Lotus Temple: After breakfast we checked out of our room, met up with our new driver and headed out to our first destination of the day, picking up our guide on the way.
The Baha'i House of Worship in Delhi is popularly known as the Lotus Temple due to its unique architecture and serves as the Mother Temple for the Indian subcontinent. As with all Baha'i Houses of Worship, the Lotus Temple is a nonagon, having nine even length sides.
The Baha'i Faith welcomes worshipers from all religions to pray within its temples. The prayers may be set to choral music, but no instruments are permitted. Additionally, no sermons may be delivered and no ritualistic ceremonies may be performed. The temple is sparsely decorated with no religious statues, icons or symbols. Inside is a giant hall with rows of pews facing a simple lectern. Visitors must first remove their shoes before entering the temple. No pictures are allowed inside the temple.
Once we were done touring the temple, we made our way to the Qutb Complex.
Qutb Minar & Alai Darwaza: The most prominent structure within the Qutb Complex is the Qutb Minar, the tallest brick and stone minaret in the world. While India's first Muslim ruler Qutb-ud-din Aibak started construction in 1193, only the first story was completed within his lifetime. His son add the next two stories, and the minaret was finally finished under Firuz Shah Tughluq in 1386. The tower may have been constructed to signify the might of Islam or as a tower of victory, and it may have been used to call Muslims to prayer or as a defensive watchtower. Due to the death of a schoolchild several years prior to our visit, tourists are no longer able to ascend the 379 steps to the top of the 72.5 meter (238 ft) tall structure.
Standing in front of the Qutb Minar is the Alai Darwaza (Alai Gate). This was built by Ala-ud-din Khilji to act as a grand domed entrance to the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque. Preservation work was being performed on it at the time of our visit.
Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque & Iron Pillar: Also located within the Qutb Complex is the Quwwat-ul-Islam (Might of Islam) mosque. Just like the Qutb Minar, the mosque was constructed with the ruins of 27 Jain temples, which were destroyed for the purpose of building the Qutb complex. This reuse of materials can be seen in the variety of design in the columns of the mosque.
Standing within the mosque is an iron pillar, made in the fifth century of exceptionally pure iron, well before blast furnaces. To this day it is a mystery how it was constructed. The pillar was moved from its original location to where it now stands in the 11th century. A railing surrounding the pillar was recently constructed to prevent people from standing with their back to the pillar and attempting to lock their arms around the pillar. According to legend, doing so will make your wish come true.
Alai Minar & Ala-ud-din's Tomb: Major additions were made to the Qutb Complex by Ala-ud-din Khilji at the beginning of the 14th century. The mosque was expanded and a madrasa (college) was built. A second tower, Alai Minar, was also started (even though the Qutb Minar was not yet complete) and planned to be twice the size of Qutb Minar. However, it stood only 27 meters at his death and no further work was been done. Following his death, Ala-ud-din Khilji's son built a tomb for him within the complex.
Drive to Jaipur: After our visit to the Qutb Complex, we settled in for the four hour ride to Jaipur, dropping our guide off along the way. We stopped once on the way and got a chance to observe rural India. Most of the population of India is very poor, and this can be seen in their homes and the way they live. Camels with carts are a common form of transportation, mostly in the rural areas.
Jaipur: Jaipur is the first planned city in India. It was founded in 1727 after Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II decided to move his capital from Amber to a new location. The city is laid out in a grid pattern of nine sectors, all roads running north-south or east-west. Two of the sectors are for the palaces and state buildings, while the rest are for the public. The entire city is surrounded by walls with seven gates for access.
When the Prince of Wales came to visit the city in 1853, the mujahara ordered all the buildings to be painted pink. The buildings have remained pink ever since, earning Jaipur the nickname the Pink City. Jaipur has extended far beyond the original fortifications of the city, and only those buildings lying within the walls are painted pink.
Jai Mahal Hotel: After a quick drive through the Pink City we arrived at our hotel. After checking in, we had plenty of time to explore the grounds before dinner. In addition to the expansive patios and gardens, they had a large outdoor chess set, two swimming pools, sauna, a children's playroom, tennis courts, chipping and putting green, exercise room, a pool table and a ping pong table. Peep and I were able to get several games of ping pong and pool in before we headed back to the dining room for dinner.