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Nicole's
Travelogues and Budget Travel Tips..
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NEW DELHI (CONT.), INDIAJama Masjid
The Masjid-i-Jahan Numa, commonly known as Jama Masjid in Old Delhi, is the largest mosque in India. Masjid-i-Jahan Numa means "the mosque commanding a view of the world", and the name Jama Masjid is a reference to the weekly congregation observed on Friday (the yaum al-jum`a) at the mosque. The courtyard of the mosque can hold up to twenty-five thousand worshippers. The mosque also houses several relics in a closet in the north gate, including a copy of the Qur'an written on deer skin incurred on the construction in those times was 10 lakh (1 million) Rupees. Jama Masjid was commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and completed in the year 1656 AD. Shah Jahan also built the Taj Mahal in Agra as a tomb for his wife. Its majesty is further enhanced because of the high ground that he selected for building this mosque. Safdarjang's Tomb The Safdarjang's Tomb is situated next to the Safdarjang Airport. The Nawab of Awadh built it, Shuja-ud-Daula constructed it in 1753-54 AD for his father, The tomb represents the last phase of the Mughal Style of architecture. It shows the grace and simplicity of the Mughal architecture. The tomb is made of buff-colored sandstone with the intermittent use of red sandstone and marble. The central structure has double-storeyed minarets in the corners and a bulbous dome made of marble. Small-sized, hard-baked lakori bricks were used to construct the structure. The Arabic inscription on the gateway to the tomb says, "When that hero of the plain of bravery departs from his transitory world, may he become resident of God's highest paradise (Hegira 1167; AD 1754)." India Gate Situated on the Rajpath in New Delhi, India Gate (originally called the All India War Memorial) is a monument built to commemorate the Indian soldiers who died in the World War I and the Afghan Wars. The Lotus Temple
So I thought the Taj Mahal was the most visited building in India and possibly the world. But apparently the most visited building in the world (according to a CNN report) is in New Delhi. Since its opening for public worship in 1986 more than 70 million people have visited. Thousands of people descend here every day of the year. The record is 150,000 people in one day. The Baha'ifaith is practiced by 6 million people world-wide but this house of worship is open to any religion, race, man, woman, rich or poor. Its structure is often compared with the opera house in Sydney. But the reason so many people have visited this temple, apart from its visual beauty, is the freedom to pray or meditate whatever your religion. We took a tuktuk from the India Gate to the Lotus Temple. It was beautiful (and it was free!)! Gandhi Smriti We wanted to go to where Gandhi was burried but it was closed, along with the place where Indira Gandhi was assassinated due to Independence Day terror threats. I really wanted to visit historical Gandhi sites, so luckily the Gandhi Smriti was open.
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Mirza Mukin Abul Mansur Khan 'Safdarjung'. Mirza Mukin Abul Mansur Khan was the wazir of emperor Ahmed Shah and Safdarjang was a title, which was either awarded to him by the king, or he assumed himself. It is among the last example of the Mughal style of tomb amidst a garden. 
The foundation stone was laid on 10 February 1921 by the Duke of Connaught. The names of the soldiers who died in these wars are inscribed on the walls. It was completed in 1931. Burning under it since 1971 is the Amar Jawan Jyoti (The flame of the immortal warrior), which marks the Unknown Soldier's Tomb. Inscribed on top of India Gate in capital letters is the line: "To the dead of the Indian armies who fell honoured in France and Flanders Mesopotamia and Persia East Africa Gallipoli and elsewhere in the near and the far-east and in sacred memory also of those whose names are recorded and who fell in India or the north-west frontier and during the Third Afgan War." The shrine itself is a black marble cenotaph with a rifle placed on its barrel, crested by a soldier's helmet. Each face of the cenotaph has inscribed in gold the words "Amar Jawan" (Immortal Warrior). This cenotaph is itself placed on an edifice which has on its four corners four flames that are perpetually kept alive.
It's called the Baha'i house of worship, or more commonly known as the Lotus Temple. 
After entering, we walked about 5 minutes down the path to the shoe check-in, where you put your shoes in bags and received a receipt. There were hundreds of Indians making the journey with us. It was quite colorful! They staggered letting people in the temple in groups of 20 at the entrance. After walking around the temple, we went in search of water and thought it was hotter than it had been before. We looked at the temp at it was 39C (over 100 degrees!). WOW!! I didn't know it was THAT hot! We decided to head back to our hotels and shower and rehydrate. 
