period Americans were still living in log cabins.

Next we went to the Jama Masjid mosque built by Shah Jahan’s daughter in 1648. It’s a still functioning mosque in general disrepair. We were met at the gate by a toothless old guide who showed us around. Again, we were asked for a donation in return for special prayers. As we were leaving, our guide asked if we could give a little something for him personally. Is this an indication of the status of Islam in Indian society and of the atrophy of historical religions in the modern world?

Our final historical site visit was the Itimad-Ud-Daulah tomb nicknamed the Baby Taj. It was built in 1622 by Emperor Jehangir’s wife Nur Jahan in memory of her father who migrated to India from Persia. The nickname is apt. Though much smaller in scale, it has the same beautiful architectural symmetry as the Taj. In addition, it features exquisite panels of inlaid marble that have been preserved through the centuries.

We next visited a shop where craftsmen were creating inlaid marble artifacts. They are beautiful pieces using the same craftsmanship as seen in the historical monuments. Another shop was weaving Persian rugs. They wanted to sell us their wares which were out of reach on our MCC allowance. So we returned to the old city to visit some smaller shops.

I soon ran out of endurance as hawkers determinedly tried to sell us their wares—refusing to take no for an answer. After much bargaining, Ruth finally managed to buy a small jewelry box made of inlaid marble. We then retired to the rooftop restaurant at the Shanti Lodge and waited for the night train back to Delhi.

The press of poor vendors, drivers, laborers, and beggars in the old city speaks of another India that is not part of the promises of globalization. Has it always been thus? Was there the same press of human need during the reign of the Mughals? My study of European history tells me there was desperate poverty in Europe during the same time period. And the New Testament accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry in first century Palestine tell the same story. What is our response as Christians and religious people?

Religion, Politics, Tombs and Temples

The above pictures are of various historical monuments Ruth and I, along with our colleague Sarah Adams, visited on weekends and holidays as a respite from our studies of Hindi and as part of our cultural orientation to India. All are within easy commuting distance of where we’re staying in Delhi. We’re planning to visit the Taj Mahal in Agra next weekend, a two hour train ride from here.

The picture on the top left is of Safdarjang’s Tomb, one of the last examples of Mughal architecture before the empire fell to the British. The picture on the bottom left is of Humayun’s Tomb. Emperor Humayun was the son of Babur, the first Mughal ruler in India. The picture on the top right is of the Golconda Fort in Hyderabad. The picture on the bottom right is of the Lotus Temple in Delhi.

The Indus Valley, in which Delhi is situated, is the cradle of Indian civilization. Around 1500 BCE, Aryan tribes from Central Asia gradually invaded, bringing their Sanskrit language (the predecessor of Hindi) and their religious beliefs (the predecessor of Hinduism) with them. This Indian social and religious history opens new avenues for our understanding of the relationship between religion and politics. What can American Christians learn from it?

Northern India was also the birthplace of Buddhism. In remorse for the death and destruction caused by his wars of conquest, the great Mauryan Emperor Ashoka embraced Buddhism and made it the religion of his empire in 262 BCE. He embraced nonviolence and other Buddhist ethical teachings, seeking to incorporate them into the administration of his realm.

It would be a fascinating study to compare Ashoka’s embrace of Buddhism with Roman Emperor Constantine’s embrace of Christianity in 312 CE. Ashoka was much more serious about adopting the social-ethical tenants of Buddhism than Constantine was about adopting the social-ethical tenants of Christianity. From an Anabaptist perspective (and also a Buddhist perspective) it involves difficult questions about what happens to a religious tradition when it becomes the official religion of a state.

The historical sites we visited in Delhi are from the Muslim Mughal Empire which began with the invasion of Babur who marched into India from his capital in Kabul, Afghanistan in 1525 CE. The Mughals were known for their opulent court life and their love of creating beautiful architectural edifices, of which the Taj Mahal is the most well known. They tried to outdo each other in building magnificent tombs.

The Mughals were known for their religious tolerance. Babur’s grandson Akbar (1556-1605), the most powerful Mughal emperor, integrated Hindus into the top echelons of his administration. He had a deep interest in religious matters and sponsored conversations with religious experts of all persuasions, including Hindus, Christians, Parsis, and even agnostics.

