9th February 2014 (Day 1)

Change of plan.  Instead of resuming permanent posts of Scotland, I’ve decided to first generate permanent posts of India while it’s still fresh in my mind.  This is the first of those.

We’d flown in the previous day and this was our first full day in India.  You see here a view from the bus as we drove by.  On the other side of the road are some of the shanty houses of the very poor.

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This is India Gate, in memorial to the 90,000 Indian troops who lost their lives in World War I.  In the distance behind the Gate is an empty canopy, built at the same time, inspired by a 6th-century pavillion from Southern India.  The lining up could be more precise but the bus was in motion.

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I took this for the depiction of Mahatma Gandhi on the side of the building.  I only noticed when I came to process the image that the building is also Delhi Police Headquarters.  Never thought of Gandhi as a policeman.

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People on the street as I walk towards the mosque.  Women in India are colourful and attractive in their saris.

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The entrance to the mosque from the street.  At the top of the stairs you remove your footwear or don plastic coverings before going inside.

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Jama Masjid or Jamma Mosque dates from 1650 and reminded me a little of images I have seen of places like Samarkand.  This is not a coincidence, I am sure, because the Mogul conquerors descended from Tamerlane and also introduced Persian influences.

Jama Masjid is the largest mosque in India and was built by the fifth Mogul Emperor, Shah Jahan, who also built the Taj Mahal.  I will speak more of Indian history in due course.

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This is the chandelier and ceiling of the main chamber inside the mosque.  The next image is looking up from under the recess at the back.

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