Escape to New Delhi, India
During the last week of
January of this year, I ended up travelling to on month trip to India. My first
stop was at New Delhi, India with the two most important ladies in my life.
On this trip, my first stop
was New Delhi, India -- I personally wanted to go see the Taj Mahal with my
mother. I was only at New Delhi, India for four days however in
those four days, I was able to explore the city as much as possible due to a
travel company I booked.
I ended up booking a private
tour with a company called "India Trip Designer". I had to select
the private tour due to the lack of time however it was definitely worth it.
The company had assigned me a driver as well as a language translator. For the
moment I landed at New Delhi Airport, I was guided by the driver and the
translator to my hotel. For there onward, they had given us a plan of what
exactly we would be able to do during the trip. During my stay at New Delhi, I
selected the Lalit Hotel as per some recommendations. Overall, from my stay to
the way I was treated at New Delhi was memorable. It was worth it and
definitely in the future I will be sign up with this travel company for my next
adventure in India.
On this trip, here are the
iconic places that we were able to visit: Delhi Gate, Lotus Temple, Taj Mahal
and Agra Fort.
“Delhi is the best place to experience all that brings
people to India: history, culture, food, spirituality, madness, mystery. Spend
a day amid its lived-in splendor, and you’ll realize why so many battles have
been fought over it.
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Modern
Delhi has its foundation on a city base that has been around for centuries.
Various monuments lie scattered across the region, revealing the numerous
empires that have invaded Delhi and made it their home. The city has grown
exponentially over the years and continues to do so to accommodate the
expanding population.” – Travel New Delhi
Delhi
Gate:
“The
Delhi Gate is the southern gate in the historic walled city of (Old) Delhi, or
Shahjahanabad. The gate links the New Delhi city with the old walled city of Delhi.
It stands in the middle of the road, at the end of Netaji Subhash Chandra Road
(or Netaji Subhash Marg), at the edge of the Daryaganj. Other Delhi Gate of
Delhi is also situated in Najafgarh.” – Gates of New Delhi
When
I was in this New Delhi, India it was the week of a major Indian independence
event in New Delhi, therefore we were able to see the Delhi Gate from the
opposite side and sadly none of my pictures turned out well. However, it was
extremely unique and the tour guide gave us the story behind this iconic
structure. Even though I was unable to see it close up, it was definitely
special.
Lotus Temple:
“The
Lotus Temple is a Bahá'à House of Worship -- The Bahá'à Faith teaches that a
Bahá'à House of Worship should be a space for people of all religions to
gather, reflect, and worship.[5] Anyone may enter the Lotus Temple irrespective
of religious background, sex, or other distinctions, as is the case with all
Bahá'à Houses of Worship.[5] The sacred writings of not only the Bahá'à Faith
but also other religions can be read and/or chanted, regardless of language” –
The Bahá'à House of Worship
Being
a Hindu, my parents still sent me to a Catholic school for my high school
studies and during my time there I got an opportunity to study about world
religion. This gave me a chance to visit different religious shrines and
temples to understand the culture and tradition. Due to that background, I was
eagerly excited about going to the Lotus Temple and to be frank this is one of
my favourite things I have done all year long. It was the most peace place I
have ever visited and it gave me an opportunity to relax and breathe for once
with an empty mind with no expectations. It was a unique experience.
The
beauty of the Lotus Temple was priceless, surrounded by a huge garden filled
with orange (fruit) trees and flowers. Then right in the center it the Lotus
Temple, which is literally in the structure of a lotus. For anyone who is going
to New Delhi this is definitely a great place to visit just to reconnect with
your inner self.
Taj
Mahal:
”Taj Mahal was commissioned by Shah Jahan in
1631, to be built in the memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, a Persian princess
who died giving birth to their 14th child, Gauhara Begum.[8] Construction of
the Taj Mahal began in 1632. The imperial courts documenting Shah Jahan's grief
after the death of Mumtaz Mahal illustrate the love story held as the inspiration
for Taj Mahal. The principal mausoleum was completed in 1643 and the
surrounding buildings and garden were finished about five years later.” - History of Taj Mahal
Taj
Mahal is one of favourite world wonders, it was beautiful and what’s more
unique is how they have preserved the iconic structure. To enter the Taj Mahal
there are many securities that you need to pass through and yes they have a
special room for women and men (due to the cultural beliefs). To actually enter
into the Taj Mahal they require the tourist to wear a white plastic bag around
your foot (covering you shoes) to avoid any dirt from entering the Taj Mahal. –
My respects to that J
The
Taj Mahal is beautiful as how it is presented on the photos; it is just a
master piece. The structure of the Taj Mahal is built with such great details
and major creative concepts. From the type of marble that is use to the way
each piece it cut is so precious. I don’t believe you would be able to find
such amazing and creative piece of work in today’s structures. Still can’t
believe that each marble that is used on the Taj Mahal are handmade. Image the
hours and efforts that they would have put to create this masterpiece – which is
now an iconic structure and labelled as one of the world wonders.
From
going through the gates of the Taj Mahal entrance to the actually palace was mesmerizing.
The view was beautiful and history behind each and every part of the structure
makes it even more valuable. Growing up I also heard different stories about
Taj Mahal and finally this year due to the trip I was able to finally
understand and learn the history. One of my favourite parts of this trip is
that I got to see this fabulous iconic place with my mother and grandmother.
Agra
Fort:
“Agra
Fort is a historical fort in the city of Agra in India. It was the main
residence of the emperors of the Mughal Dynasty till 1638, when the capital was
shifted from Agra to Delhi.” – History of the Fort
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During
this visit, I was only able to take a few photos before my phone officially
died. So I had to get some image from Google to showcase what I was able to
experience. Agra Fort definitely had many stories to illustrate. The structure was
so beautiful with many unique curves and cuts (this is definitely impossible to
recreated and surprised that it’s manmade), The Agra Fort has many connections
with the Taj Mahal and the stories correlate to each other. It was nice to
learn about the history of the Mughal Dynasty and their impact to the India.
One
of my favourite places inside the Fort was the Hindu temple and yes, there was
a Hindu temple inside since of the queen was a Hindu.
In
the perspective of food:
Over the last four days at New Delhi, India my goal was
to try local foods as much as possible. I avoided having any American
inspired/based food such as burgers and pizza. This made the trip even more valuable
due to the different varieties of foods that were available.
Even then, my translator didn’t allow me to try any of the local street food but other than that really enjoyed been able to true the some traditional foods.
New Delhi, India -- Even though it was just for four days the trip is definitely a memorable and I would recommend this place to anyone who are interested in learn in iconic monuments and history. Also, my trip was made more memorable due to the private tour with a company called "India Trip Designer". They a small company and this is NOT sponsored but if anyone is planning to visit North India and are interested in the tour please check them out. Also, I would recommended Lalit Hotel for accommodation since they made my stay in New Delhi even more memorable to their quality services.
New Delhi, India -- Perfect for an adventurous person who ready to learn about the history and iconic parts.
Most of the photos provided in this post are taken by my mobile J
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