After lunch, we carried on with our touring of Agra. The guide left it up to us to decide what we wanted to see next. He made some suggestions about local sights - The "Mini Mahal" and something else. However, we really wanted to the former capital of Fatehpur Sikri. The guide and the driver didn't look too thrilled, it was 30Km outside of Agra. Had they told us about the driving conditions we would have reconsidered...... But first, they had to show us a "demonstration" of the Mughal craftsmanship - the way the builders of the Taj inlaid the gemstones into the marble. Of course, this was just a way to get us into shops to buy stuff. All of it was extremely beautiful. Large tables of marble inlaid with stones, tiles and elephants were on display for sale. None of it was in our price range.... most of the marble table tops were in the several hundred dollar range. AND, then you have to get it home - in - one - pi.ece..
We made haste in that shop. Got back into the truck and on our way to Fatehpur Sikri.
Now, Agra seemed like a compact version of Delhi, if that's possible. The traffic appeared 10x more congested. The driver commented that...
"To drive in Agra you need three things :
1. Good Brakes
2. Good Horn
3. Good Luck
Drivers in Delhi drive better, they follow the rules; In Agra they don't follow the rules."
Rules ? What rules ? There are rules to driving in India...... ?
I would call driving/riding in Agra as - Very Dangerous. Trucks were loaded inside and out with people. A small family was crammed in the back of a small truck bed, the woman was barfing outside the back of a truck - holding a small child. Motorcycles, buses, tuk-tuks drove by seemingly without noticing. Buses, full to every inch had people sticking out their heads, barfing out the windows (which are bared over, by the way) and motorcycles, cars, tuk-tuks would ride underneath without a bit of care.
The narrow road out to Fatehpur Sakiri was overwhelmed with all forms of transportation. With the typical motorcycle (usually with 3 people) and occasional tuk-tuk (packed) were bicycles (2-3 onboard), carts pulled by cattle/camels, tractors slowly transporting cow dung or people (over-crowded) or both, and all sorts of stuff that shouldn't be on the road. The buses were the biggest obstacles.
Now, everything drives in the MIDDLE of the road; In a way this makes sense, considering that the SUVs are the next to largest, with tour buses the king of the road. Everyone is passing and honking and driving in the middle of the road. Nothing slows down...... unless...
Suddenly a cow appears in the middle of the road.
Our driver carefully slows down, because the cow is still crossing - it wants to get to the other side.
The driver cautiously maneuvers around the cow missing it by a few feet.
The guide and driver smile to each other and appear to have said - "Wow, That Was CLOSE !"
Okay - as you can imagine, with everyone in the middle of the road and passing other vehicles, there were a lot of close calls. And I mentioned in an earlier post that I maybe lost 1/2 a life in Delhi; On this trip I probably lost a few. I really felt that our luck was close to running out on this trip.
Yet, the driver and the guide looked totally unconcerned about this. The SUV that we were in didn't have a single scratch on it. And maybe for a good reason - the driver might not have owned it and he may have had a lot of responsibility driving this thing. Plus, they drive this route, and in this manner, almost everyday hauling tourists.
It just the way things are in a different country.
Agra and the Taj
The train station in Agra was overflowing with people. We didn't immediately find our driver. We had to walk outside in the mass of people to find him. Once we got past the people directing us to their cabs and tour guides, we found who we were looking for - The guy that had a "Heather Foster" sign. The driver loaded us into a very nice and clean Toyota Highlander-clone and cranked on the AC on the way to pick up the guide.
Our guide was a 24 year-old named Gotham..... right, like the Batman movies, which he pointed out. He started out by informing us that Agra, and it's region, has 2.5million people. And since the Indian government has forbidden them from Industrializing, they live off tourism, handy-crafting and tipping.
2.5mil. I can believe it. They are all on the road - walking, tuk-tuking, biking, cabs, trucks, in/on camel and donkey carts. The place is crowded. Tuk-tuks have at minimum 6 people. Trucks have people in/on/on top and hanging on from the back and sides.
FIRST, unfortunately due to sleep deprivation and jet-lag, I forgot to recharge the battery on my camera. One of those D'OH-slap-yourself-on-the-head moments. I think I took too much video on the train.
We drove to the entrance of the Taj - well actually, you can't get a car that close to it. About a 1/2 mile away is where you buy your tickets to get in. The tickets were 500Rs for Heather and I and Joshua was f
ree. The tickets included a bag with booties, for when walking on the marble, and a plastic bottle of water. A battery powered car takes you to the Taj "entrance" but you still have to walk past hawkers selling postcards, books, and trinkets. The guide told us to "watch out for them, look straight ahead and ignore them". The guide then gave the tickets to the guard at the gate and kept the tickets.
The guide, naturally, knew his history. Heather and I get very easily bored with the names/dates - plus the guide seemed to chatter on to the point that it became a bit of a distraction. I tried to be polite, but he easily noticed Heather's lack of interest. We really wanted to take it in at our pace. Enjoy it for what it was. Heather was there 20 years ago, so maybe she was trying to reminisce about her last trip there. Simply put, the Taj is such an incredible sight - all surrounding noise, like a chattering guide, gets toned out.
It was a Monday, so the crowds were light. The guide noted that on the weekends, it could take several hours to get in and see anything. Guides and groups were everywhere. Pictures every second.
As I mentioned above, I didn't pay too much interest in the history of the Taj, and Wiki is naturally a great source for more info.
The Taj grounds are large. You start off by passing through a large gateway, When you pass the threshold your breath is taken away by the size and beauty of the Taj tomb. The layout of the grounds is symmetrical, so from anywhere on he garden grounds, your focus is on the Taj.
The garden grounds were for the most part clean. Pools, reflecting pools, fountains, tree and flower lined avenues are symmetrically placed around the garden grounds. The only thing that set it off from being perfect was the green, stagnant water and an occasional sock in a pool, and of course, garbage on the ground. However, there were lots of people around to keep the place as tidy as one could when visited by over 3million people a year.
So much detail went into the construction of this tomb. It's made entirely of Marble that is semi-translucent. The entire complex is covered in inlaid precious jewels and massive inlaid calligraphy. The domes are a true marvel - all interior sections were cut in a diamond pattern. Much was mentioned by the guide that the British destroyed and removed many of the gemstones from the Taj. Since then, generations of workers have passed along the trade of restoring and maintaining the Taj and it's jewels. I think the guides knew each other pretty well. Our guide walked us into the tomb and another guide handed him a small flashlight. With the flashlight he could show us the translucency of the marble and the reflective-ness of the jewels inlaid into the marble. No pictures were allowed in the Taj and the only light in there was the natural light from the outside.
