Golden Triangle of India

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Wednesday, 17 December 2015 - Started the day in Delhi visiting Gandhi Smriti where Mahatma Gandhi spent his last days and was assassinated, saw the martyr's column marking the site, then toured the massive Red Fort with its Lahori Gate, Diwan-i-Am and Diwan-i-Khas halls, wandered the narrow streets of Old Delhi with markets and temples, and explored Jama Masjid before ending the day with a visit to the Akshardham temple complex.

india2015 — An early start to the day stopping at the museum where Gandhi was killed.

The Martyr's Column now marks the place where Gandhi, the "Father of the Indian Nation" was assassinated.

india2015 — The last steps of Gandhi from the house to the spot where he was assassinated.

india2015 — Gandhi statue at the entrance to the museum - inside is a review of his life and accomplishments.

Gandhi Smriti is a museum dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi. It is the location where Mahatma Gandhi spent the last 144 days of his life and was assassinated on January 30, 1948.

india2015 — The next spot took a while to visit because it is so vast - the Red Fort - over 254.67 acres.

The Red Fort was the residence of the Mughal emperor of India for nearly 200 years, until 1857. This is the Lahori Gate is the main entrance to the Red Fort.

india2015 — Arches in the Rsng Mahal

The Rang Mahal or Palace of Color originally served as a part of the imperial harem and was known as the Palace of Distinction during the rule of Shah Jahan. After the British occupied the fort in 1857, Rang Mahal was used as a mess hall for a brief time.

india2015 — Inlay marble columns

The Diwan-i-Khas, or Hall of Private Audiences, in the Red Fort was the place where the Mughal emperor received courtiers and state guests.

india2015 — Detail of the marble inlay

india2015 — Marble platform with carved flowers.

india2015 — In the center of the eastern wall stands a marble canopy covered by a "Bengal" roof. The prime minister used a marble dais below the throne, inlaid with semi-precious stones, to receive petitions. The emperor was separated from the courtiers by a gold-plated railing, while a silver railing ran around the remaining three sides of the hall.

The Diwan-i-Am, or Hall of Audience, was where the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (1628-1658) and his successors received members of the public and heard their grievances.

india2015 — The roof of the Diwan-i-Am

india2015 — Marble lattice

india2015 — British barracks built on the Red Fort grounds

india2015 — Pigeons line the walls of the Red Fort

india2015 — The Red Fort is enclosed by 1.50 miles of defensive walls up to a height 108 feet on the city side.

india2015 — The Red Fort is in the center of Delhi, so we walked out the main gate and into the streets of old Delhi.

The wires going every which way are amazing.

india2015 — We wandered through the very narrow streets soaking in the sounds and sights of old Delhi

india2015 — Yards of decorative trim for dresses

india2015 — More embroidery

india2015 — Sometimes the street seemed to dissolve into an alley.

india2015 — Off one alley was a section of eight homes and at the end of the alley a temple. The homes were very nice - this is the trim for the entrance of one home.

india2015 — We stopped at a temple - used to taking off shoes and socks but at this temple you walked through a 2-foot stream cut in marble before the steps to the temple.

Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib is one of the nine historical gurdwaras in Delhi. First established in 1783 by Baghel Singh to commemorate the martyrdom site the ninth Sikh Guru. It marks the site Sikh Guru was beheaded on the orders of the Mughal emperor on 11 November 1675, Aurangzeb, for refusing to convert to Islam.

india2015 — The Prayer Hall

india2015 — The temple served anyone who needed a meal. This in the kitchen where a lentil soup was being cooked

india2015 — The ladies making dough balls to cook

india2015 — Fresh bread

We had not eaten lunch and the ladies gave us a couple of pieces of bread - one with butter. It was delicious.

india2015 — Feeding the poor in a dining hall.

india2015 — From the temple we went on to the spice market.

india2015 — More and more markets with food stuffs

india2015 — Purchased some spices for curry near here. Virginia Ann used the spices cooking chicken and it was delicious.

india2015 — A street vendor selling food - basically items wrapped in bread.

india2015 — We walked through a traffic jam to the Jama Masjid Mosque.

It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan between 1644 and 1656. The mosque was completed in 1656 with three great gates, four towers and two 130 foot high minarets constructed of strips of red sandstone and white marble. The courtyard can accommodate more than 25,000 people.

india2015 — The mosque is high on a hill and has a great view of the Red Fort.

india2015 — The floor is covered with white and black ornamented marble to look like a Muslim prayer mat. Beside it, a thin black border measuring 3 feet long and 1.5 feet wide is marked for the worshippers. There are 899 total such boxes.

india2015 — Inside the mosque

india2015 — We ended the day at Akshardham temple - they do not allow any cameras or cell phones so even though we were there for 3 hours this picture from the parking lot is all to show. The temple was spectacular inside and well worth the trip.

Akshardham complex is a Hindu mandir, and a spiritual-cultural campus. It is the second-largest Hindu temple in India.

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