Jama Masjid Mosque

We got up, packed our last bits, and went for a leisurely breakfast on the roof. We had the Indian option again. We sat with Hisa and Mari, a Japanese couple, and Rachael, Rick, and their 19-year-old daughter, Emma, who are from Welton, near Lincoln. They are all lovely people.

After breakfast, we went downstairs. We left two bags in the hotel for them to take care of until after the tour. The hotel porters were going to move our big bags into communal rooms we could use ahead of our overnight train. That just left us with our day packs - the things we needed with us for our outing today.

There were the usual latecomers on the first day of any tour, but we left the hotel by 10.15am and walked to Karol Bagh metro station. We changed trains at Rajiv Chowk and got off near Chandni Chowk, where we transferred to cyclos for the journey to Jama Masjid. Meriy seemed a bit nervous about taking us on the metro and kept warning us about the potential dangers, but rush hour was over, and I didn't think it was too busy. Fiona loved her first cyclo ride 😀.

Once we arrived at the entrance to the mosque, we met our local guide for the morning. He explained about the history and purpose of what we were about to see, and then led us all inside, but not before the ladies all had to put on very flattering floor-length nylon coverups! We were a tad hot, to say the least!

Jama Masjid Mosque is an oasis of calm in the heart of Old Delhi. It can hold a staggering 25,000 people. The mosque, built out of marble and red sandstone, was Shah Jahan's final architectural triumph. It was constructed between 1644 and 1658. It has two 40-metre high minarets, one of which has 121 steps that can be climbed for amazing views. From the top, you can see how architect Edwin Lutyens incorporated the mosque into his design of New Delhi. Some of the group went up. Fiona and I were in the group who stayed on the ground.Read more