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Delhi, capital city of the Federal Republic of India. It is one of India's fastest growing cities. It has sprawled over the West Bank of the river Yamuna, straddling the river. The city has two distinct parts, Old Delhi & New Delhi.
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Delhi is the second most widely used entry point into the country, being on the route of most major airlines. It is well linked by rail, air and road to all parts of the country. The remains of seven distinctive capital cities - among them Shahjahanabad and Qutub Minar - can be seen. Here, museums, art galleries and cultural centers attract the finest exhibitions.
Delhi blends an historic past and a vibrant present. Delhi has some of the finest museums in the country. Legend has it that the Pandavas, the august heroes of the epic Mahabharata, originally founded Delhi, then called Indraprastha, around 1200 B.C. Present day Delhi is built around the ruins of seven ancient cities. Delhi- the commercial hub has many tourist attractions to offer. Visit vibrant shopping complex of Connaught Place, Delhi Haat for handicraft goods and delicious food bonanza. Pay a visit to Red Fort and Qutub Minar to view the excellence of Mughal architecture.
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Or just drop in at Janpath- for buying a variety of cheap and best items. If you are looking for spiritual peace, visit Lotus temple, which is also famous for its marvellous architecture and heavenly beauty. Take a stroll at Rajpath. Or pay a visit to India Gate and Rashtrapati Bhawan for viewing monuments made during British era.
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Delhi - a canvas that reflects the complexities, contradictions, beauty and dynamism of a city where the past co-exist with the present. Many dynasties ruled from here and the city is rich in the architecture of its monuments. Diverse cultural elements absorbed into the daily life of city have enriched its character. Exploring the city can be a fascinating and rewarding experience.
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The Mughal Garden -- The famous Mughal Gardens is located in the premises of the Rashtrapati Bhavan - the official residence of the President of India. The building and gardens designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens span an area of about 320 acres that include colourful flowering shrubs and European flowerbeds. The gardens comprise of the Rectangular Garden, Long Garden and the Circular Garden. The Rectangular Garden is the formal garden, which derived its treatment from the water-gardens, which the Mughals brought into Delhi. The small flowerbeds, the four waterways and mown lawns produce a virtual paradise.
The gardens are open to the public from February to March every year.
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Shalimar Garden -- It is one of the most important Mughul gardens in the city. The Shalimar Garden, which lies in the suburbs of the city, was once the first-night staging post for the Mughuls on their way to Kashmir and Lahore. In 1658, Aurangzeb was crowned emperor here. Shish Mahal, the beautiful central pavilion built by Shah Jahan is now in a fairly advanced state of decay. Some of the original painted flower decoration has survived. |
The National Museum on Janpath -- It is the premier repository of antiquities. Built in 1960, it has an extraordinary collection representing the entire span of Indian civilization from pre-historic times. Its galleries include finds from the Indus Valley Civilization, superb sculptures in stone, and bronzes from the Chola period, the largest collection of miniature paintings in the world, manuscripts, a Buddhist Gallery, including relics of the Buddha from Piprahwa, the exquisite Jewellery Gallery, the Anthropological Gallery of tribal art; galleries devoted to decorative and applied arts, Maritime Heritage and Pre-Columbian art, and the Central Asian Antiquities, Gallery of Auriel Stein's finds along the ancient Silk Route (the great murals however, are on display at the adjacent Archaeological Survey of India).
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| Tourist Places In Delhi |
| Old Fort or Purana Quila |
The fort is said to be constructed on the historic site of Indraprastha (900BC) by Humayun and Sher Shah. Covering a circuit of about a mile, the walls of the fort have three gates and are surrounded by a moat fed by the river Yamuna. The wall was built by Humayun while the buildings in the fort are attributed to Sher Shar. The notable buildings that have survived in the fort are the Sher Mandal and the Quila-I-kholina Mosque.
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| Qutub Minar |
The origins of Qutab Minar are shrouded in controversy. Some believe it was erected as a tower of victory to signify the beginning of the Muslim rule in India. Others say it served as a minaret to the muezzins to call the faithful to prayer. No one can, however, dispute that the tower is not only one of the finest monuments in India, but also in the world. Qutab-ud-din Aibak, the first Muslim ruler of Delhi, commenced the construction of the Qutab Minar in 1200 AD, but could only finish the basement. His successor, Iltutmush, added three more storeys, and in 1368, Firoz Shah Tughlak constructed the fifth and the last storey.
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| Tughlaqabad |
Tughlaqabad was a magnificent fort when built by Ghiasuddin Tughlaq in 1324. But soon after his death it became a deserted, haunted place. But the great fort & city was never lived in and still has scarce human habitation. This fort was built within four years between 1321 and 1324. It contained a vast number of buildings, mosques, palaces, towers, and tanks surrounded by mammoth bastions. In fact Ghiyasuddin had selected this site for the fort when he was a mere soldier. But soon it became a deserted, and a haunted place. No enemy has attacked the fort nor has anyearthquake destroyed it.
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| Safdarjung's Tomb |
Representing the last phase of the Mughal style of architecture, Safdarjang's Tomb stands in the centre of an extensive garden. Built in 1753 by Nawab Shauja-ud-Daula to house the remains of his father, who was a minister in the Mughal court, the tomb is referred to as the "last flicker in the lamp of Mughal architecture." It shows how the grace and simplicity of he Mughals had been overtaken by decadence. The tomb also has a mosque. . |
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| Jantar Mantar |
At first sight, the Jantar Mantar appears like a gallery of modern art. It is, however, an observatory. Sawai Jai Singh II of Jaipur (1699-1743), a keen astronomer and a noble in the Mughal court, was dissatisfied by the errors of brass and metal astronomical instruments. Under patronage from the emperor, he set on himself the task of correcting the existing astronomical tables and updating the almanac with more reliable instruments. Delhi's Jantar Mantar is the first of the five observatories that he built with large masonry instruments. The observatory has the Samrat Yantra, a simple equal hour sun dial, the Ram yantra for reading altitudinal angles; Jai Prakash for ascertaining the position of the sun and other celestial bodies, and the Misra Yantra which is a combination of four scientific gadgets. |
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| Red Fort or Lal Quila |
The mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, after ruling from Agra for elleven years, decided to shift to Delhi and laid the foundation stone of the Red Fort in 1618. It is called so because of the red stone with which it is built, the Red Fort is one of the most magnificent palaces in the world. India's history is also closely linked with this fort. It was from here that the British deposed the last Mughal ruler, Bahadur Shah Zafar, marking the end of the three century long Mughal rule. It was also from its ramparts that the first Prime Minister of India, pandit Jawharlal Nehru, announced to the nation that India was free form colonial rule.
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| Hauz Khas |
Hauz Khas is the historical battleground where Timur defeated Mohammed Shah Tughlaq in 1398. One can find the remnants of an ancient college and Feroz Shah's tomb here and on the east to a short distance the Moth ki Masjid built in the finest Lodi style. Once an archetypal North Indian Village in the heart of Delhi's urban sprawl, Hauz Khas is now a shopper's paradise successfully marketing the concept of ethnicity in every possible way. Hauz Khas was a large reservoir built by Allauddin Khilji that was once the water catchments for the city. This village is remarkable for both the ancient and charming ruins in the nearby compound looking down on a still, green tank, as well as for the modern and posh shopping complex, which has sprung up around here. The madarsa, tombs and mosque around it built by Feroz Shah Tuglaq still make for an exclusive and exciting experience.
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