Day of Sightseeing

7/18/10 - 7pm

Qutab Minar and Safdarjung's Tomb have been on my list of Delhi attractions to visit, and I got to see both today, plus an art museum and a crafts market. I got a lot of great pictures, which I will upload to the Picasa album soon, but, as you can imagine, it was extremely hot and humid and most of the day I was dripping sweat. Until then, if you want to see pictures of the places I visited today or to learn more, you can just visit the links at the bottom of this entry.

Now, back at the air-conditioned hotel, I am still feeling exhausted and don't know how much longer I'll wait before going to bed! (After all, I have a really early morning tomorrow as I go back to my second-favorite school in the world, KV no. 2.) The heat really takes it out of you here- I normally dislike but tolerate the heat, but today was just too much.

Anyway, Qutab Minar is shorthand for the huge minaret and the complex surrounding it, made up of mosques and tombs and a school. It was built around the 1200s, if I recall correctly, and the minaret itself is enormous and beautiful! Unfortunately, a lot of the complex is in ruins, but there is still enough to see that you can get an idea of what it must have looked like in its heyday. It must have been mindblowingly spectacular to see such a tall tower crafted so beautifully out of red and white stone.

Safdarjung's tomb is the building on which the Taj Mahal was based. When you see it, you get the sense that Shah Jehan (the guy who built the Taj for his wife) wanted to take the design and improve upon it, and make it on a much grander scale. Like the Qutab Minar complex buildings, it's red stone, and very pretty. The grounds (as far as I could see anyway) are shaped like a giant "plus" sign, with the actual tomb right in the middle. The "arms" of the plus sign are reflecting pools, and the whole thing is surrounded by a wall. Again, it would have been amazing to see the building when it was first constructed, with the reflecting pools glistening in the sun or the fountains going.

We also stopped at an art museum, Sanskriti Kendra, which hosts visiting artists from around the world and displays a collection of Indian terra cotta, textiles, and "everyday objects" from times past. It was amazing to see the variety of objects in the museum, and best of all, we were the only people there!

If you would like to learn more about Safdarjung's tomb please visit this site as a jumping-off point: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safdarjung%27s_Tomb

If you would like to learn more about Qutab Minar please visit this site as a jumping-off point:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qutab_Minar

If you would like to learn more about Sanskriti Kendra please visit this site:
http://www.sanskritifoundation.org/

But so sorry to say, the day wore me out and I lack the energy to go out for dinner with my pals, although I might order some room service (swanky!) later if I'm not asleep. Let's hope I haven't come down with a case of "Delhi Belly"!!!!