Delhi | Blue Lapis Road

DAY 10 (3/3): NIZAMUDDIN BASTI, Delhi, India, 2018.12.03

Before dinner, the last activity of our Indian journey 2018 was a guided tour in Nizamuddin Basti, a 14th century community centered around the shrine of the Sufi saint Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. Despite located just ten minutes of walk from the UNESCO World Heritage site Humayun’s Tomb, the Muslim neighborhood is relatively under visited. From online research, we learnt about the local charity organization, the Hope Project, offers tour of the community for anyone who is interested in the Nizamuddin Basti neighborhood. Found by Sufi teacher, Pir Vilayat Inyat Khan, the Hope Project runs a community health centre, a school, vocational training classes, credit program, etc in Nizamuddin Basti. Through email, we arranged a guided tour of the basti with them. Unfortunately, we were running late by the time we left Humayun’s Tomb. We weren’t sure if our arranged tour was still available. After entering the neighborhood, it took us quite some time to locate the office in the midst of busy lanes. Gratefully, the staff there were willing to take us for a walk, despite the mosques had closed. After the walk in Nizamuddin Basti, we took the metro to United Coffee House at Connaught Place for dinner. We had also dined there on the last day of our trip back in 2016.

The first thing we encountered was the outer wall of Kalan Masjid, also known as Kali Mosque or Large Mosque. The mosque was built in 1370.

We passed by the entrance of the Kalan Masjid, but were unable to enter the complex.

All the lanes in Nizamuddin Basti were busy with people and motorcycles.

Basti residents can find everything they need in their historical neighborhood.

Many locals smiled to us while we toured around the 600-year old neighborhood.

Through the historical gateway, we entered to the forecourt of Chausath Khamba, the tomb complex built by Mughal noble Mirza Aziz Koka in 1623 at the time of Emperor Jahangir.

The forecourt of Chausath Khamba was recently landscaped by the Aga Khan Trust.

The forecourt of Chausath Khamba is frequented by children coming to meet friends and play cricket.

The actual Chausath Khamba is a square shape marble building supported by 64 columns.

The marble hall is divided into 25 bays and covered by 25 domes concealed in the roof structure.

Chausath Khamba houses the tomb of Mirza Aziz Koka, his father Ataga Khan, and other unidentified people.

Adjacent to Chausath Khamba stand the Ghalib Academy and Mazar-e-Ghalib, the tomb of Ghalib, a famous 19th century Persian poet. Our tour with the Hope Project ended at Mazar-e-Ghalib.

On our way out of the neighborhood, the street eateries reminded us that it was almost dinner time.

The monumental and modernist Nizamuddin Markaz Mosque is the centre for the Tablighi network. It was busy with evening prayers as we left the basti.

Due to the Sufi request for divine love, rose is popular among locals.

We followed the main road out towards Mathura Road, where we could walk back to the metro.

We then took the metro to Connaught Place for dinner.

Just like two years ago, we sat down at United Coffee House for their local Indian cuisine.

We sat down at a table on the ground floor and took our time to enjoy the meal and ambience of the restaurant.

Another night flight to return home, another wonderful Indian journey completed. We returned back to the Airport Express Station to pick up our backpacks and hopped on an airport bounded train. This concluded the record of our India 2018 trip.

***
Posts on 2018 Rajasthan:-

Day 1: Jodhpur
DAY 1.1: IN TRANSIT TO RAJASTHAN
DAY 1.2: PAL HAVELI & THE OMELETTE MAN, Jodhpur
DAY 1.3: SPLENDOR OF THE SUN FORT, Mehrangarh, Jodhpur
DAY 1.4: SUNSET OVER THE BLUE CITY, Mehrangarh, Jodhpur
DAY 1.5: SADAR MARKET AND GHANTA GHAR CLOCKTOWER, Jodhpur

