Today Sekhar, Janice, Feroza, Suresh and I walked around Old Delhi, then visited two more historic mosques and for the first time ever (for Team #DestinationPeace’s #IndiaTrip!) a Sikh temple.

Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib is one of nine historical gurdwaras in Delhi. First constructed in 1783 by Baghel Singh to commemorate the martyrdom site the ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur. Situated in Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi, it marks the site where the ninth Sikh Guru was beheaded on the orders of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb on 11 November 1675 for refusing to convert to Islam.

We also visited two more mosques:

The first mosque is relatively unknown, even to the locals. It is hidden atop a storefront in the Old City. Sekhar, having spent his life in Delhi, knows the ins and outs of both Old and New Delhi!

The concealed mosque Rukn-Ud-Daula was built by the Nawaab Rukn-Ud-Daula in the 18th century. It has all the art forms of stone carving that were present at that time. Though the structure isn’t large, it has intricate detailing. The entire facade of the building has stone carving from a single stone.

We also visited The Masjid-i Jahān-Numā, commonly known as the “Jama Masjid.” It is one of the largest mosques in India, built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan between 1644 and 1656 at a cost of 1 million rupees.

The mosque has been the site of two attacks, one in 2006 and another in 2010. During the first, two explosions occurred in the mosque, injuring thirteen people. In the second, two Taiwanese students were injured as two gunmen opened fire.