India Day 7 (16 Jun 11) - Around Delhi in Metro: A trip to India Gate, Purana Qila, Humanyun's Tomb and the Lotus Temple

Started the day with a walk to the metro station. One of the reasons I chose to stay in this hotel is its proximity to the metro. To be frank I am quite sick of being a live target to the auto rickshaw drivers to be ripped off. I decided to minimise the need to use private transport and go with public transport instead. The metro station seemed nearby the hotel I am putting up on the map. However the walk proved that distance on the map is a delusion. Moreover walking in this hot weather is a killer. I was perspiring profusely while walking to the metro station. Entering the metro station was a life saver for me. The air conditioning in the metro station cooled me down in no time. Got a multi trip ticket at 100 Rupee and off I go in the metro to my first destination - India Gate. I would say the metro in Delhi is very clean and efficient and it was a good way of traveling around away from the heat. The air con in the metro train was also very powerful, making me forget how hot it is on the surface. I reached my station in no time and as I walked out of the metro station, surprising the usual congregation of touts are nowhere visible. Well I am not complaining about it, though the weather was as hot as ever, I was enjoying my quiet morning walk towards the India Gate. To get to the India Gate, I have to walk through this boulevard that leads towards the Gate. At the start of the boulevard, it is not difficult to spot the India Gate. It was standing there solemnly mourning for the demise of the Indian soldiers it was purposed for. As I was walking down the boulevard, I began to perspire profusely again. Damn after being in India for about 1 week, I am still not getting use to the heat. I was so tempted to hit the greeneries by the side of the boulevard where it was decorated with trees, and where most of the locals hang out to cool themselves off the summer heat. However I persisted on walking under the ever merciless sun towards my destination. As I was about to reach my destination, an auto rickshaw pulled up and asked if I am going towards the India Gate. At this point I was about to give up, however with no intention of hopping on. I nodded to the driver and asked how much would he charged me for the very near trip. Before stating the price, the driver asked where I am going next after the India Gate. Guess he did not think I will spend the whole day there. I told him I am going to Purana QIla. He then quoted me 50 Rupees. I counter offered him 30 rupees, and he agreed. Without much hesitation I hopped onto the auto rickshaw as I thought I would need get an auto rickshaw to Purana Qila anyways. 

The metro station in Delhi

Map of the Metro line

Parliament House in Delhi 

We reached India Gate shortly (it was really close where I boarded the auto rickshaw. I got off the vehicle and told the driver I will only take 5 mins tops and headed over to the India Gate. It looked solemn standing there like a soldier, mourning for the lost lives who fought for the Brits during World War I. It is similar to the "Arc de Triomphe" of Paris, but looked slimmer and one cannot climb up to this gate unlike the Arc. Well it does serve its purpose of remembrance. On the main beam, carved the word "India" and below it the words "To the dead of the Indian Armies who fell and are honoured in France and Flanders Mesopotamia and Persia East Africa Gallipoli and elsewhere the near and the far east and in sacred memory also of those whose names are here and who fell in India or the north-west frontier and during the Third Afghan War". On the walls of the gate, both inside and outside are carved the names of those who perished during the war. There was four drums at the bottom of the gate, but strange enough, only one was burning. Too bad the gate was cordoned off, I guess to prevent people from vandalising it. I walked a few circles around the gate, took a few more pictures before heading back to look for the auto rickshaw which brought me to my next destination.

