The enigma called Jantar Mantar

Misra Yantra

Surrounded by huge and towering buildings, this set of architectural structures stand for some long forgotten magical spell as the name suggests!!

Jantar Mantar is the oldest of a set of  unique observatories built by Jai Singh II around 1724.  There are mantras and yantras that Jai Singh created amidst these structures that give accurate tables for study of time and space to give astronomical insights.  

The Misra Yantra is believed to be constructed by Maharaj Madho Singh designed to be accurately measuring the longitude of celestial objects like moon and can measure close to the minute of an arc.

One of the main structures is the Samrat Yantra  which is also called as 'King of Instruments' that measures solar time or local time of a place and the sun's declination.

  

The Jaiprakash Yantra (means Light of Jai) is named after the Maharaja Jai Singh who invented and constructed this hemispherical sundial system used both in day and night observations.  The position of the sun was indicated by the shadow of the cross wires inside this hemisphere.    

It has always been an enigma to me.  I have tried to understand the way these things work, but haven't got a clue looking at the structures though!!

A video on how the sun moves across different time spheres is given at  http://www.jantarmantar.org/





For other tourist attractions in Delhi, visit my blogs on Zafar Mahal,  Qutub Minar, Humayun's Tomb, Safdarjung's Tomb, Lodhi Gardens,  Jama Masjid, Chandni Chowk, Lotus Temple

Bhul Bhuliyan - A tomb of Akbar's Foster Brother

It was a chance meet.  We went looking for something else and this fell into our lap!

We were out looking for Zafar Mahal and we came up on this lofty structure.  While it was a complicated exercise locating Zafar Mahal, Bhul Bhuliyan as it is popularly called, was standing tall right in the middle of the Mehrauli Square. more...

For other monuments at Mehrauli, visit my blog on Zafar Mahal,  Qutub Minar, Alai Minar, Sanderson's Sundial

For other tourist attractions in Delhi, visit my blogs on  Humayun's Tomb, Safdarjung's Tomb, Lodhi Gardens,  Jama Masjid, Chandni Chowk, Lotus Temple

The lost glory of Zafar Mahal

I had never heard of Zafar Mahal till some days ago when my husband brought it up as one of the places we should be visiting.  And to know that it was in Mehrauli which is about 15 minutes from where we live was even more astounding. more..

For other monuments at Mehrauli, visit my blog on Qutub Minar, Alai Minar, Sanderson's Sundial

For other tourist attractions in Delhi, visit my blogs on  Humayun's Tomb, Safdarjung's Tomb, Lodhi Gardens,  Jama Masjid, Chandni Chowk, Lotus Temple

India Gate

India Gate is one of the not-to-be-missed monuments of Delhi.  It is actually a war memorial built in the memory of the Indian soldiers who gave their life during the First World War at various parts of the world - France, Persia, Africa, etc.  Names of approx. 13000 soldiers are inscribed on the structure.   It is an imposing structure built by Sir Edwin Lutyen and has similarities to the Gateway of India in Mumbai and Arc De Triomphe in Paris.  There is another structure built nearby called Amar Jawan Jyoti in the memory of all the unknown soldiers.  more...

For other tourist attractions in Delhi, visit my blogs on  Humayun's Tomb, Safdarjung's Tomb, Lodhi Gardens,  Jama Masjid, Chandni Chowk, Lotus Temple,  Zafar Mahal,  Qutub Minar, Alai Minar, Sanderson's Sundial

Santana Beach Resort, Goa

When we were planning a family trip to Goa last year, we kept searching for the right place to stay and finally we arrived at a decision to stay at the Santana Beach Resort at the Candolim Beach looking at the reviews and ratings in Trip Advisor.

I have to say that we were not disappointed.  We did have a fantastic time!  The resort was right on the beach and we could just stroll down to the beach after our lunch and spend as much time, strolling and lazing around at the beach, picking up shells and just being in the water and enjoying the waves to our hearts content.  It gave us an opportunity to really enjoy and feel the essence of being in Goa!

