On one of our trips through Doha, we went to India, starting with a few days in Delhi followed by a longer stay in Kashmir.
Dilshad wanted to shop a little in Delhi, and while in Delhi, we always check out the Qawwali night at Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah.
A little about the Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah; it is the dargah and mosque complex of the Sufi saint Nizamuddin Auliya, located in the Nizamuddin West area of Delhi, India. The dargah, or mausoleum, is a Sufi shrine and is visited by thousands of pilgrims every week The site is also known for its evening qawwali devotional music sessions. The complex, also known as Nizamuddin Basti, comprises the Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah, including several tombs, the Jamat Khana Masjid (or Khilji Mosque), and a baoli (traditional step well). Many of the structures are Monuments of National Importance, administered by the Archaeological Survey of India. The tombs of Amir Khusrau, Nizamuddin’s disciple, and Jehan Ara Begum, Shah Jahan‘s daughter, are located at the entrance to the complex. Overall, the dargah complex has more than 70 graves. The complex was renovated and restored in 2010 by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture.
Below are some scenes from the Qawwali night at the dargah
Qawwali in full session
I love these Qawwali’s
In Delhi, we stayed at the Marriott hotel in Aerocity; which is an upscale neighborhood near Delhi airport. There were many upscale hotels in this area catering to foreigners and locals alike.
We always come across some wedding or event; this time a barat (wedding) procession in Aerocity. The procession makes its way along the road to the bride’s house, and stops frequently to allows for some spirited dancing, with the groom on his horse drawn carriage
We also checked out the Sunder Nursery in Delhi, across the road from the Nizamuddin Dargah. This complex consists not only of gardens as the name implies, but also has some interesting Mughal era monuments and garden tombs. Some scenes from Sunder Nursery below
Inside the Sunder Burj
View around Sunder Nursery
After a nice few days in Delhi, it was time to fly to Srinagar, in Indian Kashmir.
Thoughts on Delhi. Though it is a very populous city, it does have some nice wide-open spaces, and many interesting old Mughal era monuments and structures that are slowly getting restored. We were fortunate that we did not get any pollution (or little pollution) since I have heard that Delhi gets very bad particularly in the winter. We got around everywhere in Delhi using Ubers, which were plentiful and cheap. Taxis and auto-rickshaws are all converetd to using CNG (compressed natural gas) to help reduce pollution. This trip through Delhi was a very short one, so it only covers a few areas of Delhi. I am sure there are many other great places to see & visit in Delhi that we were not able to make it to given our short time in Delhi.
Srinagar, Kashmir, India next
