Everyone knows that India has a lot of attractions. It is the oldest civilization in the world, a wealth of natural resources and an amazing culture that has survived to this day. India is one of the most mysterious countries that is changing rapidly, while preserving its traditions.
If you are here for the first time and there is not enough time to appreciate the palaces of the maharajas, it is high time to go to explore the sights of the "Golden Triangle". This is an excursion program that tells about the "most" sights of the state of Rajasthan.
These are three cities where you can see the impressive historical heritage of India: the huge and bustling New Delhi, the famous Agra, led by "postcard" views of the Taj Mahal and the "pink city" of Jaipur.
Capital of India. A huge metropolis with numerous suburbs that have merged together. A mixture of traditions, cultures and architectural eclecticism makes the city the most colorful capital in the world.
The architecture of the Old Town is quite harmoniously adjacent to buildings from the times of the British colonial heritage.
A Tibetan market with a colorful kingdom of amusing trinkets is the best way to describe the life of simple, everyday India.
New Delhi landmarks
India gate... It is a relatively modern symbol of the capital (and the whole country), located in the modern part of the Old City. They were designed by the English architect Edwin Lutyens to commemorate the soldiers who fought for British India in the First World War. The monument and beautiful park for local residents is a pleasant place for picnics, walks and meetings.
Lakshmi-Naroyan Mandir is a Hindu temple. It is dedicated to the god Lakshmi, who is responsible for wealth and well-being, and Naroyan, who protects the universe. Outside, the temple looks like a giant cake, and inside is a real Sultan's palace. Lakshmi-Naroyan Mandir is recognized as the most beautiful temple in India.
Akshardham listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest temple in the world (it is similar in size to). It was built recently (in 2005) with private donations. Both the temple and the park around it require thoughtful visits. It is advisable to go there on your own without tourist groups.
A large and romantic city that exists around one of the wonders of the world - the memorial complex. On its southern side is the famous bazaar, where European traders came to buy silk, tea and spices in the 17th century.
The most famous building of the complex - the Taj Mahal mausoleum is dedicated to the beloved wife of Shah Jahan, who died in childbirth. This is the main mausoleum, a visiting card of the country.
But in the memorial complex itself there is a lot of interesting things: scenic gardens, picturesque embankments and rivers, giant fountains. On certain days of the year, you can get here at night, but before you buy an entrance ticket, you will have to stand in a huge line.
This city is the end point of the journey along the golden triangle. It is quite small, but very beautiful.
The picturesque city center was built according to all the canons of ancient Indian architecture, and the houses were built of pink sandstone. Hence the name - "Pink City".
Jaipur landmarks
Or "Palace of the Winds" - an unimaginably beautiful masterpiece of architecture with a significant facade. This place was built for the sheikh's harem, so that the ladies of the court could observe the city life, while remaining invisible to outsiders.
The palace has recently been restored. The inside tour is also interesting and worth seeing.
The Delhi - Agra - Jaipur - Delhi route has become so popular among tourists that it is called the Golden Triangle of India. The route is what is called "found" and it will not be difficult to complete it, even for novice Indian travelers. And the fact that it starts and ends in Delhi makes it even easier and very suitable for those who come to India for a short time. You can walk along the triangle in 6 - 8 days.
So, you have a week of vacation, and you are planning to visit India on your own and for inexpensive, see some of its main attractions. What to do?
First of all, you decide on the dates of your trip, find and buy the cheapest air tickets. You can find out how to do this by reading the post. How to fly to India on a budget and How to find cheap tickets to India .
Next, book a suitable hotel option in Delhi for 2 days. The easiest way to find such an option is through Hotellook.
A little advice - you don't have much time, it is better to find and book hotels along the entire route in advance, so that later you do not waste time and energy on this.
Be sure to make insurance. The simplest and most convenient service for this is
The next step is to get a visa, how to do it and what are the subtleties, read the post Visa to India.
Well, you are in India too. The thread of your route along the Golden Triangle of India will look like this:
The starting point of the arrival point in India is Delhi. Here a maximum of 2 days. See - Red Fort, the largest mosque in India, 
walking around Old Delhi.
Take the train and travel to Agra. Here, first of all, you are heading to the Taj Mahal - the most grandiose monument of love, 
then to the Agra fort. 
The next day, drive to the Mughal city of Fatehpur - Sikri. 
It is located about an hour's drive from Agra, for this it is better to rent a taxi for the whole day, the cost will not be very expensive. If you have time, you can stay in Agra for another day and visit the Keoladeo Ghana National Park. 
Then take the train again and head to Jaipur - the capital of Rajasthan. 
You can spend 2 - 3 days here. Visit the Amber Fortress and the City Palace. 
Take a walk around the city and its environs. If you are interested, go to shops and markets where you can buy various souvenirs and inexpensive jewelry.
