I will return to this site to give you a look into our final day in Delhi and India later as time permits. Jonnie and I had a relaxing morning before checking out of the Svelte Hotel and touring the temples of Delhi with Manesh. We were so plesantly surprised at our young guide's exhuberance and thrill of leading his very first tour. He does not yet have his guide's credentials and usually conducts airport transfers only, but the national holiday limited the number of official guides available for tours. We were definitely the blessed two as he added life and joy to our final day. We were weary, but he gave us new life.
We began our tour with the Lotus Temple which is the main temple of the B'hai. This is a religion which seeks to unite all world religions in one faith. the nine ponds, nine petals in each of three different levels and nine points on the star at the top of the inside dome represent the nine major religions of the world.
The main Hari Krishna Temple is the ISKCON temple. manesh was particularly proud of this temple as he finds his spiritual mentor here. We were amazed by the millions of fresh flowers adorning the main room of the temple and surrounding the statues of their idols. The followers were celebrating "Holi" today with colors thrown or painted on passers-by. Water balloons contained colored water. Water guns were loaded with powdered colors before the water was added. Young people and business men found themselves painted by friends and strangers.
The largest Hindu Temple Akshardham, was opened in 2005. The security to enter forbid us to take anything in with us. We were amazed at the beauty and detail throughout the grounds. The inlaid marble mosaic work inside the main building was emense and so very intricate. The golden statues of their many gods were so massive and detailed in every way. The marble carvings around the building of 148 elephants in every pose seemed like a parade as well as a tribute to the many ways the elephants help the people of India. Manesh treated us to several Indian delicacies we had not tried until now in the food court.
and the Sheikh Temple, Bangla Sahib was our last temple tour of the day. We included it on our tour since our driver for the week is a sheikh. We entered it during the most busy hour of the day and the crowds surrounding us were devout followers in worship.
Manesh wanted us to meet his childhood friend, Nitin, so he took us to the mall for Jonnie to find stuffed animals and anklets for her grandchildren. The mall near the airport was three times larger than our hotel mall had been. All of the major businesses of the US are represented there as well as local stores. The dancing water fountain and light show was impressive. There we stayed until the mall closed and we needed to head on to the airport.
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| Lotus Temple |
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| ISKCON TEMPLE |
The largest Hindu Temple Akshardham, was opened in 2005. The security to enter forbid us to take anything in with us. We were amazed at the beauty and detail throughout the grounds. The inlaid marble mosaic work inside the main building was emense and so very intricate. The golden statues of their many gods were so massive and detailed in every way. The marble carvings around the building of 148 elephants in every pose seemed like a parade as well as a tribute to the many ways the elephants help the people of India. Manesh treated us to several Indian delicacies we had not tried until now in the food court.
and the Sheikh Temple, Bangla Sahib was our last temple tour of the day. We included it on our tour since our driver for the week is a sheikh. We entered it during the most busy hour of the day and the crowds surrounding us were devout followers in worship.
Manesh wanted us to meet his childhood friend, Nitin, so he took us to the mall for Jonnie to find stuffed animals and anklets for her grandchildren. The mall near the airport was three times larger than our hotel mall had been. All of the major businesses of the US are represented there as well as local stores. The dancing water fountain and light show was impressive. There we stayed until the mall closed and we needed to head on to the airport.
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