Dina's Travels: Incredible India, Part 3: Delhi and surroundings

On February 1, we officially began our tour of India and Nepal and for the next two days we would visit Delhi and the surrounding area before we head out to Agra and the Taj Mahal.

We  met our group of 28 later in the day and found out that all were seasoned travelers. A sizable number had traveled with Gate 1 in the past while a few were first timers like us. Many were retired or heading that way. I was fascinated to find that three had been born in India, and one of those moved with his family to Kenya at eight and met his wife there. Her family was originally from India. All four had lived in the States for many years. There also was a group from the Vancouver, B.C. area with family in Singapore. A couple had roots in Cuba, another roots in Colombia, and two with Israel connections, so we really were a diverse group.

Bhanu Mithra, our coordinator and guide for North India, is from Jaipur, and told us that in addition to the Gandhi sites that I already have written about, this day we would see a lot of Delhi, including the Red Fort, the market, Old Delhi, India Gate, government buildings and then after lunch the tallest stone minaret of the world, the Qutb Minaret, and an amazing, ancient steel tower there too.

Along the way, Bhanu gently introduced us to Indian history and India in general. He told us that there are many extremes in India, from the man in Mumbai who built a one billion dollar house and people in some rural areas that live on about dollar a day. One percent of the citizens have more wealth than 75% of the people. However, things are changing rapidly, and he asked that we not compare and see the country with open eyes.

Delhi is the national capital of India, and including surrounding areas, it has over 26 million people. The main city has close to 20,000,000 people with over one million traveling daily to work in the city. Delhi has been continually inhabited since the 6th century BCE and served as the capital of a number of empires and kingdoms. It is almost like a state of its own with its own high court, legislature, etc.

After another delicious buffet breakfast at our hotel, we began our overview of the city. We drove by the Delhi Red Fort, which was constructed in the mid-1600s by the Mughal emperor. India's Prime Minister declared the country's independence on August 15, 1947 at the Red Fort and the official independence celebration takes place there each year.

A bit of the Red Fort walls in the background on a hazy day

A web photo

We then got on bicycle-powered tuktuks and road in pairs through the narrow streets of Old Delhi.

Our "driver" was the fellow below. His English was quite good. He learned it by working with tourists. It seemed that most tuktuk drivers had one-speed bikes, and at times they got off and pushed instead of pedaling.

Fred and Candy in their tuktuk

Old buildings along the street

Note the ornate designs on balconies and trim near the roof and doors

Many friendly dogs populate the streets, around food vendors who feed them leftovers at the end of the day

It was fascinating to see the sellers set up along this narrow road in Old Delhi.

Old Delhi narrow streets. You can see why we took a tuktuk

Vendor setting up. Flower leis are used to decorate statues of important people and deities and also to welcome guests

Even though the temperatures were comfortable for us--probably in the high 60s--they were lower than most of the year, so local people dressed warmly

A vendor selling produce. Open market produce is usually fresher than in supermarkets and preferred by many.

One of many shops on the road

Bricks for construction everywhere, here used to pile empty jute bags that will be repurposed

Another store along the narrow road

Our first view of the India Gate was a bit hazy, and it was closed off because of some official visit. It was originally built by the British to honor the 82,000 Indian soldiers who died in World War I. Every year on Jan 26, the Republic Day of India, the president of the country places a wreath at the eternal flame under the gate in honor of all those who gave their lives for India.

We got on the bus and drove to see other parts of older Delhi where the government is located. On the way we passed an arch with political faces on it and the Meena Bazaar.

From the bus we passed a number of government buildings. There is a height limit on buildings, especially around the government area, possibly for security, but there is also a cultural dislike for taller buildings. The maximum is 17.5 meters, or about 57 feet. While taller buildings use less land, they also use more resources, which can also be a problem where there is a water shortage.

A govt building on a hazy day

I don't remember the details of lunch, but we were on our own. Nava and I ate at Masala House and split a lotus curry and an okra dish, very different than anything we have had before. We asked that it not be spicy. (The only time I've ever liked okra was at an Indian restaurant.) Both dishes were very tasty!

Part of the meny. Divide by about 60 to get the price in dollars.

Our total bill for the two of us as this nicer restaurant came to about $17--15% service charge was included.

After lunch we headed out to the Qutb Mintar, the tallest brick minaret in the world and also one of the most famous landmarks in India. (A minaret is a tower used by Muslims to call followers to worship, so it has an inside spiral staircase of 379 steps to the top.) It is 73 meters (240 feet) tall and made of sandstone and marble. Work on it began in 1192, and it was completed in 1220. The style is basically Iranian, but has similarities to one in Afghanistan, and local artists added their own touches. We were speechless to see this gorgeous structure, which is part of the Qutab complex.

Kutu was the first Muslim leader of Delhi. He had been a slave of Mohammed Guri and worked his way up. From the 12th to the 19th centuries was the Muslim period of India. Afghanistan was part of greater India, and Turks often came to India for a better life. Northern India especially became an area of many different races.

The mosque here was built on top of the ruins of 27 Hindu temples, and from the debris much of the mosque was built, so if one looks carefully, one can see faces and bells from the Hindu debris.

A close up of some of the carving on the minaret

The carvings on the buildings are exquisite.
Below was the entrance with separate lines for men and women (as we went through security) and special lines for "high value" ticket holders--i.e. foreigners. Isn't the symmetry beautiful...and notice the bricks outlining the roof..

The complex includes a mosque, which is one of the earliest that survives on the Indian subcontinent, several grave sites,

One of several open areas--several from our group on the right

the carvngs on the pillars are lovely

What amazing artisans made this ceiling over 800 years ago!

Notice the work around the arch

Tombs were added later, like the reference to this one

Inside one of the tombs

and the Iron Pillar of Delhi, which is at least 1700 years old. It weighs 6,000 kilos. (Our guide said it was steel.) It has been called a "testimony to the high level of skill achieved by the ancient Indian iron smiths in the extraction and processing of iron." The corrosion resistance came from an even layer of crystalline iron hydrogen phosphate forming on the high-phosphorus-content iron, which protects it from the Delhi environment. People used to try to put their arms around it--it was considered good luck to do sol, but it also caused damage to the pillar, so the fence was erected around it.

This 7 m (23 ft) tall victory column is famous for its rust resistance composition.

We were astounded by the detailed work on the structures of the complex so took lots of pictures.

Another leader wanted to build another minaret taller than the 5-story Qutb minaret. He began it, but then died so only the first part remains, which is 24.5 meters tall (almost 80').

Begun in the early 1300s by Alauddin Kauldi

You can see the second planned minaret above. it would have been an amazing structure for the time too.

During our trip, Indians often came up to us and asked us to have our picture taken with them. This was one of the first times, and I asked if I could take a photo too! The women especially looked Eastern Asian to me. When I asked our guide, he replied that they definitely were Indian, with strong Mulgar (Mongol) features.