The floor of the Taj and the floor around the Taj is made of marble. So, we had to wear our red booties when we were in those areas. The tourists got their booties when they bought their tickets. The Indian tourists using the other gate didn't; Instead, they "rent" booties from a booth next to the Taj - next to the garbage cans where tourists dispose of their booties. I think they are free, yet, tipping is big here, and our guide passed a few rupee coins to the guy manning the booth.
The North end of the Taj provides a spectacular view of the Yamuna river, even on this overcast day. And unfortunately, we couldn't see the Agra Fort in the distance. To the West of the tomb is was a mosque and to the East an identical looking "mosque", but since it's not facing Mecca, it was used as a guest house. On Fridays the Taj is closed to tourists. It is a day that Muslims can come to and use the mosque for prayer. A pool is outside the mosque to allow people to wash themselves off before entering the mosque. Fridays are also the days that the descendants of the Taj builders come in to make repairs and fix broken and removed sections of the inlay.
Exiting the Taj grounds I noticed an additional entrance - the one used my the Indian people. It looked like the city butted against the outer walls of the Taj grounds - darn, it was the Kaserat Bazar. Google map to the Taj, it's a really cool view !
Again it was back through the crowded hawker lane to the battery buggy. This time Joshua made eye contact and was pestered by a guy selling these cool looking folding globes. His price went from really high to 3 f
or really cheap. Intentionally, they stall the buggy out to all all of the hawkers to do their selling. Most tourist were walking away with all kinds of stuff. Then, on the way back to the truck, we had to pass along and drop off tourists at a "more civilized" hawker area... and then as we were getting in the truck, the guide passed in more postcards, guide books and knick-knacks before we could drive out.
That's life. I don't have any issues with it - it's not our thing to load up with tons of crap on every trip we make. Even if, to us, everything sold was only a buck or two. The hawking really is persistently irritating - even if you buy something - which is usually worse, because once you open your wallet, you are pounced on. And despite how ragged the hawkers look, just stand around and watch, they do sell a lot of stuff.
From the Taj, we drove to Agra Fort, considered the most important fort in India - the place where vast treasures were kept.
The driver dropped us off in the road out front. Again the tourists, locals and hawkers were swarming. A moat surrounds the fort, you have to cross a drawbridge to get to the entrance gate. After entering the gateway you climb a long, steep walkway to the grounds. Monkeys were walking along the top of the walkway.
For some reason, the first thing that you see is a very large - nearly 5ft tall - sandstone bathtub. W
hy ? It belonged to a Mughal emperor .... Even though it was gated off, people were still trying to get inside of the tub for photo-ops.
Past the bathtub we entered into the wives palace, the Jahangiri Mahal.
There was a large space between the inner and the outer walls of the fort. The guide told us that the Yamuna river used to run next to the fort. Poisonous snakes resided in the moat. If you could make it past the moat and over the 60ft (?) outer wall, you would have had "dangerous animals" to deal with before scaling the even taller inner wall. Of course, the dangerous animals were also useful to hunt for. Almost all of the fort was in sandstone. Only the Mughals personal quarters were in marble..... which was quite a lot marble. There was an enormous slab of black granite (?) used to hold the throne. It was cracked during the 1857 Indian rebellion by a cannon ball
that bounced off and left a nice size hole in the Musamman Burj, the tower facing the Taj.
Many great Mughals lived here. The legend : and I won't bore you with the history - A Mughal King built the Taj for his wife, his wife died and she was buried in the Taj; Then the Mughal king was imprisoned in this fort by his son, and he could see the Taj from the marble, gold and gemstone inlaid tower that he was imprisoned in.... something like that... sorry.
It was overcast the day that we were there, - but there were stunning views of the Taj from the fort. The fort contained large recessed courtyards ( the grape garden) where the "maidens" frolicked and played hide-and-seek. Apparently the loser of the games was the "maiden" of the day. The guide was telling us this, for his enjoyment or ours, true or not ? Or stories passed on by childhood locals.
Other sites within the fort was the Nagina Masjid or ladies mosque; A creepy, dark and narrow stairway that had 11 steps (a significance to Mughal archite
cture) that lead from the royal quarters to the Diwan-i-Am; and a very large marble and jeweled area for the emperors to court the people, the Diwan-i-Am.
Only 20% of the fort is open to the public. The government and the military uses the rest.
Tomb and palace touring was starting to wear on us, and we were ready for some lunch - which we had at a really nice 5-star Gateway hotel. It was buffet style and when we showed up, a large tour group of Europeans had already started... and obnoxiously started drinking beer. The buffet had a tasty selection of Indian food, and also the (bland) Asian noodles and Irish mutton stew. Freshly prepared Naan and chickpea naan was passed around.
It turned out to be a quick bite, we wanted enough time to get out to Fatehpur Sikri - the former Mughal capital some 30Km outside the city.
Our guide was a 24 year-old named Gotham..... right, like the Batman movies, which he pointed out. He started out by informing us that Agra, and it's region, has 2.5million people. And since the Indian government has forbidden them from Industrializing, they live off tourism, handy-crafting and tipping.
2.5mil. I can believe it. They are all on the road - walking, tuk-tuking, biking, cabs, trucks, in/on camel and donkey carts. The place is crowded. Tuk-tuks have at minimum 6 people. Trucks have people in/on/on top and hanging on from the back and sides.
FIRST, unfortunately due to sleep deprivation and jet-lag, I forgot to recharge the battery on my camera. One of those D'OH-slap-yourself-on-the-head moments. I think I took too much video on the train.
We drove to the entrance of the Taj - well actually, you can't get a car that close to it. About a 1/2 mile away is where you buy your tickets to get in. The tickets were 500Rs for Heather and I and Joshua was f
ree. The tickets included a bag with booties, for when walking on the marble, and a plastic bottle of water. A battery powered car takes you to the Taj "entrance" but you still have to walk past hawkers selling postcards, books, and trinkets. The guide told us to "watch out for them, look straight ahead and ignore them". The guide then gave the tickets to the guard at the gate and kept the tickets.The guide, naturally, knew his history. Heather and I get very easily bored with the names/dates - plus the guide seemed to chatter on to the point that it became a bit of a distraction. I tried to be polite, but he easily noticed Heather's lack of interest. We really wanted to take it in at our pace. Enjoy it for what it was. Heather was there 20 years ago, so maybe she was trying to reminisce about her last trip there. Simply put, the Taj is such an incredible sight - all surrounding noise, like a chattering guide, gets toned out.