Day 2: Jodhpur, Osian, Jaisalmer
DAY 2.1: MARBLE CENOTAPH JASWANT THADA, Jodhpur
DAY 2.2: MEDIEVAL STEPWELLS, Mahila Bagh Ka Jhalra, Gulab Sagar, & Toorji Ka Jhalra, Jodhpur
DAY 2.3: PILGRIM OASIS IN THAR DESERT, Sachiya Mata Temple, Osian
DAY 2.4: SUNRISE AT THE FIRST GATE OF GOLDEN FORT, Jaisalmer

Day 3: Jaisalmer
DAY 3.1: THE GOLDEN LIVING FORT, Jaisalmer
DAY 3.2: JAIN TEMPLES PART 1, Jaisalmer
DAY 3.3: JAIN TEMPLES PART 2, Jaisalmer
DAY 3.4: FORT PALACE, Jaisalmer

Day 4: Jaisalmer
DAY 4.1: RESERVOIR OF THE GOLDEN CITY, Gadsisar Lake, Jaisalmer
DAY 4.2: ARCHITECTURAL JEWEL OF RAJASTHAN, Patwon Ki Haveli Part 1, Jaisalmer
DAY 4.3: ARCHITECTURAL JEWEL OF RAJASTHAN, Patwon Ki Haveli Part 2, Jaisalmer
DAY 4.4: DESERT HERITAGE, Hotel Nachana Haveli and Thar Heritage Museum, Jaisalmer
DAY 4.5: LAST STROLL IN THE GOLDEN CITY, Jaisalmer

Day 5: Pushkar
DAY 5.1: RANIKHET EXPRESS
DAY 5.2: 52 BATHING GHATS, Pushkar
DAY 5.3: SUNSET OVER SACRED WATER, Pushkar

Day 6: Pushkar & Jaipur
DAY 6.1: SUNRISE OVER PUSHKAR LAKE, Pushkar
DAY 6.2: GRANDEUR OF THE MAHARAJA, City Palace, Jaipur
DAY 6.3: IN SEARCH OF 1860 CARL ZEISS CAMERA, Jaipur

Day 7: Jaipur
DAY 7.1: AMBER FORT, Jaipur
DAY 7.2: JAIGARH FORT, Jaipur
DAY 7.3: MAHARAJA’S ASTRONOMICAL LEGACY, Jantar Mantar, Jaipur
DAY 7.4: PALACE OF WINDS, Hawa Mahal, Jaipur

Day 8: Bhangarh, Abhaneri & Agra
DAY 8.1: ON THR ROAD TO AGRA
DAY 8.2: HAUNTED RUINS, Bhangarh, Rajasthan
DAY 8.3: CHAND BAORI, Abhaneri, Rajasthan
DAY 8.4: THE ABANDONED CAPITAL OF MUGHAL EMPIRE, Fatehpur Sikri, Agra, Uttar Pradesh
DAY 8.5: FRIDAY MOSQUE, Fatehpur Sikri, Agra, Uttar Pradesh

Day 9: Agra
DAY 9.1: CROWN OF THE PALACES, Taj Mahal, Agra, Uttar Pradesh
DAY 9.2: AGRA FORT, Agra, Uttar Pradesh
DAY 9.3: RAWATPARA SPICE MARKET, Agra, Uttar Pradesh
DAY 9.4: SUNSET AT MEHTAB BAGH, Agra, Uttar Pradesh

Day 10: Delhi
DAY 10.1: TRAIN 12627, Agra to Delhi
DAY 10.2 : HUMAYUN’S TOMB, Delhi
Day 10.3: NIZAMUDDIN BASTI, Delhi

May 31, 2019 | Categories: Delhi, India, India: Rajasthan, Agra and Delhi 2018 | Tags: Basti, Chausath Khamba, Connaught, Delhi, Ghalib, Hazrat, Hope, India, Islam, Kalan Masjid, mausoleum, mosque, Muslim, Nizamuddin, Place, Project, tomb, tour, United Coffee | Leave a comment

