India has a couple major hubs, or ports of embarkation with major airports. These are Kolkata (or Calcutta) in the East, Mumbai (or Bombay) in the South-West, and Delhi in the North. Since most of our trip resided in North and Western India, we flew into Delhi's, Indira Gandhi International Airport, at the end of June. We arrived after 14 hours on an American Airlines 777 from Chicago. The airport was huge, with only a few actual gates, we walked what felt like mile long corridors just to get to customs and finally baggage claim. Stepping out of the airport we were immediately overwhelmed by the hot humid monsoon air. To my surprise a taxi driver was waiting for us at the exit holding a sign with my name on it. We were ushered through a massive parking garage complex, climbed aboard a typical Tata sedan, and rushed out into the Delhi streets. My sense of direction was thrown into a state of immediate disorientation from 14 hours on an airplane, new sights, new smells, and careening around the streets of Delhi in the back seat. An hour later we landed at our hotel, retreated to our room, and hibernated for the night. Periodically peeking out our 4th story window upon the bustling streets of the Paharganj, one of the many cities within a city. From this vantage point we could see dozens of men, women, and children sleeping on nearby rooftops. We could see scooters, buses, cars, bikes, and cows racing along the streets. This was India, at least the first couple hours of it.
The next morning we remained in the safety of our tiny hotel room and ordered room service. Slowly introducing every part of our psyche to this new place. As enticing and addicting as the overwhelming feeling of new culture can be, we opted for slow and steady acclimatization. Room service came promptly and the breakfast was delicious. Parantha, pickles, curd, and chai- the usual Indian meal in the A.M. After filling our belly we went downstairs, planning on taking a walk around the neighborhood in hopes of finding the train station to book tickets for travels onward. This is where our entire trip changed. We were whisked to a travel desk and bombarded with the pushy salesmanship we would come to know in this country. The travel agent immediately had us questioning our plans of heading North into the mountains, and instead sold us a complete tour package of Rajasthan. Including a two day tour of Delhi, and stop at the Taj Mahal in Agra. We decided this twelve day excursion would be a good way to become more acquainted with this foreign country.
Delhi is several cities within a city, actually the minimum number of larger cities within Delhi is about eight, but within those are dozens more broken into smaller neighborhoods- taking travelers years to fully comprehend the vastness of this ancient city. Now the capital of India, Delhi can really be simply broken into two parts. Old Delhi, home to the oldest buildings, fortresses, and temples dating back to the Mughal Empire and before. With New Delhi built around it. Largely the result of the downfall of the Mughal Empire and the rise of British Conquest, New Delhi continues to grow at a monstrous rate. I've seen a couple different figures for the population of Delhi, guidebooks and online sources can't really agree, but most figures put it between 13 and 16 million. I even found one source that said including all surrounding areas its grown to 22 million people. Either way its huge, I've never seen so many people in one urban area. And this is where our tour began.
It was built in the 1600's. The courtyard is large enough to accommodate 25,000 worshipers in the prostrated prone position.
The India Gate. Originally built by the British in the 1930's to memorialize 90,000 Soldiers killed between World War I, and the Anglo-Afghan Wars. It has since become the "Amar Jawan Jyoti" or Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Much like Arlington National Cemetery, guards constantly stand watch over the tomb, periodically changing shifts in true military fashion.
Nearby, children and teens beat the heat playing in reflecting pools.
The spectacular Red Fort of Old Delhi
A family enjoys the gardens and tranquility around the temple.
We would come and go through Delhi four times over the 40 days we were India. On our last 12 hours in Delhi we took a taxi down to the Baha'i Lotus Temple. One of the newest houses of worship in Delhi, and a modern architectural marvel of the world- the temple was completed in the late 1980's.
I knew little about the Baha'i faith before visiting the information center. Its actually a fairly young religion that has absorbed beliefs and practices from Christianity, Judaism, Islam, along with a couple other lesser known monotheistic faiths. They basically believe there are many paths to salvation through one God and nobody is really wrong... Or so I comprehended. The temple was marvelous with 27 white marble lotus pedals encompassing one central hall of worship.
So, how do you get around in Delhi. There are many ways.