It was a Monday, so the crowds were light. The guide noted that on the weekends, it could take several hours to get in and see anything. Guides and groups were everywhere. Pictures every second.
As I mentioned above, I didn't pay too much interest in the history of the Taj, and Wiki is naturally a great source for more info.
The Taj grounds are large. You start off by passing through a large gateway, When you pass the threshold your breath is taken away by the size and beauty of the Taj tomb. The layout of the grounds is symmetrical, so from anywhere on he garden grounds, your focus is on the Taj.
The garden grounds were for the most part clean. Pools, reflecting pools, fountains, tree and flower lined avenues are symmetrically placed around the garden grounds. The only thing that set it off from being perfect was the green, stagnant water and an occasional sock in a pool, and of course, garbage on the ground. However, there were lots of people around to keep the place as tidy as one could when visited by over 3million people a year.
So much detail went into the construction of this tomb. It's made entirely of Marble that is semi-translucent. The entire complex is covered in inlaid precious jewels and massive inlaid calligraphy. The domes are a true marvel - all interior sections were cut in a diamond pattern. Much was mentioned by the guide that the British destroyed and removed many of the gemstones from the Taj. Since then, generations of workers have passed along the trade of restoring and maintaining the Taj and it's jewels. I think the guides knew each other pretty well. Our guide walked us into the tomb and another guide handed him a small flashlight. With the flashlight he could show us the translucency of the marble and the reflective-ness of the jewels inlaid into the marble. No pictures were allowed in the Taj and the only light in there was the natural light from the outside.
The floor of the Taj and the floor around the Taj is made of marble. So, we had to wear our red booties when we were in those areas. The tourists got their booties when they bought their tickets. The Indian tourists using the other gate didn't; Instead, they "rent" booties from a booth next to the Taj - next to the garbage cans where tourists dispose of their booties. I think they are free, yet, tipping is big here, and our guide passed a few rupee coins to the guy manning the booth.
The North end of the Taj provides a spectacular view of the Yamuna river, even on this overcast day. And unfortunately, we couldn't see the Agra Fort in the distance. To the West of the tomb is was a mosque and to the East an identical looking "mosque", but since it's not facing Mecca, it was used as a guest house. On Fridays the Taj is closed to tourists. It is a day that Muslims can come to and use the mosque for prayer. A pool is outside the mosque to allow people to wash themselves off before entering the mosque. Fridays are also the days that the descendants of the Taj builders come in to make repairs and fix broken and removed sections of the inlay.
Exiting the Taj grounds I noticed an additional entrance - the one used my the Indian people. It looked like the city butted against the outer walls of the Taj grounds - darn, it was the Kaserat Bazar. Google map to the Taj, it's a really cool view !
Again it was back through the crowded hawker lane to the battery buggy. This time Joshua made eye contact and was pestered by a guy selling these cool looking folding globes. His price went from really high to 3 f
or really cheap. Intentionally, they stall the buggy out to all all of the hawkers to do their selling. Most tourist were walking away with all kinds of stuff. Then, on the way back to the truck, we had to pass along and drop off tourists at a "more civilized" hawker area... and then as we were getting in the truck, the guide passed in more postcards, guide books and knick-knacks before we could drive out.That's life. I don't have any issues with it - it's not our thing to load up with tons of crap on every trip we make. Even if, to us, everything sold was only a buck or two. The hawking really is persistently irritating - even if you buy something - which is usually worse, because once you open your wallet, you are pounced on. And despite how ragged the hawkers look, just stand around and watch, they do sell a lot of stuff.
From the Taj, we drove to Agra Fort, considered the most important fort in India - the place where vast treasures were kept.
The driver dropped us off in the road out front. Again the tourists, locals and hawkers were swarming. A moat surrounds the fort, you have to cross a drawbridge to get to the entrance gate. After entering the gateway you climb a long, steep walkway to the grounds. Monkeys were walking along the top of the walkway.
For some reason, the first thing that you see is a very large - nearly 5ft tall - sandstone bathtub. W
hy ? It belonged to a Mughal emperor .... Even though it was gated off, people were still trying to get inside of the tub for photo-ops.Past the bathtub we entered into the wives palace, the Jahangiri Mahal.
There was a large space between the inner and the outer walls of the fort. The guide told us that the Yamuna river used to run next to the fort. Poisonous snakes resided in the moat. If you could make it past the moat and over the 60ft (?) outer wall, you would have had "dangerous animals" to deal with before scaling the even taller inner wall. Of course, the dangerous animals were also useful to hunt for. Almost all of the fort was in sandstone. Only the Mughals personal quarters were in marble..... which was quite a lot marble. There was an enormous slab of black granite (?) used to hold the throne. It was cracked during the 1857 Indian rebellion by a cannon ball
that bounced off and left a nice size hole in the Musamman Burj, the tower facing the Taj.Many great Mughals lived here. The legend : and I won't bore you with the history - A Mughal King built the Taj for his wife, his wife died and she was buried in the Taj; Then the Mughal king was imprisoned in this fort by his son, and he could see the Taj from the marble, gold and gemstone inlaid tower that he was imprisoned in.... something like that... sorry.
It was overcast the day that we were there, - but there were stunning views of the Taj from the fort. The fort contained large recessed courtyards ( the grape garden) where the "maidens" frolicked and played hide-and-seek. Apparently the loser of the games was the "maiden" of the day. The guide was telling us this, for his enjoyment or ours, true or not ? Or stories passed on by childhood locals.
Other sites within the fort was the Nagina Masjid or ladies mosque; A creepy, dark and narrow stairway that had 11 steps (a significance to Mughal archite
cture) that lead from the royal quarters to the Diwan-i-Am; and a very large marble and jeweled area for the emperors to court the people, the Diwan-i-Am. Only 20% of the fort is open to the public. The government and the military uses the rest.
Tomb and palace touring was starting to wear on us, and we were ready for some lunch - which we had at a really nice 5-star Gateway hotel. It was buffet style and when we showed up, a large tour group of Europeans had already started... and obnoxiously started drinking beer. The buffet had a tasty selection of Indian food, and also the (bland) Asian noodles and Irish mutton stew. Freshly prepared Naan and chickpea naan was passed around.
It turned out to be a quick bite, we wanted enough time to get out to Fatehpur Sikri - the former Mughal capital some 30Km outside the city.
