Sep
15
2009
India and India Gate
Author: SamWe were in Delhi and off to see the tallest tower made of stone in India. Along the way, we would see the sights of grand Delhi, including a stop at Raj Ghat, the Mahatma Gandhi memorial. Well, once we started looking at the possibilities it was hard to stop and choose what to so, as we were visiting Old Delhi for the first time. We were interested in the history of the place and also riding rickshaws, and of course food. We were interested in the street food of India, which some warn against, but our guide reassured us it would be okay, we we plunged in at a place selling chapatis and spicy vegetables. We walked along a bit hand had a glass of lassi which can sometimes be found near Indian 5 star hotels if you look. On the way we went past the India Gate, a very sobering structure, first national memorial to the war dead in India, a very striking arch. It seems many Indian soldiers served in the British Indian Army and was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. Luytens is considered Britain’s greatest architect. He was born in 1869 in London and was instrumental in designing the section of Delhi known as New Delhi, which became known as Luyten’s Delhi. The most striking example of his influence and the influence of the British is in that powerful India Gate, which has an around the clock eternal fire blazing within to commemorate those lost. It is over forty one meters high, and in the evenings is scene to visiting crowds of people with picnics, folks selling their wares at this wonderful, beautiful and stately monument. It was once covered by a canopy that represented British rule, but this was removed to demonstrate India’s independence from Britain.
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