Delhi [India 2020]
TLDR: Filthy af, but I underestimated their rich history and architecture!
The old Delhi is so dirty and chaotic, just like Agra. I reached Delhi at midnight and walked 2 km to the hostel in rain wading through dirt, shit (including human) and overflowing sewers, all mixed and flowing in the narrow roads. For the first time in my life, I felt so disgusted and squeamish, I practically had to run to the washroom for a hot shower.
Filth of Delhi, first impressions
India Gate, built to remember the 70,000 Indian soldiers who died fighting as a part of British Army in Africa, Middle East, Europe…etc. during WW1 — Mahatma Gandhi Memorial — Qutub Minar. The tallest minaret of India, was built by Qutb al-Din Aibak in 1119, at the very beginning of Muslim rule in India. Sold as a slave, he became a shah and hence was the founder of the Mamluk dynasty, one of the slave dynasties. — Lotus Temple, a temple of the Baháʼí Faith, a new religion from Middle East that’s just 200 years old. People of all faiths can go in and meditate.
The New Delhi was planned and built by British as they changed the capital from Calcutta in 1920s due to riots following the division of Bengal state. The roads are wide and the city is noticeably clean and ordered, full of parks and posh buildings. You can actually see the line separating old and new delhis by the sudden end of slum-like houses.
Gurudwara (Sikh Temple). Free food for people of all faiths and all classes. CEOs and beggers alike sit together and eat the simple and delicious meal.
Agra fort and Delhi Red fort are two finest of the Mughal forts. Akbar’s grandson Shah Jahan was imprisoned in Agra fort (and died looking at his Taj Mahal) by his son Aurangazeb, who shifted the capital to Delhi and built the Red Fort there. Red fort is tremendous in size (I’m running out of adjectives here) and the inside is beautifully designed with Mughal gardens and palaces. The mable hall of private audience is where Emperor Aurangazeb (1600s) sat on his peacock throne, which was taken to Iran and dismantled when the Persion Emperor Nader Shah literally walked non-stop all the way from Iran to Delhi with his army and slaughtered the city in 1739. The Koh-i-Noor Diamond that was a part of the throne was then bounced around and it ultimately ended up on the British Crown.
The marble hall of private audience. Mughal Emperor Aurangazeb (1600s) sat on his peacock throne right there on that marble platform.
Delhi Red fort. A mammoth Mughal masterpiece built by Emperor Shah Jahan
I underestimated Delhi, assumed it’s just a dirty city and made the mistake of allocating only one day for it. There’s a lot to see here. Hoping to spend one more day here at the end of the trip, if corona comes under control.
Tried auto rickshaw with my German-Indonesian friend who I met on the way