The Train to Agra
We took the 1st class train to Agra, where the Taj Mahal is. Distance by train is 195Km; This turned out to be a great way to see the countryside.
Joshua, Heather and I woke up at 4am. It wasn't too hard. We are still jet-lagged and I think we got to sleep early the night before. A taxi driver picked us up at 5:30am. The streets were almost empty. In Delhi it's hard to watch the scenery go by in a taxi. We could never be familiar with the city, or it's layout. There are so many round-a-bouts that eventually everything in the darkness starts to blend in together and you soon feel like you are driving in circles. Eventually we took a turn onto what looked to be a parking lot in the middle of the road. The driver stopped the car. There are people, naturally, peeing the wall next to the car; You have to AVOID the "puddles" in the road.... especially in the dark. The entire "parking lot" smelled like one large latrine.
The driver kindly escorted us to the train station and told us the exact place where he would pick us up later, 18 hours later. We didn't carry anything with us, other
than a small bag with guide books, journals and cameras.
The floor of the train station was a maze of people.... really A Maze. People were camped out on blankets; Some sleeping, some not; Kids, older folks, adults.
To get to the platforms, you have to walk through a metal detector and pass baggage through a scanner.
The line was long. Some people were carrying large bags of stuff over their heads..... Not to worry..... the driver promptly escorted us to the front of the line, through the narrow opening between the line of people and the gate and past the security check point. No one seemed to notice or care - as if White Foreigners have special permission to do this all of the time. The driver then instructed us to the exact place to find our train car and told us to wait for the train.... Right..... then he was gone, like a ghost. And at 5am in Delhi... who knows, it could possibly have been a dream.
By the way, we handed this very nice escort our cash in $US, and he handed us an envelope with 2 photocopied pieces of paper. One train ticket to Agra, One back.
Then out of the darkness, and within minutes of our arrival, the train came out of nowhere, and on time. From the outside the train looked tired and blue. Inside, it was like an airplane. The rows were 2 seats on one side, 3 on the other. The seats were large, spacious and there was a seat-back tray to use. Heather and Joshua had 2 of the 3 seat section, I was across from them. I didn't have anyone next to me, so I had plenty of room. Joshua is a stubborn kid, he stayed in his assigned seat.
Like an airline flight, the ride included a snack and a breakfast. A tea and biscuit service was first, with a newspaper and a bottle of water. Then the breakfast. The breakfast was actually really good. It came on a tray with small cardboard packages sealed with a foil cover - remember school lunches ? We had a veggie cutlet or paneer (cheese) cutlet that looked like a perogi - loaded with steamed carrots, peas, coriander seeds, cilantro and green chillies. The cutlet looked fried on the outside and soft inside. Came with bread, butter and marmalade. The drink was a 7-up type of lemonade.
Having a window seat gave me an opportunity to see the landscape between Delhi and Agra. And there was a lot to see.
The fields along the route looked clean and very green, but I have no idea what was growing in them. Some of the fields were surrounded with large concrete or corrugated metal fencing. Large wood/leaf huts were scattered along the fields - for storage ? Egrets were standing in fields that appeared to be more water-logged.
The railroad tracks had a "walking path" next to it that ran the entire length between Delhi and Agra. It seemed like a highway, a major route to get between the small towns and shanties. Naturally, the entire length was strewn with trash; Run down with free animals, broken homes in partial construction, loose kids and garbage by the heaps. Herds of cattle and goats were eating out of large dumps of garbage - that were usually l
ocated next to a significant water source. I say source, because none of it seemed to be "in place", as if the garbage was the source of the water. People were also rummaging trough the dumps. Piles of cow patties were drying next to the tracks in heaps and stacks, a major source of fuel and income in rural parts of India.
It's morning, so naturally people are awake doing their "personal" #1/#2 business, which regardless of the train moving or not, no one seemed to mind doing it - or seeing it - in the open. It's sad the way things are in this part of India... and it really makes me thankful for what we have in the U.S. . Working sanitation and clean running water.
Joshua, Heather and I woke up at 4am. It wasn't too hard. We are still jet-lagged and I think we got to sleep early the night before. A taxi driver picked us up at 5:30am. The streets were almost empty. In Delhi it's hard to watch the scenery go by in a taxi. We could never be familiar with the city, or it's layout. There are so many round-a-bouts that eventually everything in the darkness starts to blend in together and you soon feel like you are driving in circles. Eventually we took a turn onto what looked to be a parking lot in the middle of the road. The driver stopped the car. There are people, naturally, peeing the wall next to the car; You have to AVOID the "puddles" in the road.... especially in the dark. The entire "parking lot" smelled like one large latrine. The driver kindly escorted us to the train station and told us the exact place where he would pick us up later, 18 hours later. We didn't carry anything with us, other
than a small bag with guide books, journals and cameras.The floor of the train station was a maze of people.... really A Maze. People were camped out on blankets; Some sleeping, some not; Kids, older folks, adults.
To get to the platforms, you have to walk through a metal detector and pass baggage through a scanner.
The line was long. Some people were carrying large bags of stuff over their heads..... Not to worry..... the driver promptly escorted us to the front of the line, through the narrow opening between the line of people and the gate and past the security check point. No one seemed to notice or care - as if White Foreigners have special permission to do this all of the time. The driver then instructed us to the exact place to find our train car and told us to wait for the train.... Right..... then he was gone, like a ghost. And at 5am in Delhi... who knows, it could possibly have been a dream.
By the way, we handed this very nice escort our cash in $US, and he handed us an envelope with 2 photocopied pieces of paper. One train ticket to Agra, One back.
Then out of the darkness, and within minutes of our arrival, the train came out of nowhere, and on time. From the outside the train looked tired and blue. Inside, it was like an airplane. The rows were 2 seats on one side, 3 on the other. The seats were large, spacious and there was a seat-back tray to use. Heather and Joshua had 2 of the 3 seat section, I was across from them. I didn't have anyone next to me, so I had plenty of room. Joshua is a stubborn kid, he stayed in his assigned seat.
Like an airline flight, the ride included a snack and a breakfast. A tea and biscuit service was first, with a newspaper and a bottle of water. Then the breakfast. The breakfast was actually really good. It came on a tray with small cardboard packages sealed with a foil cover - remember school lunches ? We had a veggie cutlet or paneer (cheese) cutlet that looked like a perogi - loaded with steamed carrots, peas, coriander seeds, cilantro and green chillies. The cutlet looked fried on the outside and soft inside. Came with bread, butter and marmalade. The drink was a 7-up type of lemonade.
