Old Delhi and Religion

We had a late start and left our hotel around 1130 for day 2 of touring Delhi. The first stop was a local step well hidden a short drive from our hotel. It was narrow, maybe 50ft wide, about 5 stories deep, and lined with large rocks and bricks. According to our guide, this specific step well was featured in a movie and is pretty polar with locals, especially for young people to hang out. He even went there while studying at the nearby German language school.

Next stop was Mahatma Gandhi's tomb at Raj Ghat. His statue and tomb were appropriately simple, as was the surrounding grounds. Known as the Father of the Nation, he led the movement for Indian independence and protest thru non-violence. The tomb is always open to the public unless there is a government official paying their respects.

After this, we stopped at the Akshardham Temple, a Hindu temple and sort of huge cultural campus. The temple itself was a masterwork of carvings depicting the gods, ideals, flowers, animals, and geometric patterns. It seemed a bit like Disneyland though with exhibits, shows, souvenir photos, and even an Imax movie and a boat ride. Our guide didn't think we'd want to do any of that, and was right, so we just wandered thru the grounds while he told us stories about the gods and facts about Hinduism. Unfortunately no electronics were allowed in the complex so the only pictures were from far away along the highway.

We headed to Old Delhi after the temple and went to the Red Fort. Similar to the one in Agra, it was built by the Mughals (Shah Jehan) as the seat of their power. This fort surrounded the historic city at the time and is now partially used as a garrison for the Indian Army. We didn't go in here either since we didn't have time.

Interestingly, across and down the street from the fort are several religious buildings - Jain, Sikh, Hindu, Protestant, and Islam. Missing Judaism though... We took tuk-tuks thru the neighborhood to the Jama Masjid or mosque. We paid to take in 1 phone for pictures and the women donned colored smocks. Oddly, the smocks didn't have a head covering. They also gave Barry a wrap to cover his scandalously exposed calves. It's hard to compare it with the Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. From the front steps we could see Chandni Chowk, a historically renowned street for shopping in Old Delhi.

And that was a wrap for Delhi sightseeing.Read more