Delhi
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The flight to Delhi
was from JFK, with a 1.5 hours layover in London.
I had a whole row to myself in the back of the
plane, and was able to sleep for a few hours.
We arrived just before midnight
at Delhi airport and had been traveling almost
30 hours from Sarasota.
The Park Hotel in Delhi was
overbooked and 5 of our group stayed in the
fabulous Inter Continental Hotel. |
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Welcome with marigold lei
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Our first visit, the next day, was the Jama Masjid
the biggest mosque in India. It means Friday Mosque, because
muslims come to pray on Friday afternoons. It can accommodate
some 20,000 worshippers at a time during festivals. I
wore shorts and they covered my legs with a sari before
I was allowed in. The mosque must have been a jewel in
its time, but (as with most historic buildings we saw
on this trip) was dirty and poorly maintained.
Jama Masjid mosque |
Friday Mosque square |
The porticos have tapestries |
The Red Fort was built
in the mid 17th Century as a bastion for the new city,
after the Shah moved here from Agra. It is built from
red sand stone and measures about 1000 yards by 600 yards
(an irregular octagon), with its rampart walls covering
a perimeter of 1.5 miles and rising to a height of 110
ft on the town side and 60 ft along Yamuna River. Outside
the ramparts runs a moat, originally connected with the
river.
Inside the fort the Shah would give
public audiences in the Diwan-i-am and his peacock throne
was housed at the Diwan-i-Khas, meant for more formal
meetings.
Gandhi Memorial
has been built on the spot where the urn containing the
Mahatma's ashes was kept for public viewing before immersion.
The memorial was so designed that on Mahatma Gandhi's
birthday (October 2), the first rays of the sun fall on
the exact place where the ashes of the father of the nation
were kept. The memorial is in a beautiful park, with manicured
lawns and flower beds and ashoka trees to ward off evil
spirits.
Gandhi's portrait is in various colors on different money
bills.
The Humayun's Mausoleum
was built in 1565 by his wife Haji Begum. This red sand
stone structure is considered to be the predecessor of
the Taj Mahal. The structure is one of the best examples
of Mughal Architecture. Humayun's wife is also buried
in the red and white sandstone, black and yellow marble
tomb.
The building is decorated
with many star signs, often with a Ganesha
eye inside. This star symbol is some 6,000 years old and
consists of a male and female triangle, signifying procreation
of life.
Ghandi Memorial |
Ashoka trees to ward off
evil spirits |
Humayun's mausoleum |
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Ganesha Eye |
Carved marble door |
Lakshmi (Birla Mandir) Temple |
Birla Mandir (or Lakshmi
Narayan Mandir Temple) has been designed using old and
modern architectural influences. The temple is festooned
with relief carvings that depict the scenes from Indian
mythology. The main chamber of the temple is dedicated
to Lord Narayan and His consort, Goddess Lakshmi.
Other smaller shrines in the temple are dedicated to Lord
Shiva, Lord Ganesha, Lord Hanuman, the Holy Vedas and
also, Lord Buddha. The icons of the temple have been brought
from Jaipur and are made in marble. An artificial landscape
has been created complete with mountains and gushing waterfalls
adding to the scenic beauty of the temple.
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