About all

"You need three things to drive in India," says J.S. Ragi of Ashok Travels and Tours as he deftly steers his Ambassador automobile through Delhi's traffic confusion, "a good horn, good brakes and good luck.

"Swarms of the beetle-like Ambassadors, cookie cutter copies of the 1954 Morris Oxford, compete on Delhi's streets with motor scooters, motor rickshaws, pedal rickshaws, bicycles, pedestrians, horse-drawn tongas, ox carts and the occasional elephant – all criss-crossing paths as they try to move in different directions.

Driving in Delhi is not for the uninitiated. However, visitors who want an Ambassador at their disposal can hire a car with driver through the Government of India Tourist Office for a surprisingly low rate.Slightly higher prices apply to outstation packages, including the Golden Triangle formed by Delhi, Agra and Jaipur – still the most popular itinerary for first-time travelers in India because it condenses a significant portion of the huge country's history and culture to holiday size.Regular bus and rail routes operate from Delhi to Agra and from Delhi to Jaipur, but driving the complete triangle permits stops in-between and provides glimpses of rural life that continues much as it has for thousands of years.

With a population surpassing 10-million, Delhi is the third largest city in India, following Calcutta and Mumbai (also known as Bombay). It is a city of contrasts, typified by modern hotels on Connaught Place overlooking the still usable 18th century masonry instruments of Jantar Mantar astronomical observatory.New Delhi, laid out by the British after they decided to move the capital from Calcutta in 1911, is an expanse of boulevards studded with government offices, embassies and consulates half hidden in gardens behind high walls.Its centerpiece is Rashtrapati Bhavan, originally the viceroy's residence, but the president's estate since India acquired independence in 1947. It stands at the head of the processional route called Raj Path looking toward India Gate, Delhi's version of the Arc de Triomphe.

Old Delhi is a knot of noisy bazaars choking Chandni Chowk, the road leading from the imposing Red Fort, completed by Taj Mahal creator Shah Jahan in 1648, to the Jama Masjid, India's largest mosque and another Shah Jahan legacy, finished in 1656.Other important pieces of Delhi's past include the Qutab Minar complex, a 13th century settlement dominated by the highest stone tower in India, and Humayun's Tomb, the first in the series of monumental garden tombs that includes the Taj Mahal.Along the 140 miles of the Delhi to Agra highway, the present dissolves into the past. Women in bright saris, balancing gleaming brass or red terra cotta pots on their heads, fetch water from communal hand pumps.

Camels pull two-wheeled carts laden with various goods into traditional markets.Some 36 miles before Agra is Mathura. Its highest structure is a 17th century mosque built atop ruins of the Kesava Deo Temple on the site where Lord Krishna is believed to have been born 3,500 years ago.Agra itself attained glory as the capital of the Mughal Empire. Akbar, son of Humayun and third Mughal ruler, is responsible for constructing most of the monuments in the area — a notable exception being the Taj Mahal, built by his grandson Shah Jahan in the 17th century."The Taj Mahal disappoints no one," says Ram Naresh Mittal, a Government of India Tourist Office guide who has introduced thousands of visitors to the elegant white marble structure.Close inspection reveals that much of its surface is embellished with inlays of semi-precious stones – turquoise, cornelian, malachite, jasper, agate, lapis lazuli, etc. At Agra workshops, visitors can observe artisans working in the same pietra dura technique and select souvenirs from a variety of practical objects which they produce.Agra Fort is one of two former royal compounds in the area, both built by Akbar from native red sandstone.

A classic fortified citadel, its ramparts embrace barracks, bazaars, palaces, mosques, gardens, pleasure pavilions, meeting halls and other elements deemed essential for day-to-day administration of the Mughal government.Thirty-six kilometers west of Agra is Fatehpur Sikri, a beautifully preserved desert resort where Akbar held court for 12 years. Built in gratitude to a saint who foretold the birth of the ruler's first son, it was abandoned because of an unreliable water supply. Intricately chiseled stone screens and ornately sculpted pillars highlight its architectural details.Farther along the 175-mile road to Jaipur is Bharatpur, where Keoladeo Ghana National Park provides sanctuary to more than 350 species of birds, including some 120 migratory species. Knowledgeable rickshaw-wallahs point out birds that even non-ornithologists can appreciate – kingfishers, parakeets, pelicans and storks — as they pedal passengers through the park's cool forest and marshland.Traffic in Jaipur rivals that of Delhi.

The city might be called "Jeep-ur" because of the numbers of that vehicle adding to the turmoil.Instead, Jaipur has been known as "The Pink City" since its walled center was given a wash of that color in 1863 to welcome Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria. Jaipur now spreads far beyond the old wall, but the pink core continues to beat as the heart of the city.Its busy bazaars are a treasure trove for shoppers, who can watch craftsmen creating hand knotted carpets, block printed fabrics and blue glazed pottery and then purchase finished wares at some of the best prices in the Golden Triangle.

Among landmarks inside the wall are the Hawa Mahal (Wind Pavilion), a five-story facade honeycombed with small windows once used by court ladies to view street activities and processions without being observed themselves, and the City Palace, which now houses museum collections of costumes, weapons and decorative arts.Seven miles north of Jaipur is Amber Fort, a stuccoed bastion set into the side of a craggy hill. Colorfully caparisoned elephants carry visitors up a steep ramp to the entrance of the fort's attractive terraced interiors, which include a splendid Sheesh Mahal (Mirror Pavilion).