Two Wednesdays ago, my friend Shraddha and I flew to Delhi for the wedding of the Early Years secretary. We left at 6am and took the 2am return flight home. The reception was in the evening, so we had the day to explore. Zeeshan joined us for some fun sightseeing.
I will start this entry with the wonderful art we saw exhibited at our Mumbai airport gate.
We arrived and were met with garlands from the driver hired by Zeeshan.
Once we arrived in Delhi, we headed to Shraddha’s friends’ house. We were treated to a yummy breakfast with parathas and many other delicacies. Then we were off for a day of exploring!
Our first stop was Humayun’s Tomb Complex, a World Heritage Site with quite a few tombs dispersed around. At the entrance to the compound is the Sabz Burj, a mosque that was recently restored and would have been for the member of the royal household.
The first tomb we visited was Isa Khan’s mausoleum. The aerial photo provided shows how grand it was, and he wasn’t even an emperor but rather a noble in the court of Sher Shah Sur. He built it in his lifetime, and it even includes a mosque. He was an Afghani Pashtun, a group that dominated the area during this time. He died in 1548 at the age of 98! The tomb had major restoration work that started in 2011, while the overall complex restoration started in 2000 and 2003, funded by the Aga Khan Foundation for Culture and the Archaeology Survey of India.
Next we walked towards the next landmark, passing the West Gate, a striking entrance to the main tomb.
Entering the mausoleum required climbing up some very steep stairs, which made me think it was one way to keep invaders out! This tomb, built 20 years after the one we just saw, is known as the Taj Mahal of Delhi because it was built by the widow of Humayun, the second Mughal emperor of India about whom very little is known. The widow, Biga Begum (Hajji Begum), had it built 14 years after his death, at a cost of 1.5 million rupees. I cannot help but wonder why she waited and what court intrigues were at play! It is the first mausoleum built in the Mughal style within India and is heavily influenced by Persian traditions.
The Persian/Mughal garden mausoleum style needs water sources, plus everything must be symmetrical. That is why you will find such tombs near rivers. While the original river is long gone, the pools and waterways have recently been restored. As we walked the grounds and looked at the smaller mausoleum below, we were able to get a sense of the garden atmosphere. Many Delhi residents come to enjoy the park.
As we drove to the next location we passed the government zone, which gave a sense of DC with these mammoth buildings to house the bureaucracy of a large government. Not a pleasant drive with its traffic and blocked roads. Hence, Delhi is not a favorite city of mine. By the way, Delhi is actually many cities merged together. That is why you read about New Delhi, Old Delhi…and there are other names. Lastly, like Washington, DC, Delhi not a state but rather a federal government-controlled district.
The drive took us to Old Delhi and a street called Chandi Chowk where no cars are allowed. Located here are markets: spice and fabric to name a few. And LOT of people watching. But first on the agenda was lunch. Zeeshan took us to a vegetarian Paratha place, you know, the kind that has no décor but amazing food. There was every kind of paratha imaginable. We sampled potato and onion, mixed vegetable, cauliflower, paneer, dhal, and ended with sugar (usually for kids…my dessert of course!). My favorite was the cauliflower.
The passage ways were wonderfully cramped, and Shraddha shared that many people from Mumbai come here to buy clothes and fabric for weddings.
If one looks closely behind the plethora of shops, people, wires, advertisement, and items for sale – you can see the framework of architecture that was once quite beautiful.
This street is full of people walking, shopping, lounging and even sleeping!
Next we walked towards the spice market. I don’t need to buy spices nor is such a location a new experience for me, but ohhh-the photographic possibilities had me frantic!
Interesting was that as we went deeper into the passageways of the spice market, we clearly entered the wholesale section of the market where everyone was coughing from the large amounts of spice dust in the air. I was intrigued by the men who carried large bags of spices, their faces intently focused on balancing the bag and watching where they were going. It was interesting to learn from Zeeshan that even though there are no spices grown in this area, all the spices are shipped here because it’s easy to distribute to the whole county from Delhi.
Located at the deepest depth of the market is this tower, where if you climb it there is an amazing view.
Next was a long bike ride to our next location (our driver got a large tip since there were two of us in the bike and I am not the thinnest beanpole around; Zeeshan was in a separate bike). Wonderful people watching as we rode through the narrow streets and watched life go on around us. Being India, even on the bikes-only street there was traffic! The traffic continued as we wove our way through narrow streets towards the Mosque.
We arrived at Jama Masjid (translated into Friday Mosque), Delhi’s principal mosque. It was built between 1650-56 by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, who also built the Taj Mahal and the nearby Red Fort. We climbed the steep staircase up to the compound, which affords a commanding view of the surrounding area. I imagine years ago it was the centerpiece of the skyline.
In one of the archways, you see the names of all the Imams who presided over the mosque. Currently it is the 14th Imam. The first Imam was from Bukhara, currently in Uzbekistan.
As large and commanding the building is, the actual prayer space is narrow. Therefore, for Friday prayers many worshippers pray outside. You can see these poles are erected outside, for awnings to protect from the heat and rain.
There is a direct line from the Red Fort (where the emperor would have lived) to the mosque. Between is a street there was a market so after Friday services, families could do their shopping. A vibrant market to this day.
Throughout the day there were many moments I was able to capture with my camera, as well as the requisite street art, all in the form of murals. The new tunnel was especially colorful.
Street shopping at night? Not a problem in Delhi!
Then it was time to return to our starting point to nap and get ready for the wedding. We took the necessary selfie and said our goodbyes to Zeeshan. When it was time to go to the weeding, we took a selfie with Shraddha’s friends as well.
Of course, I cannot leave you without a few photos of Priyanka and her special day!
I was happy to know that Shraddha was impressed with Zeeshan’s knowledge of Indian history. Should you wish to explore India, here is Zeeshan’s contact information: zeeshanbaba_taj@hotmail.com