Journey To Northern India

Hello everyone from the day I've started writing over here I have written many articles about Tbilisi the city where I currently reside. Today for a change I thought that I would share with you all my experience about my travel to northern part of India. I was born in Chennai the capital of a city called Tamil Nadu in the southern part of India, In Indid travellng from North to South is really rare unless and until if there is a reason like a job or business etc. I was studying in High school the time I made my first out of my state to the north. The first moment my mom told about this trip I was so excited and began planning everything that I needed to do for the trip. When the dates closed by I even started to count days as I couldn't really wait. It was a family tour and no one with me doesn't know Hindi, a language without which managing things in North India is really really hard. As most of you know India is one among the largest countries in the world and travelling to different parts take days. Our trip was to the capital city of India called the New Delhi through some places like Bodh Gaya, Sarnath, Varanasi and Lumbini [Nepal]. As my mom had some interest in Buddhism she wanted to visit all these places before reaching New Delhi. Our journey was mostly by train which is fast and economic. 

On the day of journey we took all the baggages that we had already packed for the journey and reached the Central Railway Station in Chennai. Our train was early in the morning and therefore we didn't have much trouble with traffic. Unfortunately our train was delayed due to some reason and we were all waiting for it in the platform. In the meantime I went to explore what's inside the station. The railway station by itself had its own history that I got to know from one of the tourism stalls over there. The railway station was constructed back in the 18th century and has a clock tower in the centre which chymes for every hour. In front of the station is a bus station especially designed to minimize the strain to the passengers. The station is really big with 15 platforms and only the trains that leaves and arrives from different states make their way to Chennai Central. The other trains that circulates within the state of Tamil Nadu reach a station called the Egmore Station. Moreover the Central station was consturcted near the banks of Buckingham canal which was an important waterway in the past, currently the water in the canal became so polluted that it is no more fit to use.

Inside this station I purchased some books to read during my journey and I was also carrying a pocket FM player with me which I considered to be something great at that time but now I myself feel like laughing. After a delay of about an hour the train blew its horn and arrived slowly at the station. It was a red colored electric engine with the engine driver peeping his head out of the window. The train stopped and I was so excited about the journey, we all boarded the train after figuring out the wagon and placed ourselves in the alloted seats. That was the first time when I travelled in a train for such a long distance. I started to explore the compartment and train journeys are always awesome except the fact that in India you may have to tolerate certain things during the journey. Trains in India contain different wagons ranging from Second class seaters or unreserved to Air condtioned compartments. We reserved tickets in a compartment called Sleeper class where it is not air conditioned but it has berths to sleep. As I said before there are some negatve factors during a train journey and the first one among them are the toilets. Every single compartment contains a  western style and an Indian style toilet still the problem is with the users who don't use them properly making it unhygienic for other people. The next problem is the safety, as most of the rail routes are on the outskirts of the city, they are often deserted and it makes it prone for thieves to enter the train and loot your baggages however it doesn't happen often. Our train was corramandel express having the exact name of the rail route. The east coast of Bay of Bengal is called the corramandel coast and the train starts from Chennai making all its way to Kolkata through two states called Andhra Pradesh and Orrisa. The train started its journey after half an hour and we were on route to the Kolkata where we were about to catch the next train. I could very well see the difference in the landscapes as the train started to move out of the city. The train was half filled when we started our journey and it slowly started to get filled as it stopped in some major stations in different states. At the border of Chennai I got a nice view of a back water located at a place called Enoor and it was so cool to have a view it sitting inside a train. There were some beautiful tunnels and hills that I could see on our way. It became night when the train was half way through the city of Andhra Pradesh where I got a breathtaking view from the top of a long bridge constructed along an important river called Godavari that run through two states and draining itself into the Bay of Bengal. It was so scary and thrilling to have a look a the river in the dark. As it got late I arranged my berth that was on the top and went to sleep there. A day was over an still we were on the train and that is why I say that travelling from one part of India to another is not too often. When the clock ticked around 4 in the morning it became so cold inside and one blanket was not sufficient enough. Unable to tolerate the coldness I got up and sat down near the window. All that I was worried about was going to the toilet. Luckily I was able to see a wash basin that was outside the toilet and I was so relieved as I don't really have to get inside it to brush my teeth. I brushed my teeth came back to my place and sat down when something interesting happened. The train stopped near the northern border of Andhra Pradesh to change the engine from electric to diesel. It took almost 30 minutes for the process to get over during which I was able to get out and have a look at the surroundngs. A good thing about Indian trains is that there is a pantry wagon in the train from which you could everythng including food, water, cool drinks, snacks, hot drinks etc etc. Once the train started we all bought some coffee from the vendor of the train pantry and refreshed ourselves. It was a good feeling to spend a night inside a train. We were sitting patiently as the train would reach its destination in a few more hours. The train also crossed some important rivers in India like the Krishna and Mahanadi as well which gave us some really breath taking views. On our way through Orrisa we could see the coast of the mighty Bay of Bengal extending far and wide. There were no big villages there on our way however we were able to see some boats fishing near the horizon. After moving near the coast for a long distance the train changed it course and went through a route where we could see houses. When it was around 12pm we reached the station of Howrah in Kolkata and a day and half of train journey came to a small pause as this was not our final destination.

