September 29 – More sites in Delhi and Home Hosted Visit

Yes, this is out of order. I forgot to include this when I last uploaded to the blog.
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Our day began with a visit to the Quwwat-ul-Islam Masjid Mosque in Delhi, the oldest one in India, built by knocking down 27 Hindu temples and using the parts for the mosque. Shoes didn’t have to be removed, as it is no longer an active mosque. The whole Indo-Islamic architecture complex is punctuated by the Qutb Minar, a 234-foot-high tower, built in three sections by three separate rulers. There is also a pure iron column, over 20-feet high, that shows no rust after over 2000 years. This is now a UNESCO World Heritage site and the symbol of New Delhi. Our visit, after that, to a Kashmir carpet center was very interesting. The carpets are silk and hand-knotted.

We tried to go to the Bahai Lotus Temple (in the shape of a large white lotus blossom), but we arrived just minutes after they were closing for a four-hour afternoon period, due to lunch and the heat, so we turned back to the bus.

Lunch was at Lotus Pond, a Chinese restaurant, near our hotel. Food was good and plentiful. I love Indian food but it’s good to have some variety.

We returned to the hotel for a short time and had to leave our room so that it could be made up. We went downstairs to look at the shops and then sat in the lobby waiting until it was time to leave again.

We boarded the bus to go to Birla House, now called the Gandhi Smriti, where Gandhi lived for his last 114 days. It was here where he was assassinated prior to his giving audience in the garden. There are interesting exhibits and preservation of his simple belongings. The two rooms where he lived are able to be viewed, also. There are wax figures of both him and his wife in one of the museum rooms.

Back to the hotel to clean up and get ready to go for our first home-hosted visit for this trip. Our hostess, who, among other things, teaches “Bollywood” dancing and chocolate recipes, provided us with interesting conversation and good food. She has a 20-year-old “helper,” who has been with the home for four years, who assisted. Unfortunately, we were unable to meet her husband because he was visiting his mother in the hospital. We gave her a gift of information and a pin from where we live.