DAY 10 (2/3): HUMAYUN’S TOMB, Delhi, India, 2018.12.03

Last time when we first visited Delhi, we only had time to see the Red Fort and Jama Masjid. Similar to last time, we had a few hours of stopover time before flying back to Hong Kong. After lunch at Khan Market, we spent the day in the area of Nizamuddin, a busy Medieval neighborhood with narrow lanes and community mosques. The famous Humayun’s Tomb is the biggest draw for visitors in the area. From the closest metro station Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, it was a ten minute walk to the enormous tomb ground. Despite the short distance, crossing the dusty roads, walking under flyovers, and finding ourselves towards the right park entrance was not as straightforward as we thought. Anyhow, we managed to arrive at a rather chaotic queuing scene at the ticket office.

Commissioned by Empress Bega Begum for her husband Mughal Emperor Humayun, Humayun’s Tomb was built in 1569-70 in Delhi’s Nizamuddin East. Designed by Persian architects Mirak Mirza Ghiyas and Sayyid Muhammad, Humayun’s Tomb was the first large scale structure made with red sandstone. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage, the splendid structure had set a fine standard for latter Mughal architecture, including the Taj Mahal.

After obtaining the admission tickets, we entered the complex of Humayun’s Tomb through a series of gateways and courtyards.

We followed a prominent water channel towards the beautiful sandstone building of Humayun’s Tomb. Reference to Char Bagh (Four Gardens) of the Paradise in the Koran, the tomb garden is a 30-acre square carved into smaller squares by paths and water channels.

The tomb structure reaches a height of 47m, with obvious influences from Persian architecture. The entire structure sits on a large platform with a few meters high.

The arch and beam structure together with the use of red sandstone, white marble, and Rajasthani decorations exemplifies the Mughal architecture lasted in India for four hundred years.

The red sandstone and white marble provide a splendid combination of facade treatments and decorations.

Modeled on the Paradise Garden in Koran, the garden is divided into 36 squares by axes of water channels and paths.

Just like a few other attractions, we encountered a large group of school students at Humayun’s Tombs.

Entrance dome of Humayun’s Tomb was decorated with elegant lines.

Much less crowded than the Taj Mahal, visitors could appreciate the solemn interior of the mausoleum.

The main level houses the cenotaph of Emperor Humayun and Empress Bega Begum and also several other Mughal rulers from a later period. The real graves lie one level before in the basement.

It’s common to see school groups when visiting historical movements in India.

Inspired by Persian garden, the 30 acre tomb garden is subdivided by a network of water channels.

After visiting the interior of the tomb, we circled around the structure on the upper platform.

We returned to the garden at the ground level via one of the four covered staircases.

As we left the complex, the late afternoon sun cast a warm amber tone on the white marble and accentuated the reddish tone of the sandstone.

A final view of the front facade of the building before we left the complex.

Near Humayun’s Tomb, there is another magnificent tomb architecture known as Isa Khan’s Tomb. Built in 1547 – 58, the octagonal structure is decorated with canopies, glazed tiles, lattice screens, and a prominent verandah.

***
Posts on 2018 Rajasthan:-

Day 3: Jaisalmer
DAY 3.1: THE GOLDEN LIVING FORT, Jaisalmer
DAY 3.2: JAIN TEMPLES PART 1, Jaisalmer
DAY 3.3: JAIN TEMPLES PART 2, Jaisalmer
DAY 3.4: FORT PALACE, Jaisalmer

Day 5: Pushkar
DAY 5.1: RANIKHET EXPRESS
DAY 5.2: 52 BATHING GHATS, Pushkar
DAY 5.3: SUNSET OVER SACRED WATER, Pushkar

