India Old & New Delhi

In April 2009 I fulfilled one of my ambitions and visited India. It was a train journey visiting Delhi, Shimla and Rajasthan. There aren't enough superlatives to describe how excellent it was.

 

Claridges was stunning, advertised as graciously Indian, and it was. We were treated like VIP’s, which of course we were! After the welcome and introductions we were free to do as we pleased. I spent the afternoon by the pool.

Located in the heart of the city, Claridges has been a landmark in Lutyen’s Delhi since the 1950’s. Set in 3 acres of land, the hotel is a low rise building within close proximity to the business district, ministries, diplomatic missions, shopping, cultural centres and historic landmarks. The excellent Ghandi museum is just around the corner.

17/4/09

Busy day sightseeing. Started in Old Delhi. What an amazing place, a world away from the tranquility of Claridges. The Walled city was founded by Emperor Shah Jahan in 1639. It remained the capital of the Mughals until the end of their dynasty. It was once filled with the mansions of nobles and members of the royal court, along with elegant mosques and gardens. Despite having become extremely crowded and dilapidated it's still seen as the symbolic heart of Delhi. Narrow, crowded streets, chaotic and messy. Food stalls and hotels vie with a plethora of vendors selling everything from spare car parts to knitting needles. Then in the midst of all this we arrived at a haven of tranquility, the Jama Masjib mosque.

It was built by the Emperor Shah Jahan between 1650 and 1656 at a cost of one million rupees,

and was inaugurated by Imam Syed Abdul Ghafoor Shah Bukhari from Bukhara

We women had to wear one of these sarongs to go into the mosque.

If the men were wearing shorts they had to wear a sarong too

Street Scene

When you look up you see a network of tangled twisted cabling. I think it's a mixture of electricity and phone lines, and tucked away in the midst of all this chaos we saw a small shop selling fireworks!! Chaotic and messy it may be but it's home to thousands, it's vibrant and alive with people making a living and going about their daily lives.