New Delhi meets Old Delhi...the reality behind the postcard pictures

Weaving in and out of the traffic for a good 40mins of so brought us to the most significant of the Muslin mosques in India.  The Jama Masjid is located across from the famous landmark, the Red Fort.   We were dropped off at the bottom of the mosque, home of the  goat market and Muslim bazzar. With the Festival of Eid only yesterday, the place was humming and let's face it, an eye opener to say the least. This was more chaotic and dirtier compared with any of the bazzars visited in Istanbul earlier this year.  The begging, the numerous food stalls, the colourful clothing, the poverty, the spectacular sights, the tranquility of the mosque, the bare feet, the sheer number of people. More contradictions, more unforgettable, vivid memories. 

From Islam to Hinduism, we traversed to across town to the Lakshmi Narayan Temple, one of the major attractions here in Delhi. Here we encountered our first sightings of pigs on the outside of the temple, far fewer people and very peaceful.  Shoes off and an education from our CCS guides about the Hindi gods and godesses.  Given my love for yoga I found this time particularly educational and enjoyable, especially given the peace and quiet despite the madness beyond the temple walls.  Huge crowds will visit this temple over the next week or so with the impending celebration of Diwali (Festival of Lights). 

Next stop Sikhism. We learnt more about this religion right as the moon was rising up over the Gurudwara Bangla Sahib temple dome.  All very impressive to say the least.  Covered heads and shoes off for all visitors plus a "walk thru" the pool of water before entering the temple...this took me right back to my "flood toe" experience in 2010. So if I lose a toe nail over the coming months we will all know why.  The one thing I really enjoyed about this particular temple visit was the pond situated within the temple grounds - called the "Sarovar", whose water is considered holy by Sikhs and is known as "Amrit" (holy water). 

Yet another very educational, enjoyable cultural experience.  Home for dinner but not without a fierce battle in the peak-hour Delhi traffic.  I will endeavour to never complain about Brisbane's peak hour traffic again. 

Namaste x