Places to visit in the city Delhi
INDIA GATE - Delhi
 India Gate is a memorial raised in honour
of the Indian soldiers martyred during the Afghan war. The
green, velvety lawns at India Gate, particularly, are a
popular evening and holiday rendezvous for young and old
alike. Ice-cream carts, balloon wallahs, popcorn and peanut
vendors, carts selling cold water and cold drinks, panwallahs,
men and women selling sweet-scented jasmine gajras (garlands)
to decorate a bride, wife, daughter or girlfriend/’s hair,
do brisk business at the fringe of the lawns.
RASHTRAPATI BHAWAN - Delhi
 Modern Delhi, or New Delhi as it is called,
centres around the Rashtrapati Bhawan. It is architecturally
a very impressive building standing at a height, flowing
down as it were to India Gate. This stretch called the Rajpath
is where the Republic Day parade is held. The imposing plan
of this area conceived by Lutyens does not fade in its charm
with the numerous summers or winters that go past.
Rashtrapati Bhawan was once the imperial residence of the
British viceroys. Built on the Raisina hills of Delhi ridge,
this 340-roomed structure has an imposing character overlooking
India Gate and Rajpath. It is now the official residence
of the president of India.
For lovers of flowers and beauty, the annual spring opening
of the glorious, meticulously tended Mughal Gardens at the
stately Rashtrapati Bhawan is a bonanza topped by an amazing
assembly of roses in perfect bloom—perhaps the best in the
whole of India.
LAXMINARAYAN TEMPLE - Delhi
 Also called the Birla temple, the Laxminarayan
Temple was built by the Birla family in 1938. It is a temple
with a large garden and fountains behind it. The temple
attracts thousands of devotees on Janmashtami day, the birthday
of Lord Krishna. The Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi,
was assassinated in this temple complex in 1948.
HUMAYUN’S TOMB (DELHI) - Delhi
 Humayun’s Tomb was built
nine years after Humayun’s death by his wife Haji Begum.
Designed by a Persian architect named Mirak Mirza Ghujas,
and completed in 1565, the edifice was a trendsetter of
the time. It is said that all later Mughal monuments, including
the Taj Mahal, followed its design.
QUTAB MINAR - Delhi
 The Qutab Minar is located at a small
village called Mehrauli in South Delhi. It was built by
Qutub-ud-din Aibek of the Slave Dynasty, who took possession
of Delhi in 1206. It is a fluted red sandstone tower, which
tapers up to a height of 72.5 m and is covered with intricate
carvings and verses from the holy Quran. Qutub-ud-din Aibak
began constructing this victory tower as a sign of Muslim
domination of Delhi and as a minaret for the Muslim priest,
the muezzin, to call the faithful to prayer. However, only
the first storey was completed by Qutb-ud-din. The other
storeys were built by his successor Iltutmish. The two circular
storeys in white marble were built by Ferozshah Tughlaq
in 1368, replacing the original fourth storey.
The projected balconies in the tower are supported by exquisite
stalactite designs. The tapering tower has pointed and circular
flutings on the first story round and star-shaped on the
second and third stories. The bands of calligraphic inscriptions
are amazing in perfection with the exquisite stalactite
designs seen on the exterior of this tower.
The Qutab Minar, apart from being a marvel in itself, is
also significant for what it represents in the history of
Indian culture. In many ways, the Qutab Minar, the first
monument of Muslim rule in India, heralded the beginning
of a new style of art and architecture that came to be known
as the Indo-Islamic style.
RED FORT - Delhi
 When one approaches old Delhi with a somewhat
Westernized perception the emotional response can range
from wonderment to bewilderment, from utter disgust to ecstasy.
Undoubtedly, Old Delhi gives an insight into the multi-layered
identity that so aptly characterizes India. The lanes are
narrow, filled to bursting with people, throbbing with life.
In the midst of this sea of people, suddenly you come face
to face with the ramparts of the Red Fort. The decision
for constructing the fort was taken in 1639, when Shahjahan
decided to shift his capital to Delhi. Within eight years,
Shahjahanabad was completed with the Red Fort—Qila-i-Mubarak
(fortunate citadel)—Delhi’s seventh fort, ready in all its
magnificence to receive the Emperor. Though much has changed
now because of large-scale demolitions during the British
occupation of the fort, its important structures have survived,
the glory faded with age but still impressive. Passing under
the grand Gothic arch and the octagonal open space of the
market place—the Chatta Chowk, and the Naubat Khana—a double-storeyed
structure where court musicians played five times a day,
we see Diwan-i-Aam. Here is the fabulously crafted baldachino—the
marble canopy decorated with the most exquisite pietra dura
work. Diwan-i-Aam witnessed scenes of unexcelled splendour
when it used to be decorated with golden curtains, gorgeous
carpets, and gold and silver railings below dazzling chandeliers.
Ministers, Rajas, and ambassadors stood in mute awe of the
Emperor in court.
Behind the Diwan-i-Aam are the Zenana quarters with such
grand palaces as the Rang Mahal and Mumtaz Mahal. The marble
lotus, a fountain in the centre of Rang Mahal, carved out
of a single slab, is a piece of sheer beauty. In its sculptured
grandeur, the lotus is matched only by the trellis wall
under the scales of justice in the Khwab Gah. The pavilion
in white marble—Diwan-i-Khas—has lost much of its splendour.