Well, again on the train, back to Delhi, and from there home with a full baggage of vivid impressions and plans for new adventures. Of course, following this route, you cannot say that you have seen real India, but for the first experience of an independent travel to this country, and even with a time limited to only 8-10 days of stay, this is not a bad option.
Have a nice trip!
updated: April 11, 2017 by the author: Sergei
India is a huge country with a rich history. It is so diverse that any corner of it is interesting and exciting in its own way. To understand its culture, it is not enough to visit any one region. For tourists wishing to explore the country in more detail, there is a tour of the "Golden Triangle". India will show you the amazing world of ancient history and culture, to which no one will remain indifferent. It includes the largest cities in the central part of the country, and can also be complemented by relaxation on the famous Indian beaches.
How is the journey carried out?
Depending on the itinerary, the Golden Triangle Tour (India) can vary significantly. Some tour operators offer to visit only the largest cities: Agra, Delhi and Jaipur. Other excursions include visits to all cities included in the tour. Some even supplement the trip with a few days of relaxation on the beaches of Goa or a visit to the famous village of Khajuraho.
Typically, the tour starts in Delhi, where tourists fly by plane. Then, for several days, they travel by car or bus between cities that are part of the "Golden Triangle" (India). Tour operators calculate their vouchers for an average of a week, so very little time is allocated to visit the city. On the road between each settlement, tourists spend an average of about 5 hours. After visiting all the cities, travelers return to Delhi, from where they fly home. If the tour includes a vacation in Goa, then a flight to the state is carried out.
What to take on the road?
A hot, stuffy and humid climate is what tourists who travel to the state of India have to face. The Golden Triangle involves long journeys, so you need to stock up on plenty of water before leaving. You can take food with you. Indian food can be of poor quality or overly spicy. Insect repellent won't hurt either. Despite the hot daytime weather, it gets chilly in the evening, so it's worth taking a light windbreaker or jacket.
Travel price
Depending on the duration of the tour and the quality of the host hotels, the cost of travel can vary significantly. For example, a week-long tour that includes a trip to all the cities of the Golden Triangle for two will cost between $ 650 and $ 1,500. The higher the price, the better the hotel will be. The cost is also influenced by food. As a rule, tour operators pay only for breakfast, but there are also tours with the "All Inclusive" option. The cheapest way to go to India is in September and March, but holidays during the Christmas holidays will cost one and a half times more. If you include an additional vacation in Goa, the amount can also increase significantly.
Delhi
The city of Delhi is the starting point of many Golden Triangle tours. It is located in the north of the country and is the second largest. It will amaze tourists with an abundance of ancient architectural monuments from different historical eras. According to general estimates, there are almost 6,000 different attractions in the city and its environs. The streets of Delhi are filled with numerous restaurants and souvenir shops. It is a multicultural city with a population of over 10 million.
New Delhi is also located here - the region that is the capital of the state of India. The "Golden Triangle" includes visits to the capital's attractions. In the old part of the city, you should definitely visit the Jama Masjid Mosque - this is the largest Muslim building in the country. You should also definitely look at the panorama of ancient Delhi. Among other attractions it is worth noting the Red Fort, the mausoleum of the Mughal padishah Humayun, Akshardham. Tourists also like to spend part of the sightseeing time strolling through the Chatta Chowk market, which retains the atmosphere of ancient India.
Jaipur
Jaipur is popularly called the "pink city" because of the characteristic color of the stone that was used in the building. It is quite small in size, especially in comparison with the multimillion-dollar Delhi. There are a huge number of palaces of different shapes and sizes here. The largest of them are the City Palace and Hawa Mahal, a former harem with about 900 windows on its façade. Thanks to them, the palace is blown through even in the most sultry heat. Therefore, still very often Hawa Mahal is called the Palace of the Winds.
The city will surprise tourists with a huge number of monkeys that live here everywhere. The Monkey Temple was erected in their honor in Jaipur. Almost 2,000 primates live on its territory. Sightseeing India ("Golden Triangle" in particular) is not only sightseeing, but also a trip to museums. Most of Jaipur's museums are located in the City Palace. To examine them all, you need to spend at least one day. Also, when visiting the city, be sure to see the Jal Mahal Palace - a unique building located right in the middle of the lake.
Fatehpur Sikri
Tour "Golden Triangle" (India) is designed not only for visiting large cities of the country, but also includes small settlements with a rich cultural heritage. One of them is the small city of Fatehpur Sikri, which was once the capital of the Empire. Now about 30 thousand people live here, and Fatehpur Sikri itself has become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This settlement has the fame of a ghost town.
Unlike the "pink" city, Fatehpur Sikri was built up with red sandstone. The architecture of the settlement combines the influences of Hinduism, Islam and Jainism. The main attraction of the city is the Bulat-Darvaza Gate - an example of ancient Mughal architecture. They are also one of the largest in the world. It is worth seeing the building of Ank Michauli, which is the former treasury, as well as the drum house of Naubat Khan.
