The rest of our tour was due to arrive later in the day. We decided to hire a driver to see something that was not on the schedule for the next day, the first official day of the tour.
The driver from the hotel told us that this was light traffic since it was a Sunday.
We wanted to see some of Dehli and I had read about something called the Lotus Temple.
This is what I read:
The Lotus Temple also known as the Bahai House of Worship or Bahai Mashriqul-Adhkar Temple is one of the best architectural marvels in the county in modern times. The white marble structure is also called the Taj Mahal of the 20th century but it is so much more than just a splendid piece of architecture. It is a place where several visitors from all across the globe come for peace, meditation, prayers and study. Located in New Delhi, the Lotus Temple is a famous tourist attraction of the city. Unlike other places of worship which usually have an idol of a deity people pray to, asking for either forgiveness or something that they deeply desire, the Lotus Temple is a rather unique place of worship. It is known for its beautiful flower-like architecture and marvelous ambiance that make it a popular tourist attraction for people of all faiths. The Bahai Lotus Temple is one of the world’s most beautiful religious buildings and a must-visit when in Delhi.
It sounded like something very interesting.
Once we got up to the Temple, we had to get a bag to keep our shoes in, since we had to take them off to enter the Temple. Anything that was a temple or shrine shoes were taken off, no one stole any shoes.
The temple inside was sparse. The inside was unfinished concrete, there were only benches and a podium with a speaker. He was speaking in Hindi (I think) and I had no idea what he was saying. We sat and waited for a few minutes till he took a break and we left. It was impressive to see the structure. Our driver was not terribly impressed.
India Gate.
Some information from Wikipedia about it.
The India Gate situated in Delhi,was part of the work of the Imperial War Graves Commission (I.W.G.C), which came into existence in December 1917 for building war graves and memorials to soldiers killed in the First World War
The foundation stone of the All-India War Memorial was laid on 10 February 1921, at 4:30 PM, by the visiting Duke of Connaught in a solemn soldierly ceremony attended by Officers and Men of the Indian Army, Imperial Service Troops, the Commander in Chief, and Chelmsford, the viceroy. On the occasion, the viceroy said, "The stirring tales of individual heroism, will live for ever in the annals of this country", and that the memorial which was a tribute to the memory of heroes, "known and unknown" would inspire, future generations to endure hardships with similar fortitude and "no less valour"
The King, in his message, read out by the Duke said "On this spot, in the central vista of the Capital of India, there will stand a Memorial Archway, designed to keep" in the thoughts of future generations "the glorious sacrifice of the officers and men of the Indian Army who fought and fell". During the ceremony, the Deccan Horse, 3rd Sappers and Miners, 6th Jat Light Infantry, 34th Sikh Pioneers, 39th Garhwal Rifles, 59th Scinde Rifles (Frontier Force), 117th Mahrattas, and 5th Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force), were honoured with title of "Royal" in recognition of the distinguished services and gallantry of the Indian Army during the Great War"
Ten years after the foundation stone laying ceremony, on February 12, 1931, the All India War Memorial was inaugurated by Viceroy Lord Irwin, who on the occasion said "those who after us shall look upon this monument may learn in pondering its purpose something of that sacrifice and service which the names upon its walls record."
In the decade between the laying of foundation stone of the War memorial and its inauguration, the rail-line was shifted to run along the Yamuna river, and the New Delhi Railway Station was opened in 1926.
The India gate, which is illuminated every evening, from 19:00 to 21:30, is a major tourist attraction. Cars, traveled through India Gate until it was closed to traffic.
More from Wikipedia:
The Rashtrapati Bhavan. Presidential Residence" previously "Viceroy's House") is the official home of the president located at the Western end of Rajpath in New Delhi, India. It may refer to only the mansion (the 340-room main building) that has the president's official residence, halls, guest rooms and offices; it may also refer to the entire 130-hectare (320 acre) President Estate that additionally includes huge presidential gardens (Mughal Gardens), large open spaces, residences of bodyguards and staff, stables, other offices and utilities within its perimeter walls. In terms of area, it is one of the largest residences of a head of state in the world.
Originally called the House of Parliament, it was designed by the British architect Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker in 1912-1913 and construction began in 1921 and ended in 1927. The opening ceremony of the Parliament House, then called the Central Legislative Assembly, was performed on 18 January 1927 by Lord Irwin, the Viceroy of India. The third session of Central Legislative Assembly was held in this house on 19 January 1927
Light Traffic
Random shops. Not sure India has any zoning laws.
Our driver did not know what else to show us, so we went back to the hotel, had a nice swim in the pool and took a nap.
All the previous pictures were taken by Mark!
Back to my photos.
We decided to go to dinner at the fancier restaurant in the hotel. It is called Dakshin, specializing in South Indian specialties.
We ordered a few things but we let the matre d' help us get a good dinner
Making our coffee
He poured it back and forth a few times before he poured it in our cups.
It was an amazing and fun dinner. We went to dinner at 7, but we were very early by Indian standards, so we had the wait staff all to our selves. I could get used to that.
The tour starts in the morning!
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