TIME TO START WITH THE GROUP HERE IN DELHI:
Today we are starting our group tour with National Geographic, India by Rail Photography Expedition.
Today after breakfast we will meet up for a briefing and then out to explore Delhi.
Our first stop was Jama Masjid.
This great mosque of Old Delhi is the largest in India, with a courtyard capable of holding 25,000 devotees. It was begun in 1644 and ended up being the final architectural extravagance of Shah Jahan, the Mughal emperor who built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort.
The highly decorative mosque has three great gates, four towers and two 40 m-high minarets constructed of strips of red sandstone and white marble. Female tavelers can hire robes at the northern gate. This may be the only time you get to dress like a local without feeling like an outsider so make the most of it.
The Masjid-i-Jehan-Numa, commonly known as the Jama Masjid, in Old Delhi area of Delhi, is one of the largest mosques in India. Its builder was the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, between 1644 and 1656, and it was inaugurated by its first Imam, Syed Abdul Ghafoor Shah Bukhari.
Next we took a bicycle rickshaw bike (note it was an E-Bike, thus I did not feel too bad for the operator) to Khari Baoli Market. This market, located in Old Delhi near the Red Fort, is Asia's largest and oldest wholesale spice market, operating since 1650. This bustling, 400-year-old market offers a vast array of spices, herbs, nuts, and dry fruits. It is open daily (except Sunday) from 11 AM to 7 AM, offering an intense sensory experience.
The rickshaw ride there and walking about was sensory overload. The smell of spices, the noise of the crowded market, and the people working and going about their daily life. This experience was total sensory overload.
Chandni Chowk Market
The Chandni Chowk (meaning Moonlight Square) is one of the oldest and busiest markets in Old Delhi. Located close to the Old Delhi rail station, the Mughal-era Red Fort is located at the eastern fringes of Chandni Chowk. It was built in 1650 by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, and designed by his daughter, Jahanara . The street spanning the market was historically divided by canals, engineered to reflect moonlight. These canals have since been closed, leaving behind a transformed urban landscape. It remains one of India's largest markets.
Next we made our way to a very nice restaurant where we had lunch. All sorts of Indian food was to be had and all very good. I very much liked the Butter Chicken. Both Lynn and I liked a toasted spinach leaf with topped with a flavorful cheese and yogurt. We overheard it being called India Pizza.
After Lunch we went to The Ghandi House. Known as the Gandhi Smrito or Birla House. Here is where Gandhi lived his last 144 days till his assignation. Memories of my reading about him came flooding back. Seeing where he laid in state, his bed and his spinning wheel. The path to the location of where he was assassinated is marked with footsteps showing his last steps on earth, that January 30, 1948.
As I said, I was moved by seeing his spinning wheel. The Spinning Wheel (charkh) was a crucial, symbolic tool used by Mahatma Gandhi to promote self-reliance, rural economy, and non-violent resistance against British rule (Swaraj). By encouraging the daily spinning of Khadi (hand-spun cloth), he promoted the boycott of British goods and advocated for the dignity of manual labor, turning the charkha into an icon of India's independence movement.
Our next and final stop was the Lodi Gardens. A return visit for us.
Lodi Gardens is a city park situated in New Delhi. Spread over 90 acres, it contains Muhammad Shah's tomb, the tomb of Sikandar Lodi, the Shisha Gumbad and the Bara Gumbad. These monuments date from the late Delhi Sultanate, during the Sayyid dynasty and Lodi dynasty.
The garden houses significant tombs, including those of Mohammed Shah and Sikandar Lodi. In 1936, during British colonial rule, Lady Willingdon redesigned the area as a landscaped setting for these ancient monuments, initially naming it Lady Willingdon Park. Post-independence in 1947, it was renamed Lodhi Garden.
We made some images of plants, birds and tombs.
Back to our hotel for a quick freshen up, We had a lecture, cocktails appetizers and a dinner buffet of Indian delights.
Back to the room for some quick packing, battery charging, cleaning camera etc etc, BAGS OUT AT 0630, then a long bus ride to Jaipur.
PHOTO DUMP AS TO. TIRED TO SORT ETC