India Gate

Me in India Gate

Around the India Gate

India Gate

One of the sculptures around India Gate 

The next destination is about 5 minutes ride from the India Gate. Purana Qila, or Old Fort which it was commonly known as to the locals, was next to the zoo. The Old Fort, which predates Red Fort, was the oldest fort in Delhi. The main fort gate was Persian and Muslim influenced in its design and having 2 cylindrical tower beside it. The walls of this fort looked rather ruined from the other side, once I have passed the gate. I could see ruins along the wall. Passing the gate was a huge garden. I read from the guide book that this fort now functioned as a garden, where the locals hang out. True enough, it has became a popular spot for lovers whom come here for their dates. Across the gardens, I can see a building with a dome on top of it. Instead of heading that way, I headed for the right gate. The way to the right gate was decorated with coconut trees. From far, I can see a gate like structure with 2 pavilions on top of it. Walked towards it and snapped some pictures of it. Other then looking ruined and the 2 distinctive pavilions, there was nothing really much about this gate. There seemed to be some restorations going on, which prohibits me from going under the gate to see what's on the other side. Turning back, I headed towards this lone building in the fort. This octagonal lone building served as a library and the first observatory in Delhi. However it was sealed and there was no way of gaining access to the inside of this building, thus I headed towards the building next to it. Not far from the library was a mosque. This suggested that India was heavily influenced by Muslims in its earlier days. This is perhaps one of the most well preserved building in Old Fort as it has not lose its grandeur. The red building seemed to be partly built of white marble, has some Islamic or perhaps Arabic inscripted on the walls. The arches, however has some lotus buds carved onto it. Looked like a hinduism and muslim has well been integrated into the design of this mosque. I headed inside the mosque and saw the main praying wall was made of white marble. The walls near the dome has some Persian looking designs on it. This mosque certainly has not lost its characteristics all these centuries. Exiting the mosque, I went to the Gate to the left of the main gate. This gate was similar to the other gate opposite it, but has only 1 pavilion instead of 2. It seemed like the restoration works never took place for these 2 gates. As the rest of the Old Fort has been converted into a garden, there is really nothing much to see here. I headed to my next destination.

Entrance to Purana Qila

Me at Purana Qila

Gardens in Purana Qila

Inside Purana Qila

Purana Qila up close

Sher Mandal, Believed to be a library inside Purana Qila

Part of Purana Qila walls in ruins

Qala-i-Kuhna Masjid - Mosque inside Purana Qila

Qala-i-Kuhna Masjid Up close

Inside Qala-i-Kuhna Masjid

Inside Qala-i-Kuhna Masjid

Inside Qala-i-Kuhna Masjid

Talaaqi Darwaza

My next destination was Humayun's Tomb. Humayun was a Mughal Emperor and this tomb was certainly befitting of an emperor. After getting the tickets, instead of heading straight for the tomb, I took a right turn and went to the side garden instead. Through the side gate was 2 buildings next to each other.  The smaller squarish building was a tomb, whereas the larger rectangular building was a mosque. This little corner seemed to be masked by Humayun's Tomb, as no one was passing through this quiet area when I was there. I took some pictures and headed out from another gate. The main entrance gate to Humayun's tomb was immediate after this side gate. Even the main gate to the emperor's tomb looked grand. The white coloured building, brimmed with red sand stones has 3 faces to it and 2 pavilions on top of them. The architecture of this gate was heavily influence by Islamism. Passing through the main gate was the Tomb! Man, it really looked huge. From far, it looked like a large scale mosque. its construction was pretty similar to that of Taj Mahal. Before the tomb was a garden, and this was believed to be the first garden tomb in India! Till today, the garden was well taken care off by the staffs in this tomb. I walked towards the tomb building, and it was magnificant! The main tomb building has a huge white dome and 4 smaller pavilion looking structures beside it. The red tomb was brimmed with white marbles, a stark contrast from its main gate. Once up on the main platform where the emperor's tomb sits, there seemed to be more tombs on the platform. Wonder who's tombs are those. The main entrance into the tomb was very Persian in style, reminded me of the Imam mosque In Isfahan I saw in Iran some months back. Even the interior of the gate was nicely carved and decorated, which looked very much like the mosques in Iran. The white marble emperor's tomb sits right in the centre of the tomb for centuries. The interior looked like it was built of white marble, very similar to that of Taj Mahal, except that there was no flower carvings on its interior walls. I went around the tomb building and spotted more tombs in the smaller rooms within the same building, some are in pairs, while others are in threes. Really wonder who would be honored enough to be buried next to the emperor. Exiting the tomb building, I walked around the tomb admiring the gardens where this building sits. After taking some pictures, I exited the compound and headed towards my next destination by auto rickshaw.

