Delhi gate

The Delhi Gate links Old Delhi with New Delhi.

It sits in the center of a busy road. 
On one side are the old tightly-squeezed, winding roads of Shahjahanabad, the last Mughal city.
On the other are the medical college and cricket stadium of modern Delhi.

Instead of passing through the gate as traffic used to, it makes it's way around this four hundred year old piece of history--never imagining that it might be in the way. 

The way old and new exist right next door to each other is one of India's greatest characteristics.

Diwan-i-khas and the Peacock Throne

Visitors can still go see the Diwan-i-Khas at the Red Fort, the private audience hall of the Mughal emperors.  And though it's run down and the restoration work slow, it's still a beautiful building.  White marble, intricately carved pillars inlaid with semi-precious stones.
Emperor Shah Jahan was so pleased with the pavilion that he had these words engraved on it:  "If there is paradise on the face of this earth, it is this, it is this."

The last time court was held here was during 1857, when the last Mughal emperor was making the fateful decision of whether or not to join the forces who were in revolt against the British rulers.  Though he tried to resist, he was swept up in a conflict that ended in tragedy for the empire and his family.

Along with the royal family, something else is missing from the Diwan-i-Khas.  The Peacock throne.
The throne used to sit on a pedestal as the centerpiece of all the Mughal splendor.

Shah Jahan had it made when he ruled the empire from Delhi.  The national treasury was displayed for all to see.  A statement in gold, diamonds, sapphires and pearls to say, "We are not just kings here, we are emperors."

The Mughals were defeated by a Persian army in 1739 and the Peacock throne was plundered.  A short time after, the Persian ruler himself was assassinated and the throne was dismantled, its jewels and gold dispersed to different factions.

The sun may have set on the Mughal empire and their treasures may be stolen and lost to history.  But a few hints of what once was still remain.

Lal Qila

The imposing walls of the Red Fort in Delhi stretch over two kilometers.  They were built by Shah Jahan, who, like his grandfather Humayan, preferred Delhi to Agra.

The fort was a huge undertaking.  The builders and architects were told to create a paradise on earth for the emperor and his court next to the Yamuna river.

At the edge of the private royal residence was the Diwan-i-Aam, where the public came to the ruler to tell him their problems. There was a courtyard and garden in front where the people used to gather to see the emperor sit on his magnificent throne. The area was heavily ornamented and hung with thick curtains--meant to impress and awe all those who saw it.

In the private quarters, a continuous channel of water connects a row of pavilions.  The Nahr-i-Behisht, or "Stream of Paradise", collected in pools (like this one in the Rang Mahal) and fountains throughout the royal gardens and provided a kind of air-conditioning for the summer months.

One of the last things to be constructed by the Mughal rulers within the fort is the pavilion in the Hayat baksh garden.  Here Bahadur Shah II built his own small palace within a lake. 
The descendents of Shah Jahan found it difficult to maintain the splendor of the fort.  And not just building at the same level of grandeur, but  living.
When the British took over the fort in 1857, the royal descendents were found living in run down streets and alleyways that looked the same as those outside the fort.  The whole area was cleared away for army barracks.

Now, the red sandstone columns of the Diwan-i-Am glow in the afternoon sun, but in their original state, painted gold, they must have awed the public audience that gathered here to see the emperor.

The golden door is the entrance to Chhatta chowk, which was modeled after the Persian covered markets.  Shah Jahan thought the covered market was a good idea as a relief from the hot sun.
It's still a market place for the usual touristy items of India.

Mughal and British rule have both come to an end in India.  The towering red walls of the Red Fort symbolize the independence of India and the merging of history with the present.

Sher Mandal

We've been over the tragic story of Humayan's death.
How he fell down the stairs and succumbed to his injuries a few days later.

Poor Humayan.

His officials waited to tell the people that the emperor was dead until Akbar could reach Delhi from Agra.  He was already dead for 17 days when it was announced.

So it seems that I may have told this story a few too many times. 
Because at the last visit to his tomb, I said to myself, "Hey, Humayan died just up the road a ways--I should go see where."

The Sher Mandal is inside the Purana Qila.  It was built by Sher Shah as a part of his palace, but Humayan liked the building and when he returned to Delhi, he turned it into a library and an observatory.
And he spent a lot of time there.

Well, as much time as there was in the year he had in Delhi before his accident.
The Sher Mandal is also where the infamous stairs down which he fell--and died--are.

Poor Humayan.

Who was Humayan?

If I'm visiting an already-been-there place, I like to be sure to still see something and learn something new--or to help someone else to.
To see the place through a new view.

This time around, I read up on who Humayan was.
The son of Babur of the Timurid dynasty, he was a slight disappointment as a warrior. He preferred books, poetry and art (and opium).
It was probably these preferences that caused him to loose his empire and flee to Persia when one of his rivals defeated him in battle.
In Persia, though, he made friends and gained a whole new appreciation for design and gardening.
After fifteen years, he returned to Delhi and took back his empire.
For a while anyway, 'cause it's rather anti-climactic that he died within a year. There are several versions of how he died; here are three:

1. Humayan was standing on the roof of the library at his palace when he heard the call to prayer.
He rushed down the stairs to pray.
Fell.
And died.

2. He was reading a book as he descended the steep stairs of his library.
Fell.
And died.

3. His habit of using opium did not help his balance on the steep stairs.
So he fell.
And died.

Take your pick.

So Akhbar and Haji Begum built the magnificent tomb.
It was the first of it's kind, heavily influenced by Persian architects.
It was the first use of marble combined with red sandstone (meaning very expensive). No cost was spared, as the statement made was meant to be: this is the tomb of not just any man, but an emperor.
And it was the first tomb to be built on a raised platform--which was later perfected in the design of the Taj Mahal.

Design was an integral part of what the Mughals left behind in India. They especially had a thing for symmetry.
As I learned this time around,
the back of the tomb is pretty similar to the front. Symmetry at work.

Right.
So there's your history lesson for Humayan, who he was, and why his tomb is so grand.

Alai Darwaza

The Mughal ruler Alauddin Khalji built up several things around the Qutab Minar in hopes to make it even grander than before--as if it wasn't grand enough to begin with.
One of the things he built is the Alai Darwaza--a main entrance for the mosque.

It's a perfect color contrast of red sandstone and white marble, and an excellent example of Islamic architecture from that time period.

It was meant to be a magnificent entrance to the mosque he enlarged, but most of his construction projects were not completed before he died.
Kinda sad that we don't use that entrance even now.

Rainawari

Rainawari. The back canals and waterways of Dal Lake. The "Venice of Asia". The perfect late morning shikara tour.

I cannot find evidence for when this part of Dal Lake was built up.
Supposedly it's really old.
With a bridge that claims to have come from Mughal times.
With an old inscription on it. I don't know what it says, though(can anyone interpret that for me?).

I do know that it's a beautiful part of the lake. The canals are full of old wooden buildings.
Their carvings and windows are full of character.
It's a very Kashmiri sight.

What's sad, though, is that much of the lake is a mess of pollution. The plastic bags floating in the water do not add any attractiveness.
What I would hope is that the recent and ongoing conservation efforts can both clean things up and maintain its historical value and beauty, to preserve a way of life that is so very unique.