A Personal List

If you go by the seven wonders of the medieval world, I had seen four of them and was preparing myself to see the fifth. The four that I had earlier seen were the Stonehenge, Colosseum, the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Hagia Sophia. Stonehenge was difficult to decipher as it had more to do with the formation and the Druids. I had read about Stonehenge and knew there was something mystic about it; however I would not have taken the trouble of going to England just to see it. As for the Colosseum, well who has not heard about it; although after reading about the gladiators and all the gory happenings in the past, it was not the most favoured destination for me. The Leaning Tower of Pisa was to me nice and added to that was the fact that it survived for so many years defying the centre of gravity. However the square in which it stood seemed a big disappointment what with a cathedral just a few inches away. Again this tower was only built in the 12th century and that was not so long ago. The fourth wonder which I had the privilege to visit was the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. It is of course magnificent and old and was the biggest church in existence for over a thousand years. It is regal in appearance and stands like a mute witness to all the goings on in a bustling metropolis. Then again my purpose of visiting Turkey was not at all the Hagia Sophia. I know there are people who keep track of lists and try to tick of the ones they have seen and eventually complete the list. I have no such wish lists and it is only due to the grace of the almighty that I have had the opportunity to see whatever I have seen. In the first twenty years of my life the Stonehenge and Hagia Sophia were non existent and the other two did exist but I had never ever dreamt that I would get to see them. They were just picture postcards for me.
However this is not true of the fifth wonder and that is of course the Great Wall of China. I have heard about this marvel from my primary school days and it has always left me wondering as to how something so big could have been executed so long ago. Initially the mention of China was synonymous with the Great Wall. A trip to China meant Beijing and the Great Wall. With my knowledge of the world improving, I came to know that there were very many sights to see in China and thus the second name was registered in my psyche and that was of course the Terracotta Warriors of Xi’an. So when the China trip was planned, Beijing and Xi’an featured. Shanghai had to be there as it was the most happening place and Shenzhen was included because our good friends had relocated there.
Our trip to China was for 11 days and Xi’an was the second stop. It was a fine day and our guide told us that the warriors were an hour’s drive from the city. Now Xi’an is an ancient city and has that flavour about it. There is a character to the city what with its ancient bell and drum towers and a magnificent completed city wall which is surrounded by a moat and a well kept garden. The guide chose to take us first to the famous Hua Qing Hot Springs and after that for a typical local cuisine lunch. The lunch gave us some anxious moments as we had absolutely no clue as to what to expect. True to our anxiety, the food was nothing to write home about. My husband anticipating this problem had carried with him some spicy powder which we decided to call “the gun powder” and that really worked as the magic potion to gulp down the food. Feeling a little low on the food front we set out to meet the warriors. The visit was surely an anti dote to the food experience. The first pit we visited was the Pit 1 and there before us lay the splendour of the warriors. As all those who have been to Xi’an know that Pit 1 has 6000 of the 8000 warriors. These 6000 men stood erect and poignant ready for battle as if just waiting for their commander to give them the order. I have never been amazed by anything as I was on that day. It seems each of these 8000 warriors have a different expression and no two are alike. The warriors consist of the generals, officers, soldiers and archers. Then there are the horses and chariots and all the paraphernalia that went with an army of yore. By yore I mean 2200 years ago. It baffled me that something so precise could be executed to perfection in that era. There was no mechanism for mass production and that meant that each of these warriors were meticulously hand made. It is said that it took the emperor 11 years to get his mausoleum ready. But I wonder how many artisans were involved. Pit 2 was a tough nut to crack for the excavators as the ceiling gave way and thus it remains mostly untouched. Pit 3 is a smaller one and according to reports was a command point for the other 2 pits. We spent a couple of hours with these wonderful warriors and never grew tired of gazing at them. I wondered why this fascinating sight never made it to the list of World wonders. Could it be because it was only discovered in 1974 when a farmer decided to dig a well in the vicinity of the mausoleum and fell upon a warrior’s head. Had the farmer moved away a little the warriors would have remained underground and the fast paced world of modern China would have moved above them. The emperor I am sure would have wanted his mausoleum to be the talking point at some time in history and that it has truly become. I really wish I could start a campaign to get this world heritage site into the wonders of the world.
The day to visit the well acclaimed wonder was nearing and so was my anticipation. The day prior to the visit, I felt a bit under the weather. To make sure that I was fighting fit, I called up Narayani back home and had her break a coconut for the Vinayaka on our compound wall. This is something we do regularly as we truly believe that he takes care of us wherever we are. I had also heard that climbing the Wall was arduous and I did not want anything to come in the way. Again the Wall is an hour’s drive from Beijing and we set out on another beautiful day and after a stop at a Cloisonné factory proceeded. My eyes were on the look out for the Wall; however it was the local guide who pointed it out. On reaching the foothills, I realized that it was not at all going to be easy. It seemed as high as the Thirumalai Hills in Tirupathi and for a second I wondered if I should venture out. I have climbed the Thirumalai hills a decade ago and had written off such adventures from my scheme of things. But having reached so close and not making an attempt would have made me feel as if the whole purpose was lost. So with a very positive attitude I began the climb. The ramp like slope was steep and then came the steps. Each step was over a foot high and the body weight just did not make matters easy. With more than a couple of stops, I along with Sridevi made it to the top. The feeling after the climb was truly awesome and exhilarating. Whichever direction you looked the wall seemed to stretch in a never ending fashion. Well it is 6000 kms long and so it would surely go on and on. I was told the wall did not serve its purpose as many invaders came through. This wall too like the warriors was built 2200 years ago. The original wall was made of mud and after its destruction, the one present one was made of stone over 600 years ago. It is truly an amazing feat.
My readers may wonder as to why I included these two great wonders in one article, the reason for this is the fact that they were both built during the period of the first Emperor of China Qin Shi Huang. He ascended the throne at the tender age of 13 and ruled for over 35 years. What a wonderful contribution to one’s country. The Great Wall standing imposingly on a hill range and being the only man made structure to be seen by the naked eye from outer space and the warriors way below the earth standing guard to the Emperor’s Tomb. Two totally contrasting projects each worthy of all the adulations.

I came back with the feel that I have for the first time seen two great wonders. I have decided to put together my very own list and I wonder as to what the next entry would be!!!