India Things to Do Tips by Sharrie

One of those things

Ok, I checked around & I still have not found out its name.
Anyway, I don't make a habit of taking notes or journals when I travel.
That's just me. That's how I travel. Merely to see; not to write.

So, in this instance, we all have to content ourselves with just a pix without name.

This is one of the tombs near to Humayun's Tomb. In fact, right before we enter the compound of Humayun's.
The reason why it's here is because I find its architecture different. Simply that.
I once wanted to be an architect. So, here it is...

VIP

Who other than MAHATMA GANDHI is more famous in modern history of India?
No one!
He is symbolic of nationhood.
The Father of the Nation.
Just like Sun Yat Sen is to China.

RAJGHAT - The cremation site with his last words "He Ram!" meaning "Oh God".

Gandhi's death anniversary is Jan. 30 & his birthday is Oct. 2 (oh, another Libran :-) ).
On these 2 special occasions, the leaders of the country gather here to meet & pray.

Museums

After having been to many parts of the world & visited the wonderful museums in each country, I must say, museums in India are not up to par.

The country's treasure & works of arts are not in good hands. Displays are awful & need more fine-tuning. Things felt like they were in the flea market than a proper museum! HELP! That's what India needs.

Architectures had been preserved & restored.
Works of arts? Nope. A lot more effort needed to bring it to world standard.

India may be catching up with China economically.
But where this aspect is concerned, it's lacking way behind!

Sari & Qutb Minar

At Qutb Minar, we were approached by many girls in their Saris. I assume they were visiting this site for some kind of learning.
It is afterall a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Ok, how does one distinguish a sari from a salwar-kameez?
These girls wear a sari.
I wore a salwar-kameez at the Taj Mahal.
The difference lies in the way it's worn.

Sari has the flow of a long dress.
It is usually about 5.5 m long.
Worn tied around the waist & then tucked into the under-skirt & finally the end is flipped over the shoulder. See the pix if you don't know what I'm talking about.

As for salwar-kameez, the most distinctive piece is the pajama which they called salwar. The loose tunic is the kameez.

As for how I know how to wear a sari?
Well, Audrey was shopping for sari for her curtain!
So, while we were at the shop, the shopkeeper showed me how.
It's a very interesting experience.

A UNESCO World Heritage Monument

Ok, we've visited the tombs, the forts, the palaces...
Now, the museums.
But wait, before that, let me introduce you to one of the most interesting sites we went to on this trip.

It's the world heritage site, QUTB MINAR (Delhi).
In Arabic, Qutb Minar means either pole or axis.
It is the highest single tower in India.
Not high, really, just 5 storeys!
But in terms of importance, it's the site of 1st Muslim kingdom in India (1193!).

I'll elaborate more on it in my Delhi page.
Stay tuned!

Illusions

PALACE OF THE WINDS (Jaipur).

I've read a great deal of books by the many gurus & highly spiritual persons in this world.
Their common belief?
Reality is nothing but a sum of our consciousness & experiences.
Think about it, what you don't perceived or are not conscious of, it simply doesn't exist for you or your mindset.
Example?
The many germs everywhere; on our desktops, on our skin, wherever, whenever...

Ok, this is too "deep" for a travel tip ;-)
Here, I'm simply mentioning about something we discovered while in India.

HAWA MAHAL (or PALACE OF THE WINDS) is the chief attraction which caught my eyes & hence inspired me to want to come to India.
No, it was not the Taj Mahal.
It was the Hawa Mahal.

But Hawa Mahal was simply an illusion; a facade where the ladies in ancient times hide behind it & from there looking out to the world.
It is now a tourist attraction but only for a picture instead of a visit.
It is not what it should be... a run-down facade amidst many other buildings of the same time.
It's just an illusion - a sad one for me.

In honor of Chishti

KHWABGAH (Fatehpur Sikri) - part ancient capital & part palace.
Collectively known as Fatehpur Sikri, it's a must for anyone enroute from Jaipur to Agra or vice versa.

Fatehpur Sikri is about 37 km west of Agra.
It's built by Akbar around 1571 to 85 & was a mughal capital for 14 years. It was later abandoned, possibly for the same reason as to why Angkor Wat was abandoned.

Remember, you don't need a guide here.
Those self-employed touting guides can be a pain! Ignore them!
Their asking price starts around Rs. 100 & then dropping (self-appointed) to Rs. 10 within 10 mins!
It's really a nuisance, unfortunately, it happens in this overly populated country where it's possibly hard to make a living.
I don't blame them but I find them irritating.
Still, everyone is entitle to make a living whatever way they know how to.

Otherwise, it's a nice place to walk around.
The Islamic influence on the architecture can be observed here.
It's simple yet it bespoke of strength.

The Rambagh

RAMBAGH PALACE (Jaipur) - A palace originated from a small garden pavilion for Ram Singh II's wet nurse.
The Rambagh is now a 5* hotel & if I may suggest, get yourself a room here while you are visiting Jaipur.
It's probably the best hotel in Jaipur.
It's interesting to stay in a palace, yes?
The room rate per night is around US$250-300.

No, we didn't stay here, instead, we had dinner here.
It was a thoroughfare & we were the only 2 guests the entire night!
Imagine that!
But we enjoyed all the pampering & it was fun to have the entire dining room to ourselves :-)

The Rambagh Palace was built in 1835, became official resident of Man Singh II in 1933 & then revert to a hotel in 1957.

City Palace

CHANDRA MAHAL (Jaipur) - A 7-storeyed palace closed to the public. It was once home to Jaipur rulers during the 18th century.

The other parts of the palace is however opened as the CITY PALACE MUSEUM (or MAHARAJA SAWAI MAN SINGH II MUSEUM) & is famous for its collection of paintings, carpets, musical instruments royal costumes & textiles & weaponry.
The museum also houses 2 giant silver urns which was listed as the world's largest silver objects in the Guinness Book of Records!

The environs make it one of the most interesting museums I've been to.

Hermitage of Salim Chishti

JAMI MASJID (Fatehpur Sikri) -
Undoubtedly, this was a surprise to us.

Frankly, I dreaded going into here because we were on our way to Agra, plus we had our documents & cash on us.
By the look of the people outside loitering, I didn't think it was a good idea at all.
But still, we went ahead & was somewhat drawn in by the remarkable architecture.

Remember to have a long skirt or pants whenever you visit the mosque.
That's one of the protocol of mosque-going.

The impressive JAMI MASJID / JAMA MASJID as some called it was just a short walk from the "palace" & the main highlight is the tomb of the Sufi mystic, Salim Chishti.
It was said that if a childless woman makes a wish at his tomb, a miracle will manifest!