India - week 10

After the 10 hour bus journey from Shimla, we finally arrived in a very humid Delhi. After check in, we dumped our bags and headed straight to the pool to unwind.

Our hotel near Connaught Place was just steps away from Jantar Mantar

It is one of five Jantar Mantar observatories in India (the most famous one we saw in Jaipur) and translates to "instruments for measuring the harmony of the heavens". It consists of 13 architectural astronomy instruments.

Constructed around 1724, the height of the huge sundial is 220 m.

The main purpose of the observatory was to compile astronomical tables, and to predict the times and movements of the Sun, Moon and planets using the very complex structures.

The Jai Prakash Yantra, has concave and convex hemispherical bowls which were used for precise measurements of celestial bodies.

From there we walked to India Gate, a war memorial dedicated to soldiers of the Indian Army who died between 1914 and 1921 in the First World War and the Third Anglo-Afghan War.

The next day we took the air-conditioned metro to the Red Fort. We had read that this fort and the one in Agra were almost the same, albeit larger, as they were both built in Indo- Islamic Mughal Architecture & Structure. Agra Fort pre dates Delhi Fort by almost 80 years and was built when the Emperor moved his capital to Delhi from Agra.

We had visited many forts and palaces during the last ten weeks and were feeling somewhat jaded especially with the humidity, so we decided not to explore the inside of the fort.

Instead we took the metro to the Lotus Temple. Completed in 1986, its design is based on ancient lotus flowers which symbolise purity and beauty in many cultures. It is constructed of white marble and features nine pools of water surrounding it to give the impression that its floating on water. As with all temples in India, shoes must be removed before entering. Given that there were a number of marble steps up to the entrance, I decided not to look inside, mainly because the soles of my feet aren't made of asbestos! 

The next day we took the metro again to see the Swaminarayan Akshardam temple. It's fairly new (2005) and took 11,000 artisans to sculpt and carve out all the surrounds. Unfortunately, this is the only photo I could get as no phones, electronic devices or bags are allowed inside the gate. Inside the complex was beautiful with many sculptures of elephants carved around the base of the temple.

From there we had a tuk tuk take us to Humayun's tomb, another UNESCO site. Built in 1560 pre dating the Taj Mahal by 80 years, Humayun’s Tomb stands within a large garden complex which includes a number of other 16th century Mughal garden-tombs.

The tomb stands in a very significant archaeological setting near the Shrine of the 14th century Sufi Saint, Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. It is considered lucky to be buried near a saint’s grave therefore seven hundred years of tomb building has led to the area becoming the densest collection of medieval Islamic buildings in India.

The tomb, its gardens and other attached structures has been the focus of a conservation project in partnership with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture since 1997.

We didn't spend any time walking around the gardens as I was struggling with the heat, humidity and air quality.

The tomb of the noble Isa Khan Niazi is also located within the complex and pre-dates Humayun's tomb by about 20 years. The mosque of Isa Khan is also nearby.

The next couple of days we hit the shops around Connaught Place and Janpath market.

It was then time to say goodbye to India, just as the monsoon finally settled over Delhi. We had changed our plans from 12 weeks to 10 when the local weather authority forecast the monsoon was going to be arriving early. 

We had a very early flight to Istanbul then a connection to Dalaman and taxi to Fethiye which turned into a 24 hour travel day. Now it's time to sit by the beach and reminisce about our last 10 weeks.