Having a window seat gave me an opportunity to see the landscape between Delhi and Agra. And there was a lot to see.
The fields along the route looked clean and very green, but I have no idea what was growing in them. Some of the fields were surrounded with large concrete or corrugated metal fencing. Large wood/leaf huts were scattered along the fields - for storage ? Egrets were standing in fields that appeared to be more water-logged.
The railroad tracks had a "walking path" next to it that ran the entire length between Delhi and Agra. It seemed like a highway, a major route to get between the small towns and shanties. Naturally, the entire length was strewn with trash; Run down with free animals, broken homes in partial construction, loose kids and garbage by the heaps. Herds of cattle and goats were eating out of large dumps of garbage - that were usually l
ocated next to a significant water source. I say source, because none of it seemed to be "in place", as if the garbage was the source of the water. People were also rummaging trough the dumps. Piles of cow patties were drying next to the tracks in heaps and stacks, a major source of fuel and income in rural parts of India.It's morning, so naturally people are awake doing their "personal" #1/#2 business, which regardless of the train moving or not, no one seemed to mind doing it - or seeing it - in the open. It's sad the way things are in this part of India... and it really makes me thankful for what we have in the U.S. . Working sanitation and clean running water.
Nehru Park 1/2 Marathon
3am and Julia is wide wake. This morning Delhi was cool, but not cold. The breeze was calm, or non-existent. On the way home from dinner last night we smelt lots of smoke. And all of our clothes smelt like it. The guards outside all of the embassies burn small fires to keep themselves warm. It's not cold, by our winter standards, but you can tell that it's really cold for them as they huddle around the fires with several layers of clothes on.
Heather and I took off for a run around 7am. We went north a few blocks to the National Rose Garden. At this time of the year, no flowers are blooming. The garden grounds are surprisingly large and something we have to go back to next time. On a Sunday at 7am, this part of Delhi is pretty quiet. Many of the foreign embassies are located nearby and are not open today. Otherwise, groups of people looking for work or documents would be hanging around outside. And with them are the food wallahs that come along with lunch on their bicycles. The wallahs that we have seen had everything with them - including the cooking pots - with ready made lunches.
Each embassy has a characteristic motif that represents the architecture of their countries. The German embassy is very industrial looking with long concrete slabs and minimal color; The Pakistani and Sudan have large beautiful, colorful domes; Serbian... looked abandoned.
Nehru park is close to Embassy Row so we headed out there, and typical for Delhi (you never know whats around the next corner) we ran right into a 1/2 Marathon, staged, of course, from Nehru Park. We first noticed people hanging around the park with number tags on their shirts.
So we asked the first guy we saw:
"Is there a race today ?"
"Yes. It's the 1/2Marathon and it's starts on the other side of the park"
"When does it start ?"
"7:30"
It's 7:40 and the guy is nowhere near the start line. We show up at the other side of the
park and people are all over the place. Elderly people - turns out they are war vets - are walking a long red carpet to the finish..... There has to be more.... So we ran back home, had breakfast and decided to come back to what we would believe to be the finish of the race. When we got back, there appeared to be - literally - Thousands of people in and around the park. And the finish area was crammed 12-15 deep with runners and walkers. Small groups were walking along the race route carrying banners representing a cause or a business. Some of the runners were in Saris, most were in jogging pants and sweaters..... it is winter here. Naturally, we were enjoying this seasonable warm climate in shorts and short-sleeved shirts. A large stage was set up at the finish line playing loud music to kee
p everyone 
motivated to finish the race.
It was a very nice and warm day, to us. So we made a trip to the Lodi Gardens. Finding a tuk-tuk or taxi to get us there was a feat of it's own. There was very little space out in the street to move. There was complete chaos of people and finishers trying to get out of the parks area. And naturally, there isn't a parking lot here... or anyone directing traffic.
Lodi Gardens are described in the guide books as having lots of gardens, tombs and bird life. We weren't disappointed; The garden was clean,
the tombs were in excellent condition and lots of people were h
aving family picnics.
It was Day3 of our trip. At the end of the visit to the gardens we headed back to relax. Tomorrow morning we would need to be up early for a 6:15am train to Agra.
Heather and I took off for a run around 7am. We went north a few blocks to the National Rose Garden. At this time of the year, no flowers are blooming. The garden grounds are surprisingly large and something we have to go back to next time. On a Sunday at 7am, this part of Delhi is pretty quiet. Many of the foreign embassies are located nearby and are not open today. Otherwise, groups of people looking for work or documents would be hanging around outside. And with them are the food wallahs that come along with lunch on their bicycles. The wallahs that we have seen had everything with them - including the cooking pots - with ready made lunches.
Each embassy has a characteristic motif that represents the architecture of their countries. The German embassy is very industrial looking with long concrete slabs and minimal color; The Pakistani and Sudan have large beautiful, colorful domes; Serbian... looked abandoned.
Nehru park is close to Embassy Row so we headed out there, and typical for Delhi (you never know whats around the next corner) we ran right into a 1/2 Marathon, staged, of course, from Nehru Park. We first noticed people hanging around the park with number tags on their shirts.
So we asked the first guy we saw:
"Is there a race today ?"
"Yes. It's the 1/2Marathon and it's starts on the other side of the park"
"When does it start ?"
"7:30"
It's 7:40 and the guy is nowhere near the start line. We show up at the other side of the
park and people are all over the place. Elderly people - turns out they are war vets - are walking a long red carpet to the finish..... There has to be more.... So we ran back home, had breakfast and decided to come back to what we would believe to be the finish of the race. When we got back, there appeared to be - literally - Thousands of people in and around the park. And the finish area was crammed 12-15 deep with runners and walkers. Small groups were walking along the race route carrying banners representing a cause or a business. Some of the runners were in Saris, most were in jogging pants and sweaters..... it is winter here. Naturally, we were enjoying this seasonable warm climate in shorts and short-sleeved shirts. A large stage was set up at the finish line playing loud music to kee
p everyone 
motivated to finish the race. It was a very nice and warm day, to us. So we made a trip to the Lodi Gardens. Finding a tuk-tuk or taxi to get us there was a feat of it's own. There was very little space out in the street to move. There was complete chaos of people and finishers trying to get out of the parks area. And naturally, there isn't a parking lot here... or anyone directing traffic.
