Weekend Sightseeing, Part 1

So today we finally got around to some sightseeing, which included the Parliament buildings and the National Museum. The museum was really interesting. We got to see all these artifacts from as far back as 3000 BC! There was also miniature art from the Mughal period, with beautiful use of colors...really intricate stuff. A lot of the miniature art depicted stories from the Hindu scriptures. Many were of Krishna and Radha. Others showed Shahjahan (creator of the Taj Mahal) and the courts of Muslim rulers several centuries ago. Statues of Buddha, Krishna, and other Hindu gods filled the museum too.

There was also a room dedicated to the history of Indian coins. As Sej pointed out, it was really interesting to see how the appearance of coins changed with each ruler. There was also a series of displays depicting the switch from bartering to using coins as a form of remuneration. While coins are obviously more efficient and businesslike, bartering seems like a much less materialistic way of getting the goods you need to live your life...rather than amassing a bunch of (objectively) meaningless coins.

Last week, we saw the India Gate, the Qutub Minar fort, and the Lotus Temple (a Bahai temple). The Lotus Temple is architecturally beautiful; I wish I could post a photo here but I'll have to do it when I get ahold of flash drive over 512MB! Qutub Minar was fascinating too, because (to be blunt) of how old it is. The architecture is also pretty unique; it is distinctly Muslim and has some intricate carvings on the buildings. The India Gate is just a big gate, but I've always seen crowds there. Maybe because it's summertime.

Tomorrow, we are hoping to visit the Indira Gandhi museum, the Mahatma Gandhi memorial, and the Garden of Five Senses. Hopefully we can go to a marketplace where they sell artifacts and cotton clothes...the only places we've been for shopping have been A/C malls that resemble what you'd find in the U.S.

Updates at the yogashram (Bapu Nature Cure, where we're staying): nothing new. We're leaving for Vasant Kunj tomorrow, which is in South Delhi. It's supposed to be in a better area of Delhi. Bapu is not exactly in a choice area, not that I'm complaining. Now that I've gotten to know people there, I feel like it's home. Except for the fact that the A/C conked out last night and we spent the night like sweating pigs (that ceiling fan doesn't do it for me). But anyway, we'll be back at Bapu in a couple of weeks.

As far as Jaipur plans go, it looks like the Gujjar conflict has not abated but rather escalated,as a result of conflicting tribes being awakened by the Gujjar uprising. Now, apparently, opposing ethnic groups are arguing against the Gujjars, and the government is trying to find a way to reconcile. Still, things should quiet down and God willing,Jaipur will happen the week after next.