Gate guarding Humayun's Tomb

Afsarwala (Officer) Tomb

Afsarwala Tomb up close

Afsarwala Tomb and Mosque

Humayun's Tomb

Me at Humayun's Tomb

Cenotaphs of the royal family

Main building of Humayun's Tomb

Carvings on the ceiling in Humayun's Tomb

Humayun's Tomb itself

Humayun's Tomb

Humayun's Tomb

The Lotus Temple (which was locally known) was a fair distance from Humayun's Tomb. Once arriving, there is not mistake that I have reached my destination. Often known as the Sydney Opera house in India, the Lotus Temple was constructed to resemble a lotus. The white building was definitely a feat of architecture. I followed the crowd into the temple. As the temple is of Bahai origins, it welcomed anyone of any religion to enter its premises to pray to their god. It really symbolises harmony of all religions. Once inside the temple, I can't help but admire the architecture and the difficulty in the design and construction of this temple. At the very centre of the temple was a motif, can't really figure out what it is (I have been staring at it the moment I entered the inside the temple). The interior of the temple was very serene, and the sunlight only managed to peek through the top part of the temple where the opening of the lotus flower was at. I took 1 minute to walk around the interior of this temple before heading back out. I headed towards the metro station next. The Lotus Temple was about 5 mins away from the nearest metro station. The entrance of every metro station (and shopping malls too) was guarded by some security personnel, and everyone has to go through the metal detectors and subjected to body checks. My bag has gone through countless X-ray machines in India whenever I enter a shopping mall or the metro station. Really what is with the security checks in India???

Lotus Temple - it welcomes devotees of all religions to conduct their respective prayers here

Lotus Temple up close

Lotus Temple

Me at Lotus Temple

Taking the Metro back to the hotel

Took the metro back to the hotel to rest for the day. As the hotel has a small kitchenette, I went to the nearby supermarket in the mall to get some instant noodles and microwavable chicken nuggets, intending to have a simple lunch before heading to Hard Rock Cafe nearby for dinner in the evening. However I was too lazy to head towards Hard Rock Cafe (plus I was rather full towards the end of the day), I simply went over the food court to pack some Indian food back to the hotel (so I can watch one of the 2 TVs in the room while eating). After dinner I hit the bed as I was dog tired.

Simple Lunch

Dinner Time

India Day 6 (15 Jun 11) - The Day the Lady Wept: Visiting Taj Mahal On a Rainy Day

Originally wanted to wake up to see sunrise at Taj Mahal. Saw a notice at the hotel lift lobby the previous night stating that the Taj was close at sunrise timing due to some VVIP visit, damn spoilt my plans for the day. Well since I can't visit the Taj as planned, I was hoping to visit it at around 9 am, the timing the VVIP visit was scheduled to end as well as to avoid the crowd who will be strolling in after that. Since Taj Mahal seemed quite close by the hotel, i decided to walk there, partly to digest the breakfast. Alas how wrong I was, the whole walk took about 45 mins. As I was stepping out of the hotel, it started to drizzle. "Not too bad" I thought to myself, the drizzle really cools off the heatwave I have been experiencing the past few days. God must have heard my bitching about the heatwave and the hot weather. As I was walking, the rain turned into a downpour, I was totally soaked by the time I reached Taj Mahal entrance. Once at the entrance, well the touts are at work again, people trying to sell me umbrella, hmmm..... seemed like not much use to me since I am already totally soaked.  Entering Taj Mahal was not too bad, despite the snaking queue forming outside, with people queuing under the rain. I was told to proceed to an empty queue. So I did, I was in Taj Mahal grounds in no time. As it was still pouring, people are generally seeking shelter either near the entrance or the gate building before Taj Mahal. I marched through under the rain and headed straight towards the Taj. I am glad I did that as the crowd was significantly lesser. As I was walking towards Taj Mahal itself, I met these 2 ladies with a British accent and volunteered to help them take picture. They seemed to trust me more then the locals and was quick to agree to my offer. After taking the pictures, I headed towards Taj Mahal. I was at the platform where this wonder of the world rests for centuries. The platform was also made of white marble, walking up the platform was exhilarating as I was about to enter one of the Wonders of the World. 

