Zero mile

This is the center of India, geographically speaking.  A pillar to mark the spot in Nagpur, Maharashtra.

From here, you start counting how many kilometers to everywhere else.

 Because rearing stallions have everything to do with zero miles, yes?
Maybe these horse statues help draw tourists in to this little-visited site.
Hm.  Don't think so.  Most people just drive by.

You can also stand here and get the local sea level information.

This is what there is to see in Nagpur.  Exciting sightseeing destination.

Out of place stones

There are stones from Hindu temples at the masjid of Qutab Minar.
I find this fascinating.
Islamic architecture has the reputation of being so strict about showing any earthly forms, that much of the time, only geometric designs are portrayed. Sometimes not even animals or plants are allowed.

What is here at the Qutab goes way beyond plant, animal or even human form. These are images of Hindu gods carved into the pillars and walls around the mosque.
I can't even fathom how that was permitted.

Some of them are defaced, and the features of the idol chipped away. But they are still obviously Hindu gods.

And even all these years later, they are still there.
I mean, maybe it's conceivable that the first Muslim ruler, Qutab-ud-din Aibak, didn't have time to quarry new stones and just used what was lying around from the 300 some temples that were destroyed. Conquerors around the world have done that--like the Medusa heads used in the basilica of Istanbul. Or the stones Seljuk architects took from St. John's Basilica in Ephesus for their own construction projects--those same stones were first pillaged from the site of Artemis' temple by Christian builders.
I understand the idea of using what's available.

What's amazing to me, though, is that the construction at the Qutab comlex went on for several hundred years, and some of the rulers from those times were devout, but still they allowed the stones to remain.
None of the other empires that followed had the stones removed or replaced, either.

And so, they are still there. Hundreds of years later.
I think that's remarkable, and uniquely India.

Rashtrapati Bhavan

Rashtrapati Bhavan is fun to say.
And fun to see.

It has a beautiful gate, which stops you from getting any closer to the presidential residence, but you can stand there and admire it for as long as you like.

Standing here beside the gate, you can also see the Jaipur column, which was a gift from the Maharajah of Jaipur to the British when they were constructing Luyten's Delhi. It has an inscription on it which reads:

In thought faith,
In word wisdom,
In deed courage,
In life service,
So may India be great.

Rashtrapati Bhavan stands at one end of Rajpath and can be seen from India Gate.

I wouldn't recommend walking that distance, though.
Or walking from the back side, where the entrance to the Mughal Gardens is.
Both are farther than you imagine. Especially when it's hot and there are not enough ice cream sellers around.
When those auto drivers go past asking whether you want a ride, don't shoo them away. This is good advice--I know because I ignored it twice.

This last picture shows what is known as Lutyen's Waterloo.
Sir Edwin Lutyen, in his design, wanted there to be a perfect eye line from India Gate to the residence on Raisina Hill. The original site of the building was pushed back by several hundred meters, which meant that the hill blocked the view and made the building look small.
Lutyen fought to have the road leveled to a long, inclined grade so the view would be unobscured. He was convinced the overall architectural design would be ruined.
He never won this battle, though, and his defeat was compared to Napoleon's at Waterloo. It would cost too much money at a time when the British were not looking to invest in building projects in India.

I have to agree with him. It's a shame that you can't see the full extent of what an imposing and immense structure lies at the end of Rajpath. It would be a sight worth seeing.

Feroz Shah Kotla

Welcome to the ruins of Feroz Shah's fortress.

Where here we have a mosque, a pyramidal structure, and a baoli.

Delhi is really city upon city upon city. It's amazing the way differing civilizations can pile up one atop another.

So the famous thing about the Feroz Shah Kotla complex is the sandstone column at the top of the pyramidal structure. It was taken from something built by the famous emperor Ashoka sometime around 300 B.C.

One theory is the writing on it is Brahmi script.

The other thing about the complex is that--like a haunted house--young people like to give themselves the shivers by walking through the "djin tunnels" with their friends and scaring each other.