
Incredible Northern India Tour
February 19 – March 2, 2016
February 19, 2016 |
February 20, 2016 |
February 21, 2016 |
February 22, 2016 |
February 23, 2016 |
February 24, 2016 |
February 25, 2016 |
February 26, 2016 |
February 27, 2016 |
February 28, 2016 |
February 29, 2016 |
March 1, 2016 |
March 2, 2016 |
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February 20th, 2016
Jama Masjid, Red Fort, Raj Ghat, pass by the India Gate. It
doesn’t matter where you go, you are an oddity here in India.
Always stared at and 95% of the time if you smile, they will
smile back. They want to learn more about us just as we want to
learn more about them, their customs and religions. This year
there was a huge gathering of people wearing pink and everywhere
you looked…people in some form of the colour. Loved the way they
made popsicles here – that is that strange contraption with the
sticks poking out. The flowers surrounding Mahatma Gandhi’s
memorial are always lovely and colourful to look at. This time
there were also many covering the exact spot he died. Needless
to say with over a billion people here in India the group was in
for an experience they had never been on before. Jama Masjid is
the largest mosque in Asia constructed in 1656. Shah Jahan had
this built and if you remember he also built the Taj Mahal. It
was the last extravagant thing he had built and can hold up to
25,000 people. Built by 5,000 people and it took 6 years to
construct. It stands in the heart of old Delhi and wandering
around here in our rickshaws was quite the experience. The walls
of the Red Fort stand 33 metres tall so you can just imagine
what this place looks like inside…no, you really can’t. This is
something you must see in person to appreciate. Built for
Emperor Shah Jahan in 1638, it remained the residence of
Emperors until 1857. The Red Fort’s innovative architectural
style, including its garden design, influenced later buildings
and gardens in Delhi and elsewhere. Most of the jewels and
artworks of the Red Fort were looted and stolen during Nadir
Shah's invasion of 1747 and again after the failed Indian
Rebellion of 1857 against the British colonialists. They were
eventually sold to private collectors or the British Museum,
British Library and the Victoria and Albert Museum. For example,
the Koh-i-Noor diamond, the jade wine cup of Shah Jahan and the
crown of Bahadur Shah II are all currently located in London.
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