Agra
Agra is one of the most magnificent cities that India is famous for. The Golden Triangle was named after the 3 largest settlements around which the tour was built. Apart from Delhi and Jaipur, one of the peaks is Agra. Here is one of the seven wonders of the world - the Taj Mahal. The mausoleum, built in honor of the beloved wife of the padishah Shah Jahan, impresses with its grandeur. The beautiful structure, made of snow-white marble, delights tourists with its exquisite beauty. When planning a tour, you should pay attention to the fact that services are held in the mausoleum on Fridays and it is closed to the public.
In addition to the Taj Mahal, there are many other attractions in Agra. A must-see is the Red Fort - a fortress that was once the residence of Indian rulers. The Tomb of Akbar the Great is an equally impressive structure, in which one of the most significant Muslim rulers of the state of India found his rest. The excursion tour "Golden Triangle" also includes a visit to the tomb of Itemad-ud-Daula, which is often called the "Little Taj". Another architectural wonder of Agra is the Pearl Mosque with its snow-white domes.
Mathura
The city of Mathura is located 50 kilometers north of Agra. In ancient times, it stood at the intersection of major trade routes, therefore it was an important economic center of the country. According to ancient legends, Krishna was born here, therefore Mathura is considered a sacred Indian city. A magnificent temple was erected at the place of his birth about 5 thousand years ago. Of course, it was rebuilt many times, and the current Krishna Janmabhumi is unlikely to compare with the original structure. There is a small sanctuary 250 meters from the temple, marking the exact place of Krishna's birth.
There are also other sacred places associated with the life of an ancient deity. Another attraction is the Vishrama Ghat site, which marks the site of Krishna's murder of the local greedy ruler. Tourists are also encouraged to visit the local Archaeological Museum, which contains many ancient finds, as well as the 5th century Buddha statue.
Vrindavan
Vrindavan is a sacred city also associated with the life of Krishna. It is located near Mathura and is one of the many pilgrimage centers for which India is so famous. Unfortunately, the "Golden Triangle" does not always include a visit to this city. And completely in vain, because in terms of the number of attractions it is not inferior to other major cities of the tour. The temple complex of Prem Mandir will amaze tourists with its splendor. This Hindu sanctuary was built only in 2012, and specialists from all over the world took part in its construction.
It is not for nothing that Vrindavan is called "the city of the temple." They meet here at every turn. According to estimates, there are about 5,000 religious buildings on its territory. The oldest surviving temple of Madanamohana dates back to the 16th century. Also, tourists should visit the Banke Bihari and Geshi Khad temples. The latter is located on the banks of the Yamuna River, and every evening at sunset there is a ceremony to worship Krishna.
Optional vacation in Goa
India is famous not only for its architectural monuments. Tour "Golden Triangle + Goa" also includes several days that tourists will spend on the beaches of this famous resort. The combination of sightseeing and beach holidays makes this tour especially popular.
Goa does not have such striking sights as in the ancient cities of the country. However, there are many places here that are definitely worth visiting for tourists. For example, Paradise Beach is a beautiful corner of nature with clear water and virgin jungle. Fort Chapora is a ruined building on the coast. A magnificent view of the sea opens from here. The legendary local clubs and restaurants are also worth a visit. They offer unique seafood dishes. For travelers, there are also excursions to cultural monuments, for example, to the Dudhsagar Falls or to the plantations of rare spices for which India is famous. "Golden Triangle + Goa" will allow you to have a great rest after many days of trips to the cities of the country.
Khajuraho village
Another additional stop can be the village of Khajuraho. This settlement was created for tourists and includes about 20 temples. The oldest of them were built in the 9th-11th centuries. This city was once the ancient capital of the state ruled by the Chandela dynasty. After the 13th century, it fell and people left Khajuraho, which was overgrown with jungle. It was rediscovered only in the 19th century, when the British, who ruled India, did not accidentally stumble upon it.
The "Golden Triangle", which will please any tourist, will surprise you with the most ancient temples of the country. The city is unesco. The most popular attractions are the temples, on the walls of which scenes from the famous Kamasutra are embodied. Another outstanding object is the Kandarya-Mahadev temple. It is the largest and most decorated complex, around which 84 miniature spiers have been erected. It is not recommended to visit this place with children, because on each of the surviving temples you can see numerous figures depicting erotic compositions.
Each country has a number of amazing places that tourists tend to get to in the first place. In Russia there is the Golden Ring route, and in India - the Golden Triangle. The excursion program is so rich that it is sometimes difficult to immediately perceive the grandeur and beauty of temples, palaces, forts and mausoleums. The ancient country amazes at every step with an abundance of historical and architectural monuments.
Cradle of ancient culture
The history of the country has several millennia; it is impossible to cover all the sights in one trip. But it is worth trying to visit the most famous cities, plunge into the atmosphere of contemplation and quiet admiration. It takes 1 - 3 days to visit one city, depending on the duration of the tour, so it is worthwhile to outline the main points to visit or follow the recommendations of the tour operator.
