Second Helping of India

The taste of India was still lingering with me even after my nighttime dreams of being in a Bollywood movie!   I was exhausted when I woke up.  All that dancing and the glitter and of course the Indian version of my favorite male character Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy. (Jane Austen is never far from my thoughts.  LOL)




 So when the SUN arose I jumped at the chance for a second helping of India.  Dressed in lose cotton pants and a cotton bright red cotton shift I grabbed my camera bag for another day of exploring.  In India you should follow the dress code....Best is to cover your body with long sleeves and long pants in light fabrics and a loose cut. Indian men like to stare at Western women. Indian Women dress quite modest, so long sleeves and pants give me protection from stares, bugs and sun.  I bought two salwar kameez (sometimes called punjabi) that many Indian women wear. Pants that are loose but narrow at the ankle with a tunic and a dupata (scarf). That scarf is enough to wrap you in, should you encounter a little chill.  (pictures to follow later)

After a hearty breakfast, consisting of an omelet and some fresh watermelon juice. It was important for me to eat a good breakfast as I was going to eat until dinner.  I had one motivation for eating no street food,  I did not want to have "Delhi Belly"..








My first stop was to visit Humayan's Tomb.  Humayun was the eldest son of Babar, a descendent of Genghis Khan, who was the first emperor of Mughal Empire in India. He succeeded in becoming the next Emperor.  Humayun ruled India for about a decade, the main religion at the time was Islam.  In 1555 AD Humayun regained Delhi with the help of Shah of Persia. Humayun died an unfortunate death, he felt down the stairs of his own library.  The Persian wife of Humayun, Bega Begum decided to build a tomb for her husband which was is now known as Humayun Tomb.

The construction of the tomb started in 1562 and the building was completed in the year 1572. The building is famous as the first building built in the era of Humayun's son Jallaluddin Mahammad commonly known as the Akbar. The tomb was constructed with the help of Persian architect named Mirak Mirza Ghiyuath, so we find that Humayun Tomb has a clear influence of Persian architecture. The site for construction was chosen on the bank of Yamuna River.  The tomb was the first garden tomb made in India. This tomb became the landmark in establishing different essential norms for buildings later built in Mughal Era.

The structure is mainly built in red sandstone. The marble is largely used in the borders. The dome is made of white marble. To relieve the monotony black and white marbles have been used. Humayun's tomb is the first building built in India to use the originally Persian concept of a double dome. The tomb is geometrically placed in the middle of specially made garden. The garden is divided into 4 parts. Therefore the garden is called as Char Bagh. The garden is divided in 36 small squares by grid of water paths and channels.  It doesn’t have the fine detailing as the Taj Mughal , but it was the architecture predecessor for that great monument. 

I am the Lady in RED, I have learned that when you are in India you must stand out in the crowd. 

Indian School children on a field trip (British)

Women and Men that were a part of my wanderings.  

When I look through the lens of my camera I love to see the small details that can be hidden among the architecture and surroundings.

I loved learning about the Sultans of India and the influence they had on the countries architecture of the cities they built.  The detailed work and the craftsmanship is remarkable.   Some of these great structures are extraordinary in small detail that was completely done by hand.  They are truly masterpieces.