India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) (225 page)

Chapter 10: The Heart of India: Delhi, the Taj, Uttar Pradesh & Madhya Pradesh

The capital of India, Delhi, and its neighboring state, Uttar Pradesh, compose the geographical and historical heart of India, with ancient cities and awe-inspiring monuments that make for definite inclusion in the itineraries of most first-time visitors to the subcontinent.

With comfortable accommodations and a host of fascinating sights, Delhi is a good place to acclimatize. But the main reason most visitors touch down here is its proximity to some of North India’s most impressive sights, like the
Golden Temple
at Amritsar, one of the most spiritual destinations in India (see chapter 13);
Jaipur,
capital of Rajasthan, “land of princes” (see chapter 11); and nearby
Agra.
The Mughal capital of Agra is famed for the timeless beauty of its monuments, of which the
Taj Mahal
is the most famous, but it is in the city of
Varanasi,
east of both Delhi and Agra, that time has indeed stood still. Believed to be the oldest living city in the world, Varanasi is the holiest destination in Hindu India, where true believers come to die in order to achieve
moksha
—the final liberation of the soul from the continuous rebirth cycle of Hindu life. Rising like a densely populated crust from the banks of the Ganges, the city is saturated with a sense of the sacred, but while the experience is almost mind-altering, the crowds and filth you may encounter in the city’s tiny medieval streets are not for the fainthearted. For those who prefer to keep the chaos of India at arm’s length, you might want to consider a side trip to
Lucknow,
the state capital, where space and serenity prevail, and where the decadence and good taste of the ruling
Nawabs
—Shiite Muslim rulers or landowners—live on in the rich cuisine and majestic
imambaras,
or tombs.

South of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh sprawls
Madhya Pradesh,
a vast landlocked state that contains some of the loveliest untouched vistas on the subcontinent. The most famous sights here are the deserted palaces of
Orchha
and the erotic shrines of
Khajuraho
—both easily included as side trips between Delhi or Agra and Varanasi. Deeper south, which sees a great deal less tourist traffic, lie
Sanchi,
one of the finest Buddhist
stupa
(commemorative cairn) complexes in Asia, and
Mandu,
an exotic Mughal stronghold. To the east lie
Kanha
and
Bandhavgarh National Parks,
the latter with the densest concentration of tigers in India, and thus a magnet for those in search of the Indian safari experience, particularly since African safari specialists &Beyond have teamed up with the Taj group to prduce luxury lodges to rival those near Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan. These Madhya Pradesh excursions will suit those keen to escape the hassle of more obviously tourist-orientated destinations, but they take careful planning to reach; details are provided throughout the chapter.

1 Delhi

200km (124 miles) NW of Agra; 261km (162 miles) NE of Jaipur; 604km (375 miles) NE of Jodhpur

The Heart of India: Delhi, Uttar Pradesh & Madhya Pradesh

Delhi

The capital of the world’s largest democracy has a fascinating history, but with a population of 14 million sprawling over some 1,500 sq. km (585 sq. miles), and plagued by the subcontinent’s highest levels of pollution, growth, and poverty, Delhi’s delights are not immediately apparent. Even Delhiites, many of whom were born elsewhere, seldom show pride in the city they now call home, bemoaning its drab mix of civil servants, aspiring politicians, and avaricious business folk; the ever-expanding slums and “unauthorized” colonies; the relatively high levels of crime; and the general demise of traditional ways. Yet Delhi is in many ways the essence of modern India, with its vivid paradox of old and new, rich and poor, foreign and familiar.

Today, to the return visitor, what is startlingly noticeable is the unprecedented growth; to some extent, this is a natural, organic expansion, but it’s also part of a mapped-out initiative to prepare the city for its highly anticipated role as host of the 2010 Commonwealth Games and as a leading Asian capital. Beyond the “Games City” moniker, there’s the somewhat draconian-sounding “Master Plan for Delhi 2021,” which aims to thrust the capital—kicking and screaming if need be—into a better, brighter (and, perhaps sadly, thoroughly Westernized) future. It’s clearly a role that local government is taking seriously, because the change is palpable. As the city spreads, giving rise to entire new cities like Gurgaon and Noida—devoted almost entirely to economic growth—high rises and malls and residential colonies are mushrooming everywhere. Some residents are left with their jaws hanging in disbelief, but most work furiously at the altar of capitalist expansion. The expanding megalopolis of Delhi really is more “National Capital Region” than mere city.

