En route from Delhi to Agra we stopped for a self-guided tour of Sikandra, burial place of Emperor Akbar. We were greeted by large numbers of green parrots, the likes of which we saw in Delhi too. The impressive mausoleum made of red sandstone and marble inlaid with slate and colored stone is surrounded by 4 gates facing the 4 compass directions as well as gardens of flowers and roaming antelope, divided into 4 equal parts said to represent the "4 quarters of life." As we learned this from reading a travel book and had no tour guide to explain what those quarters actually are, we left still not knowing. Karen offered a deep theory that they would be the four parts of one's life: family work country and religion...while I based my interpretation on the not quite as deep model of the chronological flow of a football game: kickoff (birth), 1st half (youth), 2nd half (aging), and final whistle (well, that would be death).
So like many things so far we move on from Sikandra with more questions than answers about this wondrous country. ..
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