Delhi
India's Golden Triangle usually starts from the capital of the country. The metropolis, which is home to more than 10 million people, invites tourists to visit 6,000 attractions located in the city and its surroundings. You should definitely look at the most famous of them.
- Lotus Temple, symbolizing union with higher powers. Its difference is in absolutely empty space, which does not distract from union with God.
- Akshardham spread over an area of 12 hectares. The complex includes parks with many sculptures, a cinema, a souvenir shop. The building is crowned with 9 domes and covered with intricate carvings, giving the pink marble walls an unearthly lightness.
- Presidential palace is a working residence. There is a charming rose garden nearby.
The atmosphere of ancient India can be felt in the Chatta Chowk market, walking through the stalls and purchasing amazing souvenirs full of hidden sacred meaning.
Jaipur
It will be remembered by travelers for a long time for the special shade of buildings, because of which the city is called "pink". A huge number of palaces have become its hallmark.
- City palace considered the largest building in the city.
- Hawa Mahal due to its unique layout, it acquired the name "Palace of the Winds". It is always cool there, small drafts walk through the enfilades of halls, creating freshness in any heat.
- Jal Mahal located in the middle of the lake. Looking at it, an analogy comes to mind with a luxury ocean liner.
It is worth a short look at the ancient observatory, the Amber Fort and admire the skill of the architects in the construction of various temple complexes.
Agra
The city is famous for one of the wonders of the world. This is the famous Taj Mahal, built as a mausoleum for the beloved wife of the padishah. It impresses with its size and perfect proportions. The lake of tears leading to the foot of the mausoleum forever captured the ruler's grief over the loss of his beloved woman. Amazing stories are associated with other landmarks of the city.
- Red fort was not only a fortress, but also the residence of the country's rulers.
- Pearl mosque surprises with snow-white domes and the harmony of the building itself.
- Tomb of Itemad-ud-Daula known as a diminished likeness of the Taj Mahal and is unique in its own way.
The text of the article was updated: 05/29/2018
Last year, Mikhail, a longtime blog reader, shared his reports of a vacation trip to India. From the first time he fell in love with this wonderful country with an ancient history and had already been there four times. First, like many Russian tourists, he went to the state of Goa, then to Kerala. Today I begin to publish his review of the trip to the Golden Triangle.
The landing gear touches the runway with a slight push. Braking and a short run of the liner to the passenger terminal is the most pleasant moment of the flight, and it's not a matter of fear: the many hours of agonizing boredom of waiting is over. It is from this moment that the journey begins for me.
No clap, the ship's captain in three languages (Arabic, English and Hindi) welcomes to Delhi and reports the weather overboard.
With a light step, with a wardrobe trunk on my shoulder and, practically, an empty bag - I, my spouse - with a handbag, smiling, we pass the customs control post. The scent of India is in the air: the smell of spices, flowers and something else elusive - this is how it smells in the airports of only this country. The walls above the check-in desks are decorated with folded fingers in the symbolic mudra language. Impossible to pass - photo for memory.
The last concern is luggage, and we are free ...
Black luggage tape moves in a circle: suitcases, bags, backpacks. The gaze follows the movement - circle by circle. Every now and then, someone's hands grab and drag the prey away. The tape is empty. Everything! The last orphaned suitcases have been removed and piled up. Confusion: our things are gone.
Going to India, to the state of Kerala, in February of the same year, 2012, I read on the Internet an entertaining story of a girl about her forced acquaintance with Doha, the capital of the Emirate of Qatar. The flight was delayed and the narrator was late for the connection. She was offered two options to choose from: wait for the opportunity to board another flight, or spend a day in Doha, at the expense of the carrier, and fly the same flight the next day.
Naturally, we kept the likelihood of such or a similar situation in our heads, but the successful connection in February relaxed the almost empty bag (two sweaters and autumn shoes), a witness to this.
What kind of adventure travel? Even if it is a forced delay in another city. But stay only in what you are wearing ?!
Statistics for 2011: at the airports of the world, baggage was lost every 90 seconds. The most common cause of loss is a transfer from one aircraft to another. The shorter the docking, the more likely it is. There were 40 minutes between our flights.
There is nothing to do, we go to the Lost & Found counter, my wife is filling out the paperwork, I am quietly seething, because it’s not about things - clothes can be bought, but the mood ... Not the best start to a vacation in India. As I pace nervously, I hear my wife's surprised exclamation: "Four hundred dollars?" Luggage in two suitcases was estimated at exactly the same amount (compensation - per kilogram of luggage, if you just do not have a certified inventory of things). Probably for the first time I was glad that I do not speak foreign languages. "Two suitcases for four hundred dollars?" - and, switching to Russian, I add: "Yes, these two, such loose suitcases, empty, cost twice as much!"