Day 6: Pushkar & Jaipur
DAY 6.1: SUNRISE OVER PUSHKAR LAKE, Pushkar
DAY 6.2: GRANDEUR OF THE MAHARAJA, City Palace, Jaipur
DAY 6.3: IN SEARCH OF 1860 CARL ZEISS CAMERA, Jaipur

Day 7: Jaipur
DAY 7.1: AMBER FORT, Jaipur
DAY 7.2: JAIGARH FORT, Jaipur
DAY 7.3: MAHARAJA’S ASTRONOMICAL LEGACY, Jantar Mantar, Jaipur
DAY 7.4: PALACE OF WINDS, Hawa Mahal, Jaipur

Day 10: Delhi
DAY 10.1: TRAIN 12627, Agra to Delhi
DAY 10.2 : HUMAYUN’S TOMB, Delhi
Day 10.3: NIZAMUDDIN BASTI, Delhi

May 28, 2019 | Categories: Delhi, India, India: Rajasthan, Agra and Delhi 2018 | Tags: Architecture, Delhi, Humayun, India, Indian, Isa Khan, Mahal, mausoleum, Mughal, Nizamuddin, sandstone, Taj, tomb | Leave a comment

DAY 10 (1/3): TRAIN 12627, Agra to Delhi, India, 2018.12.03

After 9 days in the desert state of Rajasthan and historical capital of Agra, it finally came to the last day of our short Indian holiday, the moment of returning to Delhi to complete the Golden Triangle. For 2372 rupees, we purchased two tickets and seat reservations on the Karnataka Express 12627 through an online agent, leaving Agra Cantonment Railway Station (Agra Cantt) at 6:45am and arriving New Delhi Railway Station at 10:30am, bringing us back to the Indian capital in under four hours. It was a sleeper train and we didn’t bother to pull up the sleeper units back to their original upright positions, but just sat down on the sleeper unit for the journey.

As a premium tourist destination in the country, Agra Cantt Station looked rather simple and chaotic.

During the four hour train ride, we passed by a number of shanty towns along the railway tracks.

People were everywhere. Often, the railway tracks served as a gathering place.

At other instances, the tracks had become a pedestrian passageway.

Many houses along the tracks were painted in vivid colours.

Many suburban trains were fully packed with commuters. Most third class train cabins would not limit the number of passengers.

Indian trains are not particular fast in speed. As a result, commuters could stand right next to the door openings.

Our train ride hit the rush hour of a Monday morning when local students and workers headed out for their routine destinations.

Time to go to work.

Simple shelters between train tracks formed a small community for the underprivileged.

Close encounter with the morning commuters.

A final look at our train car before getting off. The front right hand unit was our sleeper unit for the short journey.

After 9 days, we finally returned to New Delhi.

Upon arrival, we found our way out of the station. We had a full day ahead of us in Delhi before our flight back to Hong Kong.

We stepped out of New Delhi Station and found our way over to the Airport Express Station next door.

We decided to left our big backpacks at the storage at the Airport Express Station for the day.

After leaving our bags, we headed over to Khan Market, a well known shopping district in New Delhi. We picked up several souvenirs (local handicrafts) and searched for a place to eat.

For lunch, we selected SodaBottleOpenerWala, an interesting Bombay Iranian style restaurant serving Parsi and Bombay inspired Indian food.

***
Posts on 2018 Rajasthan:-

Day 3: Jaisalmer
DAY 3.1: THE GOLDEN LIVING FORT, Jaisalmer
DAY 3.2: JAIN TEMPLES PART 1, Jaisalmer
DAY 3.3: JAIN TEMPLES PART 2, Jaisalmer
DAY 3.4: FORT PALACE, Jaisalmer

Day 5: Pushkar
DAY 5.1: RANIKHET EXPRESS
DAY 5.2: 52 BATHING GHATS, Pushkar
DAY 5.3: SUNSET OVER SACRED WATER, Pushkar