Lodi Gardens are described in the guide books as having lots of gardens, tombs and bird life. We weren't disappointed; The garden was clean,
the tombs were in excellent condition and lots of people were h
aving family picnics.It was Day3 of our trip. At the end of the visit to the gardens we headed back to relax. Tomorrow morning we would need to be up early for a 6:15am train to Agra.
Now to Christmas, Present
We had a wonderful Christmas. Thanks to everyone that called and sent gifts.The tree barely made it. It had a bit of a tilt to it. We bought
it at Home Depot, unseen. And upon opening it, found out that it grew at a slight angle. All Christmas long it looked like it was going to tip over :).This morning Julia noticed that it was starting to fall, or perhaps she noticed an ornament at the top that she wanted. Heather and Joshua were rushing to clear it before it tipped !
I tried to get a picture before it fell........but, it made it till the day after X-Mas.
Thanks again everyone. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year !
Twas the Day After X-mas,
Where is the Tree ?
It's Trying to Run,
It's Trying to Flee !
Back to the birds it's trying to go,
"Where are your roots ?" D'OH.......
Back to the Metro Day2....
The Archaeological park is huge. It's just hard to find anything. The guide book that I used didn't have any useful information on how to get to the other tombs, mosques and palaces. They did mention that this area was a retreat for Delhi's rich and famous. Now that's hard to believe.
We walked out of the Zafar Mahal and into the residential area around the park. The lanes were very narrow with 3-4 story apartment looking building. Most of the first floors were shops and businesses. The open sewer/drain ran between the road and the buildings. I was waiting for Joshua to fall into the sewer when we stopped to check the guide book. I thought I saw chunks of stuff float by, but I didn't smell anything too bad. Chickens were crammed into tight cages outside of markets. Space on the road was very limited. Motorcycles and cars could barely avoid the obstacles in the road: Cockroaches, cows, goats, dogs. Most of the lanes were just barely wide enough for one car. Here, like most of the area, the roads were not designed with people in mind. Even though that's how most people get around. It seemed as if many of the locals were surprised to see any westerners - this area isn't on the tourist route.
The surrounding park was not remotely equivalent to a park.... and I'm not being a picky American. We passed a large garbage dump with a family of pigs eating out of it. I think these were wild pigs. They didn't have leashes or ID tags; nor were they penned or tied to a tree.
However, there should have been some historical buildings along here. And we found one. The Madhi Masjid looked to be a nice and clean place to visit. But. It was closed. That didn't stop 2 guys that pulled up on a motorcycle and hopped the fence to get a few pictures. I didn't want to do that with the kids.
In the end, I realized that we could have reached some of the Heritage site relics had we turned the other way out of Qutb. You never know. We could have, or most likely would have, encountered the same or worse. Luck would have it, though, that we would end up back on the very busy Anuvart Marg. AND in front of the the Metro stop....... we still had to cross the road. You could do this by making a run for the center divider when the traffic cleared, and then crossing the other side. Not so easy with Julia in my arms.... and every hair on my body was raised and tingling as if I had just finished a ride on a roller coaster. Some things you look back on and say - "That was really stupid". But, you don't have a chance everyday to experience India. And this is the best way to do it.
Just for fun we took a tuk-tuk from the Race Course Metro back to the
embassy compound with all six on board. After a light lunch we took Joshua Bowling ! The compound has a very nice 4 lane alley. A group for kids having a birthday party took up 2 lanes and were all over the place. Julia took a long nap. I drank an espresso from the cafe. Josh and I played 3 games.
This is still Day2........
We finished the night off with dinner at a local restaurant. It is known that you can't trust the locally made food. The fear is the dreaded Delhi Belly. No not a Bollywood movie - it's described as a DISASTROUS result of contaminated food and water. THE Bane of worldwide travelers. And it's no surprise. Things here are just not very clean. And if you do clean with water, the water is usually the problematic source of your discomfort... I won't describe it anymore.
Okay, Seriously, you are surrounded with all of this great looking street food that you can't eat. You may be in the hottest most humid day of the year, but you can't drink the water... you can't even trust a closed plastic Avian water bottle. Fresh fruit and Veggies purchased at a market HAS to be soaked in a bleach solution (MUST be Chlorox) BEFORE being placed in the refrigerator.
So, naturally, the embassy has a list of "tried and trusted" local restaurants. The night was a bit cool and overcast. The restaurant was a short walk to where the post office and shoe wallah was, and the cool night was refreshing. It was around 7ish and all of the shops were still open and thriving. We went to the Moti Mahal, a very clean and pleasant place. Not too overly "Indian" in decor. Not huge, nor small. A few cozy tables, but not cramped. We just had enough time to order pea palao, mutton biryani, chicken murg (curry) and chciken tikka masala with garlic naan. Everything was delicious and appropriately spiced. Not too much hot pepper, salt, or masala. The tikka was in a thick sauce with a generous proportion of lemon - I could never replicate something this good.
The kids were falling asleep at the table. The food brightened them up, but the day was too long for them to enjoy dinner.
And it was a good choice for a restaurant ..... meaning no one got sick !
We walked out of the Zafar Mahal and into the residential area around the park. The lanes were very narrow with 3-4 story apartment looking building. Most of the first floors were shops and businesses. The open sewer/drain ran between the road and the buildings. I was waiting for Joshua to fall into the sewer when we stopped to check the guide book. I thought I saw chunks of stuff float by, but I didn't smell anything too bad. Chickens were crammed into tight cages outside of markets. Space on the road was very limited. Motorcycles and cars could barely avoid the obstacles in the road: Cockroaches, cows, goats, dogs. Most of the lanes were just barely wide enough for one car. Here, like most of the area, the roads were not designed with people in mind. Even though that's how most people get around. It seemed as if many of the locals were surprised to see any westerners - this area isn't on the tourist route.
The surrounding park was not remotely equivalent to a park.... and I'm not being a picky American. We passed a large garbage dump with a family of pigs eating out of it. I think these were wild pigs. They didn't have leashes or ID tags; nor were they penned or tied to a tree.
However, there should have been some historical buildings along here. And we found one. The Madhi Masjid looked to be a nice and clean place to visit. But. It was closed. That didn't stop 2 guys that pulled up on a motorcycle and hopped the fence to get a few pictures. I didn't want to do that with the kids.
