Day tour of New Delhi

19th September 2018

We went down for breakfast this morning at just before 8 am, and the restaurant was full. It seems quite of few tour groups stayed last night and must all have decided to have breakfast at once. There was a bit of a queue up, but within 10 minutes we had a table.

Our guide for today was waiting in the foyer for us at 9 am, and our new driver was also on time. So we headed out from the hotel as planned. There are a few sites to see today, and our guide advised that we are going to start at the Southern most attraction, then to the most Northern and finish in the middle of town, near where our hotel is located.

The first visit is to the oldest monument in New Delhi, Qutub Minar, the tallest minaret in the World made of bricks. It was completed around 1192 Ad, and was built by Qutab -ud-din Aibak,  the First Ruler of the Delhi Sutanate. At 240 feet tall, it is the centrepiece of a larger complex including the ruins of a mosque and many other buildings. It was originally the site of a Hindu Temple which the Mughals destroyed.

Qutub Minar

Another mystery located on this site is an Iron Pillar, that is believed to have been forged 1600 years ago. it is not clear when the Pillar was moved to this site but it is believed it was before the Muslim conquest, when a Hindu Temple occupied the site. The pillar shows no sign of rust.

The Iron Pillar of Delhi is a 7 m victory column which weighs 7 tonnes, originally dedicated to the Lord Vishnu in 3rd to 4th century. It is seen as a testimony to the skill of ancient Indian ironsmiths because of it's high resistance to corrosion. The corrosion resistance is due to a layer of crystalline iron hydrogen phosphate hydrate forming on the high phosphorous iron.

Delhi is made up of a total of 7 smaller cities from Mughal times. This mosque and surrounding buildings was the 1st city of Delhi.

Not far from this complex there is an unfinished minaret which was destined to be even bigger than the Qutub Minaret. Called the Alai Minar, it was commissioned by Ala ud-din Khalji, an ambitious Sultan who wanted to upstage the Qutub Minar. Unfortunately he died during it's construction and it was never completed. However, because it was incomplete, it has allowed architects to get a perspective on how these towers were built.

From here head North to visit Old Delhi, so called because it is what remains of the old walled city. Interestingly in timescale, it is the 7th of the cities of Delhi that were combined into what is New Delhi.  One of the main attractions here Jama Masjid, built by Emperor Shah Jahan in 1644 to 1656. A very large mosque built within a short distance of the massive Red Fort he also built in Delhi, to provide a place of worship for occupants of that walled city. We are not visiting this fort, but is has a striking resemblance to the one at Agra.

Along the way we drove past India Gate, but were unable to stop. The area was all cordoned off, as another memorial is under construction, and the whole area is a construction site.

India Gate is a Memorial to the 70,000 British Indian Army Soldiers who died in WW1

Jama Masjid (where cameras are not encouraged)

Inside the wall the major prayer area is a huge open courtyard, with a very narrow indoor praying area. Prayers were held outdoors with the royal women observing from behind closed curtains from rooms along the upper level of the wall.

Located right outside the Mosque is the Old Delhi Market, a wholesale market made up of who knows how many small merchants selling just about everything mostly on a wholesale basis. It is unbelievably crowded and the streets are very narrow. The best way to see the market, we are told, is by rickshaw, which is included in our tour. So we are loaded up into a rickshaw for a hair raising ride through the market dodging potholes, Tuk Tuks, motorbikes, hand carts and a mass of people.

There are plenty of rickshaws looking for willing victims

local barber

Having survived the rickshaw ride, we get back to our car safely after seeing some amazing sights. Unfortunately it is hard to capture in still photos. It did take a video, but the file is too big to post.

Next we visit the Memorial to Mahatma Ghandi, a very simple memorial, but a place that has particular significance to the Indian Community. It is located in a green belt that has been put aside as space for future memorials for famous Indians.

Now were are off to see A HinduTemple, built and maintained by the Birla family (a major industrialist in India). They hsve built several temples around the country, but this one is the largest and most important in Delhi. Cameras are not allowed inside, but you can see below it is a big temple.

Bringing the tour to a close was a drive around the Goverment precinct including Parliamemt House and the Presidential Palace before heading back to our hotel. Securiy is very tight around this area and it was just a drive by to have a look.

We were back at the hotel for lunch, and have no plans for the afternoon, other than start to get organised for our flight home tomorrow. We have to be ready to depart from the hotel at 5.45am, so it will be an early night tonight.