Day 6: Pushkar & Jaipur
DAY 6.1: SUNRISE OVER PUSHKAR LAKE, Pushkar
DAY 6.2: GRANDEUR OF THE MAHARAJA, City Palace, Jaipur
DAY 6.3: IN SEARCH OF 1860 CARL ZEISS CAMERA, Jaipur

Day 7: Jaipur
DAY 7.1: AMBER FORT, Jaipur
DAY 7.2: JAIGARH FORT, Jaipur
DAY 7.3: MAHARAJA’S ASTRONOMICAL LEGACY, Jantar Mantar, Jaipur
DAY 7.4: PALACE OF WINDS, Hawa Mahal, Jaipur

Day 10: Delhi
DAY 10.1: TRAIN 12627, Agra to Delhi
DAY 10.2 : HUMAYUN’S TOMB, Delhi
Day 10.3: NIZAMUDDIN BASTI, Delhi

May 27, 2019 | Categories: Agra, Delhi, India, India: Rajasthan, Agra and Delhi 2018 | Tags: Agra, Delhi, Khan, railway, shopping, SodaBottleOpenerWala, train, transportation | Leave a comment

DAY 1 (1/5): IN TRANSIT TO RAJASTHAN, India, 2018.11.24

Known as the “Land of Marahaja” where Princes and Raiputs once led extravagant lives in palaces and castles of One Thousand and One Nights, the desert state of Rajasthan in Northwestern India is the most popular tourist destination in India. In this incredible land of rich heritage, aromatic cuisines, ornate havelis, and lavish palaces, we were never far away from the stories of Rajputs and Princes, tales of desert caravans, exotic landscapes of the Thar Desert, elegant monuments of Hinduism, Jainism and Islam, and bits and pieces of the bygone glory of the British Raj. India is well known for its vivid colours. With “blue city” Jodphur, “pink city” Jaipur, or “golden city” Jaisalmer, nowhere in the country is more elaborate in bright colours than Rajasthan.

In 2016 we made a trip to Ladakh, the mountainous region in Northern India dotted with Tibetan lamaseries along the Indus Valley. It was a pleasant journey in early summer when most of the Indian Subcontinent was baked in scorching heat. This time in late 2018, we opted to experience the Classic India in the mild and sunny winter. In 11 fascinating days, we ventured out west from Delhi, the Indian capital into Rajasthan for an extended version of the Golden Triangle route. Undoubtedly the most popular tourist circuit in India, the Golden Triangle connects Delhi with the Rajasthani capital Jaipur and Agra, the former Mughal capital where the iconic Taj Mahal has proudly stood for almost 400 years. Our second Indian journey began with a 6-hour evening flight from Hong Kong to Delhi.

We began our Rajasthani journey from Jodhpur, then headed to Jaisalmer via Osian, the westernmost point of our journey. From Jaisalmer, we hopped back eastwards first to Pushkar by night train, and then Jaipur the pink city. A hired taxi brought us further eastwards to Agra via Bhangarh Fort, Chand Baori step well in Abhaneri, and the abandoned Mughal capital of Fatehpur Sakri. After keeping our fingers crossed and seeing the magnificent Taj Mahal without any scaffolding, we returned to the Indian capital to take on what we had left two years ago, to explore the city’s Mughal attractions.

Our evening flight brought us westwards from Hong Kong, passing by big and small cities along the way. At one point, we came close to the Myanmarese city Mandalay.

From the mouth of Meghna River in the Bay of Bengal, our plane turned northwest to follow what could be the famous Ganges River, and passed by a myriad of rural villages along the way.

After about six hours on the plane, the first thing welcomed us in Delhi was its infamous smog.

After staying the night at a hotel in the Aerocity, we returned to the airport for our domestic flight going to Jodhpur. The elephant statues in the departure hall was a popular selfie spot in the Indira Gandhi International Airport.

At the departure concourse of Delhi Airport, we had a sandwich and coffee at Costa Coffee.

A large sculpture with statues making yoga poses was another popular selfie spot at the gate concourse.

