Déjà Vu in Delhi

Back-blogging as I recently regained internet access, hope to be current soon: 

Well, Delhi was a whirlwind of an experience; the threeish days (give or take some jetlag recovery time) went by super quickly. With no more initial orientation events to go, we were allowed a morning of scheduled sightseeing at some of Delhi's biggest tourist locations, both of which I got to see at the beginning of my study abroad stint last time I was here in early 2012. Regardless, here's a gloss on the two sites we went to see, as they are both a part of India's interesting history (and both UNESCO World Heritage sites - love collecting those!):

Look vaguely like Taj Mahal?
Taj was also built by the Mughals.

The first, Humayun's Tomb, is just that - the tomb of Humayun, the second Mughal emperor. Humayn reigned over what eventually amounted to over 1 million square kilometers under his rule, which spanned about 20 years in the mid-1500s. The Mughals were a group of Central Asian Turks, direct descendants of Genghis Khan, who presided over much of North India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan between the 1520s and mid-1800s. Their influence was immense; I learned that much while I was in Rajasthan (my "home state" during my last stay in India), which was never really unified until under Mughal rule. 

The great lattices that cover the "windows" of the mausoleum.

Anyway, Humayun's tomb is the first garden-tomb to be built in India, which makes it a good example of the Persian influence on the Mughals. It also has several Persian Islamic architectural details, including the Qur'anic script chiseled into several archways in the mausoleum itself and inner chambers arranged symmetrically around the large central double-dome. And apparently, it housed many Muslim refugees during the tumultuous Partition of India in the 1940s (by which Pakistan and Bangladesh was formed), for which much restoration was later required when it became an Indian heritage site.

At least the Minar is taller than me.

The second location of our Delhi sightseeing adventure? Qutb Minar, a 238-foot tall minaret also located in modern Delhi. Minars (minarets) are a typical part of Islamic mosques; they're often used for the call to prayer and to serve as a visual reminder of the mosque's location for the community. This one is cool because it's the tallest in India, and also because it contains in its grounds both Islamic and Hindu elements. The Minar itself, although certainly an impressive structure, is almost too unwieldy to truly be appreciated. This is particularly true if it's even a slightly sunny day and you're not wearing sunglasses - I spent much of my time there crying; unfortunately they weren't tears of exultation. Whatever time I didn't spend crying, however, was spent talking a group of cousins that had come out to the Minar on a family trip. Of varying ages between 13-20, they were a fun bunch, and generally were pretty willing to try out a little English on us bideshi (foreigners). And I was a fan of the fact that I didn't tower over these kids in the photo we got with them as I've found I tend to do in pictures with native Asians.

A quick funny story from the Minar: I asked my fellow Fulbright friend Christine to take a quick photo of me near a set of columns I like, knowing that I had gotten one somewhere in the area during my last visit. I particularly like these columns because each one in unique; they each depict different Hindu gods and figures. When it came time to snap the photo, I was dissatisfied with the original column I had chosen, and also the next two (there were people lurking in the backgrounds of each of the proposed positions!) So finally, we settled on one and Christine took a photo. Lo and behold, 18 months after my original trip (and probably nearly a year since I had seen photos from said trip), and it turns out that I ended up choosing the exact same location for my columnar photo opp as last time! At least I'm consistent (if consistently forgetful)?

I promise it's not a "spot the differences" game.

All in all, it was really odd to walk through these sites again. It was a strange experience revisiting a place I didn't necessarily expect to have the opportunity to see again, never mind doing so a mere 18 months after my original trip. But at the time of that first Delhi visit (a week into my first trip to India), I apparently still wasn't fully aware of the strength this country's allure and its effect on my plans. So I find myself here again, in so far what has felt like an eerily familiar situation, but I know I'm about to be hit with a whole lot of newness - what a frightening and exciting thought!

Bhalo thakben ("be well" in Bangla),

Rachel