Delhi: A peep into the history of India

 

lotus templeOur Theme- A Place to spend our holiday without any regret.

My mind whispered New Delhi without any ambiguity. When we think of a ‘must see place’ in India, definitely a glimpse of Delhi will flash through our minds. More than being the current capital city of India, its glory dates back to the period of Mughal Emperors. Better Visit Delhi than just flip the pages of our history book. A single day would be insufficient to snap the entire elegance of monuments and palaces that stood as the remnants of the Mughal dynasty. But we (sorry, forgot to tell. It was with my mom, dad and brother I went for the trip) got only a single day to visit Delhi as a part of our 10 day kulu-manali-shimla hill station tour package from vikram travels.

As It would be ideal to commence our journey with the blessings of god, reached the Birla Mandir- a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Laxmi Narayan(Mahavishnu). The temple was built by the famous entrepreneur Birla and inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi, father of our Nation. An adorable idol of the God Krishna with his love Radha surrounded by entirely mirrored walls was extremely pretty to catch my eye among all the others. A lot more to say about the temple; but if I didn’t stop here, this diary of my experience would become a novel (just joking!!!). Only single line – a place for an eternal bliss.

We then left the temple and reached the Red Fort, a prominent historical place. It was the residential palace of the Mughal rulers. Eagerly awaited to hear the history of the Fort from the lips of the guide. He explained the precious peacock throne of Mughal Emperor Shah-Jahan, the Persian Shah NadirShah who looted the same along with several other treasures such as diamonds. We could see the ‘Diwan-E-Aam’, ‘Diwan-E-Khaz’; the rendezvous for the king and officials for discussing and solving public issues. A cute sight when leaving the place- lot of tiny squirrels making shrill sounds in the trees and the lawn in front of the Fort. An extreme summer climate of around 38 degree Celsius made us very tired. So mere bird’s eye view of the memorials Rajghat, Veerbhoomi, Shantivan; crematory places of our late eminent national leaders. It was a funny fact to hear that a nearby place is already reserved for one of our Ex- Prime Minister.

The diverse nature of India highly supported the peaceful co-existence of peoples with different views in their political, religious and cultural beliefs. That is the reason for the numerous temples, Mosques, Christian churches, Sikh Gurudwaras over here. We next had the visit of famous ‘Bahai Temple’ reknowned as the ‘Lotus Temple’. An enchanting garden led to the ‘Lotus Flower’ shaped mansion. Chappals were not allowed from the way to the temple itself, we walked barefooted and felt like our foot was burning in the hot sun. Unlike other temples, It was like an auditorium which can hold a thousands of people and a stage in the centre. Staffs in charge there imposed the visitors to keep pindrop silence inside. Oh! What a calm and quiet environment for meditation. There were few staffs distributing pamphlets containing information about the Bahai religion and the Temple. Now its almost the noon time we left there and reached the Qutb minar nearby. Qutb Minar- the tallest minar in India, an ancient Islamic monument built by the rulers Qutb- ud- din Aibak and IIltumish, a wonderful structure in red sandstone and marble. Clicked our cameras here and there to keep them safe in our memory cards.

Inside the minar, there was a staircase leading to the top, but the visitors were not allowed to climb following a tragic stampede due to the electricity failure a few years back. A lot of things to keep our mind filled, but the hot humid climate and tiredness emptied our stomach. So had our lunch- a vegetable biriyani and the kerala special yummy vermicelli ‘payasam’ . Our next destination was ‘Teen Murti Bhavan’, Indias’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s residence now turned Museum. A walk into the 1950’s and 60’s- libray, bedrooms, books etc used by Nehru. Also visited the residence of the only lady Prime Minister of India- Indira Gandhi Museum. She was a bold and beautiful lady, the commander of many reforms in ancient India. But the bad luck! she was shot dead by the revenge from her own body guards. There was in the Museum the blood smeared saree she wore during her last breath. Lot of things more- family photos, gifts, dress items, shawls, knitting accessories etc used by Indiraji. Finally we went to the India Gate, a national monument- a memorial for the lot of Indian soldiers who lost their lives in the First World War. Its foundation stone was laid by His Royal Highness, the Duke of Connaught in 1921. Now there is a garden surrounding the gate where peoples gathered in their evenings. Oh! The sun is going to set; a day is over. But lot of places yet to see- The Taj Mahal, Agra Fort etc. Had a quick shopping in the Karol Bagh Market and reached our inn.

About the author: Suchithra, born in India.More specifically in kerala, the land of backwaters and mountains. Interested to travel and have seen many places in North and South India. Currently working as Engineer in Qatar.

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