From above, the Suburban Delhi looked greener than we thought.

At this time of the year (early winter), it would hardly be a day without sunny weather in Northern India.

As we headed west into the desert state of Rajasthan, arid landscape gradually came into sight.

An hour’s flight took us to Jodhpur, the famous blue city of Rajasthan.

The Jodhpur Airport has a simple passenger terminal.

At the exit gateway of the airport terminal, we met our driver prearranged with our hotel Pal Haveli.

Outside the car window, we had our first glimpse of the urban scenery in Rajasthan.

Tuk tuks were everywhere in the busy streets of Jodphur. We reached Pal Haveli Hotel in about 15 minutes.

***
Posts on 2018 Rajasthan:-

Day 3: Jaisalmer
DAY 3.1: THE GOLDEN LIVING FORT, Jaisalmer
DAY 3.2: JAIN TEMPLES PART 1, Jaisalmer
DAY 3.3: JAIN TEMPLES PART 2, Jaisalmer
DAY 3.4: FORT PALACE, Jaisalmer

Day 5: Pushkar
DAY 5.1: RANIKHET EXPRESS
DAY 5.2: 52 BATHING GHATS, Pushkar
DAY 5.3: SUNSET OVER SACRED WATER, Pushkar

Day 6: Pushkar & Jaipur
DAY 6.1: SUNRISE OVER PUSHKAR LAKE, Pushkar
DAY 6.2: GRANDEUR OF THE MAHARAJA, City Palace, Jaipur
DAY 6.3: IN SEARCH OF 1860 CARL ZEISS CAMERA, Jaipur

Day 7: Jaipur
DAY 7.1: AMBER FORT, Jaipur
DAY 7.2: JAIGARH FORT, Jaipur
DAY 7.3: MAHARAJA’S ASTRONOMICAL LEGACY, Jantar Mantar, Jaipur
DAY 7.4: PALACE OF WINDS, Hawa Mahal, Jaipur

Day 10: Delhi
DAY 10.1: TRAIN 12627, Agra to Delhi
DAY 10.2 : HUMAYUN’S TOMB, Delhi
Day 10.3: NIZAMUDDIN BASTI, Delhi

January 11, 2019 | Categories: Delhi, India, India: Rajasthan, Agra and Delhi 2018, Jodhpur, Rajasthan | Tags: airplane, airport, Delhi, flight, India, Indian, Jodhpur, Mandalay, Myanmar, Pal Haveli, plane, Rajasthan, statue | Leave a comment

DAY 7: FAREWELL OLD DELHI, Delhi, India

We walked down the grand staircase of Jama Mosjid that led to a busy street intersection adjacent to the mosque. We hopped on a tuk-tuk and asked the driver to take us to Chandni Chowk metro station. After a brief visit of Old Delhi, it was time for us to return to New Delhi, where we would find a place for dinner and then take the express train back to the airport. It was late afternoon and the traffic at Old Delhi was quite congested, allowing us a little more time than expected to witness the street scenery of the old city one more time.

Before our Indian trip, we came across a book by Japanese author and stage designer Kappa Senoo (妹尾河童). The book was called Kappa’s Peek at India, in which Kappa used hand sketches and diary text to record the people, buildings, street scenes and sites that he saw and experienced during his trips to India back in 1980s. The Indian street scenes that he depicted with his pencil sketches: the shops, the vehicles, and most important of all, the myriad different people doing various things for living echoed vividly to what we were seeing outside the tuk-tuk. For us, the half hour tuk-tuk ride through the narrow and chaotic streets of Old Delhi was a remarkable journey allowing us to understand another facet of this complex and visually fascinating nation.

Small streets in Old Delhi were swamped with vehicles of all sort, all of which were moving slowly.

Motorcycles were pretty common in Delhi.

Vendors selling samosa-like snacks.

Bicycle rickshaws were still pretty common.