In the end, I realized that we could have reached some of the Heritage site relics had we turned the other way out of Qutb. You never know. We could have, or most likely would have, encountered the same or worse. Luck would have it, though, that we would end up back on the very busy Anuvart Marg. AND in front of the the Metro stop....... we still had to cross the road. You could do this by making a run for the center divider when the traffic cleared, and then crossing the other side. Not so easy with Julia in my arms.... and every hair on my body was raised and tingling as if I had just finished a ride on a roller coaster. Some things you look back on and say - "That was really stupid". But, you don't have a chance everyday to experience India. And this is the best way to do it.
Just for fun we took a tuk-tuk from the Race Course Metro back to the
embassy compound with all six on board. After a light lunch we took Joshua Bowling ! The compound has a very nice 4 lane alley. A group for kids having a birthday party took up 2 lanes and were all over the place. Julia took a long nap. I drank an espresso from the cafe. Josh and I played 3 games.This is still Day2........
We finished the night off with dinner at a local restaurant. It is known that you can't trust the locally made food. The fear is the dreaded Delhi Belly. No not a Bollywood movie - it's described as a DISASTROUS result of contaminated food and water. THE Bane of worldwide travelers. And it's no surprise. Things here are just not very clean. And if you do clean with water, the water is usually the problematic source of your discomfort... I won't describe it anymore.
Okay, Seriously, you are surrounded with all of this great looking street food that you can't eat. You may be in the hottest most humid day of the year, but you can't drink the water... you can't even trust a closed plastic Avian water bottle. Fresh fruit and Veggies purchased at a market HAS to be soaked in a bleach solution (MUST be Chlorox) BEFORE being placed in the refrigerator.
So, naturally, the embassy has a list of "tried and trusted" local restaurants. The night was a bit cool and overcast. The restaurant was a short walk to where the post office and shoe wallah was, and the cool night was refreshing. It was around 7ish and all of the shops were still open and thriving. We went to the Moti Mahal, a very clean and pleasant place. Not too overly "Indian" in decor. Not huge, nor small. A few cozy tables, but not cramped. We just had enough time to order pea palao, mutton biryani, chicken murg (curry) and chciken tikka masala with garlic naan. Everything was delicious and appropriately spiced. Not too much hot pepper, salt, or masala. The tikka was in a thick sauce with a generous proportion of lemon - I could never replicate something this good.
The kids were falling asleep at the table. The food brightened them up, but the day was too long for them to enjoy dinner.
And it was a good choice for a restaurant ..... meaning no one got sick !
Still Day2 - Zafar Mahal
If you were to look in the guide books at the Qutb Minar complex, they would mention that it is part of and next to a massive archaeological park. In addition, the guide books would show a nice green space loaded with tombs, stepwells, and mosques dating from around the 12th to the 17th centuries.
So I thought we would start from the top and work our way down. It's essentially on a large hill. All we would have to do is walk our way up to the Adham Khan Tomb and go from there. Now, the road above th
e Qutb Minar complex was very narrow. Shops and houses were up above, parking lots for the tourist buses and cars below. The road was loaded with blind spots, there were no sidewalks, plenty of pee spots and really no place to go when a bus would come by. I had to carry Julia, there's no place for her to walk. And I thought the buses were all for the Qutb complex, but as we soon noticed, there was a bus terminal in the direction we were going. Once we got to Adham Khan tomb, we had to fight through the cars, motorcycles, tuk-tuks and buses just to cross the 2 lane road. It was complete chaos.
On the right of the road were groups of people and tables set up with, of all things, typewriters ... ? Signs were designating this as the place to go if you needed a Notary.
The stairway leading up to the tomb was in bad shape. A herd of goats were sleeping on the grounds. This is one of the few places that I saw monkeys. They were just hanging around too. People were taking naps. The tomb, overall, was in pretty bad shape.
Not far from here was the palace of the last Mughal emperor, the Zafar Palace. The LA
ST Mughal's summer palace - this should be something cool to see. One problem, getting there.
I don't really plan these day trips to well. If you have experience traveling in foreign countries you know that American guide books usually don't have accurate maps of the areas that you want to go to. Especially if you want to see some place off the travelers path, far from the tourists, the places where there's no room to park a bus ! These are the real places to go see. To see how the real India lives. People in their daily lives giving you looks like - "You know YOU shouldn't be here" and "Damn I just saw a lost white guy - WHERE'S MY camera ???"
The "Palace" was completely broken down. A large wood door, the largest I have ever seen was locked with huge locks. The large door had a smaller wooden entry door that was open. It was one of those times when you think to yourself..... "Can we really go in there ?" But by the tim
e I thought that, Wayne had already entered.
We walked into a large entryway. And somewhere in this cavernous space you could hear voices, so maybe there was a tour group in here, or something. Turns out, it was something...... a group of local men and boys were playing cricket in one of the courtyards. I didn't exactly fell too comfortable around this place. You know when you walk into a room and everyone goes disturbingly quiet ???
One local guy was trying to be helpful and kind of showed me around. He kept pointing out into the surrounding apartments and saying "Jungle" - a description fro the park, which was a bit overgrown - and other stuff in broken English. There just seemed to be something sinister about this place. And hence - I didn't pull out my camera to take too many shots. Fortunately, Wayne got a couple good pictures !
The palace was completely open to look around, like most relics in India. Yet, it was a pretty dangerous place to be in, especially with 2 kids. The palace had several stairwells with broken stairs - all, by the way, were stone; No wood here except for the doors. At the top of the stairs there were, in parts of the palace, broken floor where you could easily fall 2-3 storeys. At the end of the palace was a Mosque that was in pretty good condition.
So, I didn't feel too comfortable there with the guys hanging out, the broken liquor bottles, and dangerous drop offs. So we left to find more relics around the "park".
Wiki has a good write up about the Mahal. Here are 2 pictures from that source.
So I thought we would start from the top and work our way down. It's essentially on a large hill. All we would have to do is walk our way up to the Adham Khan Tomb and go from there. Now, the road above th
e Qutb Minar complex was very narrow. Shops and houses were up above, parking lots for the tourist buses and cars below. The road was loaded with blind spots, there were no sidewalks, plenty of pee spots and really no place to go when a bus would come by. I had to carry Julia, there's no place for her to walk. And I thought the buses were all for the Qutb complex, but as we soon noticed, there was a bus terminal in the direction we were going. Once we got to Adham Khan tomb, we had to fight through the cars, motorcycles, tuk-tuks and buses just to cross the 2 lane road. It was complete chaos.On the right of the road were groups of people and tables set up with, of all things, typewriters ... ? Signs were designating this as the place to go if you needed a Notary.
