April 18, 2012

• Who the Man? Humayun and a towering erection

  From Red Fort We met up once again with our driver BP, who was by far one of the most trustworthy people we had ever met. It’s like he had an internal bat radar to detect when we needed him and would instantly pull up. He also told us about the important rules of driving in Delhi: good breaks, good horn, good luck. Once we were safely ensconced in the van, we took a short trip to visit the grave of Gandi, which is one of the most well maintained places I have ever seen. In a city that is so often surrounded by or buried under filth and refuse, every at Gandhis grave is immaculate, and it is clear he is still as revered as a great leader in death as he was in life.

  

  From the Tomb of one famous Indian to that of another, our next stop was the tomb of Humayun, the second Mughal emperor

  

  The first example of a “paradise” or persian burial garden on the indian subcontinent, it not only set the stage for succeeding Mughal emperors to create royal Mausoleums, but also served as a model for the Taj Mahal, built by the fourth mughal emperor Shah Jahan

  

  Imagine that this was made of marble instead of sandstone, and voila! instant wonder of the world.

  

  We approached the entrance with some trepidation, seeing as how Indians have mixed/confused views on holy objects and religious imagery. Sound rascist?

  

  Think again. Apparently this is a blessing or affirmation of life and positivity, at least until it is rotated 45 degrees, which gives the now infamous german logo.

  

  Also, this is probably not a rabbi. But I digress. There we were entering the steps to the final resting place of Humayun

  

   

  

  Hmm. Seems like he was down with the Jews after all.

  

  The cenotaph of the second Mughal emperor

  

  And our silhouetted adventurers pause for a moment to bask in the wonder of the things they have seen thus far, before setting off to one of their most dangerous sites yet: The Qutb Complex!

  

  Yes, amidst the still stand columns, and a host of booby traps, the Qutb Minar, or victory tower can be espied. It is this structure, the tallest brick minaret in the world, that gives the complex its name

  

  Filled with miles of columns, graves, arches, and archeaological accomplishments, we stood there unsure of what to do first…

  

  Short Round was having a grand time admiring the architecture, until he set off a hidden trap from which we had to flee

  

  luckily, years out of use, the trap had rusted and all we ended up running from was a few confused locals

  

  A brief dash through another archway

  

  dodging a few more snares along the way using only our wits

  

  and bypassing the resting sites of those who had come before, we finally arrived at Qutb al Minar

  

  This erection (as our guide referred to it) Thrusts into the sky at an impressive 239 ft (72.5 meters metric world!) and was built by three different rulers, not too mention struck by lighting twice. One can only admire the workmanship of such a towering erection

  

  Or, you know, make a phallic joke. Whatever.

  

  This stubby little fella was eventually supposed to compete with and even outstrip the qutb minar, but it remains an unfinished erection, incomplete because the sultan who ordered it built blew his wad of cash and materials too early, leaving it standing forever impotent and powerless in view of its more successful counterpart. Miss Crystal therefore took pity on this tower and rewarded its desperate efforts by posing in front so you could all ooh and ahh at this cyclopean endeavor.

  Having finished our sightseeing, we journeyed around to the flea markets, a tea store where we purchased darjeeling (the champagne of teas) and dinner with some friends of friends before finally bedding down, awaiting the morning to continue our journey out of Delhi and onward to Rajastan, land of princes, pachyderms and our next destination.

   

  • 12:11 am
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