Siri Fort - A Symbol of Strength and Barbarism

The Black and White Thursday photos of the week which I am posting today depicts the Siri Fort (The third of the seven cities to be built in the area of New Delhi) which was the seat of the Delhi Sultanate of Ala ud din Khilji and his Khilji dynasty. The word Siri is derived from the Hindi word Sir (Head). Read on to know how the fort earned its name 'Siri Fort'. It was built around 1303 AD keeping the strengths of the strong Mongol Army and their repeated invasions of India in mind. It was the first fort in India to be constructed entirely by Muslims. The structure of the fort was in an oval shape and was modeled over the large Turkish forts.

 Severed heads of thousands of Mongol prisoners were hung from these walls to serve a reminder to the Mongols as to what would happen to them if they invaded India again ! 
Observe the protected passageway between the walls (to the left) for movement of the soldiers during action and the gaps in the wall for archers to shoot down at the invading armies

Targhi, a Mongol ruler besieged the Siri Fort following Khilji's retreat during the Mongol invasion of India. The siege was not successful and Targhi retreated to his Kingdom in Central Asia (Afghanistan). In the next Mongol attack which Khilji repulsed with the help of his Generals Ghazi Malik and Malik Kafur the captured soldiers were brought to Siri and trampled upon by elephants and their severed heads were hung from the walls of the Siri Fort (this is the incident from where the name Siri origins)

The only other portion of the rampart of the fort which stands intact revealing the height of the walls. The Siri Fort had seven gates to enter and exit.

The strong fort got reduced to its current ruinous state because of local rulers especially Sher Shah Suri in around (1540-1545) took away building materials to built his own city nearby.

A view from atop the battlements. The ruins of the fort are spread over 1.7 square kms or 0.7 sq miles

(Black and White Thursdays are a series which is not only meant to highlight the beauty of the human civilization but also to provoke thought amongst readers.. The thought being 'WHY' is this place or monument so magnificent ? How much work might have gone into creating it ? What has that place or monument gone through in all this time ? It is somewhere in questions like these that we find the true reasons which make these destinations wonderful. As I say all the time, 'Every destination, every monument, every artifact, every stone has got a story to tell'. Whether we listen to it or not makes the difference.)

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Qutb Minar

The Black and White Thursday photos of the week which I am posting today shows the Qutb Minar which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in New Delhi, India. The Qutb Minar was constructed with red sandstone and marble, and is the tallest minaret in India, with a height of 72.5 meters (237.8 ft), contains 379 stairs to reach the top, and the diameter of base is 14.3 meters whereas the last store is of 2.7 meters. The Construction was commenced by Qutb-ud-din Aibak in 1192 and completed by Iltutmish. The Qutub Minar is notable for being one of the earliest and most prominent examples of Indo-Islamic architecture. It is surrounded by several other ancient and medieval structures and ruins, collectively known as Qutub complex.

Qutb Minar, picture taken from amongst the ruins of Quwwat ul Islam mosque extended by Iltutmish. 

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Rumtek Monastery - Seat of the Karmapa

The Black and White Thursday photos of the week which I am posting today shows the Rumtek Monastery also known as the Dharmachakra Centre. It is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery located in the Indian state of Sikkim, 24kms from the capital Gangtok and at an altitude of about 1500metres above sea level. Originally built by the 9th Karmapa Wangchuk Dorje in 16th century, Rumtek served as the main seat of the Karma Kagyu lineage in Sikkim for some time.

The Rumtek Monastery.
The outer walls of the main worship hall have paintings of Guru Padmasambhava in his various forms.

When the 16th Karmapa arrived in Sikkim in 1959, after fleeing Tibet, the monastery was in ruins. Despite being offered other sites, the Karmapa decided to rebuild Rumtek. To him, the site possessed many auspicious qualities and was surrounded by the most favorable attributes. He cited, flowing streams, mountains behind, a snow range in front, and a river below as some factors for establishing his main seat in exile here.

After four years, construction of the monastery was completed (with help from the Chogyal and Indian Government). The sacred items and relics brought out from Tsurphu Monastery, the Karmapa's seat in Tibet, have been  installed here. On Tibetan New Year's Day (Losar) in 1966 the 16th Karmapa officially inaugurated the new seat called, "The Dharmachakra Centre, a place of erudition and spiritual accomplishment, the seat of the glorious Karmapa."

