Delhi has been an intermediate point for a really long time. After 2002 (when I was seven years old), we have never stayed in Delhi for more than a few hours. Before planning this trip, my parents had some things in mind.
Duda always wanted to travel in the Rajdhani express (and it hadn’t happened for one reason or the other). Gunja’s interest in the Mughal architecture had piqued after studying about the era (as a part of the history course).
Hence, Delhi and Agra were chosen.
The train journey was fun. There was a slight delay due to the derailment of a train near Delhi, which caused our train to stop at a station called Kulwa for some time.
Delhi is yet another metropolitan city, with wider roads and heavier traffic than Kolkata.
After a certain age, a long trip started to mean mountains to me. I wasn’t so excited about this trip. However, the thought of visiting the heritage sites of India and learning about them was fascinating.
Day One
We reached Delhi at 1:30 PM. After checking in at Banga Bhawan, we went to the Qutub Minar complex.
This UNESCO World Heritage site is the tallest brick structure in the world. The tourists are no longer allowed inside the Minar, however, the entire complex surrounding the Minar is calm and green. Additionally, it has other structures.
These are nice places for taking a walk.
We visited an uncle’s house while returning from the Minar complex. Before going back to Banga Bhawan, we decided to stop at The India Gate.
[Here’s something my grandfather told me when we returned home: He used to ride a horse from Modern School and pass by the Gate!]
The air was chilly, but that didn’t prevent people from visiting. The huge crowd stays there till 1 AM, after which they are dispersed. It’s somewhat similar to the Victoria Memorial area in Kolkata.
Taking photos in the cool weather was fun. After watching the guard changing ceremony, we headed towards Banga Bhawan.
Day Two
Duda accompanied us from the second day. The previous day, she had stayed in the car, mostly.
Probable fact: Humayun’s Tomb may have been the architectural model for the Taj Mahal.
Dilli Haat is a nice place to have a meal. There are all sorts of cuisines available and the prices are more or less reasonable. We stopped there to meet a few relatives and have lunch.
After that, we headed to the Red Fort. We asked Duda to stay in the car because of the kilometre long walk that had to be made till the Lahori Gate.
Walking through the fort at night was something pleasant. The temperatures were low. The city, with all its traffic and noise and pollution, was at some distance.
Travelling in and around Delhi was a nice experience.
Note: I call my maternal grandmother ‘duda‘ 🙂