18
Mar
Archive for the ‘North India Tour’ Category
North India Tour - Horse Ride15
Nov
Tour of Dehli
Posted by adminOn the banks of the Yamuna
Eastward, behind the Red Fort, the Ring Road along the River Yamuna is connected by three bridges to the Trans-Yamuna residential areas. On the river bank from Red Fort south to ITO Bridge are the cremation grounds, now memorial parks dedicated to national leaders such as Nehru, Lai Bahadur Shastri, Indira and Rajiv Gandhi. The biggest complex here is Rajghat where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated, and there are two museums dedicated to him here. Gandhi Darshan (open Tues-Sun 10am-5pm; free) has a good collection of paintings and photos, and charts the history of the Satyagraha (non-violence) movement. Close by is Gandhi Smarak Sangrahalaya (open Fri-Wed 9.30am-5.30pm; free), which houses a display of Gandhi’s personal belongings and has a library of recordings of his speeches.
Further south is Pragati Maidan - a huge exhibition complex - site of the Appu Ghar entertainment park. The adjoining Crafts Museum (open Tues-Sun 10am-5pm; entrance fee) has demonstrations by regional craftsmen, huts built in regional styles and a good crafts shop. The fascinating exhibition galleries have displays of Adivasi art, woodcarving and textiles. There are bhuta figures from Karnataka, brightly decorated Naga objects from the northeast and some wonderful bronzes from Orissa. The textile galleries are superb - the collections run to over 22,000 objects - as well as some astounding, especially the Kashmiri, examples of embroidery. There are also weaving demonstrations.
Facing its entrance stand the ramparts of the Purana Qila (open sunrise to sunset; entrance fee; daily “Light and Sound Show”), with panoramic views of the city. The fort was built by Afghan ruler Sher Shah Suri (1540-45) and was taken over by Mughal Emperor Humayun when he regained the throne in 1555-56. Its Qila-e-Kunha-Masjid is the best preserved Lodi mosque in Delhi. The Sher Mandal pavilion, library and a lake (once part of the moat) surround the fort.
Delhi Zoo is next door. Indian zoos are particularly depressing, resembling concentration and torture camps rather than, at best, places to breed endangered species. The zoo shares a border with the wealthy Sunder Nagar colony, with a market famous for antique/reproduction shops and sweet stalls.
Mathura Road leads to Humayun’s Tomb (open sunrise to sunset; entrance fee). Set in beautiful gardens, the red sandstone monument is the finest Mughal building in Delhi and the prototype for the Taj Mahal. It was commissioned by Humayun’s senior widow, Bega Begum, and completed in 1565. Also in the grounds are the remains of the octagonal tomb of Isa Khan. To the north, easily visible from the gardens, is the modern Damdama Sahib Gurudwara.
Close by is the shrine, or dargah, of the Sufi saint of the Chisti order, Sheikh Nizamuddin Aulia (1236-1325), after whom the surrounding colonies are named. The dargah is a haven of peace in this busy Muslim area; the tomb of the saint is in a pavilion with beautiful marble screens (note: women are not allowed in the tomb itself). Also buried here are the Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah (1719-48) and the saint’s disciple and poet Amir Khusrau.
South of Nizamuddin, the modern white marble, lotus-shaped Baha’i Lotus Temple (open Apr-Sept Tues-Sun 9am-7pm, Oct-Mar Tues-Sun 9.30am- 5.30pm; free) stands on Kalkaji Hill. This was completed in 1986 as a pilgrimage site for the Baha’i sect. Visitors must walk barefoot. Nearby, the colony markets (M & N Block) of Greater Kailash offer good shopping and restaurants.
South, on the Mehrauli-Badarpur road, the 14th-century ruins of Tughlaqabad Fort (open sunrise to sunset) and Adilabad, Delhi’s third city, dominate the landscape. Remains of ramparts, water-storage tanks and subterranean passages can be explored, but this area can be dangerous to visit alone.
15
Nov
Tips on Touring Northern India
Posted by adminNorth India covers a great swathe of South Asia, seducing travelers with its infinite contrasts.
In the cities of North India boisterous crowds jostle past and newcomers attract plenty of stares. Colors and voices are loud. So are the sound systems of the temples and the mosques. The place can be fascinating and infuriating in turn.
The landscape goes to extremes - sand dunes in the Thar desert compete with glaciers glittering on distant peaks. Craggy Himalayan provinces loom over the plains, and the roads are under constant repair from the onslaught of monsoon rains or searing temperatures. Colonial cities are still slightly haunted by memories of the Sepoy Uprising and the Nawabs. Gung-ho adventure tourists try to tame the rapids of snowmelt rivers while pilgrims seek the source of the Ganga. At Varanasi a multitude swirls away the ashes of its dead in the green waters where blind river dolphins swim like torpedoes.
There are people milling everywhere. Uttar Pradesh (UP), the most populous state, is right in the middle of what is known as the Cow Belt. This is not particularly a cattle-raising zone (though you may often see stolid black water buffalo lolling on the wayside). It is the heartland of the Holy Cow, the conservative Hindu stronghold, as well as being a bastion of Muslim culture.
Punjab, closer to Pakistan, is home to proud Sikhs and prosperous Jat farmers. Radiating around Ladakh and in high Himalayan valleys, refugee Tibetan communities maintain their rituals and traditional dress. India’s elite enrols its children in up-country boarding schools, well away from the distractions of the city.
Despite satellite TV, North India resists an overwhelming sameness. Delhi is grand with monuments and its buzz as the seat of government, as well as its mosques or bazaars. Rajasthan provides a spectacle of camels, veiled women and enormous turbans. Polo is played on elephant-back while peacocks flutter the eyes in their tails.
Jammu and Kashmir’s heartbreaking beauty is defined by lakes, orchards and snowy peaks, while Agra is home to the Taj Mahal, one of the world’s great monuments to love.