The monastery is currently the largest in Sikkim. It is home to the community of monks and where they perform the sacred rituals and practices of the Karma Kagyu lineage. A large Golden Stupa inside the monastery contains the relics of the 16th Karmapa.

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Iron Pillar of Delhi and Arch of Quwwat ul Islam Mosque

Today the Black and White Thursday photo of the week shows the arch ruin of the Quwwat ul Islam mosque and the Iron Pillar of Delhi.
The Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque (Might of Islam) (also known as the Qutb Mosque or the Great Mosque of Delhi) was built by Qutb-ud-din Aybak, founder of the Mamluk or Slave dynasty and expanded further by other sultans who succeeded him. The arch ruin of the mosque is a part of the mosque complex with the actual mosque standing separately. This arch is a part of the extension which Sultan Iltutmish (the successor of Qutb ud din Aybak) gave to the original mosque built by Qutb ud din Aibak.

Arch Ruin of Quwwat ul Islam Mosque and Iron Pillar on the right

The iron pillar of Delhi, India, (7.21 m (23 ft) high and 14354pounds (6511 kgs) in weight) is located right in front of the arch ruin of Quwwat ul Islam mosque and is is notable for the composition of the metals used in its construction. The pillar, is said to have been fashioned at the time of Chandragupta Vikramaditya (375–413) of the Gupta Empire, though some people give dates as early as 912 BC.

The pillar has attracted the attention of archaeologists and metallurgists and has been called "a testament to the skill of ancient Indian blacksmiths" because of its high resistance to corrosion, due to both the Delhi environment providing alternate wetting and drying conditions, and iron with high phosphorus content conferring protection by the formation of an even layer of crystalline iron hydrogen phosphate.

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SurajKund (Lake of the Sun)

The Black and White Thursday photos of the week which I am posting today shows the ancient Suraj-kund (the word Kund means a lake or a reservoir) (seasonal in nature), located near Delhi (built in the 10th Century by the King Suraj Pal of Tomar Dynasty). It was constructed in the backdrop of the Aravalli hills with an amphitheater shaped embankment. The embankments were later renovated by Feroze Shah Tughlaq of the Tughlaq Dynasty in the 14th Century -

Main steps leading to the reservoir
(The reservoir is seasonal and gets filled only with seasonal monsoon rains)

Amphitheater shaped embankment
(The reservoir is seasonal and gets filled only with seasonal monsoon rains)

With a total surface area of 99 acres the Suraj Kund (Kund means Lake) is a man-made reservoir located (1.2 mi) away to the south west from a more ancient dam of the 8th century called Anagpur Dam. The king Suraj Pal Tomar was a sun worshiper and he had therefore built a Sun temple on its western bank.

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Guru Dongmar Lake - Black and White Thursdays

For this edition of Black and White Thursdays I am presenting you the immortal picture of Guru Dongmar Lake, Sikkim, India. It is the one of the worlds highest lake. This lake is a significant part of Indian religion and history as Buddhist Tantrik guru, Guru Padmasambhava(Dongmar) practiced various rituals besides this lake over 1000 years ago. What makes this lake even more significant is the fact that the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak visited this lake where Guru Padmasambhava prayed.

Guru Dongmar Lake (17100 ft/5136mt above sea level)

This lake is a turquoise colored jewel in the heart of a brown and white landscape which surrounds it. What makes this lake one of the wonders of this world is that it never completely freezes even during peak winters. It is for this reason this lake and this picture which tries to capture its beauty becomes immortal and thus a part of Black and White Thursdays.  

This February will see the introduction of a new series called Sunday Specials which will have travel destinations from across India and around the world.. yes around the world. Delhi-iteful Tuesdays and Sunday Specials will be published alternately each week while Black and White Thursdays will continue as usual. 

