Transcript Document 7121091

My Excellent Trip
to India
by
Arjun Bahl
Preliminaries
• Length of our trip
– 24 days (Dec. 29, 2001 – Jan. 21, 2002)
• Cities visited
– New Delhi, Jaipur and Agra
• Money spent
– Approximately $5000, not counting shopping
• Pictures taken
– 84, all digital (presentation contains subset of
these)
New Delhi, India
• Capital of India
• Home base for us (grandparents house)
• Multiethnic city, population: 10 million
- 6801 people / Km
• Common languages: Hindi, Punjabi, English
• Religions: Hinduism, Muslim, Sikhism,
Christianity
Sights from Delhi
Lotus Temple
Himayun Tomb
India Gate
Hindu Temple
Jantar Mantar
Red Fort
New Delhi
Jaipur
Jaipur, Rajastan
• Conceived by Sawai Jai
Singh in 1727
• First planned city in
northern India
• Capital of Rajastan
• Known as the “Pink City”
• Population:
• Climate
Hava Mahal
(Wind Palace)
Summers are hot!
Max: 104o F; Min:79o F
Winters are nice
Max: 72oF; Min: 47oF
Barely any rainfall
64 cms. Average per year
• Languages
English, Hindi & Rajastani
Jaipur is known for its forts,
palaces, architectural marvels
and tales of valor.
Jaipur
Our Palace - Jaimahal Hotel
Chess is played by royalty in India
Traditional Rajastani Costumes
Harry Potter…move over
Jaipur
Rajasthani puppet show
Jal Mahal - abandoned
(Water Palace)
Entrance to City Palace
Biggest single piece of silver
(to carry waters from the Ganges)
Jaipur Sights
Elephant ride
Scooters in the Pink City
Cows share the road with BMWs
Monkeys are everywhere
Science in Jaipur
Small Sun Dial: resolution 20 seconds
• Jantar Mantar: center of
astronomical studies.
Someone
help me
down…
• Built by founder of Jaipur
– Sawai Jai Singh in 1727
• Largest of the 6
observatories built.
• Sun Dial: Triangle with
hypotenuse at 27o =
latitude of Jaipur.
Measures the declination
of celestial bodies
Large Sun Dial: resolution 2 seconds
Science in Jaipur
Zodiac Signs
Group of 12 instruments which
represent 12 Rashis or Zodiac
signs. The instruments are used
for observing latitudes and longitudes
of the sun and the planets.
Jaipur is a big exporter of silk carpets.
Here the owner is demonstrating how
carpets are tested for purity. Silk
will not burn but wool will
Jaipur
New Delhi
Agra
Testing for purity in a silk carpet
Agra: The home of the Taj
Getting there was half the fun
Way cool!!
Cost of ride was Rs. 10 (or 25 cents)
Entrance to the Taj
Each mini tower represents a year – took 22 years to build
The Taj Mahal
A symbol of undying love for a wife
The Taj Mahal, Agra
What’s so special about it?
my sister just didn’t get it 
Sitting with my uncle inside the Taj
Originally 2 were planned, one white, one black, but only one was completed.
It took 20,000 workers 22 years to build this marble wonder
It is the tomb of Emperor Shahjahan and his wife Mumtaz
Agra
New Delhi
The Qutab Minar, New Delhi
• Built: 1199 A.D. by QutubUd-Din Albak
• Afghan architecture
• Height: 230 feet
• Fun facts:
– 20 years to complete
– Highest stone tower in
India
– Surrounded by Tombs
– Major tourist attraction
– Built to mark Muslim
dominance in Delhi
My Mom thinks I am taking her picture 
The Qutab Minar
A place of worship in the complex
My dad is 6’ 2”
We did some fun things
Showing my dad how to shoot
Look ma, I am taller than this man!
India: A country for everyone
MooNet
(Internet access for cows!)
…but I am glad to be back
Thanks!