Local Transport

Ticketing office of Taj Mahal

There she is - The Taj Mahal

Entrance to Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal

I decided to take some pictures of the Taj Mahal before entering the mausoleum, the walls of Taj Mahal was also colourfully decorated with flowers which was made of red gems. On the walls of the Taj Mahal, be it carved or arranged with gems, the flower and plant theme was distinctive. The tall walls of the Taj Mahal has some Arabic inscription on it. Unlike the baby Taj, The minarets of the Taj Mahal is not part of the main building, but 4 lone standing towers at each of the extreme end of the white marble platform where Taj Mahal sits. I entered Taj Mahal after taking pictures of it and the surroundings. There wasn't much of a queue at this point partly due to the rain, and I got inside in no time. Lying in the centre of Taj Mahal was the tomb of Arjumand Bann Begum, the favourite wife of Shah Jahan. To the left of this tomb was the tomb of Shah Jahan, whose tomb was one platform taller then his wife. It was said that people subsequently buried him there after his death owing to his devotion to his dead wife. The tombs was surrounded by a white marble fence, having only the side facing the main entrance open. People crowded at this opening to glimpse at the 2 tombs inside the Taj Mahal. The platform of the tombs and the lower half of the fence was also colourfully decorated with flower patterns. After looking at the tombs, I walked one round inside the Taj Mahal. Even the interior was also engraved with flower designs, seemed to suggest a continuity of life after death. I took one glimpse at the tombs before heading outside the Taj Mahal and take pictures of the exterior. As Taj Mahal was built on the banks of Yamuna River, I went to the side that overlooks the river. The view was smoothing and magnificent. From this side, I can see Agra fort. As I was moving around taking more pictures and enjoying the view, some local kids asked me to take a picture of them. Soon there was a small group of children posing in front of my camera, they seemed to be very happy to be a subject of my camera and kept thanking me. After the children left, 2 locals asked to take picture with me. Feels like I was in Iran, where the Iranians are also very passionate in asking foreigners to take pictures with them. I roamed around Taj Mahal for another 10 minutes before heading out. On my way out, I realise there was a really good spot to take picture of the Taj Mahal at the centre platform. After snapping some pictures, the 2 British women approached me to ask me to help them take a picture. I told them to stand where the best spot is. After seeing the pictures, they were very happy and agreed that the spot I just recommended was indeed a very good spot for picture. They helped me take a couple of shot before bidding farewell.

Me drenched wet in Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal up close

Intrigue design on the Taj Mahal

Intrigue design on the Taj Mahal

Intrigue design on the Taj Mahal

There are a lot of flower patterns on the walls of the Taj Mahal

Intrigue design on the Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal up close

The patterns on the minarets

Taj Mahal up close

Taj Mahal from another angle

One of the water palaces on the sides of Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal

A museum in Taj Mahal Grounds

Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal up close

Minaret of Taj Mahal

Me at Taj Mahal

Tomb of  Arjumand Bann Begum in the centre with tomb of Shah Jahan at the side

Design on the wall of Taj Mahal

View of Yamuna River from Taj Mahal

Yamuna River from Taj Mahal

Curious locals at the Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal

I headed towards the side from the center platform, where it says Taj Museum. The side buildings were used as water control gates back then, thus they were known as the water palaces. As the design of Taj Mahal was heavily influenced by the Quran, symmetry was an important factor and can be seen throughout the grounds of Taj Mahal. To enter the museum, visitors have to pay an additional 10 rupees, which I am not very keen to, thus I made my way out. At the gate to the Taj Mahal, I took some more pictures before leaving the premises towards the hotel. As I was partly dry, I rested at the hotel for about an hour. Seeing the weather was not that hot, I opted to visit Agra Fort before the sun appears from beyond the clouds to show its might again. 

