March 1, 2018 -
“...you are watching a hero come home live” - CNN India
Things appear to be calming down some here some. Pakistan has released the captured pilot back to India. The news is non step about it. So that is good.
We are on the final few days of our trip. We will stay in Delhi until our flight leaves Thursday. We decided against visiting Shimla in the North as previously planned. It is fairly close to the border of Kashmir and with the current conflict we thought it was a prudent decision.
We revisited the Red Fort again. Well sort of. What you see in the picture is the curtain wall. The Fort was built by Shah Jahan in the 17th century. Jahan the same fellow who built the Taj Mahal. The Red Fort was the seat of power for the Mughal Emperors until the British overthrew them in 1857.
Inside this massive fort was beautiful precious examples of the highest forms of Islamic art and architecture. Breath taking gardens and hundreds of buildings.
Not anymore. The curtain wall you see is most of what is left. The British razed the interior to create marching grounds for their troops. Over 500 priceless buildings were simply destroyed to make room for barracks. So if you go inside today, you see what appears to be a large park with green spaces. Some of the original buildings are still there but not well maintained. In the middle are a large number of Neo Georgian style British buildings that today house a museum.
It is park like and peaceful, but mostly empty.
Comments