Delhi March 7th

We visited the Jama Mosque here in Delhi, which can accommodate 25,000 worshippers in its courtyard. According to our tour guide this makes it the second largest mosque in the world after the Grand Mosque in Mecca. Built with red sandstone just like the Agra Fort palace and the Delhi Red Fort, it was built by the same emperor who built the Taj Mahal, Shah Jahan. His reign is considered the golden age of Mughal architecture; sometimes called Hinduslam architecture to denote the merging of Hindu and Islam.

 Above, one of two main gates into the Jama Mosque

Main covered archway in the front

One of the alcoves in the front

A view of the front of the Mosque from its central plaza. 

“Sacred Cows” in India

In Agra we saw cows wandering around but hardly at all in Delhi. There is a myth that cows wander because they are “sacred” and no one may disturb them. The truth is more pedestrian. When India was primarily agricultural, people let their cows out every morning to graze on common land. In many areas that right was never revoked. So today many people today turn cows loose in urban areas, they wansder all day, and come home at night. But every cow belongs to someone. The soft mild cheese made from their milk is ubiquitous in Indian cooking.

We were served tenderloin of water buffalo at several meals when we selected the "non-veg" menu.

Many Hindu sects do consider cows sacred, as well as elephants and monkeys, which are not wandering around everywhere. You do sometimes see monkeys where you don’t expect them. As a farewell to India, here’s a video of a monkey on the Taj Mahal outer wall: