Raj Ghat

Raj Ghat is the memorial dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi in Delhi, India. The memorial has a black marble slab which marks the spot where Gandhi was cremated after his assassination in 1948.

Wise words from the leader of the Indian Independence movement.

I found the visit to Raj Ghat to be very calming and tranquil, which was in great contrast to the busy roads which were only about 100 metres from us.

Back on the coach and back into the madness that is the Delhi traffic, even if you do get to book an Uber tuk tuk you probably will have to wait a little while!

Queuing for all major attractions was strictly segregated to make security checking easier and quite often the ladies were taken in to separate private areas to preserve their modesty, which whilst maybe being a good idea meant that us chaps had a fair bit of waiting around to do! Mind you the high value ticket holders did get through a little bit quicker than the general ticket holders!

Our next port of call was Humayans Tomb, a World heritage monument .

But first before we start exploring we should visit the loo………well maybe not, I think I’ll wait!

Whilst walking through these sites I was constantly having to keep my eye on the rest of our group as I was always seeing another photo opportunity that just couldn’t be missed!

I could have spent hours at each and every place we visited on our first day in Delhi just taking photographs, let alone reading about all the history that they held!

Well I finally caught up with the rest of our gang (more of which later) but missed a bit of what Sunil our guide was telling us……..I’m sure Jane will tell me later!

Just as well we weren’t making to much noise with our new fangled gramophones and transistors or else there would have been trouble!

Humayun’s Tomb in Delhi is the first of the grand dynastic mausoleums that were to become synonyms of Mugal architecture with this style of building  reaching its zenith some 80 years later with the Taj Mahal (more of which later)

It’s hard to believe that this stunning building dates back to the 1560’s

The next stop on our very busy day of sightseeing was Qutab Minar, another World Heritage site.

This fabulous minaret was started in 1192 and was completed in 1220.  In 1369 it was struck by lightning, the damaged storey was repaired and another added so that it now stands 73 metres tall.

What an exhausting day so much to see in Delhi, and looking at the guide book we had only just scratched the surface, but now back to the hotel through the mad traffic and made its time for a curry!