Delhi: the majestic Qutab Minar

I wasn't sure if I had been to the Qutab Minar before, so was happy to go and glad we did. It is a spectacular set of buildings. The carving and stone color are stunning.

History

The building was started just before 1200 AD by Qutab ul-din Aibak, who founded the Delhi Sultanate. Then additional stories to the tower and more buildings were finished over the years, including the first mosque to be built in India. The tower is the tallest of its kind (a rubble masonry minaret at 73m). What is unknown is who the building is named for (Aibak, the founder, or Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki, a famous Sufi saint) or why it was built (victory tower or call to prayer).

Getting there and in

It is easy to reach on the Delhi metro (Yellow Line, Qutab Minar station) and you can get an auto rickshaw from the station for Rs. 50 although the quotes will be much higher or there will be a proposal to stop at Cottage Industries on the way to see some arts and crafts.

The entrance fee was Rs. 500 for foreigners and Rs. 30 for Indians (I used my PAN card).

What we saw

On a Sunday it is packed with families checking out the buildings and lounging on the grass. It was a nice way to experience a place. Rather than look at the buildings and then leave, people were having conversations and relaxing in the complex. Despite and because of the crowd, it was a nice time see it.

Alai Darwaya: red sandstone carvings

Alai Darwaza: designed by Turkish and local artisans

Tomb of Imam Zamin

Alai Darwaza with Qutab Minar in the background

Tomb of Imam Zamin in front of Alai Darwaza

Qutab Minar

Tomb of Ittutmish

Newly married(?) and touring the mosque

Quwwat-ul-Islam Masjid: the first mosque built in India

Quawwat-ul-Islam Masjid

Quwwat-ul-Islam Masjid

Comments

Vizag: clean city by the sea

Visakhapatnam (or Vizag) wasn't on the radar. It is one of the cleanest places we'd been India. I had no idea it was a city in South East India or how to pronounce it. Only learned it existed because when we tried to get our boarding passes in the airport in Sri Lanka to come to India we needed to show an outbound flight. Walking across the boarder to Myanmar wasn't accepted. Next time will remember to book on a site that allows cancellation after 24 hours, but in the early morning panic that didn't happen. Then it turned out to be overly complicated and expensive to cross overland from India to Myanmar, so we decided to use the flights to Kuala Lumpur and come in from the South. Vizag was now in the itinerary. Get there We took a train from Puri to Khurda junction. And then transfered to a sleeper to Vizag. There is a waiting room in Khurda upstairs to charge phones and sit. Eat, drink, sleep - Sree residency was a great spot to sleep. It was cheaper online. G...

Konark and Puri: see the Sun temple

A site noted that the sun temple at Konark is in the top 10 architecturally. It was on the way to Vizag, so seemed like a good place to stop and boy was the temple impressive. Get in It's a 8 hour train ride from Kolkata to Puri. Arriving at 12am wasn't ideal as tuk tuk drivers were limited and many guest houses full or closed. Eat, drink, sleep - The Pink House is a relic from the 70s. I'm guessing the cockroach in the bathroom has been there that long as well based on its size. Rooms are very basic, somewhat clean, and ours along the walkway was loud. However for Rs. 600-800, you can't complain too much. We also had decent food there. What we did - Puri beach is sadly a mess. Children playing on the beach and using it as a toilet (you had to watch your step). There is trash all over, the only upside of which is the boys use the styrofoam to make boats. Dude asking for photo on the Puri beach. Children playing with self-made styrofoam boats ...

Bodhgaya: follow the Buddha's path to enlightenment

It was a pleasant surprise to discover that Bodhgaya, where the Buddha attained enlightenment was just a 5 hour train ride from Varanasi. How pleasant to go walk in the footsteps of this seemingly kind and thoughtful man. Having not done much research, I wasn't sure what to expect. What we found was a religious center for Buddhists and Hindus around the world and a struggling town, working to make ends meet. Get in We took a train from Varanasi which was 2.5 hours late and got us in at 1 am. After spending 2.5 hours at the train station in Varanasi with a sore throat and stomach bug, we decided to use the various train tracking websites. Then you can get auto (Rs. 120-150 is what we bargained) to Bodhgaya. It seems possible to jump in a shared auto for maybe Rs. 10. Eat, drink, and sleep Buttshinji temple is associated with the Japanese temple and has rooms for a Rs. 800 donation for two. Supposedly they charge for wi-fi, but we weren't charged. The wi-fi is ridi...

Travel in India

Search This Blog