Conquering New Delhi

Our first stop was ISKCON Temple, dedicated to Lord Krishna, built by the International Society of Krishna Consciousness. They built the temple not only as a place of worship, but as a representation of intellectual development to increase the consciousness about Krishna. Inside, paintings covered the walls and ceilings explaining the story of Krishna. It is very different than other religious things I am used to seeing so it was hard to grasp, but it was interesting to see people praying and women making flower bracelets, etc. The outside architecture was very simple (picture on right). There was a fountain at the entrance with Krisha, which reminded my of one of my favorite movies when I was little, "My Little Princess". I had never understood the scene about a dream with Krishna, but now I get it!

After ISCKON Temple we went to the Qutub Minar! I loved this place! The Qutub Minar was built in 1193 and is the tallest stone tower in India (234 feet high with 376 steps!) Below the tower is the Quwwat-ul-Islam, the first Muslim mosque in India. The Muslims built this mosque after defeating the Hindu Chauhan dynasty, so there is a mixture of Muslim architecture with remains from the demolished 27 Hindu and Jain temples and shrines. The details on the arches were so beautiful! The mosque was in ruins, but you could still imagine how grand it must have been.

  
Khan Chacha is one of the best places we have eaten. It felt like a small In-N-Out, but with kabobs instead of hamburgers. The menu only had chicken or mutton (either lamb or goat) that they grill in the window next to you, with the option to get it in a roll (like a wrap), or kabob style. Having grilled food was amazing! We don’t have a grill in our house, they don’t barbeque much. We ended up going back to Khan Chacha the next day for lunch too. Here’s a picture of us enjoying our rolls a little too much!

 

Humayun’s Tomb was amazing! It was built in the middle of the 16^th Century by Humayun, the Moghul emperor. It was made of sandstone and white marble, surrounded by gardens divided into four parts with water channels (the Moghul’s typical design). The marble dome was also the first dome within a dome. It was so beautiful and nicely preserved on the outside.

  

Next we went to the National Gandhi Museum was small and simple, but very meaningful. Gandhi’s quotes covered the walls with pictures from the beginning to end of his life. A few of his belongings such as shoes, clothes, glasses, books, walking stick during the Salt March, and more were on display, emphasizing his simple life. There were descriptions of key events in his life and an entire exhibit on his death with his blood stained clothes. Next we went to the Raj Ghat, Gandhi’s cremation site, which is now a national shrine. His last words, “Hai Ram” (Oh, God) are inscribed on a large slab of black marble decorated with flowers and with an eternal flame burning. We also went to the Gandhi Smriti, the place Gandhi was staying when he was assassinated. There is a trail of footsteps in the back garden leading up to the place he was assassinated on his way to a prayer meeting. His room is just as he left it, with only 11 items.

We walked through the Crafts Museum with handmade crafts and people drawing and painting outside. There were some really pretty blankets that Rianne bought that were being made right in front of us! Lastly, we went to Lodi Garden for a walk in the park to top off our day. We got some ice cream and saw the mausoleum of Muhammad Shah.