the second layer - gallery - india

india

northwest - delhi, chandigarh, amritsar

Delhi, the hot, hustling-bustling, capital of India. One of the most progressive, polluted and modern cities in the country, boasting a population of 13.8 million people and at least that many sacred cows. The main sites are centred in Old Delhi around the Red Fort and in New Delhi, around Connaught Place and the India Gate. It's easy to get through the snarling traffic jams, crowds of people and tiny alleys of the old Bazaar near the Red Fort by bicycle rickshaw. I stayed outside of the downtown with my Auntie and Uncle in their house near Krishiwihar.

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Delhi

(Above) Humayun's Tomb, built in 1570. Humayun was the second Mughal Emporer of India and died from complications resulting from a fall while ascending a staircase in Delhi's Red Fort. The white marble domes of the tomb were much of the inspiration for Shah Jahan's Taj Mahal in Agra.

(Above) The tomb of Bahadur Shah, the last Mughal Emporer on the grounds of Humayun's Tomb.

(Above) A gateway near Bahadur Shah's tomb and (below) a stone lattice window in Humayun's Tomb.

(Above left and right) The beautiful and majestic Jama Masjid Mosque in Old Delhi. It was completed in 1656 and is the largest and one of the most beautiful in India. Like Humayun's Tomb, it also served as much of the inspiration to Shah Jahan for the design of the Taj Mahal.

(Left) Qutb Minar, a 73 meter high red stone tower, erected in the 13th century. It was Delhi's first major construction and probably the tallest structure on earth at the time. Built by Qutb-Ud-Din Aibak, he also planned a second tower, twice as high just to the right, but it was abadoned after his death and barely the first level had been completed at that time. Just to the side of the tower is an iron column. To this day, scientists still have not discovered how it could have been cast with the technology of time, such that it has not rusted after 2000 years. It is said that if you can encircle the column with your arms behind your back your wish will be granted. The column is now fenced off, but I tried it when I was here in 1987. (Above) A gateway in the Qutb Minar complex.

(Above) Me in front of Qutb Minar and (below) a beautiful archway in the Qutb Minar complex.

(Above) Jantar Mantar, the first of five observatories built by Jai Singh, the mathematician and astronomer king, in 1724. The instruments calculate the movement of the planets, sun and moon, as well as tell the time. They are still accurate to this day. (Below) Me standing in a giant sundial at Jantar Mantar.

(Above) The samadhi (revered cremation platform) of Mahatma Ghandi, Father of India. Ghandhiji's black marble samadhi is now a place of pilgrimage for many Indians. It is where Ghandi's body was cremated after his assasination at the hands of Hindu extremists in 1948.

(Left) Beautiful carved red standstone around Diwan-i-Khas (The Hall of Private Audiences) in Lal Quila or the Red Fort of Delhi, built in 1648 by Mughal Emporer Shah Jahan who also constructed the Taj Mahal. It was the headquarters of India's "Fight for Independence" against the British in 1857.

(Above) The emporer's throne pedestal in Diwan-i-Khas. The famous jewelled Peacock Throne once sat upon the pedestal until it was carted away to Iran by Nadir Shan in 1739, where it remains today.

(Above) My cousin, Atit, my Great Auntie Mashi, me, my Auntie Yamini and my Uncle Shishir at their house in Delhi.

(Above) The India Gate, near the parliament buildings in Delhi, is a grand monument erected to the memory of the Indian soldiers who died in World War II.

(Above) One of the ubiquitous food stalls in Delhi.

(Above) I ran into this guy rocking it out for a laugh with his tiny, pink ghetto-blaster, in Connaught Place.

(Above and below) The beautiful lotus-flower shaped Bahai Temple of Delhi. People of all faiths are welcomed here and one must practice strict silence within the temple where people gather to meditate.

Chandigarh

Chandigarh, the planned capital of the Indian states of Haryana and Punjab, is about an 8 hour train ride northwest of the capital of the country in Delhi. The entire city was planned and built from scratch. Laid out in squares (or sectors) on a grid with smaller intersecting streets within. The city features a large man-made lake and several parks and wide streets.