The stairway leading up to the tomb was in bad shape. A herd of goats were sleeping on the grounds. This is one of the few places that I saw monkeys. They were just hanging around too. People were taking naps. The tomb, overall, was in pretty bad shape.
Not far from here was the palace of the last Mughal emperor, the Zafar Palace. The LA
ST Mughal's summer palace - this should be something cool to see. One problem, getting there.I don't really plan these day trips to well. If you have experience traveling in foreign countries you know that American guide books usually don't have accurate maps of the areas that you want to go to. Especially if you want to see some place off the travelers path, far from the tourists, the places where there's no room to park a bus ! These are the real places to go see. To see how the real India lives. People in their daily lives giving you looks like - "You know YOU shouldn't be here" and "Damn I just saw a lost white guy - WHERE'S MY camera ???"
The "Palace" was completely broken down. A large wood door, the largest I have ever seen was locked with huge locks. The large door had a smaller wooden entry door that was open. It was one of those times when you think to yourself..... "Can we really go in there ?" But by the tim
e I thought that, Wayne had already entered.We walked into a large entryway. And somewhere in this cavernous space you could hear voices, so maybe there was a tour group in here, or something. Turns out, it was something...... a group of local men and boys were playing cricket in one of the courtyards. I didn't exactly fell too comfortable around this place. You know when you walk into a room and everyone goes disturbingly quiet ???
One local guy was trying to be helpful and kind of showed me around. He kept pointing out into the surrounding apartments and saying "Jungle" - a description fro the park, which was a bit overgrown - and other stuff in broken English. There just seemed to be something sinister about this place. And hence - I didn't pull out my camera to take too many shots. Fortunately, Wayne got a couple good pictures !
The palace was completely open to look around, like most relics in India. Yet, it was a pretty dangerous place to be in, especially with 2 kids. The palace had several stairwells with broken stairs - all, by the way, were stone; No wood here except for the doors. At the top of the stairs there were, in parts of the palace, broken floor where you could easily fall 2-3 storeys. At the end of the palace was a Mosque that was in pretty good condition.
So, I didn't feel too comfortable there with the guys hanging out, the broken liquor bottles, and dangerous drop offs. So we left to find more relics around the "park".
Wiki has a good write up about the Mahal. Here are 2 pictures from that source.
Mehrauli Bus Terminal
This is a video of the Mehrauli Bus Terminal next to the 16th century Adham Kahn's Tomb. The traffic really backs up here. And this is the reason for all of the buses along the narrow road to the top of the archaeological park.
Day2 Qutb Minar Complex
Many of the parks that we entered in had "guides" that you could hire. They would also take your money to get you're tickets for you... We decided to get our own. 250Rs for the adults, kids are free - including Joshua.
The Indians pay 50Rs. The complex is massive and very old. From whats left of the buildings, you can tell how they were made. Large stones and boulders made up the interior parts of the walls and finely carved stones with Koranic verses were over-laid to make the walls and archways. The complete complex had several mosques, tombs and graves.
It was a Saturday so the complex was loaded with western tour groups and school children. Buses, taxis and tuk-tuks fought for places to drop off passengers. The complex was clean, nicely preserved and everyone was respectful of the grounds. It's hard to believe that you can actually walk within the graves and ruins - it's like one huge artwork. But I guess that if it has lasted centuries in the hands of the Indians, it should stand the test of time.
The Minar is so tall (240ft) and the airplanes landing at the airport were flying so low - it looked like they were going to touch.
I'll try to describe some of the buildings : It's hard to believe, the stonework, inscriptions and carving are really beautiful.
Qutb Minar
The Tallest brick minaret in the world. Called the victory tower - a king defeating another in 1192.
Imam Zamin's Tomb
The inscription on the tomb says that this was a saint from Turkestan who settled in India in
1500. He dies in 1539 and this tomb was built for him. A lot of relics in India has Jalis - perforated stones and lattice screens.
Alai Darwaza
Erected in 1311. Gateway to the southern side of the Mosque. The earliest building in India to employ "Islamic Architecture" in it's arched construction and
ornamentation, the first true arches and domes in India.
Iron Pillar
A 4th century pillar considered one of the "world’s foremost metallurgical curiosities". It weighs more than 6 tons. It was moved to this location in the 10th century. 4th century Sanscript is inscribed on it and it was probably like a flag pole. Apparently, no one has any idea how this could have been made at that time.
Iltutmish's Tomb
It probably had a dome. But it was built before the Islamic architecture era in 1235 and the dome had not lasted.
Other photos :
Kids in a school group. Workers doing "something" - repaving ? Building architecture showing the stonework below the inscribed stones.
The Indians pay 50Rs. The complex is massive and very old. From whats left of the buildings, you can tell how they were made. Large stones and boulders made up the interior parts of the walls and finely carved stones with Koranic verses were over-laid to make the walls and archways. The complete complex had several mosques, tombs and graves.It was a Saturday so the complex was loaded with western tour groups and school children. Buses, taxis and tuk-tuks fought for places to drop off passengers. The complex was clean, nicely preserved and everyone was respectful of the grounds. It's hard to believe that you can actually walk within the graves and ruins - it's like one huge artwork. But I guess that if it has lasted centuries in the hands of the Indians, it should stand the test of time.
The Minar is so tall (240ft) and the airplanes landing at the airport were flying so low - it looked like they were going to touch.
I'll try to describe some of the buildings : It's hard to believe, the stonework, inscriptions and carving are really beautiful.
Qutb Minar
The Tallest brick minaret in the world. Called the victory tower - a king defeating another in 1192.
Imam Zamin's Tomb
The inscription on the tomb says that this was a saint from Turkestan who settled in India in
1500. He dies in 1539 and this tomb was built for him. A lot of relics in India has Jalis - perforated stones and lattice screens.Alai Darwaza
Erected in 1311. Gateway to the southern side of the Mosque. The earliest building in India to employ "Islamic Architecture" in it's arched construction and
ornamentation, the first true arches and domes in India.
Iron Pillar
A 4th century pillar considered one of the "world’s foremost metallurgical curiosities". It weighs more than 6 tons. It was moved to this location in the 10th century. 4th century Sanscript is inscribed on it and it was probably like a flag pole. Apparently, no one has any idea how this could have been made at that time.
Iltutmish's Tomb
It probably had a dome. But it was built before the Islamic architecture era in 1235 and the dome had not lasted.
Other photos :
Kids in a school group. Workers doing "something" - repaving ? Building architecture showing the stonework below the inscribed stones.
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