Here, under the original silver ceiling, stood the world
famous Peacock Throne studded with the costliest gems of
the Mughal Empire, costing nearly 12,637,500 sterlings as
per a contemporary account. On the ceiling slab is inscribed
the line, if there is a paradise on the face of the earth,
it is here, it is here, it is here’. Nadir Shah, Ahmad Shah
Abdali, Ghulam Qadir, the Marathas, and finally the British
looted and plundered the Mughal treasures and destroyed
many structures of immense beauty. Still the Shah Burjan
octagonal tower at the corner, and the two marble pavilions,
Sawan and Bhadon, named after the Indian months of rain,
have withstood forces of destruction. The gardens—Mahtab
Bagh and Hayat Baksh—have vanished. A later-day pavilion
in red sandstone stands at the centre of a dried up pool.
It was built by Bahadur Shah II. Moti Masjid, the mosque
built by Aurangzeb, is a gem of architecture despite the
sickly marble of the new domes—original copper casing having
been removed long back.
The Red Fort still retains some of its lost glory. It is
the only fort with some well-preserved royal structures
to give an idea of the glory of the Mughal Empire. The Red
Fort was the last fort built in Delhi and it witnessed the
vicissitudes of fortune, the splendor and the fall of the
Mughals, British rule, and finally the dawn of Indian Independence.
CHANDNI CHOWK - Delhi
 The living legacy of Delhi is Shahjahanabad.
Created by the builder of Taj Mahal, this city, with the
Red Fort as the focal point and Jama Masjid as the praying
centre, has a fascinating market planned to shine under
the light of the moon, called Chandni Chowk. Shahjahan planned
Chandni Chowk so that his daughter could shop for all that
she wanted. It was divided by canals filled with water,
which glistened like silver in moonlight. The canals are
now closed, but Chandni Chowk remains Asia/’s largest wholesale
market. Crafts once patronized by the Mughals continue to
flourish in the small lanes of the city. Tradition and modernity
meet at unexpected places in Shahjahanabad. If you see a
man pulling a rickshaw or feeding pigeons, you will see
just as many talking over the cello or assembling a computer!
An experience of timelessness awaits you at Shahjahanabad.
The by lanes of Chandni Chowk have been named after the
specialty items that are available here. For instance, if
you need a break go to Parantha Wali Gali for a delicious
lunch of the most crisp and light-stuffed paranthas. The
eateries here have been in operation for over 100 years!
.
Stroll through the lanes and by lanes of Chandni Chowk and
you will find everything under the sun—wholesale items ranging
from hair dryers to spare parts of a BMW. The most interesting
street in this area is Dariba Kalan where all jewellers
have their shops—one of the oldest markets in Delhi dating
from the Mughal period. There used to be a lake around the
Red Fort and women in purdah (behind veils) would take boats
to the mosques. This market sprang up on the lakeside to
entice them. As proof of this, the name of the neighbouring
area, Darya Ganj, includes the Urdu word for lake (darya)
and a nearby street is called Ballimaran (meaning, the street
of the boat rowers) .
RAJ GHAT (DELHI) - Delhi
 On the bank of the legendary Yamuna, which
flows past Delhi, there is Raj Ghat—the last resting place
of Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation. It has become
an essential point of call for all visiting dignitaries.
Two museums dedicated to Gandhi are situated nearby.
SHANTI VANA - Delhi
 Lying close to the Raj Ghat, the Shanti Vana (literally,
the forest of peace) is the place where India/’s first prime
minister Jawaharlal Nehru was cremated. The area is now
a beautiful park adorned by trees planted by visiting dignitaries
and heads of state.
BAHAI TEMPLE (LOTUS TEMPLE) - Delhi
 The Bahai Temple, situated in South Delhi,
is shaped like a lotus. It is an eyecatching edifice worth
exploring. Built by the Bahai community, it offers the visitor
a serenity that pervades the temple and its artistic design.
PURANA QUILA - Delhi
The Purana Quila is a good example of
medieval military architecture. Built by Humayun, with later-day
modifications by Sher Shah Suri, the Purana Quila is a monument
of bold design, which is strong, straightforward and every
inch a fortress. It is different from the well-planned,
carefully decorated, and palatial forts of the later Mughal
rulers. Purana Quila is also different from the later forts
of the Mughals, as it does not have a complex of palaces,
administrative and recreational buildings, as is generally
found in the forts built later on. The main purpose of this
now-dilapidated fort was its utility, with less emphasis
on decoration.
The Qala-I-Kunha Masjid and the Sher Mandal are two important
monuments inside the fort.
TUGHLAQABAD - Delhi
 When Ghazi Malik founded the Tughlaq Dynasty
in 1321, he built the strongest fort in Delhi at Tughlaqabad,
completed with great speed within four years of his rule.
It is said that Ghazi Malik, when only a slave to Mubarak
Khilji, had suggested this rocky prominence as an ideal
site for a fort. The Khilji Sultan laughed and suggested
that the slave build a fort there when he became a Sultan.
Ghazi Malik as Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq did just that—Tughlaqabad
is Delhi/’s most colossal and awesome fort, even in its
ruined state. Within its sky-touching walls, double-storied
bastions, and gigantic towers were housed grand palaces,
splendid mosques, and audience halls.
Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq, who is accused of having murdered
his sire, built Adilabad and Nai-ka-Kot—two small fortresses
adjacent to Tughlaqabad fort, Adilabad, the fourth fort
of Delhi, contained a grand palace of thousand pillars and
splendid halls. Later he enclosed the city lying between
Siri, Tughlaqabad, and the Qutab and called it Jahanpanah.
Ruins of gigantic ramparts of his two fortresses and some
portions of the Jahanpanah walls have survived the ravages
of time. A small portion of his Jahanpanah watchtower Vijai
Mandal still stands in ruins dominating the landscape. |
