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Delhi | |
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Mahmata Gandhi once
began a speech to the Indian National Congress, "Since I returned from South
Africa, I have traveled all over India and I know I could have traveled for
many more years and still have only seen a small part of her." Gandhi was not
exaggerating, I soon found out. Three weeks in India and only three of it's 28
peerless states merely marginally sampled. Like Ghandi, I too could have traveled India for many years. Instead I was confined to cramming in the Himalayan region of Ladakh ("The last Shangri - La"), an 8 day trek into the soaring stratosphere of the Himalayas, Utter Pradesh's Moghul legacies; the Taj Mahal and Fatehpur Sikri and of course India's capital city - Delhi. Still, India is a bottomless pit of culture, sights and adventures with Rajasthan, Bombay, Calcutta, Dharamsala, Varanasi, Goa, Armistar and many other illustrious destinations still on the books for a sequel visit - hopefully sometime in the near future. Naturally, at first I found Delhi to be a genuine shock to the system - a real assail on all senses. Getting from the airport to the city center is a challenge. The minute we stepped out of the airport; we were sabotaged by a masquerade of beggars and con-men - trying to lure us into their taxi to the city at a suspicious price and for some nonsensical "mandatory" visit to a tourist center. Left: Delhi's Jami Masjid. The largest mosque in India. |
| As it
turned out this was only a prelude to what was in store once we actually
got into the city of Delhi itself where the poverty and unsavory attention
foreigners ritually receive can be somewhat overwhelming. It can be a little
too much at first as extreme poverty is abundant everywhere and even the sight
of a corpse on the streets is not uncommon. After imbibing the initial shock
however, Delhi turned out to be quite a fascinating city, full of color,
vibrancy and plenty of attractions. The area Delhi lies on was originally inhabited by the early Harappan and Aryan settlements - then later by various Hindu Kingdoms. It was not until after the twelfth century that the exalted "7 cities of Delhi" began to appear. These were cities built around comely forts and palaces by various Afghan and Moghul Sultans. The first of these was Qila Rai Pithora, to the south of the city - built by the Chauhans in 1180. Next was Siri - built by Alaudin Khilji in 1303, followed by Tughlaqabad, built by Ghiyasuddin Tughlaqs around the early 1320’s |
 Above; the view from on of the Jama Masjid's minarets; of it's gate, courtyard and in the far background, the historic Red Fort. |
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Conquerors began settling in the
northern part of Delhi - closer to the Yamuna River, towards the end of the
14th century. Ferozabad was Delhi's 4th city built by Feroze Shah Tughlaq in
the late 1300's. Afghan Emperor Sher Shar Sur defeated Mughal Humayan to built
Delhi's 6th city - Purana Qila. The Mughals retook control however and Shah
Jahan, in the mid 17th century built Delhi's 7th city Shahjahanabad. Jahan, who
is best known for his construction of the Taj Mahal, also foresaw the
construction of some of Delhi's most profound monuments; the Red Fort and the
Jama Masjid. Left: Mr. Stevens fathoms just how close to death he actually has come after another death-defying rollercoaster rickshaw ride. |
India officially became part of the British Empire in 1858 and the British established Delhi as the capital of British India. New Delhi was built between the years 1911-31. The British Viceroy moved there from Calcutta and now the old Viceroy's house has now been inhabited by current President, Kocheril Raman Narayanan. One of the great things about Delhi is that it glorifies India's reputation for being a country of vast contrasts - especially when it comes to religion. With the exception of course being Kashmir, as well as the volatile areas east of Bangladesh; India is a place where Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, Jews, Sikhs, Jains and peoples of many other various religions live and practice in perfect harmony. Right: The magnificent lotus shaped Bahaii Temple |
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 Riding in the Rickshaws turned my hair yellow! |
This of course all makes for a
great day of sight-seeing so after a quick visit to the Red Fort, a trip to the
Sikh temple Sisganj Grurdwara (where 9th Sikh Guru Tegh Bahadur was beheaded)
was sandwiched in before we climbed the towering minarets of India's largest
mosque; the Delhi Jama Masjid. From there, a spectacular view of Delhi can be
seen. Death awaits us all and death can come in a whole variety of ways. One of these ways is by taking a ride in an Indian Rickshaw Taxi. These feeble three wheeled vehicles are powered sometimes by motor and sometimes by cyclist. Nevertheless they are scandalously cheap and will take you where ever you want to go. The downfall being that they are driven by a chauffeur who appears to have just flunked out of the Delhi's Academy of "How to Drive a Bumper Car in Two Hours". The satire here is that rickshaws can actually be considered very safe when compared to the local bus service. So Rickshaw it was. |
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