India, week 3


I took a Friday off and flew to Delhi to visit some of the most famous sights in India. Fortunately the low-cost airline market is booming right now in India, which allowed me to get a very reasonably priced ticket with Kingfisher airlines. Kingfisher was simply amazing, the quality of service was at a level I haven't seen for at least in a decade in the US and Europe. They had brand new planes, excellent and plentiful food, and generally outstanding flight attendants. The airports are still goverment owned, and they are operated deplorably. Kingfisher somehow managed to subvert the authorities and place their own people at security control, baggage handling and they may have even replaced the cleaning staff in the waiting area adjacent to their gate, making you almost forget that you're at an Indian airport.

A cab took me around to see the Delhi sights, then it took me to Agra, the location of Taj Mahal, a town located about 200 kms southwest of Delhi. Then we went on to Jaipur, about 200 kms east of Agra. We completed the triangle by going back to Delhi, and then I flew right back to Bangalore.

The schedule was very tightly packed, and as I found out, driving 200 kms in India can take 4-5 hours. Some major roads would be considered dirt roads anywhere else, and you can't drive faster than 30 km/h because of the immense potholes. On the better roads you can theoretically reach speeds of 90 km/h, but you have to decelerate every other minute to avoid random bikers, large domestic animals, small wild animals, wandering children, fallen trees and various other obstacles. In addition, you can only drive during daylight hours, because as soon as night descends you will find two types of vehicles on the road: ones with no lights whatsoever, and ones with amazingly powerful high beams. So half the time you're blinded by oncoming traffic, and the other half you just can't see a thing in the darkness.

This picture shows the Qutb Minar, the largest minaret of its time (72.5 m tall, completed in the 14th century).

This gate is one of the first things you see as you enter the area. 

The Qutb complex houses a number of buildings, all of them intricately carved and supremely beautiful. 

The Lotus Temple is a Bahá'í House of Worship. This is their most recently completed building, which was finished 20 years ago. The Houses are open to people of all faiths, the gate keepers even explicitly tell you to feel free to pray to your chosen deities. Services focus on the worship of God, not a particular one, just God in general. To my complete suprise, they don't even collect money, in fact, only the Bahá'í are allowed to contribute.

The Lotus Temple's garden also provided a good perspective to the Delhi ISKCON temple. 

This is the India Gate, built to commemorate Indian soldiers who fell in WW I. It is reminescent of the Arc de Triomphe of Paris.  

One more stereotypical picture (I apologize). 

I have no idea what this building is, but it looks very intriguing. 

I've visited the Jantar Mantar, a garden of astronomical instruments/buildings built in the 18th century. The Maharaja built 5 similar complexes around the country. Today only this one and the one in Jaipur remains. The Delhi version is no longer operational, because the markings have eroded, and the wires and wooden rods used by some of the instruments are missing. See more below. 

This is the central sundial. 

I started my second day with the Taj Mahal. This is one of the entrance gates (gorgeous on its own right). The Taj is a mausoleum for the favorite wife of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, built in the 16th century. The white building inside is completely identical from all four directions. The only asymmetry is the tomb of the emperor, which was placed beside his wife's casket (the lady lays in the dead center of the building). 

The Taj is simply breathtaking. From the distance all you see is its white shine, and perfect 4-way symmetry. Up close, you are surprised by intricate and very colorful stone-inlay. 

The back side of the Taj. 

The Taj with flowers. 

One last Taj picture... 

I liked how this competitor was trying to steal customers from the Pizza Hut. Also observe one of India's traditional cars, the Ambassador, in the background. According to locals, this is one of the best cars if you want to travel Indian roads in comfort. 

My last stop in Agra was the Fatehpur Sikri, a huge fort-complex that once the capital of the Mughal Empire. This is the emperor's tomb, on the central square. 

One more picture of the central square. 

Even though the fort is a World Heritage Site, the Indian goverment doesn't seem to invest too much on its maintenance. 

For comparison, the less important buildings are in an even worse shape. It's really too bad, since the area is very rich in beautiful architecture. 

In Bangalore, the animal of choice for transportation is the cow. The northern parts seem to prefer camels. I guess this configuration must be the equivalent of an American teen with a muscle car. 

One more camel-shot. 

I've seen dozens of brick factories on the roadside. The finished bricks are carried away on huge trucks, that are packed to capacity. Due to the enormous weight they are carrying, the trucks often blow a tire or two, and I've even even seen a couple turned over on the roadside. It is very entertaining to see how the drivers try to jack up an enormous truck filled with bricks to change the tire. They use only the tiniest mechanical car jack. (The process involves two people lying on their backs and pushing the handle with their feet.) 

Indians are very creative and sharing when it comes to transportation. This picture shows off their creative side. Notice the fourth wheel mounted to the engine hidden under the bed. 

This is a great example of sharing. The vehicle is one of the four-seater autorishaws I mentioned on week 1. They aren't typically used at that target capacity -- this one had about 16 people (I didn't have enough time to do a thorough count).