  

The service was decent, the breakfast was varied and had a good spread of continental and Indian. We had Goan fish curry at lunch which tasted good.  The rooms were clean and bathrooms tidy with clean towels when we checked in.  We were lucky to get a room with a kitchen attached, though we did not use it as we were out most of the time.  It has a separate swimming pool for adults and children with beautiful lawns, properly trimmed and maintained with lots of coconut trees and other plants.   It looked beautiful even at night.

Another thing that we really liked about this place was that it was really close to Fort Aguada and we could take a tour of the Fort by taking a short walk through the beach.  We saw people indulge in para sailing and other evening sports at this beach.  It has a great beach shack too.  This place is also very close to the famous Kingfisher villa and  Vivantaby Taj - Fort Aguada.

The price is very decent for the facilities that are on offer.  We would definitely like to go back and stay there once more if we get a chance!!

How to get there

We can take a taxi either from the Goa airport located at Dabolim which is 46 km from Fort Aguada or any of the two Railway Stations - Margao and Vasco Da Gama.   

Santana Beach Resort on Google Maps

A visit to Kochi in Kerala

We usually get into Kerala via Nedumbassery airport at Kochi and therefore Kochi or Ernakulam is the first place that helps us get used to this beautiful lush green countryside.    The ride from airport to the centre of the city takes about 1 hour.   There are multiple options to indulge oneself in once you get to the city…   Depending on what time you get into the city, you could plan for a visit to the marine drive. It is an advisable option to go on a boat ride on the marine drive which is a famous hangout place for kochi people.   The marine drive is built facing the backwaters.  On your ride, you could see different parts of the city - views of sky scrapers, the Bolgatty Palace, the cochin shipyard and the rainbow bridge.   It is serene and beautiful to sit back and enjoy these picturesque scenario.  

  

The other place you could make a visit to is Fort Kochi.  A visit to Fort Kochi and Mattancherry peninsula with Jew Town will take more than a day, it is preferable to stay in one of the lodges there.   It is the original Kochi from where the city expanded to the suburbs and now more people live in the other side of Kochi than Fort Kochi.   It is almost like going back in time again.   The small roads, pebbled streets, old buildings, churches, synagogue, café, the chinese fishing nets etc. all take you back to an era that one feels a little out of place.  It is as if we are intruding into someone else's life.  But it is an interesting peek, anyhow.

  

There is an entire spice market along the coast which is part of the fort. You could go around the town during the day to visit the Dutch cemetary, Police museum, St Francis church were Vasco Da Gama was once buried and then head back to the other side of the city by evening.

 

  

Humayun Tomb

The long Lodi road from Safdarjung Tomb ends rather tamely at the Sabz Burj right inside the roundabout, or what is now popularly known as the Neeli Chhatri for its spectacular blue dome. Take the second exit and you are already inside the Humayun Tomb premises. A short walk and an entrance ticket later, we entered the chirpy grounds. I was accompanying my cousin from Kerala on a tour of Delhi and were now at the famed Humayun's Tomb.

The Humayun's tomb is preceded by tombs of lesser known personalities, but the fun fact is that they are far better preserved. We were told that the Aga Khan Foundation along with the TATA trust had been engaged to restore the monument to its pristine past. And it was pretty evident.

The squeaky clean pathway that leads to the Humayun's Tomb

Past the domed gate lay the Humayun Tomb.

The tomb stands on a terraced platform. You can climb up to the platform to enter the tomb. We went in October and the pleasant climate was perfect for viewing.

The tomb has two stories. But the entrance to the upper floors are closed. I am sure there was a time when these were open to the general public, but that day it was closed. :-(

Humayun's Tomb, apart from Humayun's grave, also contains graves of other royal members of the Mughal family of the time.

There are gates on all four sides of the tomb, which gives it a unique quadrilateral look, something of a uniqueness with subsequent Mughal architecture, especially that contains tombs.

We enjoyed our visit and after packing our memories in an electronic plastic card, we made our way to the next destination. More on that later.

