Delhi Darshan

Sledging down the valleys of Kashmir and landing atop the Camel in Rajasthan. We smelled the tranquility in the monasteries of Sikkim and soaked our selves in the archipelago of the Andaman Islands. So now, lets brace ourselves to be embraced in the warmth of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. The moment we say Delhi the Parliament, the grandeur of the Rashtrapati Bhavan or the Qutub Minar flashes before our eyes. But there is lot more to the capital of India. Adorning the traveler’s hat we take a detour and decide not to reconnoiter places that fall under the tourist attraction menu of the package tour.

Stepping out of the cosmopolitan Delhi we stepped into the historical labyrinth called ‘Dilli’. Located on the banks of the River Yamuna, Delhi was inhabited since the 6th century BC. It is also widely believed to have been the site of Indraprastha, the legendary capital of the Pandavas during the times of the Mahabharata. In 1639, Mughal emperor Shahjahan built a walled city in Delhi, which served as the capital of the Mughal Empire from 1649-1857. And as we reckon this information we arrive at Shahjahan’s walled city’s legendary major street called the Chandni Chowk.

Chandni Chowk today might appear choked with congestion but saunter down and you will see the ancient beauty through the creeks of this congestion. Chandni Chowk is adorned with many a havelis, its by lanes are clogged with small shops selling everything from strands of yarns to fully made heavy sarees. The very famous sweet house the Ghantewala Halwai or the lip smacking Paranthe waali gali, will draw you to this place more than the words of this article! The most striking thing about this place is that people of all faith live together in great respect and modern India has never witnessed any form of communal violence. If there is the Jama Masjid, the foundation of which was laid by Shahjahan in 1650 AD on one side then there is also the Sis Ganj Sahib Gurudwara constructed on the martyrdom of the 9^th Sikh guru Tegh Bahadur. And if there is a revered place for the Gauri Shankar Temple built by a Maratha general Appa Gandgadhar in 1761, then there also stands the Christian Central Baptist Church erected in 1814.

Absorbing these facts and after a palatable food for thought and appetite, we headed for our next destination, and this time we chose a locomotive that stands as a jewel in Delhi’s crown, the Delhi Metro Rail. The metro rail is a blessing in avoiding traffic clogging and kudos to the man who engineered such a marvel. The rail is swift, low cost and conveniently drops us at our destination in a couple of minutes. We crawled onto the violet line of the metro and until our journey halted we could safely say that it was a very comfortable journey and indeed technologically way advanced. Mr. E. Sreedharan is undoubtedly a deserving recipient of the Padma Shri award.

Out of the Kalkaji metro station and in we were at our next haven, the Bahá'í Temple or famously called the Lotus Temple. Bahá'í is a faith that preaches monotheism. The Bahá'í laws emphasize that it is a gathering place where people of all religions may worship God without denominational restrictions. Apart from its pristine reverence, the place holds you with its magnificent architecture, which is akin to a lotus. It’s designed by Fariborz Sahba and the structure has won many laurels to its’ credit too. The best time to be here is at the evening. As you sink yourself in its floral garden and wait for the sun to bid adieu, the lights around the temple are lit and your eyes are treated to the beauty of a giant lotus half unfurled. The structure purely looks immaculate.

Apart from these modern day structures the glory of the city has been upheld by the ancient architectural manifestations, the Red fort- that features in UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. Mughal Emperor Humayun’s majestic Tomb, the President’s domicile the Rashtrapati Bhavan and in it the famed Mughal Gardens.

Flanked with embassies on either side, we drove down the Shanti path, a pleasant boulevard for those who love to drive amidst serenity. And within no time we stood in front of Rashtrapati Bhavan’s colossal entrance. I was lucky to get a peek-a-boo into the president’s abode as we walked down its corridor’s to reach the sprawling Mughal Gardens. The garden is opened to the public for a month, most usually for the month of February, as part of the annual 'Rashtrapati Bhavan Udyanotsav'. It showcases a combination of the formal Mughal style with the British garden designs. We were fortunate to have strolled in the traditional Mughal Garden, Musical Garden, Spiritual Garden, Herbal Garden, Biodiversity Park and bewildering was the fact that in a metropolis like Delhi we could taste the smell of oxygen, which I thought was limited just to the chemistry books.

Ladies reading this article will bow in acceptance, as to how can a travel end without, ‘shopping’! Though there’s a trail of shopping malls mushrooming across the city but shopping in bazaars still has its own charm. Markets like Sarojini nagar and Karol Bagh offers you the best footwear or casual dresses and markets like Lajpat Nagar and Chandni Chowk are a paradise for traditional north Indian outfits and jewelry. And if you wish to own an accessory of a certain state, you still wont be disheartened, as a line of state emporiums in Connaught place come to your rescue. After a days’ heavy shopping if your stomach grumbles Delhi offers you a multitude of cuisine too. Be it the Mughlai food at the Karim’s in Old Delhi, the south Indian food at Sarvana bhavan or the Bengali sweets tickling your taste buds at the Bangla Sweet House in Connaught place. And if you wish to relish this all these flavors at one place, it is the Dilli Haat, which offers a plethora of food items from the length and breadth of secular India.

Winding up this bird’s eye view of Delhi my brain starts pondering that if Tamil Nadu is an abode for tamilians, Punjab for Punjabis or Calcutta for Bengalis, Delhi can safely be called a cosmopolitan, as we see people from all walks of life, with their multitude of languages and culture, painting in the color of secularism and in true sense illuminating the fact that it is a mini India. So, is Delhi on your checklist as the next place to traverse???