(Above) I ran into this man, Narinder Singh, just outside the Nek Chand Rock Garden. He said he'd take me for tea. I was a bit wary at first (there's a lot of scammers in India), but he showed me a newspaper article in which he was featured as the "Guardian Angel of Tourists." He's a retired government worker who now makes it his goal to help tourists in Chandigarh. We had tea and talked for awhile and he took me out for breakfast the next morning. He spoke excellent English, had a little bicycle which he rode everywhere and wanted no money in return for his services.

(Above) The Hand Monument of Chandigarh.

By far the best thing to see in all of Chandigarh is the Nek Chand Rock Garden. This enormous maze of sculptures made from collected junk was built by Mr. Nek Chand, a government trash collector, in secret in the forest of Chandigarh. It was discovered several years ago and marked for demolition, until somelocal people stepped in to stop it. The government of Chandigarh then saw it as a potential tourist attraction and hired Mr. Nek Chand on salary to complete the garden. Now, foreigners from all over the world volunteer and help Mr. Chand, who can usually be found wandering the park, with his collection of sculptures and mosaics.

(Left) I met this wild character, a sadhu (a holy man who's take a vow of poverty) at the bus stop on the way to Chandigarh. He didn't speak English but I thought he'd make a great photo. He unravelled his dreds after and showed me that his hair went all the way down to his ankles!

Amritsar

The Sikh dominated city of Amritsar far in the northwest of the country is home to Sikhism holiest sites, The Golden Temple. There are also several smaller Hindu temples and colourful crowds of turban-clad Sikhs everywhere. It's illegal to smoke or drink in the vicinity of the temple, even in restaurants down the street!

The Golden Sikh Temple of Amritsar, sits at the end of a long walkway within a lake. The lake is also blessed and many Sikhs bathe in it. The Temple complex is enormous and offers free food and accomodation for the thousands that come to visit (even foreigners)! It also features a gruesome museum with paintings showing all manners of torture performed on Sikh revolutionaries and photographs of the corpses of several important Sikhs killed in violence (propped up and dressed as if for a portrait). It was an incredible place, the line up to enter the inner sanctum of the Golden Temple, which contains the Guru Granth Sahib (Holy Book of Sikhism) was enormous. Every night the book is carried to another chamber in an enormous ceremony and draped in a purple fabric. The temple is open 24 hours a day and Sikh priests chant from the Holy Book over loudspeakers continuously.

(Above) In front of the Golden Temple. It is mandatory that all people cover their heads within the temple, so I had a Sikh tie this yellow turban on me.

(Above) A Hindu goddess at one of the Hindu temples in Amritsar.

Amritsar was key in India's "Fight for Independence" from the British. One of the most historic and gruesome sites in the fight is at Jallianwala Bagh. On April 13, 1919, British soldiers opened fire on a gathering of thousands of Hindu, Muslim and Sikh demonstrators while blocking the only exit from the walled area. Almost 1300 men, women and children (including several infants) were killed and almost 400 people injured. The massacre sparked riots all over India and paved the way for Ghandi's "Non-cooperation" movement against the British in 1920. The General who led the British troops was soon after assassinated by a Sikh servant of his. (Above) The Martyr's Well was where hundreds of people dove for cover from the bullets. Afterwards, several hundreds bodies were pulled from its depths. The area is now a memorial and park and features a small museum and portrait gallery.

Amritsar is close to the India-Pakistan border at Wagha-Atari. Every night, thousands of Indians and Pakistanis gather to watch the pomp closing of the border ceremony. Each side lowers and folds its flag with exuberance and marches off aggresively. All this stems from the Pakistan-India conflict over the northern state of Kashmir. Each side waves and cheers for it's "team". There are specially built bleachers, but the crowds are out of control, pushing and shoving and clambering down onto the "stage" below. It was wild, and the small amount of police and soldiers I saw there, had no control whatsoever over the crowd. One spark and it could have gone violent and it would have been easy to have been crushed in the massive crowd. Obviously, I have no good photos of the actual ceremony because of all the pushing and shoving.

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(Left) Diwan-i-Amor (The Hall of Public Audiences) where the public would gather to speak with the Emporer.