Entrance to Taj Mahal

Water Palace in Taj Mahal grounds

Taj Mahal grounds

At the entrance of Agra Fort, I realise I forgot to bring the ticket for Taj Mahal, which can give me a 50 rupee discount to the site. Damn it, must have left it in the hotel. I decided to pay for the full price instead of going back to the hotel to get it. I left the counter after getting the ticket and start snapping picture of the entrance to the fort. As I was walking towards the entrance of the fort, I realise I forgot to take the change from the counter man after I have paid for them. The entrance to Agra fort is 500 rupees for me!! The price of being clumsy. Agra was known as the mother of all forts in India as Forts in India was replicated from this one. Agra fort was also the stronghold for the Mughals for several generations, and the entire fort was made with red sandstones. The towers, which was part of the gate, certainly displayed its might and the power of the Mughals back then. It was rather intimidating looking up at the main gate. Through the main gate was another gate that leads to the internal palace. Instead of going through it, I head towards this huge building on the right of the gate. This red building seemed to be some sort of living quarters, as its design is very similar to the Jodbhai Palace in Fatehpur Sikri. This building was linked to another building beside it, which looked like a library or more living quarters. I walked up to the window that looked outwards from this building. From here I can see Yamuna River and Taj Mahal. Next to the building was a white marble building, which was a mosque built for Shah Jahan during his imprisonment in Agra fort. The mosque was tucked in one tranquil corner of the fort and have only 1 entry point. Exiting the mosque, I headed towards the area next to it, which is a rather large courtyard with a black marble on it. This is the throne for the king. this throne offers good view of Taj Mahal and Yamuna River. Beside the throne was a building seemed to used for entertaining guests. The view from this courtyard was not just beautiful, the breeze here was good too. I headed to the main audience hall after this throne. This hall is huge and looked like it can accommodate hundreds of people at one time. After snapping some pictures, I headed for the main gardens and noticed that there is this area that was cordoned off. Beyond those gates, there seemed to be more buildings that is perhaps worthy of viewing. I then head back out towards the entrance, asI thought this is pretty much it for this trip of Agra fort. I thought I had covered all those that was opened to the public. As I was heading out, I heard a guide explaining the Agra Fort layout to tourists. He mentioned that part of the fort was the property of the Indian Army. That explains the cordoned off area that I seen earlier on. I headed back to the hotel after I exited Agra Fort to pack up and get ready for my train ride to New Delhi.

Entrance to Agra Fort

Amar Singh Pol - Entrance to Agra Fort

Me at the Jahangiri Mahal

Me at Jahangiri Mahal

Inside Jahangiri Mahal

Agra Fort

Agra Fort

View of Taj Mahal from Agra Fort

Anguri Bagh

Shish Mahal

Khas Mahal

Diwan-i-Khas

Overlooking Taj Mahal afar

Inner Gardens in Agra Fort

Diwan-i-Khas

This is the site Shah Jahan spent his last days looking at Taj Mahal missing his dead queen

Diwan-i-Khas

Diwan-i-Am

Exterior of Agra Fort

Part of Jahangiri Mahal that lays in ruins

Part of Jahangiri Mahal that lays in ruins

Shah Mahal up close

Interior of Agra Fort

Inside Agra Fort

Delhi Gate

Inside Moti Masjid

Moti Masjid

Garden in Agra Fort

Agra Fort grounds

Agra Fort

One of the ruins in Agra Fort

Agra Fort

Agra Fort

Me in Agra Fort

Well train was late as usual in India. But I welcome that lateness as I had always thought the train will depart at 8.55pm. I reached the train station at around 8.45pm, thinking that I have time. After checking the status board, the train was late by 30 minutes. I then looked at my ticket again, this time I realised my train was originally scheduled to leave at 8.30pm. Luckily it was late, if not I would have missed my train. On the train, there was food service. Looked like plane ride, except replace that sexy air stewardess with Indian man. The food was tasty, but in small portions. I arrived in Delhi about 1 hour later then scheduled and headed straight to the hotel where I booked a room with. I was pleasantly surprised with this hotel that I will be staying till I fly back home! This room has a living area, a small kitchenette and 2 TVs! How cool was that. As it was way pass midnight, I hit the bed after shower to rest for tomorrow.

Train Steward distributing food

Food onboard first class train ride