In Howrah we were just having an hour left before the next train that connects Howrah to Gaya in Bihar leaves the station. Kolkata is one of the most crowded cities in India and we could see it very well with our own eyes as we got down at the station. We couldn't see the ground, the entire place was flooded with people. We with our baggages without knowing the regional language Bengali found it really hard to find the platform where our train arrives. After few minutes of sturggle within the station we spotted the train and we boarded it. As soon as we boarded the train it left the station and we would have missed it if we had just delayed another couple of minutes. We were on our second train to Gaya now and it was a troublesome journey. Though we had reserved tickets it was a slow train not an express and the locals who boarded the train were rural people without any education. They simply board the train and sit wherever they like, sometimes even on the berths and they wouldn't even listen to whay you say. Without knowing the local language its far more difficult to manage these illiterate people although they seem pity sometimes. The estimated travel time was three or four hours but due to its travel through rural areas it took us a long time to reach our destination. We got down at the Gaya railway station in the evening and it was terribly hot outside. We had a car waiting for us in the station and we got into the car that took us to the place where we were about to stay for a couple of days. Once we reached the place we got out of the car where we could see a busy market, the driver said that this route would take us down to the Mahabodi which is an important religious shrine in the area. We settled down our baggages and had some good rest, we couldn't believe that we slept almost for 12 hours continuously because of the long journey.

The next morning we got out of our place to see the shrine. It was so lovely and peaceful from the outside. The entire garden surrounding the shrine was so amazing. According to the history and buddhist literature this is the place where Buddha attained his enlightenment. He got enlightened while he was meditating under the most sacred Bodhi Tree which was currently in the place where the shrine is built. According to history after enlghtenment Buddha was sitting under the Bodhi tree for a week meditating. Buddha was staring at the tree for the next week continuously followed by the third week where he walked through a lake and it is said that lotus bloomed across the way where Buddha kept his feet. Today there is a statue of Buddha wth his eyes fixed towards the bodhi tree. King Ashoka who was one of the greatest ruler of India was a serious buddhist constructed a small temple over the place where this large shrine is currently in place. King Ashoka who ruled almost the whole India starting from the present Pakistan to the northern border of Tamil Nadu. In the Kalinga War, the present Orissa lost much of his army. After the war he felt bad having a look at all those blood stained battle field and the dead bodies of his fellow men. He took a oath not to fight a battle again ever in his life after listening to the "eight fold paths" that Buddha advised to follow inorder to have an eternal and meaningful life. He was the one to plant trees on both side of the roads inorder to provide shade and a place to relax for the travellers. The Bodhi tree serves as a sacred symbol even today for the whole Buddhist community. Wife of Ashoka was not a Buddhist and she hated the bodhi tree which she planned to destroy by placing some thorn trees near the Bodhi tree however the bodhi tree managed to grow. In the later period a shrine was erected over the same place which we find even today. The Mahabodi Temple was built during the 15th century and even today it stands as a symbol of Indian rock architecture as the temple is built of rock with a center tower surrounded by four small towers. UNESCO recognises this as one of the important architectural sturcture of India. A branch from this Bodhi tree was taken to Sri Lanka where it is planted in a place called Anuradhapura and it is preserved even today. According to statistics it is the oldest living angiosperm in the world. We walked around this sacred shrine for hours after which we joined the buddhist monks making their regular prayers. In the evening we went for shopping around the local markets where we got a small buddha statue for remembrance. In the night we returned back to take some rest. The next morning we went hired an auto rickshaw to have a look around the town. We were on a wrong time to the place because it was election period over there and the region is very sensitive for frequent riots as most of the people were uneducated. The auto rickshaw took us to a small temple located on the bank of a river where rituals are made for the dead souls. My mom made some rituals for her dead father which took some time. It was super hot there in Gaya and we sweated a lot. The fields were barren devoid of water and the grounds were cracked. We vsited few more sites of relgious importance and returned back as we had the train leaving from the Bodh Gaya railway station the evening. The train was running in a diesel engine, which made all its way to New Delhi however we will get down at the Sarnath station which is our next place to visit in the list. Many passengers were waiting to board the train and unfortunately thsi time we didn't have a reservation therefore we had to board the unreserved compartment. The travel was the worst in my life there was no place even to stand. When the train stopped in other stations on the way the train became more and more crowder and I was made to sit on the racks on the top of the seats which are meant to keep luggages. It took around 3 hours for the train to reach Sarnath which is again an important place of worship for the buddhists.

Getting down at Sarnath we had to make our own way to a address that is located near to a Buddhist Shrine. We took an auto from the railway station and my mom went on arguing with the price that he asked to take us to the place. Sarnath was a big town with lots of people however certain parts resembled the typical Indian pattern of buildings and roads. As we went further inside where the temple was located the atmosphere was a way too fine. We got down and it was almost night when we reached our place, we went inside our room, had a bath to refresh ourselves and went out to have some food. The next morning we went to the Mahabodhi, the busshist shrine that was present close by and the place was so beautiful with lots of greenery around. This is the place where Buddha came after getting enlightened. He preached his five desciples the four reasons that made life miserable for which he gave up his royal life. Buddha preached his disciples about the four noble truths that 1]There is suffering 2] Sufferings will always have a cause 3] But the cause for the suffering is removable and 4] the cause by itself is removable. This is where he said the Eight fold paths that one should follow inorder to have an eternal life. The eight fold paths said by buddha was 1] Right View 2] Right Intention 3] Right Speech 4] Right Action 5] Right Livelihood 6] Right Effort 7] Right Mindfulness 8] Right Concentration   and a wheel called as the "Dharma Chakra" symbolizes the eight fold paths represented by the eight spokes of the wheel. King Ashoka who was a strong believer of Buddha erected a pillar of 16 metre high and built a shrine where Buddha preached his disciples first. The pillar had four lions in it which symoblizes Ashoka's power and Buddha's Wise sayings. This pillar is now preserved in the archeological museum of sarnath which also serves as the National Emblem of India. The museum is also located very near to the buddhist shrine and it has various archeological collections obtained from the region. After witnessing some religious prayers done to Buddha we went to the Dhamekha Stupa which is located very near to the buddhist shrine like two buildings away from the shrine. This is the place where Buddha gave his first oration to all his followers. The name Dhameka was given because there was an inscription found on the shaft saying so. The pillar was constructed by Ashoka  and it is approximately 31 metres in height which also has some beautiful carvings in it. Inside the pillar there is an ancient statue of Buddha. We bought a small replica of the statue and continued our journey through the monument. At the back there was a small park with lots of deers and peacocks. People could feed the deers with carrot scratchings and other vegetables. There is a park near the pillar where there are remains of the ancient times which are considerd to be built during the time of Ashoka. Coming out of the pillar we went into the archeological museum of Sarnath which had the emblem of India in it. The museum also had a vast collection of ancient antiques ranging from the Ashokan period to the British rule. Getting some additional information about the Indian history we left the museum and returned back to the streets. While walking back home we found a roadside shop that sells an Indian drink called "Lassi" made of curd served in small mud pots. That was the tastiest Lassi that I had ever in my life. It was so delicious and after having the drink you should throw the pot away as a practise. We returned back to our rest place the night and we slept as we needed some good rest. The next morning we got up, got ready and hired an auto to take us to some nearby good places to see and the driver took us to a Durga Devi Mandir, followed by some other temples on the way. The evening we returned back and we had a train to catch to go to Varanasi which was our next site to visit. This time we had a better journey compared to the last one and it took us hours to reach Varanasi known famously as Kasi where the people used to go on a pilgrimage in their last years of life. We got down at the railway station and hired a cab to the Bodhi that was far away from the railway station. The bodhi was not that big but it was built with a Thai or Japanese touch and after which we went into a room to stay for a couple of days. The next day morning we wanted to go to the bank of the river Ganga where every Hindu religious fitual is performed and is considered to be a holy river by millions of Hindu's around the world. However to reach the place we had to get up very early in the morning and board ourselves into a cab that took us to the place. Near the bank there were steps to get down to the Ganges one of the longest rivers in India. The water in the river was a little polluted due to millions of religious rituals performed however it is said that viewing the sun rise from the banks of this river will offer a lots of blessings. There are boats which will take you to the other end of the river where you can bath and the water is clear. There is even a famous temple devoted to Lord Ganga Devi where amazing religious rituals are performed during festival times. After having a look at this sacred river we went back to the cab to visit the other important places in the city of Varanasi. In the evening we returned back home and we had almost nothing left to do the next mroning. 

The next day we met a couple who belong to the same state where we come from and became good friends. They have planned to go to Lumbini, a city in Nepal which is the Birth place of Lord Buddha and is considered to be sacred by thousands of Buddhists around the world. Our journey started in a car, that took us to Lumbini by crossing the border of India. Lumbini is actually a small town located in the foot hills of Himalayan range. This was almost an unexpected twist in my tour plan and I was really excited about crossing a country's border by road. I was gazing at all those border checks performed and a temporary licence plate was offered to our car during its journey in Nepal. There was actually no Visa needed for the Indians to visit Nepal and our journey continued to Lumbini. On our way to Lumbini we had a look at Kapilavastu which is considered to be the place where Buddha grew up and spent his early years of life. We reached the temple built where Buddha was born in the evening. We went inside the temple inside which they still preserve the place where Buddha was born in a glass box. Inside the temple there are just paths built to walk and nothing else. One could see the same soil from the past still preserved. It is also believed that King Ashoka marked the birth place of Buddha with a stone that never washes away and erected a pillar with a horse on top. He also reduced all the taxes for the place saying it to be the birth place of his favorite God. The reason why there is no building where Buddha was born is because Buddha was born to the Queen Maya Devi and King Suddhodhana on her way to her parent's home. This place is present Lumbini. Further inside Lumbini there is a place called as the Maya Devi Temple which is thought to be constructed over an old pillar constructed by Ashoka. After visiting these places we headed back to stay there for a night. The next morning we returned all the way back to Varanasi where we had some rest and then went to the bus station to catch a bus to the Varanasi Railway Station. We boarded a bus and the bus according to my opinion was way too old and it was really high than any other bus I've travelled so far. It took us around 20 minutes to reach the railway station where we got down and went inside to board a train to our final destination, the capital of the Indian Republic, New Delhi. The train departed from the station in the evening and reached the New Delhi station the next morning. This time we again had the reserved tickets and the journey went on smooth. Most of the time I spent by sleeping up in the berth. When we got down at the New Delhi railway station we could very well see how rushful a country's capital would be, The railway station extended far and wide, seeing from an over bridge I could see a large number of trains all set to go from different parts of India. 