Behind the counter is a tall, handsome Hindu in a turban and a red caftan. However, it is possible that the caftan was black, and the turban was red, I do not remember very much, but I see the face under the turban as it is now: hefty mustache turning into sideburns, a benevolent smile on his lips, and in his eyes there is a mockery. It flashes in my head: “He understands me and he is amused by my bubbling irritation. Stop! Calmly". We sign the papers - and on the way out ... I regret not having photographed.
I would not like to dwell on this topic for a long time. A month later, at home, we could not recall this incident without laughing, which at first threatened from a simple everyday situation to develop into a problem. Suffice it to say that it is impossible to buy swimwear in India, and we were still waiting for a beach holiday in Kerala. A quick inspection of the Delhi shops only confirmed my fears. But our wardrobe has been enriched with elements of national clothing, and several branded items produced in India (for example, I still take Pumov's shorts and a baseball cap on all my trips).
A day later, the fate of our suitcases became clear, here the full merit of our guide Ajay Singh: he literally did not "get off" the phone, calling either Delhi airport or Doha airport. True, the luggage was in no hurry to reunite with us, but preferred to travel on its own, we do not even know which country he visited as a "hare", but the journey was stormy, judging by the broken locks and shabby appearance. He caught up with us only in Agra.
Stepping over the threshold of the Indira Gandhi airport, I will not say for my wife, but I already gave up on the missing things - there was a seven-day journey ahead of three states: Delhi, which has the status of a union territory (national capital district), Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh (Uttar Pradesh). It was necessary to drive about 700 kilometers by car on Indian roads, see the wonder of the world Taj Mahal and the ancient capital of the Great Mughals - the city of Agra.
The impetus for such a trip was, as well as for a trip to Kerala (as I said in previous reports, I wanted to see a giant blue squirrel), an accidental photo. Leafing through the pages with photos on the Internet, I came across a picture of an openwork pink palace - Hawa Mahal. Graceful, almost weightless, slightly reminiscent of the lace kokoshnik of a Russian beauty, in the soft evening light - it beckoned with some understatement.
The book of ethnographer Natalia Guseva "These amazing Indians" added oil. Leaving aside the controversial "Arctic theory" - an absolutely wonderful story about India and Indians.
Pandavas, Great Mughals, Rajputs - it sounded like music. You must definitely go and see these legendary places. The Golden Triangle is a surprisingly accurate name. The summit is Delhi, and at the bottom are Agra and Jaipur. In the capital of India we will start our journey and here we will board a plane to fly to Kerala beach.
Delhi is the second largest city, one of the oldest settlements in India, sometimes they say: it is the capital of seven empires. One of them is the Empire of the Great Mughals and a story about it is ahead, but about the first empire - the state of the Pandavas, it is necessary to say at least a few words. In the Mahabharata, the sacred book of the Hindus, it is said that when it became impossible for cousins of the Kauravas and Pandavas to live together in Hastinapura (a place about a hundred kilometers from Delhi), the capital of the Kuru kingdom, the country was divided into two unequal parts, and the Pandavas were allocated a site in the dense jungle on the banks of the Djamna. The brothers cleared the site with fire and built a beautiful city called Indraprastha. This city, just, was located within the city limits of present-day Delhi, and the event itself took place about 3000 years BC.
For three millennia, the city has seen everything: prosperity, and the glory of kings, and periods of complete desolation. On his golden throne were the sultans of the Afghan dynasty Lodi, the warlike Rajput rulers, the emperors of the Mughal dynasty; he survived the plundering and burning by Timur and the colonial yoke of the British. Since 1757, the British ruled British India from Calcutta, but in 1911 Delhi again returned its capital status, the residence of the British Viceroy was transferred here from Calcutta, and from 1947 Delhi was the capital of independent India.
It is impossible, and not entirely correct, in the small story of a traveler who stayed in Delhi for a little more than a day and saw a tiny part of it, to retell the history of such an ancient city. I will only note that the history of Delhi is the history of a great civilization.
On the way to the hotel, looking at the city through the glass of the car, I was somewhat embarrassed: for me, who had lived all my life in Moscow, the view of the capital of India was strange. A huge territory, an intricate system of roads, low-rise buildings, temples, palaces, overpasses of elevated metro lines, a crowd of cars and people. One indisputable advantage is a lot of greenery, sometimes completely hiding buildings.
From the window of our room at the Aura De Asia 3 * hotel from the height of the fourth floor, a view of Patel Road was opened - a wide highway loaded with transport with a mesh fence separating the oncoming lanes and a light metro line above it (here it smelled like relatives, I grew up in a house on Volgogradsky Prospekt, in Soviet times, in the seventies, the opposite lanes of which were also divided by a chain-link fence). Right and left - nothing remarkable. What surprised me was the presence of pedicabs in the traffic. Of course, we have heard about them, but have not seen them in the prosperous states of Goa and Kerala.
