Qutb Minar

UNESCO World Heritage Site

One of my favorites sites in India is the Qutb Minar in India-a magnificent UNESCO World Heritage site.  Made of red sandstone and marble, the minaret is a tall slender tower that is a distinctive feature of Islamic architecture, providing a place for a call to prayer and this one specifically was built as a victory tower to celebrate the victory of Mohammed Ghori over the Rajput king in 1192.  Tall standing at a height of 72.5 metres, it is the highest stone tower in India and beautifully constructed with alternating angular and rounded flutings.  The structure has been hit by lightning and earthquakes numerous times, as indicated by the inscriptions engraved on the surface of the tower which depict the history of the tower in addition to religious verses and carvings.  You’ll also notice that there is a tilt of about 60cm to the tower, much like the Tower of Pisa, due to water seepage.  While it was used as a watch tower, and before 1981, anyone could enter and climb the 7-storey, 378-step staircase to reach the top, an accident happened in 1981 and since then, access has been closed off.

 Collectively known as the Qutb complex, the tower is surrounded by structures and ruins, including funerary buildings and mosques.  The complex originally had 27 Hindu and Jain temples which were destroyed and replaced by Delhi’s first mosque, Quwwat-ul-Islam, using the remains of the original temples when India’s Islamic ruler, Qutb-ud-din Aibak rose to power in 1192.    

 I highly recommend this site for its intricate architecture and rich history, especially during sunset, as the scenery is just flooded with gorgeous colours.  I’ll let my pictures do the talking…

Land of dispute

Simple living in Kashmir 

While Kashmir seemed relatively peaceful when I visited there last month, it is a land of dispute between India and Pakistan and not so long ago in 2010, clashes between Indian forces and pro-Pakistan and pro-independent supporters ended with over 100 deaths.  I could still sense unease with Indian soldiers spaced out along the roads leading into Srinagar.  The well paved roads leading from the airport to the city centre gradually turned into uneven narrow streets.  How our driver maneuvered in and out of unnamed alleys while avoiding the countless number of stray dogs on the streets to reach our houseboat on the beautiful Dal Lake puzzled me.

 Living on a houseboat for two nights was a great break from city life.  Also known as floating palaces, these meticulously carved cedar wood houseboats have between four to five guestrooms and are anchored to the lakeside and manned by a boatkeeper known as the house captain.  The house captain takes of everything on the boat, from adding firewood in everyone’s rooms throughout the night to cooking up homemade dishes for each meal.  Albeit having to replenish with plenty of water and body balm frequently to avoid super dry skin and feeling a little stuffy at times, I loved the smell of the firewood and had a great night’s sleep.  My 10-hour sleep was a little ridiculous compared to the 6 hours that I usually get, perhaps it was from all the carbon dioxide from the firewood.  I was awaken by the chanting coming from the nearby Islamic mosque.  When I went to the verandah to catch a glimpse of sunrise and to breath in some fresh air, the vibrant colours of the boats and shikaras (water taxis), along with the smoke puffing out from the chimneys and misty morning air, everything-just took my breath away.  It was like stepping into a watercolour painting.

 As we made our way to Gulmarg, also known as the Switzerland of India, to view the snow-capped Himalayan mountains, I saw the smiling faces of Kashmirans in the streets living such simple yet happy lives, I was awashed with a sense of gratitude for all the things I have in my life in this land of dispute.

Life's a zoo!

The lively streets of India 

Over Christmas, I was in the northern part of India where I visited Delhi, Jaipur, Agra and Kashmir.  It was my first time to India and the second I came out of the airport, the first thing that hit me was the air pollution.  Yes air pollution in Hong Kong is bad, but this was way worse.  As this was during winter and temperatures dropped under 10 degrees, the air became super hazy from all the firewood and biomass being burned to keep warm.  Not before long, I spotted the biomass dung cakes lined along the streets...well at least it's a form of renewable fuel source.

 The second thing I noticed, coincidentally, also environment related (must be an occupational habit), was that there's not a lot of trash in garbage bins, rather, countless piles of garbage found almost on every other street.  I later found out, especially during night time, that these piles of trash are left to grow and grow until they are big enough for a bonfire right on the sidewalk to keep people warm.  This "trash" is not only a valuable resource for humans, but also for animals that roam the streets, of which there's plenty of.

 With goats, cows and pigs rummaging through the trash piles, camels sauntering next to swerving traffic, families of monkeys hopping between rooftops, constant honking from cars and auto rickshaws, the streets seemed chaotic  as the animals keep to their territory on the sides of roads and pedestrians have become experts at avoiding being hit by vehicles...yet it was like a form of organized chaos.  Life's a zoo!