India Day 7 - Birla Mandir & India Gate

View the first post in this series here.
View the previous post in this series here.

23 Mar 08

Woke up to an early morning and began packing my belongings. I will be flying off at 23:15 tonight. Having not tried any food from Hotel Geeson. I decided to have breakfast at the hotel's restaurant.

An omelette. An onion tasted strange. So I popped some Imodium as usual.

After breakfast, I left my luggage at the hotel and made my way to Birla Mandir (The Laxminarayan Temple). One of the largest Hindu temples in the area. I wanted this auto rickshaw driver to take me to Birla Mandir for 20 Rs (USD 0.50) but settled for 30 Rs in the end. His vehicle could not start and his "friend" had to help him start the engine while he pushed from the back. His "friend" was trying to tell me to take his auto rickshaw instead. Nice. Luckily for him, his auto rickshaw started and I left for my first stop, Birla Mandir, followed by the India Gate.

The base of a tree near Birla Mandir. Looks like an elephant.



A Buddist Temple to the left of Birla Mandir shared the same wall as it.


Panorama of Birla Mandir from across the road.


The tree "roofs" of the temple are its main feature


Originally built in 1622 it was improved a many times till present. It is built to honour the Hindu Goddess of Wealth, Laxmi.



The temple looks very new and is well-kept. Unfortunately, cameras are not allowed inside.


The Swastika features predominately all over the temple.


The garden beside the temple is accessible to camera


Vikramaditya, the Great Hindu Hero


Couldn't read the Hindi script to know who this was


The underside a pavilion in the garden


Some nice flowers


View Larger Map
India Gate from the top


The road leading up to India Gate


What looked like Gurkas guarding the India's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier right below the gate.


The India Gate was built to commemorate the Indian soldiers that perished as a result of The Great War (WWI).


It seems to be a popular Sunday spot for many. The large fields surrounding it are full of people playing cricket. Traffic is not allowed in here.


Last look at India Gate


A tricycle near the gate

Next I decided to go to a nearby shopping area to look for a bookstore in hope of buying some cheap books. Sadly, along the way I met a friendly local that told me it is probably closed on Sunday. In any case after the walk in the hot sun I arrived at the shopping area and found Mc'donalds waiting for me, much to my satisfaction.

Along the way I passed some landed properties. It seems that each house has a small booth in front of their gate. Perhaps it was for the household's personal security guard.


A rare sight -- a Jewish Synagogue


Mc'donalds!


The inside


"Beef and beef products not sold here". Darn, no Big Macs, they do have the Maharaja Burger though.


I had the iced tea, it was superb and only costs 20 Rs (USD 0.50)!



Then, I had something safe for lunch -- a Mc'Chicken Meal for 109 Rs (USD 2.73)

Having eaten and rested, I left the comfort of the air conditioning in Mc'donalds to look for an auto rickshaw to take me to my next big destination -- Humayun's Tomb.

View the next related post here.

Return to the trip index here.

India Day 6 - Jama Masjid & Safdarjung's Tomb

View the first post in this series here.
View the previous post in this series here.

22 Mar 08

I began to make my way from the Red Fort to Jama Masjid with my friends. Jama Masjid is one of the Mosques in India, built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (yes he built the Taj Mahal, and the Red Fort) in 1656. Walking along Old Delhi was no simple affair. The entire place reeks of piss. Furthermore my friends and I were splashed with some water somehow from somewhere. Thank goodness it wasn't piss, or rather didn't smell like it. After about 20 minutes of walking we finally arrived. Entry is free but a camera costs 200 Rs (USD 5) and entry to a minaret costs 50 Rs (USD 1.25).

Entrance to Jama Masjid


Jama Masjid



Jama Masjid with a very dirty ablution pool in front. The water is greenish and I saw someone gargling with it.


One of the entrances. There are 3 entrances to Jama Masjid


A minaret

Inside the Jama Masjid. There is not much of an inside. In fact the building is like an open corridor instead of an interior room. A horizontal wall runs through the center of the building that obviously supports the domes on top. Unlike the Sultan Ahmed (Blue) Mosque in Istanbul, Jama Masjid seems like a much simpler construction for a building that is about 40 years younger.

First flight of stairs up the walls of Jama Masjid


Jama Masjid from the top of the wall


The sun made the floors scorching hot


The goal is to ascend this minaret


A little door leads us into the small winding stairway inside


The domes of Jama Masjid looks more impressive from below


Up the winding stairs in the minaret. It was a long climb. Imagine two way traffic here.


Finally at the top



Old Delhi below


Notice the L-shape walls of the Red Fort in a distance

After our long descend from the minaret, we were famished as it was almost 3pm. So we went outside and bargained with an auto rickshaw driver to take the four of us to Connaught Place. Since it was the Holi festival, most shops were closed. Thankfully, fast food like Mc'donalds and Subway were open. After lunch, we left for Safdarjung's Tomb that was built in 1753. Safdarjung was a powerful prime minister to a weak Mughal Emperor. His tomb resembles the famous Humayun's Tomb that I will be visiting the next day.

Subway!


A chicken tikka subway sandwich


The entrance to Safdarjung's Tomb. Entry costs 100 Rs (USD 2.50)


A small Masjid perhaps



Interior ceiling of the entrance archway


Safdarjung's Tomb, a pond in the middle now runs dry, Palm trees line the garden


A pretty flower. The gardens here are still well maintained


The tomb is symmetric


Front entrance


One of the minars.


Some inlaid semi-precious stones in marble can be found here. Though nowhere as intricate as the Taj Mahal.


A symbolic crypt. The real person is buried underground beneath the entire structure


Detailed patterns were carved onto the marble ceiling


The main chamber leads to smaller empty ones


While the outside is a mix of red sandstone and marble, the inside is almost completely marble


Another intricate ceiling decoration

We left the tomb and decided to try our luck at a nearby Dili Hart (market). Unfortunately after a long walk there due to a wrong turn, it was closed due to Holi. So we flagged an auto rickshaw to take the four of us back to Hotel Ajanta for a rooftop dinner.

My friend's "Lesser Panda". One wonders why is it not "Little Panda".


Probably a hawk. Many of them circle the skies above New Delhi


Ah, Kingfisher correctly poured


Tandoori Chicken, Chicken Tikka, potatoes and lots of naan!

After dinner the time came to say goodbye to my friends as they were headed back tonight. After wishing them well, I walked through the backalley to my hotel for a good night's rest. Interestingly I encountered a cow. One wonders why are there cows all over in the city. It does not seem like there is much grass available. Perhaps the milk comes in handy. Upon reaching my hotel I realised many Indians have checked in. Probably domestic tourists taking advantage of the long weekend for a vacation. Well all the better, I was earlier dreading a solo eerie night in this rather deserted hotel. It feels much safer with a crowd present. After watching some television I called it a night -- Birla Mandir, India Gate, Humayun's Tomb, and Purana Qila awaited me before my flight home tomorrow.

Read the next related post here.

Return to the trip index here.