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| Divine
Delhi- some treasures that can only be felt,
not seen |
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| Overview
of the Destination: |
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'There is one God; mankind
is one; the foundations of religion are
one.'
-Bahai Holy Writings
We were a bunch of six- not particularly
religious (or spiritual, for that matter)
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India
Gate |
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Red
Fort |
and when we set out exploring some of
the most visited sacred sites of Delhi,
all we wanted was a break from monotony.
By the end of the day we were sure that
'a break' was an understatement for the
experiences we had had.
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We had decided on
five places where we would go-
1. Gurdwara Bangla Sahib
2. Sacred Heart Cathedral
3. Birla Mandir
4. Lotus Temple and
5. Jama Masjid
One of my friends had a car for most of
the day, so transport was not particularly
a problem. We had scheduled the trip in
March- one of the best times to travel
Delhi.
Food, sight-seeing and shopping:
Gurdwara Bangla
Sahib- a great way to start off the day
Raj Ghat |
Gurdwara Bangla
Sahib located at the nerve-centre
of city, very close to Cannaught
Place, was our first stop.
Bangla Sahib had once been
the bungalow of Raja Jai Singh
Amber (Jaipur) who lived during
the times of Aurangazeb.
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The Eighth Sikh Guru, Guru Sri
Harikrishan, is said to have
resided here. Even before we
entered, we spotted the lovely
golden dome of the Sikh temple,
visible from the road.
As
we entered the hallowed grounds,
the early morning recitals or
gurbani soothed our senses.
Before going up the steps, we
had to wash our feet, this action
in the cold morning was enough
to bolt those of us who were
on the verge of sleep into activity.
We bought some halwa parshad
as our offering. All of us had
covered our heads with scarves
or duppatta, as was mandatory
in the gurdwara. There were
scarves available at the entrance
if one did not have anything
to cover one's head with.
We went in.
We spent a little time inside-
made our offerings, said our
prayers and listened to gurbani.
We then made our way to the
holy pond or Sarovar, believed
to posses healing powers.
We couldn’t resist reaching
into the holy waters and sprinkling
some on our head. As we traced
the path around the sarovar,
a strange calm engulfed us.
The morning hour, the gurbani,
the cold water, made everything
seem so ethereal.
We were ravenous by the time
we came out. Unfortunately
we could find no time for
the langar (feast prepared
for the devotees, by the devotees).
But the tasty sweet halwa
we had suited us just fine.
Within the Pristine
glory of Sacred Heart Cathedral
Our next stop was
the Sacred Heart Cathedral,
located just across
the street, very close
to the Gol Daak Khana.
The huge building
is very European in
its architecture;
the Italian influence
speaks of the great
aesthetic sense of
the creator.
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Lotus Temple
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The
Garden City |
Henry
Medd is said to
be its designer
while the idea of
the church itself
was conceived by
Father Luke, from
the order of St.
Francis of Assisi.
When we entered
the building, it
was practically
deserted.
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We prayed
at Mother Mary's statue to our
left, outside the main building
and made our way inside. The
hall echoed with our footsteps.
Inside was the typical seating
arrangement of the church. We
chose one of the many wooden
seats. On the wall facing us
was a huge statue of Christ.
On either side were some very
important Catholic statues.
The walls rising into a dome
reminded one of the grandeur
of the Creator. Untouched and
quite, the church was a haven
for those seeking peace of mind.
Once outside, we just had pay
attention to our grumbling stomach.
We made our way to Connaught
Place. The shops were just opening,
and not much was available as
choice. We ran into a thela(pushcart)
which was selling hot litti-chokha,
a delicacy from Bihar. Totally
oblivious to any health precautions,
we indulged our appetites. After
which we were ready to face
the rest of the day.
Birla Mandir- the breathtaking
creation by God’s creatures
We were now heading
for Birla Mandir also called
as Lakshmi Narayan Temple. The
temple is situated in Mandir
Marg and is easily accessible
from most of Delhi. We reached
there after the morning pooja.
Getting into the temple was
a high-security affair and we
had to leave our shoes and mobile
phones with the guards. But
once inside, the minor hiccups
were soon forgotten. We were
greeted by a fusion of North
Indian artwork. The Birlas,
one of India’s most famous
industrial families, built the
temple. The main deities here
are Narayan and His consort
Lakshmi, thus giving the temple
its name. As we marvelled at
the beautiful paintings that
adorned the walls, we were attracted
by artificial landscape visible
just outside. Apart from the
presiding deities, the temple
also has shrines of Lord Shiva,
Lord Ganesha, Lord Krishna (an
incarnation of Lord Narayan)
and Goddess Durga. There was
way too much to see in the temple
than we could cramp into the
half an hour we had allotted
it. With a promise to be back,
we left.