Once we went to the streets of New Delhi we could see the busy city with lots and lots of people. All auto rickshaws running in the city were CNG operated and we hired one to take us to a residence near the famous Birla Mandir. We reached Delhi in the morning had some rest and the same day's evening we went inside the Birla Mandir to have a look at it. The temple was so beautiful and it was maintained excellently. The temple was devoted to Lord Vishnu who is the preserver or the protector among the Hindu gods. In the evenings there are melodious Bajans sung by the people to praise Lord Vishnu after which some specail prayers are made. The statue inside the temple was so artistically carved and the interior of the temple is fully made of marble. Behind the temple there is a large park where there is a play zone for the kids and some photogenic spots like an open bears mouth, camels which you can sit upon all artificially made. There is also a canteen set up on the park where you get some famous north Indian savories and snacks. We booked tickets on a tourist bus that was taking people to the World Wonder Taj Mahal that is located in Agra not too far from Delhi and also the famous Agra Fort. The bus started from our place in the early morning, it was good with a television in it for entertainment. Somewhere around 10pm we reached the Agra Fort built of red brick stone. It was so big to see it from the outside and it also had some historical importance. This fort had vast collection of jewels and invaluable materials in it and therefore it was a place of subsequent attacks by different kings. It was built by the Mughals, Humayun was crowned here in his very early age after which the fort was captured by another king. However Humayun recaptured the fort and subsequently Vikramaditya captured it. Finally it was recaptured again by the famous Mugal King Akbar. It was here where the "King Of Jewels" called the Kohi-Noor was preserved, one of the pridest collection of Indian Jewel. Later when the British East India company invaded India they looted most of the countries wealth along which the Kohi Noor was presented to the Queen Of England. Even today it is found on the Crown of the Queen. There are four entrances to the fort however two entrances are decorated grandly with an entrance to a river that runs by the side of the fort. The gate to the North is called as the Delhi Gate and it is the most important gate of the four as the emperor used to make his way into the for through this gate. This gate is decorated in an amazing way and it also has a big pit filled with water which is one of the war strategy used by the rulers of the past. As the fortress walls were so strong the ruler who wants to enter a fortress usually break the door with an elephant and for the elephant to do so it has to run a little distance. By making such a pit it provided additional security for the fortress. There is also a wooden plank raised upright sealing the Gates door. This gate and the area surrounding it is used by the Indian Miltary and it cannot be viewed by the tourists unfortunately. We went into every single room in the fortress and each one was designed in an amazing way, there was a staircase to the top and once reaching the top we were able to see the beautiful Taj Mahal at a distance. It was time and we returned back to the bus which was ready to leave to our next destination which was none other than the world famous Taj Mahal.

It was my dream to visit Taj Mahal since my childhood, that was when I got to know about the history of this world famous monument. The place is a mix of both joy and sadness. It can make a person think whether Love is so limitless that it can make a person love so far even after death or is love so cruel to punish so many people. I know many of you can't really understand what I'm trying to say but to understand this you may have to know some history beyond this World Wonder.