Given the traffic and sometimes poor conditions of the sidewalk, it wasn’t the easiest city for pedestrians.

The rickshaws revealed the difference of social status of different local people.

A bicycle rickshaw driver resting.

Streets were full of vendors selling different merchandises.

Public water sourse for washing and cooling.

The banana vendor.

Water drinking was essential under the hot temperature.

Street vendors doing all sorts of trading and bargaining.

Each person on the street looked as if there was an interesting story behind.

Bicycle rickshaws were very common on Delhi streets

Coconut vendor.

Under extensive globalization, international brands such as canon and Sony appeared everywhere.

* * *

Other posts on 2016 Ladkadh & Delhi:
Introduction – LADAKH – The Land of High Passes, India
Day 1.1 – ENROUTE TO LEH, Ladakh
Day 1.2 – WALK TO MAIN BAZAAR, Leh, Ladakh
Day 1.3 – LEH PALACE, Leh, Ladakh
Day 1.4 – HOTEL LADAKH GREENS, Leh, Ladakh
Day 2.1 – NAMGYAL TSEMO GOMPA, Leh, Ladakh
Day 2.2 – LALA’S CAFE AND TIBETAN CUISINE, Leh, Ladakh
Day 2.3 – SPITUK GOMPA, Leh, Ladakh
Day 3.1 – MONASTERIES OF THE INDUS VALLEY DAY ONE, Ladakh (with map)
Day 3.2 – THIKSEY GOMPA, Indus Valley, Ladakh
Day 3.3 – CHEMREY & TAKTHOK GOMPA, Indus Valley, Ladakh
Day 3.4 – HEMIS & STAKNA GOMPA, Indus Valley, Ladakh
Day 3.5 – MATHO GOMPA & SHEY PALACE, Indus Valley, Ladakh
Day 4.1 – ON THE ROAD WEST OF LEH, Indus Valley, Ladakh
Day 4.2 – LAMAYURU GOMPA, Indus Valley, Ladakh
Day 4.3 – ALCHI & LIKIR GOMPA, Indus Valley, Ladakh
Day 4.4 – FORT ROAD IN THE EVENING, Leh, Ladakh
Day 5.1 – SHORT HIKE NEAR PHYANG, Ladakh
Day 5.2 – PHYANG VILLAGE, Ladakh
Day 5.3 – NOMADIC WOOLLEN MILLS & BON APPETIT, Leh, Ladakh
Day 6.1 – ZINGCHEN GORGE, Ladakh
Day 6.2 – SHANTI STUPA, Leh, Ladakh
Day 7.1 – LEH AIRPORT TO RED FORT, Delhi
Day 7.2 – RED FORT, Delhi
Day 7.3 – JAMA MASJID, Delhi
Day 7.4 – FAREWELL OLD DELHI, Delhi
Day 7.5 – UNITED COFFEE HOUSE, New Delhi

October 23, 2016 | Categories: Delhi, India, India: Ladakh and Delhi 2016 | Tags: Delhi, India, Kappa Senoo, Old Delhi, scenery, street, tuk | Leave a comment

DAY 7: JAMA MASJID, Delhi, India

After having a quick lunch, we hopped on a tuk-tuk to reach our next destination, Jama Masjid. The driver dropped us off on Esplanade Road at the east entrance, one of three gateways into the complex. We climbed up a long flight of stair to reach the level of the main courtyard and east gate. At the entrance gate, we took off our shoes and paid a “camera fee”. It was late afternoon and the sun was behind the mosque and its 40m minarets, casting long shadows onto the ground of the main courtyard. It was not the best time of the day for photo shooting but we still found this red sandstone & marble building magnificent despite signs of deterioration.

