Delhi Tour

After saying good-bye to our 2 attendants Raj and Maharaj from the Palace on Wheels...

We spent 2 days in Delhi tooling around and seeing some sights. Being the capital, the roads are wider with traffic lights The cars seem to obey more rules than normal! The traffic is so congested. We spent more time in the car getting from one place to another. This was very frustrating at times.


Maya got a lesson in some of the different types of religion found in India:


The Lotus Temple, the Baha i House of Worship, has one a lot of art and architectural awards. It is built in the shape of a lotus flower just about to open.The temple is open to everyone regardless of religion. It is a House of Worship where all religions may worship God.Only the holy scriptures of the Baha'i and other religions can be read inside and in any language. No pictures are permitted inside. The hall is immense  and extremely serene with rows and rows of benches. We sat for awhile in silence and meditation. It was a very calming place.

Lakshmi Narayan Temple: This temple was built after 6 years and was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi He gave the  condition, that the temple was not to be barred for entry to anyone on the basis of caste and every individual especially the untouchables would have as much a right of entry to its sacred grounds as people from other castes. The temple has frescos and paintings showing stories from Hinduism.

Hanuman Temple/Statue  This temple  is shaped and dedicated to Lord Hanuman, the monkey god. It stands at 308 feet tall and is something to see. We could not go inside and stopped in the roundabout so I could snap this picture quickly.

Rajghat is the cremation site of Gandhi who is  the Father of  the Nation.  You walk trough green lawns, fountains and it is surrounded by trees. It is a very peaceful place in the middle of Delhi. creating a serene ambience. Mahatma Gandhi was cremated here on January 31st after his assassination while walking to his customary prayer meeting. The memorial is very simple.  The brick platform where his body was burned, a black marble platform surrounded by a  marble fence. His  last words  'Hey Ram' are inscribed on the memorial platform where there is an eternal flame.

Gurdwara Bangla Sahib is a famous  Sikh pilgrimage center. It is one of the most important historical and sacred pilgrimage destinations of the Sikh community. Inside the temple is a huge holy pond where Sikhs bathe and drink the water.

The legend of the prophet is an interesting story: Raja Jai Singh’s chief queen was greatly impressed by the spiritual powers of the child prophet, Guru Hari Krishan. During his stay in Delhi, diseases like small pox and cholera had broken out in the city. The Guru served the poor and the needy, irrespective of caste, creed and religion. With his spiritual powers he distributed sanctified water to the ailing people, which had a miraculous healing affect on their bodies. The Guru died at a young age as he took all the diseases in the city upon himself to stop the endemic.

Our last stop was an outdoor Delhi market, which was PACKED. below is a look at one of the streets and a picture of Maya pretending to have a good time. We couldn't take the crowds and left after 1/2 hour of battling the people and vendors. I guess we are to use to the ese of New Ham[shire  Shopping!