For other tourist attractions in Delhi, visit my blogs on  Humayun's Tomb, Safdarjung's Tomb, Lodhi Gardens,  Jama Masjid, Chandni Chowk, Lotus Temple,  Zafar Mahal,  Qutub Minar, Alai Minar, Sanderson's Sundial

The Royal Jama Masjid of Delhi

Jama Masjid is the biggest mosque in Delhi.  It is important as a heritage property as it was built by Shah Jahan and the coronation ceremony of later Mughal emperors were performed by the imams of this mosque.  It is walking distance from Red Fort and consequently catered to the needs of the royalty of those times.

The mosque is situated in the middle of the most crowded and congested streets of old Delhi and therefore, getting to the place itself is a bit of adventure.

We took the Delhi metro and got down at the Chawri Bazaar Metro Station and walked the entire length of Chawri Bazaar to reach the West side of Jama Masjid. Crossing Gate No. 5 from where we could see the three domes from behind the structure. we walked around the border to reach Gate No. 3.   The entrance gate to the mosque was on top of a flight of stairs.  The wide structure looked majestic on top from where we were standing.

  

There is a wide worship area inside – it is supposed to be able to accommodate 25000 people to worship at the same time.   There are 3 entrance gates to the inner porch and entire courtyard is lined with arched verandahs leading to the towers at the four corners.

 

 From the verandah on the opposite side of the mosque, one could see parts of Red Fort.   If you come out of the gate on the east side, you will step into the old and famous colourful Meena Bazaar of Delhi.

For other tourist attractions in Delhi, visit my blogs on  Humayun's Tomb, Safdarjung's Tomb, Lodhi Gardens,  Chandni Chowk, Lotus Temple,  Zafar Mahal,  Qutub Minar, Alai Minar, Sanderson's Sundial

Chandni Chowk of Delhi, India

Going through chandni chowk and it's various little gulley's is a favourite pastime for me and my husband.  We would hop on a Delhi metro and shoot off, the moment we find we have a day to ourselves  and are not needed to do some errand for the family or go the kids school or run to some other event.


We prefer taking the Delhi metro to this place because one we cannot dream of getting our car into the unmanageable little roads and get stuck in traffic for endless hours.  It also gives a breather to my husband who is the only one in our family who can drive right now.

So, on a nice  sunny winter day, we set off to be part of the busy streets, hawkers,  vendors, chai wallahs, the street food guys.   It is an interesting mix of people and buildings, old and new, all intermingled with each other that they still maintain an individuality yet look so distinct. 

A person probably visiting for the first time might not find this place interesting at all.  I used to be like that.  I hated going there amongst the dirt and the chaos, amidst people jostling with each other to get ahead, people screaming at the top of their voices, a mayhem of cycle rikshaws, auto-rickshaws, car, scooter and hoards of people all getting into each others way and nerves.


I only had to make 2 or 3 visits with my husband to really understand the depth of these places.  Once you get into a gulley or a lane, the varieties of a single aspect displayed was simply mind boggling.  Now, I sometimes simply go there to open up my horizon, of my understanding of what all things are available there. 

 

There is a lane dedicated to only gems and stones.  Another lane would be selling only buttons and embellishments.  On one lane, you will simply find laces, rows of shops selling different coloured, different styles of laces.  There is a lane for bicycle parts, one lane for clothes, one for sarees, one for dry fruits and nuts, spices.....  The list just goes on..  Everytime we go, we choose a different lane to explore.

 

This old Delhi used to be the only Delhi people knew some 30 to 40 years back.  By now though the boundaries of Delhi has expanded to beyond Gurgaon on the south and Noida on the west, Rohini on the north, etc.  But when you visit old Delhi, you would not imagine that Delhi has expanded so much.  Life goes on as it used to couple of decades before.  It is as if time stood still somewhere in those periods for Chandni Chowk while the others moved on!

For other tourist attractions in Delhi, visit my blogs on  Humayun's Tomb, Safdarjung's Tomb, Lodhi Gardens,  Jama Masjid,  Lotus Temple,  Zafar Mahal,  Qutub Minar, Alai Minar, Sanderson's Sundial