Got you!

3-11 1997 We got to India ,to the very

elegant Oberoi Towers hotel in Mumbai.We wanted to prepare a cup of tea, but

the only socket I could spotin the room was under

the desk. This is how I got under the desk!

Mumbai – the suspended garden

Dobi gat - Public laundry –

Dobi walla- the person

who takes your laundry washes

and presses your shirts and jeans

and delivers them back to you with

amazing accuracy.

Dabba walla It is a 125 year old trade

formed by a unique network of 5,000 men with the task to deliver 200,000 home made lunches each day from suburban homes to downtown offices in Mumbai. Caring moms and wives want their men to have fresh meals every day !

Spoiled men ! Dabbas are small steel

boxes used as 'lunch boxes' to hold the hot homemade curries, rice, and chappattis separate while keeping them hot.

dabbas

Taj Mahal Hotel,Mumbai

Jama MosqueNew Delhi

This is New Delhi seen from a rickshaw!

Everything is moving! In front of us,behind us , near us people , cars,

cows, motorbikes , rickshaws, all move!

And everyone who has a horn…BLOWS it!

There are no traffic rules, while the traffic light is just an environmental

statue!

We and the mighty Shiva !Inside the temple

there is a huge lingam,

the male organ or Phallus, worshippedin some Oriental

traditions.

Our “ driver “ on our way to Amber fort

Sacred cow

“Rickshaw” a very popular means of transportation

Fatehpur Sikri

The royal city was built by Mughal emperor Akbar beginning in 1570

and served as the empire's capital from 1571 until 1585 ,

when it was abandoned for reasons that remain unclear. One of the explanations

could be the heat and the lack of water .The surviving palace and

mosque are touristic attractions and a UNESCO World Heritage Site .

We were invited to see a wedding

Jaipur – the pink cityHawa Mahal ( Palace of Wind ) the famous building

is in fact only a five-story facade of pink stone which has 953 niches and windows and is just one room deep.

The palace women trapped in purdah,(practice of preventing women

from being seen by men)

could watch the street life, including processions without being seen .

AgraTaj Mahal,

the monument of eternal love, is a

mausoleum built by Mughal Emperor

Shah Jahan in memory of his

beloved wife,Mumtaz.

They are both buried there.

Me and the Taj!

Another wedding – here we saw part of the ceremony

We had a long way ahead, so we went

“shopping “ in a smallmarket near the road.We were very careful with the food there.

The guide even checked the bananas that we

bought!

Restaurant on the sidewalk

Sikh shrine in New Delhi.The ‘langar,’ or free kitchen

Everybody is welcome here to take a free meal.People of all ages, religions and social backgrounds

sit together on the floor . They get a metal plate in which

volunteers put the vegetarian food . Everyone eats with the hands.

Before beginning the meal , they pray.Everything quietly and orderly .

Thousands of meals are served here daily.

Volunteers cooking

The complex of the shrine

People purifying themselves in the water.The stairs and paths near the shrine are also

carefully washed. You have to be very careful not to

step on any insect – it may be the reincarnation of somebody!

Inside the shrine

Bahá'í Mashriqu'l-Adhkar, better known as the "Lotus Temple“ in New Delhi.

It has the form of a lotus ,the symbol of beauty and purity .

Its design is composed of 27 free-standing marble" petals" arranged in clusters of three to form nine sides.

There are nine surrounding ponds whose watercool the air.

The nine doors of the Lotus Temple open into a central hall.When we entered the hall we were asked to keep

silent.Inside it is complete silence .

On my way to the Ganges

Sunrise seenwhile sailing in a

boat on the Ganges.

Varanasi ( Baranes )

It is a holy city for Hinduism. People come to the ghats on the

banks of the Ganges not only for the ritual prayer and bathing, but also make Yoga, meditation, wash clothes,

even drink from the water.In the evening we watched a cremation. After the burning

of the body, the ashes were thrown into the Ganges.Our guide said that the water of the Ganges was

“antibacterial! “ He drank a glass of water every morning !

Of course they are already immune ! Varanasi is one of the holiest places in Buddhism too,

being one of the four pilgrimage sites said to have been designated by

Buddha himself.

The site of the deer park where Buddha is said to have given his first sermon about the basic

principles of Buddhism

Typical street in India

On the way to school

Sep-09

Music:

I love IndiaMy personal

photosfrom my trip

to India,1997

Some of the info :

Wikipedia