Later, having gone on an excursion, under the metro overpass near the crossroads, we were amazed at the sight of a small colony of beggars in rags and their completely naked children of different ages and sex, scurrying between the cars at the traffic lights and begging for alms. The sight of this spectacle did not add light colors to the first impressions of Delhi.
It is impossible to get to know any city in a short period of time. What can we say about such a metropolis as Delhi! Visiting some of the sights allowed only to touch the history and modern life of the capital of India.
Judging by the program compiled by the travel agency "Sightseeing tour of Delhi: you will see the Gate of India (gate - with a small letter), drive through the city center near the Presidential Palace, see Qutb Minar, the Gandhi memorial, etc.", the acquaintance promised to be the most superficial ... Here it is worth remembering once again with a kind word our wonderful guide Ajay: he not only managed to turn the survey routine into an entertaining historical journey, but also, having coped with the time, expanded the scope of the excursion program.
Having put ourselves in order after the road, having made a forced shopping, we were ready to look and learn. The first stop is New Delhi, which is the capital of modern India. Formally, this is the district of the union territory of Delhi, located on the banks of the Jamna River or, as the Rajasthanis call it, Yamuna, and bordering Old Delhi, the government of the state and the presidential palace are located here.
A small note: going on the first excursion, either under the impression of the city seen from the car window, or not recovering from the accident at the airport, I took a telephoto camera, leaving the wide-angle lens in the hotel room. Therefore, for the photographs of Delhi, I almost entirely owe my wife, low bow to her for that!
At this point, I want to note that we had a small dispute with Mikhail. He was embarrassed to exhibit his photographs, because he considers them not professional enough. My opinion is that there really are a lot of complaints about the pictures, if we consider their artistic component. But, reading such an exciting text, you do not pay attention to the flaws in the photo. The pictures are a great addition to the story that Michael is telling us.
Now I believe - the capital! Wide Rajpath is the King's front road framed by pompous ministerial mansions and alleys with fountains, originating from the presidential palace (in the old days it was the palace of the Viceroy of India) and ending at the Gate of India arch. The author of the Gateway project is Edwin Lachens, however, as well as the entire New Delhi project) is a memorial to the Indian soldiers who died in the Anglo-Afghan wars and during the First World War. Eternal flame, guard of honor, 90'000 names carved in stone.
Photo 5. Rajpath Street in Delhi is the main street in the country. India Golden Triangle Travel Reports
But India would not be India if a cow was not walking alongside all this pathos. The beggars, an impromptu barber shop next to the pedestal, a fountain that does not work and some person trying to clean it with a piece of wire are scenes familiar to us, who have visited this country twice already, adding a kind of charm to the epic picture of ceremonial Delhi.
The second stop is Old Delhi. In fact, Old Delhi (then simply Delhi) was the political and economic center of India in ancient times, in the Middle Ages, during the reign of the Great Mughals. Its current appearance was formed during the reign of Shah Jahan, the padishah of the Mughal Empire (1627-1658). It is to this ruler that we owe the Taj Mahal.
The British ruled India from Calcutta since 1757, but in 1911, for internal political reasons, moved the capital to Delhi again, and in the same year construction of New Delhi began.
Red Fort is a citadel of the 17th century, Jama Masjid is the largest mosque in India, the round Konat square remained visible only through the car window. Our target is the Qutab Minar minaret. The forced delay at the airport made additional adjustments to the excursion plan, no matter how “individual” tour, but the lost time cannot be returned. I had to sacrifice something.
I do not regret at all that the choice fell on Qutub-Minar. A huge architectural complex, mainly the ruins of monuments from different historical eras: the Kuvvat-ul-Islam mosque (the power of Islam), the Ala-i-Darwaz gates, the tomb of Imam Zamin, and above all this, the Qutb Minar minaret rushed high into the sky. Built of red sandstone, Qutb Minar (or Qutab Minar) is today the tallest brick minaret in the world (72.6 meters high, 14.74 meters in diameter at the base). Fine stone carving adorns four circular balconies (sherefe), under which surahs of the Koran are carved. The last fifth balcony, from which the muezzin should shout, is so high that its details cannot be seen.
The minaret was built by several generations of the rulers of the Mughal dynasty, starting with the first Muslim ruler of India, Qutb ad-Din Aibek, who only laid the foundation of the minaret in 1193, and ending with Firuz-shah Tughlak, who completed the tower in 1368.
An interesting fact: in 1311 Sultan Alauddin (Ala-Eddin) Khilji, I think out of vanity, decided to build a minaret next to it twice as high: 183 meters. But his death in 1315 did not allow the plan to come true, only the first tier was built. The ruins of this 25-meter structure can be seen even now.