The world famous Taj Mahal was built by the mugal emperor called Shahjahan for his beloved wife Mumtaz who died after giving birth to her 14th baby. Suffering from her loss Shahjahan decided to build a large tomb for her and that is what the todays Taj Mahal. The Taj Mahal is by itself a complex with the plinth and the tomb taking 10 years to complete followed by the external lawn that tool another 20 years. The architectural design of Taj Mahal is a mix of Hidu, Mugal, Persian, Turkish and Ottoman architecture all merged together into one amazing master piece. The centre building where the tomb of both shahjahan and Mumtaz lies is the important among whole. The construction materials were bought from all parts of the world and it contained all the precious materials that could be available on the planet. The white marbles were bought from Terrakota in Rajasthan from which the entire building is constructed. The building is approximately 35 metres in height with a large dome in the center. In the top of the tomb there is also a lotus shaped design followed by a pole that has a crescent which is considered to be the sacred symbol of the muslims pointing towards the heaven. Architects for building the Taj were selected from all parts of the world and the most prominent architects were involved in the building of this wonder building. The Taj Mahal's center building consists of curtain like structure carved entirely out of marble which is octagonal in shape thereby making it accessible to all entrances however there is only one entrance that is currently in use. The marble walls of the building were painted from paints and dyes made of organic sources and there were a number of precious metals engraved into the paintings in the wall. All those precious jewels which were on the walls of the Taj was taken by the Britishers who inavded India. The top pole of the Taj was made of Gold, even that was replaced by bronze in the 19th century. There were around 20,000 people who were involved in the construction of this world wonder. The tomb of Shahjahan and Mumtaz are laid on the ground because of their religion which restircted grand decorations of tombs with both of their heads facing the holy city of Mecca.

After the completion of the center tomb the park surrounding it was constructed which was altered according to the British style during the period of invasion. The British style park is the one which is visible even today. There are four gates to enter Taj Mahal and only one of them lets tourists in. After the construction of this world wonder Shahjahan rewarded all those people who were involved in the creation of his dream with jewels, gold and every valuable item available and then he ordered his soldiers to cut off both the arms of them. Shahjahan  ordered so because he wanted Taj Mahal to be the only building in the world with all these features. After some years Shahjahan was overthrown by his son Aurangazeb who threw Shahjahn in Agra Fort as a prisoner. He made a hole in the walls of the Agra Fort through which Shahjahan spent his last years looking at Taj Mahal. After his death he was burried alongside Mumtaz in the Taj Mahal. 

With all these history I guess now you would have understood the reason why I said so in the begginning. I got down the bus at a place from where you could reach Taj Mahal only by a battery operated car or a Camel cart as the entire area around Taj Mahal is announced as a pollution free zone banning the use of fossil fuels in this area. We got onto a came cart that took us to the northern gate of Taj Mahal. The ride was awesome and we bought the tickets to enter Taj Mahal. It was a place of real beauty and I was wondering at the creativity of the people during the past. I was gazing at the world famous monument for a long time. Photography is allowed only upto the entrance where there is a fountain. The gardens were maintained picture perfect and we reached the main building or the Tomb of the Taj. It is prohibited to wear footwears inside the marble building and therefore there are covers made of cloth available for rent neat to the entrance. Wearing them we went inside and we could feel the real beauty of the Taj. Even without all those precious Gems that decorated the Taj in the past it was still way too beautiful. If you flash a torch near to the marble walls of the Taj you coulde see the black colour in the paintings in the wall showing its original colour. I couldn't believe how genius were those people who constructed this amazing building.  The garden around the Taj Mahal is vast and filled with greenery with a museum near the entrance which exhibits various archeological possessions that were found here. It comprised some of the historical facts about the Mughals and also some collections from the British time. We spent almost the entire noon wondering at the world famous Taj and we walked our way back to the bus that was waiting to leave. On  our way back from Taj we brought a small replica of Taj Mahal made out of marble that illuminates by placing a lamp in the bottom. It was a really worthful trip and I couldn't still believe that I visited the world wonder for the first time in my life.

The next stop was the Akbar's tomb located in the region called Sikandara in Agra. It was also made out of deep red stone with some marble work covering the tomb. The area covering the entire building is large and resembles mostly the Taj Mahal architecture.We returned back to Delhi the same day but it was very late night. So we planned to rest for the night and visit Delhi's important places the next morning.

