Snake-charmers scout Mughal fort for cobras ahead of Bush visit

AFP ^ | 3/1/06

[presidio9]

Snake charmers have given the all clear for US President George W. Bush to go ahead with plans to deliver a speech from a medieval fort here during his three day India visit.

City police roped in the snake charmers after curators of Purana Qila expressed concern that reptiles would gatecrash Bush's scheduled address Friday from the 16th century ramshackle fort.

"It was part of our drill to sanitise the fort as it is flanked by a porous zoo on one side and a large lake on the other and the president will be delivering his address from a lawn which has shrubs on its fringes," a senior police officer said Wednesday.

The snake charmers, who are often accused of clandestinely trading in reptilian products despite a national ban, completed their search of the area on Monday but would sweep the Mughal-built edifice again Thursday, said the officer, who asked not to be named.

Experts, however, said it was wasteful exercise.

"At one point of time the Purana Qila teemed with various species of cobras but tourism and the city bustle have forced them into retreat, possibly into the zoo," said wildlife enthusiast R.P. Kataria.

"There could be water snakes in the lake but they are harmless," he said.

Security sweeps for Bush and his entourage have extended to New Delhi's drainage system, which has been scoured for explosives, another official said.

New Delhi has placed its entire police force of 71,000 officers on high alert and sealed off the hotel where Bush and his entourage will stay during the trip, the second to India by a US president in six years.

The Maurya Sheraton reserved for Bush and his team has been declared a no-fly zone and the army has positioned batteries of anti-aircraft guns as a precaution against airborne attacks.

On Wednesday, surveillance helicopters flew overhead as detectives carried out surprise checks of budget hotels and guest houses as part of the stepped up measures, a police spokesman said.

Special security is also being provided to US First Lady Laura Bush who will visit a facility Thursday in the New Delhi suburb of Noida, one of northern India's most crime-prone districts.

[NonValueAdded]

Kevlar leggings?

[CarrotAndStick]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purana_Qila

Literally translated, Purana Qila means "Old Fort".

Recent archaeological excavations have exposed evidences such as pottery which throws a new light on the existence of the city of Indraprastha at this place in Delhi, as mentioned in the great epic of Mahabharata. The fort itself is believed to have belonged to the Pandavas. Sher Shah Suri renovated it in 1545. However, he soon lost it to the Mughal emperor Humayun, who made good use of the octagonal red sandstone tower known as Sher Mandal as his library and observatory.

Today it houses the Delhi Zoo and a boat club. The historic structure of the Old Fort or Purana Qila has stood witness to the restoration of the city of Delhi, the periods of anarchy, and the rise & fall of empires, which bring alive history of Delhi.

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purana_Qila"

[Waverunner]

I think that after Daschle and jeffers, Bush knows how to spot a snake in the grass

[M203M4]

I take it he won't be there then.

[1rudeboy]

Vilnius, Lithuania

[CarrotAndStick]

[presidio9]

Huh?

[1rudeboy]

Just saw a slight similarity, that's all.

[CarrotAndStick]

Some more Purana Qila pictures:

BTW, those stars you see on the fort, well that's one of the ancient symbols used in Hinduism.

[Jack Hammer]

Let a dozen mongoose roam around the fort for a day or two; Rikki Tikki Tavi is unexcelled at serpent detection/removal.

[PsyOp]

The cobras are probably less dangerous than the snakes and other poisonous reptiles that inhabit the swamps of D.C.

[silverleaf]

If Hillary is elected, then snake charmers will be out of work ... one look at "She Who Must Be Obeyed" .... the cobras would slither for cover (Ouch, my eyes)

[presidio9]

BTW, those stars you see on the fort, well that's one of the ancient symbols used in Hinduism.

See, I knew it. Christianity is simply borrowed from Judiasm, which is simply borrowed from Zorastrianism, which is simply borrowed from Hinduism.