Photo 14. Tours to India from Moscow. Excursions to Delhi. Minaret of Qutub Minar
Another interesting fact: for their construction, the Delhi sultans used details of Hindu and Jain temples, which were also destroyed by them (for example, the remains of seven Jain temples went to the construction of the Kuvvat-ul-Islam mosque), which gave a peculiar flavor to the buildings - the ornament of some details of the monuments, especially columns, does not in any way agree with the requirements of canonical Islam.
On the one hand, there is vandalism. Along the way, I will note that in Tunisia, admiring the cathedral mosque of Kairouan, I noticed that the columns are antique, with a different order. This phenomenon is of the same order. On the other hand, the borrowing of details and techniques of Indian architecture has enriched India with masterpieces of the symbiosis of Islamic and Indian architecture, which can be distinguished in a peculiar style, and some examples of such a merger have even become a symbol of India: Taj Mahal or Fatehpur Sikri, for example.
It is impossible to pass over in silence this not the most cheerful fact: until recently, the minaret was a favorite place for women suicides. According to the guide, these suicides are connected with the tradition of Sati (self-immolation of the wife after the death of her husband), which is forbidden in modern India. Whether this is true or not, I don’t undertake to say, nor do I undertake to assess or analyze the reasons forcing Indian women to take this step in modern India. I will only note that tradition in Indian society is still as crucial as before. But the entrance to the minaret has recently been tightly closed.
And now it's time to confess your ignorance: on the territory of the complex, among the ruins, there was a legendary Iron Column. I knew about her existence and presence in Delhi, but it was a complete surprise to me that she was here.
There are many miracles in the world! The ancients made a list of the seven wonders of the Ecumene, every schoolchild knows it by heart. Of the seven, only the pyramid of Cheops has survived to our times. There are several versions of modern lists of "wonders of the world" - there are also creations of human hands, they are unsurpassed in beauty, architecture and engineering solutions! I'm talking about other wonders, such as Stonehenge or drawings (geoglyphs) of the Nazca desert, for example. There is something fantastic in them, and no matter how scientists fought over their clues, no matter what skeptics say, there is still no intelligible answer to "how" and "why".
The Iron Column in Delhi is a mystery of the same order. The column itself, or stambha, is an indispensable element of a Hindu temple. With the installation of this element and its dedication to a specific god, the marking and construction of the temple begins. Material for construction can be any, the only condition is uniformity.
Dry facts: seven meters above the ground, weight - six tons, approximate age -1600 years. It is said to have been erected by King Kumaragupta I (Kumaragupta I). It was originally located in the city of Mathura, in a temple dedicated to the god Vishnu. On the column there are inscriptions dedicated to God Vishnu and King Chandragupta (375-413 years). Its top was once decorated with the figure of Garuda (Vishnu's riding bird, half-eagle, half-man).
The column does not corrode. Everything! The rest that is written and said is hypotheses that give rise to questions. Welded or Forged? Meteorite iron or melting down the wreckage of a starship?
Wrote and physically felt the grin of a skeptic reader. Don't jump to conclusions, I myself only believe in what you can touch with your hands, and to provoke you, look at the photo taken last year in Karnataka: a detail of the bas-relief of the Hoisaleshwar temple (12-14 centuries AD) in the city of Halebid ... Even without having a rich imagination, it is easy to see the suits on the figures.
What helped the column resist corrosion: phosphorus in the alloy or the high ammonia content in the atmosphere of ancient Delhi? Questions, questions and questions! Indians believe: if you stand with your back to the column and wrap your arms around it, all your wishes will come true! Only now it is impossible to verify this - in 1997, in order to avoid vandalism, an iron pillar was fenced off, and a policeman with a bamboo stick walks alongside, on patrol.
After wandering among the ruins, enjoying the view of the park inhabited by the ubiquitous cheerful chipmunks, we go to the hotel.
It is already dark in southern latitudes at seven in the evening, but it is still early to go to bed. After dinner, we set off to wander around the block in the hotel area. As the sun sets, life in the cities of the East comes to life: shops open, shopkeepers and fruit and vegetable traders lay out the goods, the air is filled with smells. In my memory, the aroma of guava dominates over all the smells - the evening Delhi smells of this fruit.
Having no special purpose, we wandered the streets for a couple of hours, moving from one shop to another. I do not know if this is so, but the impression is that our hotel is located in the quarter of the gold merchants, and they are all Sikhs.
The showcases display a scattering of jewelry: finger-thick chains, seals with diamonds, mountains of pearls, rings decorated with huge sapphires, emeralds, garnets and the Star of India. And all this is set in a huge amount of gold.
I have noticed the love of Hindus for massive gold jewelry before. It seemed that such beauty should pull the fingers to the ground, but picking up a couple of samples, I was amazed at their low weight: stamping, gold - the frame is no thicker than foil. Suited by the glitter of gold, having bought fruit, we go to bed - tomorrow is an early road.
It rained during the night. The rainy season in India lasts from June to October, in September it pours from the sky, albeit abundantly, but briefly, mainly at night. For 7 days (from 2 nd to 9 th September) traveling along the Golden Triangle, we got into a real downpour only in Agra, during a visit to the Red Fort.