We had not decided
on our next stop, should we
go to Lotus Temple near Kalkaji
or Jama Masjid in Chandni
Chowk? Somehow the idea of
crowded roads of Chandni Chowk
in the afternoon heat did
not appeal to any of us. So
we decided to go to Lotus
Temple.
Lotus
temple- the best flower in the
garden
All we knew about the temple
was that it was shaped like
a Lotus, which we guessed must
have been inspired by the Opera
Hall of Sydney and was built
by people belonging to Baha'i
community. Nothing could prepare
us for the breathtaking splendour
we were about to encounter.
The entire area was like a garden
that housed a single, large
lotus. Acres of neat lawn greeted
us, interspersed with beautiful
March flowers. Located on Bahapur
Hills, it is the seventh and
the newest of Baha'i houses
of worship. This temple had
been opened to public in 1987
and ever since has attracted
hordes of tourists from around
the globe. There was a huge
queue before us. It was rather
surprising, therefore, that
the entire place was conspicuously
silent. As we entered we were
warned not to speak or make
noise, as it would distract
those meditating. We were curious
as to what we’d find inside.
Inside as we quietly made our
way, we were surprised once
again to find that there were
no statues! On all sides we
could read preachings from the
Baha'i faith. The tranquillity
of the lotus temple was what
touched the heart the most.
I had to literally drag myself
from the place.
Out again in
the hubbub of city, we wondered
what to do for lunch. My friend
had to leave his car at Janpath,
so we decided to go there.
This time we went to Saravana
Bhavan for some hot South
Indian food, seeming atrociously
priced to us South Indians,
but tasty, nevertheless. After
lunch and a little roaming
around, we took the Metro
to Chandni Chowk.
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| Jama
Masjid- magnificence experienced from
a distance |
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It was evening by
the time we reached- the whole place
was mayhem. One person in the group
suggested we try the paranthewale gali,
or the street famous for its paranthas
before we headed for Jama Masjid, and
the rest of us agreed.
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Juma
Masjid |
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Humayun's Tomb
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Here we tried every kind of parantha
and soon the glutton in us took over.
From here we headed for the famous Jalebi
street, then it was time for some lassi,
then to wash it all down, we went to
the Haldirams for some spicy pakodas.
By now it had really become late.
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We were told we would not be able to
see Jama Masjid, but having come this
far we wanted to see it, if only from
outside. We took a rikshaw to Jama Masjid.
All around the area, we could see the
huge domes of the building, towering
over the smaller shops. Amidst the din,
the noise, the sheer human mass- one
just had to look up to feel a sense
of harmony.
We could see the vast stretches of the
monument. It was as if it had spread
its arms to engulf everything in sight.
The red-sandstone and white marble structure
was well-lit. Jama Masjid was created
by Shah Jahan- the mughal monarch. It
was his last great architectural work.
This mosque was originally called Masjid-I-Jahanuma
or ‘the mosque commanding the
view of the world’. The huge mosque
can accommodate around 25000 worshippers.
But sadly, it closes after sunset and
we had come two hours too late! We did
see a few people on the steps, but being
a majority of girls, we decided not
to push our luck and to return home.
But we could not help standing in front
of the building, drinking in the architecture,
imagining the great Mughals walking
down the steps...yet again we promised,
another day?
Activities & things to do
Rashtrapati Bhawan |
All the places
we visited involved very
little to zero activity.
The travel itself had been
tiring, though. These places
are for those feeling harassed
and restless. There is no
parallel for the feeling
of calm that you get. A
little time in meditation,
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the serene aura
of the places and
something inside
you heals.Through
the whole day, every
place we visited
touched us. Something
beyond religion,
beyond ordinary
and mundane pulled
at our heartstrings.
We had not become
saints, not even
close to it but
we had definitely
turned more human. |
Qutab compund
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Travel
tips, How to reach, travel
warnings etc.
Most
of theses places are easily
accessible from all areas
of Delhi. Having a personal
mode of transport is a blessing
in most places in Delhi
but to access crowded areas
like Jama Masjid, metro
is the best bet.
Do’s:
• Prepare the itinerary
in advance
• Try the local food
• Carry as little
baggage as possible
• Research a bit on
the place you plan to visit
Don’ts:
• Plan the trip in
peak of summer or winter
• Plan on taking auto
for the entire travel- it
will burn a hole into your
pocket
• Stay late in Chandni
chowk, getting transport
out becomes difficult and
travelling by your own vehicle
is tough in the traffic
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