As a Mennonite, I cannot help reflecting on the fact that Akbar’s religious pluralism and his interfaith conversations were taking place in the sixteenth century when our European Anabaptist ancestors were being persecuted and martyred for their stance on religious freedom. Indians understandably get somewhat frustrated when Westerners act as though religious freedom is a unique characteristic of Western culture.

These different histories may help explain why Indian secularism does not have the anti-religious characteristic as much of Western secularism. There was not the same struggle to free itself from powerful, controlling religious institutions. Deeply devout Hindus, such as Mahatma Gandhi, readily embraced secularism as the policy of the newly created Indian state in 1947. And they understood it to be part of their Indian cultural and religious heritage.

I do not want to leave the impression that all has been well in interfaith relationships in India. Aurangzeb, the last powerful Mughal Emperor (1658-1707), was a puritan who opposed both the extravagant opulence and the easy religious tolerance of his predecessors. His became infamous for his destruction of Hindu temples and his imposition of Islam on his subjects. He even attacked and destroyed the more tolerant Muslim kingdom of Golconda at present day Hyderabad in south-central India. The British, who established their first foothold on the sub-continent at Kolkata in 1690, were able to exploit such interfaith conflicts in their subsequent conquest of India. This legacy is at the root of ongoing Hindu-Muslim tensions.

Representing a universalistic Bahia perspective on religious faith, the recently built and spectacular Lotus Temple is within walking distance of our house. It’s an inviting space that welcomes people from all faith traditions to mediate and pray. Bahia faith seeks to draw from all religions in its vision for world peace. This raises different questions.

How do we deeply respect and learn from other religious traditions yet live and witness from the center of our own faith? India presents such a challenge. Can we invite people to join us in the new life and community we find in Jesus, yet avoid the religious superiority that thinks we alone have the truth? To paraphrase one of Jesus’ sayings, “It’s easy to attempt to remove the speck in the eye of the other religion while ignoring the big plank of religious prejudice in our own eye.”

It all gives our MCC India team plenty of fodder for thought as we work at creating peacebuilding and interfaith partnerships and programs in India. We North Americans will have much to learn from our Indian partners.

Janadesh Rally of the Poor

Last Sunday morning we walked to meet the Janadesh rally of the poor as it passed by. The march route was not far from the place where we are staying as we study Hindi in New Delhi. The husband of Julie, one of our MCC India staff, was helping to organize the event drawing attention to the plight of poor rural communities in India. Joining the rally for a short distance on Sunday morning was an act of worship for us.

The rally of the poor involved thousands of Dalit and tribal people who walked 340 kilometers from Gwalior to New Delhi to highlight the problem of land confiscation by powerful interest groups and the need for comprehensive land reform and rural livelihood programs. The group, which included as many as 25,000 people, had walked by foot for one month to reach the capital in an effort to bring their situation to the attention of the central government. It was organized in the style of a Gandhian nonviolent campaign and included activists from around the world.

Almost all the rally participants were obviously poor rural people. Some were even walking barefoot. Many carried their bedding and supplies on their heads. They were accompanied by several tractors and small trucks carrying water and food supplies. One section of a main road leading into the city was blocked off to accommodate the marchers.

Police posted by the side of the road were armed with nothing more than bamboo canes. Everyone, including the police, seemed relaxed and in a congenial mood as the marchers passed by. Indian society is proud of it’s tradition of making space for such democratic protest. And there is a general recognition that the needs of poor communities have not been adequately met and too often ignored since independence.

When the marchers reached their destination in the center of New Delhi, government officials from the Congress and Communist parties met them to hear their concerns. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asked the rural development ministry to set up a committee to carry out field surveys and report to the National Land Reforms Council, which he heads. It remains to be seen if it will lead to meaningful public policy and structural changes.

Dramatically bringing the precarious situation in poor rural communities to the attention of the Indian government was much needed and long overdue. Yet, I cannot help wondering if similar actions might not be needed to awaken the conscience of civil society and the whole global community. Meaningful change will necessarily involve all of society. Governments are poorly equipped to single-handedly address such needs.

How can our global Mennonite fellowship better respond? Many of our own churches are situated in the poor communities represented by the barefoot marchers we met on Sunday morning. What would we do if they were able to show up in our hometowns in North America and Europe? What actions would reflect Jesus’ call for his followers to create communities characterized by equality and economic justice?