Built between 1644 to 1658, Jama Masjid is the largest mosque in India. The Mughal architecture was built out of marble and red sandstone, with two minarets, three domes, a prayer hall, three sides of covered colonnade, and an open courtyard that can accommodate 25,000 worshipers for prayers. Because of the afternoon heat, there were not many people staying in the vast open ground in front of the prayer hall. Most people took shelter under the covered colonnade surrounding the courtyard. There was a large rectangular fountain in the courtyard outside of the prayer hall for ablution. Without our shoes on, we could feel the burning heat from the stones under our feet. We followed the path made out of a fabric to reach the semi-opened prayer hall. Without interrupting other people, we picked a quiet corner and sat down on one of the 899 bordered marble slabs (marked for worshipers) to absorb the atmosphere. Sitting by an open bay facing the courtyard, we saw a group of enthusiastic young children helping a senior staff to wash the courtyard floor. Under the scorching sun, the children seemed to be the most energetic people in the courtyard. They ran around the courtyard, chasing each other and the pigeons. It was their laughter and giggling that made us feel more at ease in this unbearable heat.

The magnificent architecture of the east gate, flanked by the covered colonnades.

The south gate and one of the two 40m minarets.

The prayer hall with its three domes and two minarets.

There are 899 marble floor slabs inside the prayer hall defined for worshipers.

One of the worshipers at the prayer hall with the courtyard beyond.

The east gate, fountain and the main courtyard.

People sat around the fountain for ablution.

Worshipers inside the semi-opened prayer hall.

The ground was constantly washed with water by staff.

Visitors with shorts and sleeveless tops had to cover up their bodies with fabrics provided at the entrance gate.

The path paved with cloths leads to the east gate.

Pigeons gathered at the main courtyard where a large patch of yellow grains were scattered. The birds were constantly scared away by children.

We could hear the kids’ laughter as they successfully chased off the pigeons.

A boy running across the courtyard in front of the prayer hall.

Close up of the running boy.

Another boy running in the main courtyard.

The defensive wall and watch towers of the Red Fort didn’t seem to be far away from Jama Masjid.

There were many people gathered around the east gate where we entered the building. When we entered the mosque, there were people offered to safe guard our shoes for a little money.

View of the payer hall from the cover colonnade.

We exited the mosque through the west gate. The grandeur of the steps with the domes and minarets beyond was breathtaking.

* * *

October 22, 2016 | Categories: Delhi, India, India: Ladakh and Delhi 2016 | Tags: Architecture, Delhi, India, Islam, Jama, marble, Masjid, mosque, Muhgal, Muslim, sandstone, Shah Jahan | Leave a comment

DAY 7: RED FORT, Delhi, India

Before returning home, we had one last day of exploration in the Indian capital, Delhi. It wasn’t the best time to visit Delhi because of the pre-monsoon heat, we did manage to check out a little bit of Old Delhi to get a taste of what many travelers described as a bustling city full of chaotic streetscapes, persistent touts, crazy traffic, tourist scams, conditions of poor hygiene, etc. Due to the fact that it was our first time to Delhi, we selected two of the most popular attractions in Old Delhi: Red Fort and Jama Masjid.

Red Fort was the former royal palace of the Moghal Empire from the 17th to 19th century. In the 103 hectare of land many former buildings survive inside its extensive walls. Because of the red sandstone used for the defensive enclosure, there comes the name of Red Fort. Despite the noontime heat, we took our time to wander around the former royal courts and the splendid architecture from the late Mughal Empire. We entered the complex through the famous Lahori Gate, walked through the covered bazaar Chhatta Chowk, visited the small Indian War Memorial Museum at Naubat Khana (Drum House), admired the former audience hall Diwan-i-Aam among tourist crowds, and lastly checked out the marble buildings at the inner court, including the Diwan-i-Khas, Khas Mahal, Rang Mahal, and Mumtaz Mahal (Red Fort Archaeological Museum). The surviving buildings of Red Fort introduced us the concept of beauty and design ornaments commonly found in traditional Indian architecture.

Heading into the Red Fort through the Lahori Gate.