On the way from Rishikesh to Delhi we stopped at one of India's holiest sights, the official start of the holy water in the river Ganga. This is the place where the holy nectar first mixes with the waters so that everywhere downstream from there is considered a holy place.
We arrived in Delhi later than planned on the evening of the 12th so we missed the originally planned sightseeing. Instead, we went straight to out hotel and then a group of us went out for dinner and window shopping in Asia's biggest street market.
The next day we woke up early in order to beat the sightseeing and commuting rush. We had a hired guide who drove with us on the bus to point out notable buildings we passed. We did a drive-by of the President's house and parliament buildings. We saw politicians' houses and parks dedicated to famous people. The president's house was massive, much larger and more elaborate than the White House which seems funny since the Indian president is not as important to politics as the American one. Our first stop where we got out and looked around was the India Gate which I'd seen in movies and pictures before. The gate played a very important part in a recent Bollywood movie called "No One Killed Jessica"
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| The India Gate. |
The India Gate is inscribed with the names of hundred of soldiers who lost their lives in World War One and the Third Anglo-Afghan War. As of independence, the gate also acts as India's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier so in the middle there's a every burning flame, a lone gun and helmet with guards standing salute.
Our second stop was Red Fort which I didn't take pictures of because there was a camera fee. My friend Amanda has done a lot of reading about the Mughal empire which once ruled much of India and she was beyond excited to see the sights where everything she'd read about actually happened. The fort was one of those places where you try to imagine what it must have been like in its prime, when hundreds of people lived there and history was made.
After the fort we took a long, hot bus ride through Delhi to Qutub Minar which also dates back to the Mughal empire. That's about as much as I can tell you about it though because by this time everyone was very hot and tired and in need of a break and a cold drink so I didn't end up paying that much attention...
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After a stop for snacks and coffee we went to the Lotus Temple. The Lotus Temple is the most famous and most prominent house of worship for people of the Baha'i faith. Baha'i is the world's fastest growing religion and its goal is to unite all the world's religions, races, and peoples into one universal Cause and in one common Faith. The Lotus Temple was probably the most crowded sight we went to all day due to a combination of the time of day and the popularity of the attraction.
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| The Lotus Temple |
Our last stop of the day was the temple that we were supposed to go to the day before. It's the biggest Hindu temple in India but also a fairly new one (only about 10 years old). This is where we ate a late lunch and then spent time wandering around the temple. Before we could do that though, we has to get in. There were about 12 lanes of lines that combined into 8 lanes which passes through a series of security check points. The crowd was colossal but the amount of people let in at a time was regulated. People compared our wait in line to standing in line at Disney World waiting to get into a ride in your sixth hour there. After seeing the entire intricately decorated temple we sat around playing silly games waiting for a light and sound show to start. It was really beautiful, the show consisted of water fountains and jets which were lit up with colored lights and accompanied by music. Instead of driving back to the hotel, we went back by Delhi's metro system.
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