In the morning, a surprise awaited us: according to the program of the trip, we were to immediately go to Jaipur, but the guide expanded the scope of excursions in Delhi. After delaying the departure for several hours, he introduced us to two modern architectural masterpieces of Delhi: the Lotus Temple and the Akshardham temple complex.
If you look on the map, then the Akshardham Swaminarayan temple (Swaminarayan Akshardham) is located on the other side of the Jamna, opposite the Gate of India. A high overpass that leads from the ring road to the temple offers a beautiful view of the complex. The palace is the only epithet suitable for this temple, and what he saw on the territory of the complex and inside the temple only confirmed the first impression of what he saw.
A bit of etymology. In the center of the Vaishnava (Vaishnavas - Hindus who worship the god Vishnu) temple there is a three-meter statue of Nilkantha Varmi - the embodiment of the God Swaminarayana. Sahajananda Swami (1781-1830) is also known as Bhagavan Swaminarayan, the founder of the trend in Hinduism known as the Swaminarayan Movement. His devotees worship him as an avatara of Narayana, one of the forms of Vishnu and emanating from Krishna.
Are you confused? There are 33 million gods in Hinduism, try to keep everything in your head without being born a Hindu!
To get to the temple, I had to not only take off my shoes and hand over all the gadgets, but also pull everything out of my pockets - because of the terrorist threat, nothing can be brought into the temple (money is allowed).
Photo 20. Swaminarayan Akshardham Temple is the grandest Hindu cathedral in India. Drive along the Golden Triangle.
It is impossible to describe what was seen in words! The complex is located on a huge territory and includes the temple itself, a huge singing fountain in the form of a lotus, ponds with fountains, and everything is surrounded by covered galleries around the perimeter. All buildings are made of pink sandstone, no concrete, the interior decoration of the temple halls is made of white marble, the main dome (and there are nine in total) is of transparent marble, the same that was used in the construction of the Taj Mahal. From the inside, the dome is encrusted with thousands of diamonds, the walls of the main hall are gold and precious stones, the statue of God Swaminarayana is covered with gold, and a huge ruby flaunts on the forehead.
To complete the picture, I will add a few numbers: the outside of the temple is decorated with 234 hand-carved columns, 148 carved out of stone elephants, 125 figures of people and 42 figures of animals. All figures are represented in scenes from the myths and legends of India. Water for the fountains was brought from all the rivers of the country. According to the official version, the construction of the temple cost five hundred million (500,000,000) US dollars, collected by the followers of Swaminarayan, and according to our guide, the amount is many times more, I don’t even venture to voice it.
I am far from any religious enthusiasm, I am not a churched person, but joint participation in prayer, even as a spectator clapping his hands, touched him to the depths of his soul.
Akshardham, for all its unusualness, is still a traditional Hindu temple. Another thing is the Lotus Temple - the temple of the adherents of the Bahá'í teachings. Bahaism is a monotheistic religion. Its founder is Iranian Hussein-Ali-i-Nuri. Another name is Bahá'u'lláh (hence the name of the religious movement). Bahá'u'lláh taught in his sermons that all prophets are sent to earth to establish the "Kingdom of God on earth." The adherents revere Bahá'u'lláh as the last in a row (Abraham, Moses, Buddha, Zarathustra, Krishna, Jesus Christ, Muhammad and Baba) the appearance of God. The religious center of Bahaism is located in Haifa.
For India, this is not the first attempt to unite all confessions into one. Suffice it to recall Akbar the Great, who created the new doctrine of Din-i Illahi (Divine Faith). True, after his death not a single adept of Din-i Illahia was found. Moreover, evil tongues claim that it was not so much religious beliefs that pushed him to create a new faith, but rather a harem, among whose inhabitants there were women of different faiths. But let's leave the gossip to the gossips.
The temple is built in the shape of a white lotus flower. No decoration inside or outside. The style is structural expressionism. Looking at the "stone flower", the Sydney Opera House comes to mind, only there the shape of the ceilings personifies the sails. For the future traveler: it is good to visit both temples in the late afternoon, because both there and there are wonderful illumination of both the temples themselves and the fountains. If in Akshardham you just get aesthetic pleasure, then the Lotus Temple can also be photographed.
After admiring the surroundings from the stylobate of the temple, the beautiful garden, trimmed lawns, following the flight of the eagle circling over the red temple of the supporters of Krishna consciousness (ISKCON), we go back to the car, it's time to go, we are waiting for Rajasthan.
This concludes the first part of the review about the next vacation in India. In the next chapter, Michael will talk about a trip to Jaipur, sometimes called the Pink City. If you liked the story, I will be very grateful for a few words of support to its author. He spent time, effort (the report takes 23 pages of printed text in A4 format) and put his soul into this review ...