The next morning we hired an auto rickshaw and asked him to take us to some of the important places around Delhi. The first place that we went was the India Gate, a memorial that was built during the time of World War I in memory of all those soldiers who died as a part of the British Indian Army. There is also a canopy and fire burning always in the front of the gate. The India Gate is made of red stone and granite. It is constructed in such a way that most of the important roads in Delhi start to sprad out from the gate.There is also a large park surrounding it with a small pool with boat riding facilities. Very near to the India Gate is the Indian Parlaiment and the residence of the President Of India which I was able to see from the outside. Then we made our way to another worlds reknown site "The Qutub Minar". It is one of the famous monuments in New Delhi. It is a narrowing tower of approximately 72 metres in height. The bottom of the tower is broad and subsequently it narrows towards the top. It is considered to be a watch tower in the past and there is a mosque near by which was used by the rulers of that time. There is a long iron rod that is placed alongside Qutub Minar which still remains a puzzle for chemistry. The rod being in rain, sun and fog for centuries haven't rusted a bit. It was used as a wish rod in the early time, there was a belief that if you could catch both of your hands around the rod with your back against the rod your wish would be fulfilled. At present this is impossible as the government has protected the rod with a fence. Spending some quality time over there we next went to visit the famous Lotus Temple. The Lotus Temple is an important place in Delhi where people from all religions gather together to pray God without any differences in cast, religion or race. No religious rituals can be performed inside the Lotus Temple. It has a beautiful shape of a Lotus made of Marble castings and there are nine entrances each of which will lead into a central hallway large enough to gather 2500 people in a single time where they can worship God without any differences. The entire area covered by the Lotus Temple is around 26 acres and there is a swimming pool and a beautiful garden found within the complex of the Lotus Temple. The last place of our travel inside Delhi was the Red Fort which was built by the famous Shahjahan who built Taj Mahal. The fort was built when Shahjahan moved his capital city from Agra to Delhi. The fort is built of red stones in the shape of an octagen enclosing a total area of 260 acres. The fort consists of double domes, floral decorations and high ornamental works which describes the wealth and prosperity of Mughal emperors. It is where the world famous Kohinoor diamond was made a part of the Emperor's chair. There are different halls inside the fort named as "Diwan-i-Aam" where the emperor used to hear public complaints and problems. There were also a panel of ministers who were with him during the process. "Diwan-i-Kaas" was the place where the emperor used to hold private meetings and it was the hall were the private guests of the emepror used to gather."Nahr-I-Behist" which is the private hall of the emperor that is found along the banks of the river Yamuna. Apart from all these halls there are also other areas like a Lady's appartment, Moti masjid etc built in the past. This place is of political importance even today as it is the place where the Prime Minister Of India hoists the National Flag and gives speech to the citizens on 15th of August every year which is the nations Independence day. There will be colourful parade and cultural events signifying the country's unity in diversity this day taking place in front of the tower.

It was really amazing to have a look at all these amazing structures in a single day and we had our train departing to Chennai the same day evening. We returned back to the place where we stayed packed all our baggages and went to the railway station. We arrived at the station very early and therefore we decided to go out for a shopping in the local bazaar. There was a wide range of shops ranging from textiles to electronics. I bought myself a Cassette player from the bazaar and my mother was purchasing some items needed by her. Having the cassette player in hand I couldn't wait long to put a audio tape inside and listen to the music. We found a south Indian hotel located amidst the busy bazaar. We went into the hotel had some hefty lunch. It was really tasty as we were tasting the south Indian dishes after a long time. It was time for the train to arrive and we returned back to the railway station. We boarded the train called "Tamil Nadu Express" which would take us all the way back to our origin. 

On a whole this trip of mine to North India has not only given me memories but also provided me with some good experiences beginning from the travel to the people and also an immense knowledge about the Indian history. Even today I'm able to cherish those memories that I gained early in my life. Thank you for reading and awaiting your valuable comments and suggestions! Cheers. :)