February 24, 2016

February 24, 2016

Yesterday, the sky was clear and blue. Today, we realize why Delhi is considered the most polluted city in the world. The smog is so thick you can taste it.

We met our fellow travelers in the hotel lobby for an organized tour of Delhi.  Our first stop was at a relatively modern Hindu Temple to learn about this faith of the majority of India’s population.  It is the native historical religion and differs substantially from western ones.  Hindu is more a way to live your life as opposed to a belief in some god.  Hindu has 330 million gods with the primary ones being Shiva the destroyer and Vishnu, the creator.  These gods have many manifestations and re-incarnations.

The temple is elaborately decorated but an interesting symbol used often is the swastika, which the Nazi’s co-opted from Hinduism.  It is believed the HIndu religion and language were introduced thousands of years ago from central Asia by a group that called themselves Aryans.  This dominant culture came to rule India.  The indigenous languages only survive in the South.  This domination of Aryans over everyone else is believed to be the source of the caste system.  The Aryans also overran Europe, which is why Hitler adopted the Aryan culture and symbols as the basis of his racial superiority.

We then drove across town to learn about the main minority religion of the subcontinent, Islam.  Jama Masjid is the largest mosque and sits in Old Delhi.  This mosque has a large open central courtyard facing Mecca for prayer.  Contrary to other mosques I have seen, it is rather dull and minimally ornamented.

Right outside the mosque our group got in bicycle rickshaws and were pedaled through back alleys of Old Delhi.  It was like a cross between Slumdog Millionaire and the Amazing Race. Between, the sounds of honking, smells of pollution and burning, the visual of brightly clothed people, and crush of humanity, it was sensory overload.

After this excitement we needed a restful period so our next stop was Raj Ghat, the Gandhi Memorial. Mohandas Gandhi is revered because of his role in wresting independence for India from the British.

We then did a drive-by tour of memorials and building of the modern state of India, the largest democracy in the world.  We finished with a small lunch and herbal tea served at a Kashmir Rug factory.  In third world countries these kind of stops at high priced stores with kickbacks to the tour guide are a staple of tourism.

Our last stop of the day is south of Delhi at Qutb Minar, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.   Delhi has been the capital of several northern Indian empires, most of which were Muslim invaders. The Qutb complex may have been the last Hindi Capital. The Hindu  temples were destroyed by a Muslim invader and the stones used to build a mosque and a 240-foot stone minaret, the tallest stone tower in India.  After the site was abandoned, the plaster veneer wore away and now the Hindu symbols on the original stones can be seen.