Some believe the mobilization of capital and resources is responsible for quite positive transformation. Pollution levels are supposedly dropping, and government officials seem to introduce new modernization schemes every week. You’re unlikely to see cows roaming the streets of the capital any more; those that dare are rounded up and taken to stray cow facilities, and in May 2007, the traffic department vowed to crack down on all forms of dangerous driving. But there are ill-considered political choices, too. In 2007, street food was officially banned in the capital (although you still find it practically everywhere), and there was fervent talk of outlawing cycle-rickshaws in Old Delhi. Sadly, such decisions often come from wealthy politicos who have never been into the heart of the old city and have little idea how much a part of daily Delhi life roadside food stalls and rickshaws are. Regardless, Delhi is on the move, indifferent to the loss of tradition as it plays an impressive game of catch-up with the West.

The Plight of the Delhi Beggars

Some 50,000 people live on Delhi’s pavements or squalid open lots. These squatters are predominantly from rural areas, following the illusionary notion that once in the city, their lives will change for the better. Tragically, for many, it is just the opposite and by the time the truth dawns on them, it is too late, caught in a web of debt that restricts them from turning back. Those who can secure jobs are saved, but for the rest, the situation is bleak. An entire Beggar Mafia operates in Delhi (as it does perhaps anywhere where there is acute poverty) and it is only a matter of time before newcomers are picked up, and made to undergo horrific ordeals under the pretext that it will eventually aid them in their new job—begging. This is a job open to all—the young (children as young as 3 years of age), the sick, the old—but sadly, with no reward, as money earned goes virtually directly to the gang leaders, who offer “protection” (usually from themselves) as reward. By law it is now illegal to give money to beggars and while many may consider this heartless, there is good reason for it: Each time you give money, you are actually encouraging beggary and keeping it alive. Reasons apart, the heart may still cry out and so the next best thing to do would be to give food—carry a few packs of cookies or fruit with you; it may bring a smile to many a face, even more than a few rupees would. Alternatively, consider booking a walking tour with
Salaam Baalak Trust City Walk
(
011/2358-4164;
www.salaambaalaktrust.com
); these take you through the city’s hodgepodge of streets and back alleys and are led by street children, who relish the gainful employment this offers (see “Guided Tours,” later).

Delhi is an excellent starting point for exploring North India, not only because of its ample transport connections and relatively sophisticated infrastructure, but because the history of Delhi, one of the oldest cities in the world, is essentially the history of India (see “A Tale of Seven Cities,” below).

The city is littered with crumbling tombs and ruins, most of which are not even on the tourist map. They—like the elephant trundling alongside a traffic-logged road, where handwritten posters for
CUSTOM CONFISCATED GOODS SOLD HERE
vie with glossy fashion billboards—are just part of the strange fabric of Delhi. It doesn’t have the vibrancy of Mumbai or the atmosphere of Kolkata, but in 1 day you can go from marveling at the sheer grace of the soaring
Qutb Minar
Tower,
built in 1199 by the Turkish Slave King Qutb-ud-din Aibak to celebrate his victory over the Hindu Rajputs, to gawking at that 1920s British imperialist masterpiece, palatial
Rashtrapati Bhavan.
You can wander through the sculptural
Jantar Mantar,
a huge, open-air astronomy observatory built in 1725 by Jai Singh, creator and ruler of Jaipur, experience the tangibly sacred atmosphere surrounding the
tomb of the 14th-century Sufi saint,
Sheikh Nizamuddin Aulia, or admire the
16th-century garden tomb of Mughal Emperor Humayun,
precursor to the Taj. Or, after the chaos of exploring the crowded streets of 17th-century
Shahjahanabad,
Delhi’s oldest living city, you can escape to
Rajghat,
the park where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated in 1948; or to
Lodi Gardens,
where lawns and golfing greens are studded with the crumbling 15th-century tombs of once-powerful dynasties. And still you haven’t covered the half of it . . .