This Sunday will see the return of Sikkim Sojourn, my journeys through Sikkim, India and then I am waiting to write about another beautiful destination which is in my library. So, wait for this Sunday Specials which will be over Sikkim. Till then TC

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Memorial of the Immortal Soldier

Each year on January the 26th when India celebrates the Republic Day, the nation also comes together to honor the soldiers who fell defending the Union of India. In India Gate, apart from the names of the soldiers who fell while fighting for the British Crown, there are inscribed the names of the soldiers who fell while fighting the Kargil War(against Pakistan) of 1999.
This picture becomes immortal because the India will always remain indebted to the supreme sacrifice they made while defending the Union(of India) and will always come together to commemorate and celebrate them. We remember those Five hundred and twenty seven soldiers in this Republic Day edition of Black and White Thursdays.

The inscribed names of the Soldiers who fought defending the Union of India are depicted in this picture. The name of the regiment is given first and then the names of the soldiers are given in a vertical pattern.

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Begining from February we at Traveler Rohan's blog will start or resume our series over Sikkim, the north eastern Himalayan state of India and cover some of the most beautiful and historical destinations. Read it every Sunday and enjoy your February !

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Raj Path (Kings Way) - Black and White Thursdays

The Raj Path is a stretch of road in India which is the most significant because of the importance attached to it. The road stretches from the Rashtrapati Bhawan(Presidential Palace) to the India Gate (War Memorial to the Indian soldiers). It is over this road that the parade of Republic Day of India is held every year on 26th January. Before independence this road was known as the Kings Way.

People have congregated on this stretch of road to celebrate the Indian Republic and remember its freedom struggles and will continue to do so for generations to come. This makes the picture of Raj Path an immortal one, one that would never change for ages to come and thus becomes a part of Black and White Thursdays.

I have marked this location on my uencounter.me map.

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Might of the Bay - Black and White Thursdays

In this edition of Black and White Thursdays I am presenting you the mighty Bay of Bengal which for centuries has challenged mariners to the best of their abilities while they made their way to Bengal in India via the Bay.

Picture taken from the beach at New Digha, West Bengal, India

The Bay of Bengal, which forms the north eastern part of the Indian Ocean, is not only the largest Bay in the world it is also one of the most active bays in the world with strong tidal waves lapping the shores. It occasionally throws up large Thunderstorms(Sidr, Laila e.t.c.) which cause huge damage to life and property. Ask any local person living on the coast of the Bay and he/she will tell you that the Bay is someone whom you need to respect.

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Raisina Hill - Black and White Thursdays

For this edition of Black and White Thursdays I am presenting an immortal picture of the power center of India, the Raisina Hill.

Formerly, about a hundred years ago, a village inhabited by Meo's stood at this hill and overlooked the Citadel of Old Fort (Purana Qila). But all that changed when at the Delhi Durbar of 1911 King George the Fifth declared that a new capital city would be constructed for the British Indian Empire and it would be called New Delhi. New Delhi is the eighth city to come up in the region of Delhi. The Britishers decided to construct the Secretariat buildings and the Viceroy's House(later Rashtrapati Bhawan)

In this picture we can see the North Block and South Block of the Central Secretariat (which houses the ministries of Home, Finance, Defence e.t.c.) the Rashtrapati Bhawan (in the middle) (the official residence - office of the President of India) and the Jaipur Column (an imposing structure with bas-relief made by sculptor Charles Jagger).

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Faith in India - Black and White Thursdays

Beginning from this week I will post on every Thursday photographs of immortal monuments, traditions or habits of people which would remain unchanged even in the next century and so on. I would name this weekly post as Black and White Thursdays.

This week I am posting photographs showing the Laxmi Narayan Temple (built in 1939) and pictures of rituals practiced in the Hindu Religion -

 Laxmi Narayan Temple (built 1939) is the temple built in honor of Goddess Laxmi (Goddess of Wealth) and her consort Lord Vishnu (The Preserver). There are side temples at this very complex which are dedicated to Lord Shiva, Lord Krishna and Lord Gautama Buddha.

In this picture we can see the puja (worship) in honor of Lord Ayyappa taking place. Lord Ayyappa is a religious deity popularly venerated in the southern Indian state of Kerala. This tradition of decorating the temple with diyas (lamps), rangolis (floral patterns) e.t.c. has been continuing since hundreds of years and will continue to be followed.

A pujari(priest) blessing a car for good luck. Faith in god for many people remains unmoved, and will remain unmoved.

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