Delhi
Our visit included the
three
cities of India's Golden Triangle Delhi,
Agra,
and Jaipur.
In
Nepal we enjoyed the city of Kathmandu,
the
village of Khokana,
and a flight
over Mount Everest.
and
throughout the trip we
enjoyed seeing
the bright colors of saris
the ladies
wore.
The pictures on these pages are the
result of the combined efforts of the
photographers who agreed to share their pictures.
Their
contributions are very much appreciated since we each captured our own
unique view of the trip.
My sincere thanks to Don
Fischer,
Dorota Kotowska, Patricia
McCleaf, and Don Sledz.
On
our flight into Delhi we crossed Turkmenistan
and
Afghanistan close enough to the border with Iran that all three
countries may well be in this picture.
We began our tour
driving past the
Red Fort.
This tomb was built in
the mid 16'th
century to honor the Emperor Humayun.
The architecture of the
gate and
mausoleum influenced the design of the Taj Mahal.
It is set in a Char
Bagh, the
earliest example of a Mughul tomb garden.
The name means four-fold
garden and
is inspired by the Persian concept of Quranic paradise.
You can find Char Bagh's
other places
in the world where the Persian influence is strong.
The tomb
also holds 100 graves
so it is sometimes called the "Dormitory of the Mughals".
The carved stonework
lattice is about
one inch thick and intended to let in light and air while keeping the
inside cool.
Also on the same site is
the tomb of
Ali Isa Khan Niazi.
Here are some of what
you see as you
drive through Delhi.
Fruits and vegitables
looked good but
we had been warned that if we ate them we were at high risk of
digestive disorder.
The TV picture tubes
were being sold
from a cart on the street. We saw several buyers carrying off
their purchases.
You know your chicken is
fresh when
you get it here.
Kids in their uniforms
on their way
to school and in a playground.
A bicycle powered "cab"
and a "truck"
we saw from the bus.
Ready for a wedding.
Handmade rugs were
available in every
city we visited.
The description of how
they are made
and why they are the best available were exactly the same everywhere.
Here is the Lakshmi
Narayan Temple.
It was inagurated by Ghandi with the stipulation that it welcome
everyone, all castes, and all faiths.
I wish pictures were allowed inside it was fascinating.
We happened to be there
for the
evening service where the gods are honored with flowers, candles,
water, and song.
We visited the memorial
to Gandhi at
the site where he was assassinated.
The inscription here
reads in part
"India of My Dreams"
"I shall work for and
India in which
the poorest feel that it is their
country, in whose making they have an effective voice, an India in
which there shall be no high class and low class of people, an India in
which all communities live in perfect harmony."
The circle of symbols on the gong are from many of the worlds religions.
Another plaque read "I
have nothing
new to teach
the world. Truth and non-violence are
as old as the hills."
He taught that everyone
should
contribute to society by the work of their hands.
Here is the portable
"spinning wheel"
he used to do his part.
Here are others carrying
on that
tradition.
We drove past the
parliament building
and stopped to see the India Gate where the names of Indian
solders who lost their lives are inscribed.
Not far from the gate we
saw this
dome though I must admit I don't remember what it is called.
The largest mosque in
India, Jama
Masjid.
We had to leave our
shoes outside.
The pigeons in the
courtyard made
foot covers advisable.
Qutub Mintar, 238 feet
tall, and we
were told it is built entirely without the use of mortar or cement
though I have not been able to confirm that.
Begun in 1193 and not
completed until
1365.
It is well preserved but
it should be
noted that the top had to be rebuilt twice following earthquakes.
Jantar Mantar,
an observatory
built in 1724.
We saw that it was not
far from our
hotel so three of us decided to walk to it.
We would have liked to
spend more
time in the nearly empty park like setting.
But it was almost time
for our bus to
leave so instead of walking back we decided to take an auto cab.
These are also called
tuk-tuks for
the sound of their motors.
It was more of an
adventure than we
had anticipated when our driver got lost and had to ask for directions,
twice.
We did make it to the bus but it was close.
Go to
our page about Delhi,
Agra,
Jaipur, Kathmandu,
Khokana,
Mount
Everest,
saris.
See
other places we have visited here.
Go
to our Personal
home page
Go to our Community
page
Go
to our Science
Fun page
E-mail Nancy
and
Alan