We took two private cabs available for travel and sight- seeing in the city.We started from Mehrauli. It is said that the place got its name from the term " Meherwali " probably ofPersian origin denoting the sobriquet earned by the Medieval saint of the area.The term literally stands for Wali denoting close friend of the Almighty God and Meher standing for a stream or a brook.
We visited the Sky-high Qutub-Minar there. It was built by the monarchical dynasty before the Delhi-Sultanate and completed by Qutub-Ud-Din Aibek , founder of the Slave dynasty which was to gift the capital with the first woman Empress in the form of the chivalrous, Razia Sultan.
The Minar which means "tower" is a significant structure for it denotes victory. We went inside the complex structure surrounding the Minar. It comprised of sprawling lawns with stonehenge like walls around the area.
The Minar on closer looks reveals Arabic scriptures intricately carved out on the robust surface.
The Minar is 24.5 metres high and is surrounded by walled-structures comprising domes of different shapes and sizes.
The architecture of the minar as well as the co-ordinating big and small structures around it are similar to the magnificent Persian and Central-Asian designs.
While taking a stroll , one can see that the space around the Minar has tombs laid symetrically with few yards of distance between them.
I interviewed a Hungarian Couple who were visiting the monument for the first time, Karol and his fiancee Ildi told me that they liked the ambience surrounding the place.They further added that they had seen a documentary series about India on BBC.
The Next Stop was Lotus-Temple belonging to the Bahai faith, a recently developed religion which is independent and all embracing in its scope.(Folks, you can learn more by visiting the Temple located at Bahapur, Kalkaji, New-Delhi.)
Inside the temple, i observed the patterns of the interior cieling. There is a golden flower-shaped ornamental - motif fixed on the middle of the cieling with symmetrical criss-cross patterns of Persian design running parallel to the motif all over. There was peace and calm pervading at the place.
There I interviewed a Polish tourist Mr. Zbigniew Pulcny who frequently visits the capital.He says that whenever he gets stressed out in his work back home, he frequents India.
After this spiritual and cultural location, we headed for the Red Fort-a giant fortification for the Mughal Military which got its name from its red sandstone colour. Inside the fort, there are small shops selling fares as replica of Mughal jewellery, traditional paintings, handicrafts, sequinned bags etc.
Inside the fort there is a pristine white palace which has engravings, ornamentations, flower-motifs etc. The pillars of one of the chambers were in the Central-Asian trademark colour, emerald-blue, maroon and golden.
The net-like windows with engravngs of a flower and leaves looked very delicate. There, i had noticed that one such window was broken, maybe the Archaelogical Department can restore it.
Facing the palace on the lush green lawn, there were benches on which were seated a European couple. Upon approaching, he asked me what i wanted! I inquired wheter this was the first time they had visited the capital: yes , came the answer !
The man at first gave the impression of the upper tight-lip Englishman but gradually opened up. Maybe this has got to do with the comfort-space in different regions and culture. They told me that they liked the ambience and the uncomparable architecture of the place. The couple, Ryan Waters and Sarah Wofley were from London, Twickenham.
I thanked them for choosing India as their escapade.
After leaving the symbol of India's Monarchical resistance in the 1857 rebellion, we headed for Rajghat the memory of Mahatma Gandhi. It is a simple place with lush green and maintained lawns with the epitaph in memory of the Father of the nation in the middle of it.
The parking lot opposite to the exit-gate has a shop selling Gandhiji's literature and journals etc. There was a simple and affectionate old lady sitting on the reception, wherefrom i collected a catalogue on the titles available on Gandhiji and India's freedom struggle history and also recieved a complementary Journal which was from a society preserving the Gandhian ideals.
After that, we headed for the India-Gate, it was evening then. The structure stands in memory of the martyred Indian soldiers in the Second World War. Upon closer look, the surface of the structure shows off the names of the men who fell on the fateful day.
In front of the gate, there flutters the three flags of the Indian Army, Navy and the Air-Force. There was a lot of crowd as it was Sunday. It comprised of adults, children and youngsters of different nationalities.
After these we took the street opposite to the India Gate leading to the Rashtrapati Bhavan. It appeared magnificent in the evening with colonial and French details in its architecture. This and the Parliament were built by a French architect. We couldn't stop our vehicle there but as we drove whatever little we observed we cherished it.
As for the Parliament, it needed special permission and VIP passes to enter the area for security reasons.
The trip was a delightful experience for aesthetic as well as a study in itself. There are a lot of Historical and heritage structures in Delhi which should be taken care of and promoted at the deserving level.
I will discuss about the others when i visit them!
Till then Keep a little sense of History, Arts and Culture in all your hearts!
Keep Blogging
God Bless You All.
Peace.
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