India Day 3 to 4 - Lodi Park and Qutb Complex

To view the previous (first) related post click here.

19 Mar 08

Today would be the first day of the conference. Not having much sleep due to the previous day's trip to Agra, I dragged myself off the bed. My roommate made a call to the receptionist to book a cab to the conference venue the night before. To our surprise it actually costs 400 Rs (USD 10) when we told them in advance instead of the 300 Rs when we told them at the last minute the day before. This was furthermore to the exact same place. Querying the receptionist only made us more incensed with lame excuses that we gave up. After a quick breakfast we were off for the first day of DASFAA 08.

A short performance to mark the beginning


Conference lunch was vegetarian. Unfortunately most of us had to stand and there was no free flow of coffee =(



To get to one of the conference lecture theatres require crossing the serene Lodi Park where two monuments stand.


The first day was over quickly with some beer to wash it down.

We went back to our hotel and asked about the other 3 nights reservation that we had. This time it was another receptionist. When it became clear the Hotel Palace Heights reneged on its agreement to provide us with 6 nights of stay we began to question the receptionist on why we were made to leave. Interestingly, on arrival we were told that their laptop broke down and hence everyone was booked for 3 nights. Now with a different person, the lame excuse became that a lady customer was admitted to the hospital and her room cannot be released on ``humanitarian" reasons. When we asked why the reasons change as the shifts change, we were told that both things happened together. Indeed they make excellent spin doctors.

Next he recommended shipping us off to their ``sister" hotel which was rather out of the way. It seemed that Hotel Palace Heights was a front to ship victimised customers away to less popular hotels that were related to it. Smelling a scam, we refused to move and decided that someone else should earn our cold hard cash when we go hotel hunting the next morning. In either case the receptionist apologised and offered us a free dinner. But we were too disgusted to return to claim it anyway. Throughout the entire ordeal the hotel manager that made agreements in print with us via email was uncontactable. Clearly part of the receptionist's job scope is to deal with the victims.

We decided to try another hotel that some friends were staying at, Hotel Ajanta. Apparently it was recommended by Lonely Planet. A lady picked up and told us that there will be a reservation for us when we arrived tomorrow. Hurray?

20 Mar 08

Tomorrow came. We had our last breakfast at the dishonorable Hotel Palace Heights and left for Hotel Ajanta. To our horror, they claimed to have no record of the reservation last night and are fully booked. Then they suggested shipping us to their ``sister" hotel. Having no choice we went. The first hotel they brought us to was bad. So they brought us to another related hotel just behind Hotel Ajanta. This was Hotel Geeson and there was a plasma screen in the lobby. Already running late we decided to move in. I found out later that the plasma screen was more for the staff themselves than for the customers.

Last breakfast at Hotel Palace Heights. If not for them dishonouring our agreement, this would have been a good hotel.


Hotel Geeson. While there is no flat screen tv in the room, this room cost about 35% (~ USD 60) the price of my previous hotel. Towels and bedsheets have some stains but otherwise usable.

After placing our belongings I left with my roommate for the conference. Fed-up with taxis, I decided to haggle with an autorickshaw (auto in short) driver. Turns out the two of us only paid 80 Rs (USD 2) to get to the conference venue, much cheaper compared to the cut-throat 400 Rs (USD 10) the previous morning. Interestingly, over the next few days, the cheapest I ever haggled for on the same route was 60 Rs (USD 1.50) for 3 persons.

Going through some sessions and lunch at the conference, not being a very ``database" person, I decided to check out some of the sights in New Delhi and flagged an auto to Qutb Complex for 60 Rs. Somehow some call it Qutab, some Qutb, and others Qutub. The more notable monuments there were built during the Slave Dynasty -- otherwise known as the Mamluk dynasty of Delhi that established the first Delhi Sultanate. The most interesting of them all is the 72.5m Qutub Minar (minar means tower) that was built in 1193 CE. At the bottom of the Minar is the first mosque to be built in India, the Quwwat-ul Islam Mosque. The complex predates the Slave Dynasty and had Jain, Hindu related monuments on site as well.

Auto Auto!!! It is quite fun but bad for the respiratory system to use them. I recommend a mask to ward off the pollution from other vehicles. The auto itself is quite green as it runs on Compressed Natural Gas.


Layout of Qutb Complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site


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Satellite map of Qutb Complex with mis-labeled monuments, walking path marked in light pink. You can see Qutb Minar clearly from the map.


A small mosque-like structure at the entrance to the Qutb Complex. This should be Iltutmish's Tomb.


Qutb Minar from afar. Being the tallest structure in the vicinity makes it imposing and grand.


Fallen archways of what probably used to be grand entrances



The archways were decorated with complicated stone carvings


Allaudin's Tomb


The crypt of Allaudin's Tomb


Entrance to what was once a Jain Temple Hallway converted to Quwwat-ul Islam Mosque



Qutb Minar towering above the Quwwat-ul Islam Mosque



Many pillars used to support the hallway


A complete arch still standing


The stones used were of different colours


Sometimes even white marble is used


The Iron pillar of Delhi, an astronomical device weighing more than 6 tonnes that was erected in 400 CE. How did they root it upright?


A comparison of Qutb Minar with people at the bottom. The minar was built to symbolise the victory of Islam




Qutb Minar has 5 storeys, each with a ``balcony" that is elaborately decorated. The Minar was stuck by lightning twice in history and had to be repaired.


The base of Qutb Minar is about 14m in diameter


Unfortunately, entry is forbidden


Decorations above Qutb Minar entrance



These squirrels are a common sight in many places in New Delhi


Tomb of Imam Zamin that came from Turkestan



Inscriptions and flower carved from marble


A pavilion


Alai Minar. An unfinished minar that was started about a hundred years after Qutb Minar. This was supposed to be twice the size of Qutb Minar. The core of rubble is supposed to be dressed by nicer stones before completion.


Alai Minar with Qutb Minar in the background

The structures in Qutb Complex contain some of the oldest monuments in New Delhi. Having seen my fill, I decided to make another trip to the Bahá'í House of Worship in New Delhi, also known as the Lotus Temple, before rushing back for the conference banquet. After some haggling, I hopped onto an auto to the Lotus Temple for a price of 60 Rs.

Read about the next related post here.

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