|
 |
|
|
|
New
Delhi, the capital city of
India, unwinds a splendor rich
with cultural heritage. The
successive seat of power, Delhi
is adorned with powerful
history, historical monuments,
museums, galleries, panoramic
gardens and cultural shows.
Comprising into two distinct
Delhi, the Old Delhi and the New
Delhi.
The city is a travel hub of
entire India. Narrating the
city's Mughal past, Old Delhi,
takes you through the narrow
lanes of Chandani Chalk, passing
through formidable mosques of
Jama Masjid, just opposite to it
lies the famous monument of Red
fort. The imperial city of New
Delhi highlights the monumental
structures of India Gate,
President House representing the
colonial style of architecture.
Besides its monumental heritage,
Delhi is also a shopper's
paradise and has most exciting
nightlife in its disco-thecae,
restaurants, and cinema halls.
|
|
|
|
■
Main Attractions in Delhi |
|
|
Jama
Masjid |
|
|
|
Near
the Red Fort about 500m
away is the Jama masjid,
the biggest mosque in
India. It was begun by
Shah Jahan in 1650 and
completed six years
later and the whole cost
about a million rupees.
It is hard to imagine a
building more suited to
evoking the awe of the
majesty of Allah in man.
The mosque stands on a
rocky elevation. Its
huge gateway looks down
at you like fastidious
connoisseur from an
immense platform which
has steps that lead up
to it.
Constructed in Sandstone
and white marble, Jama
Masjid can be entered
from both the directions
- North and the South
Gates. The eastern
gateway is supposed to
remain open in Friday
and was used by the
emperor himself.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
Jantar
Mantar |
|
|
|
The
Jantar Mantar was built
in 1710 by Raja Jai
Singh II of Jaipur
(1699-1743) in Delhi.
This is an observatory
consisting of
mason-built astronomical
instruments to chart the
course of the heavens.
Jai Singh, who was a
very scholarly king with
a very keen interest in
astronomy and astrology,
had other observatories
built too – in Ujjain,
Jaipur, Mathura (which
no longer survives) and
Varanasi.
The first among these
was this one in Delhi.
The yantras
(instruments, which has
been distorted to Jantar)
are built of brick
rubble and plastered
with lime. The yantras
have evocative names
like, samrat yantra, jai
prakash, ram yantra and
niyati chakra; each of
which are used to for
various astronomical
calculations.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
Lotus
Temple |
|
|
|
Lotus
Temple - a modern of
Delhi is one such temple
that facilitates the
Bhai's Faith of Worship.
The Baha’i House of
Worship is dedicated to
the oneness of all
religions and mankind.
Subsidiary buildings
that afford relief to
the suffering,
sustenance to the poor,
shelter to the wayfarer,
solace to the bereaved
and education to the
ignorant will abound
around the House of
Worship.
There is no clergy in
the Baha’i Faith and its
service consists of
prayers and readings of
selections from Baha’i
scriptures, and
religious texts of the
other faiths of the
world. |
 |
|
|
|
|
Humayun’s
Tomb |
|
|
|
The
construction of
Humayun's tomb was taken
up by the grief-stricken
wife of Humayun, Hamida
Banu, also known as Bega
Begam in 1565. Legend
has it that the design
of the Taj was inspired
from this tomb's. In
pure architectural
sense, this building is
probably superior and
much more beautiful that
the stunning Taj.
Sacrilege? But really,
the only thing this
building lacks is the
showy marble.
The complex took nine
years to complete and
the tomb itself is a
dazzling landmark in the
evolution of Mughal
architecture in India.
Hamida Begum is said to
have spent one and a
half million rupees on
it and you just have to
see it to know that
every penny was worth
it. |
 |
|
|
|
|
Delhi Red
Fort |
|
|
|
Built
during the reign of Shah
Jahan, the Lal Qila (or
Red Fort) has been a
mute witness to
innumerable
conspiracies, scandals,
battles..... Completed
in a span of nine years,
it cost about ten
million rupees , with
about half the sum going
towards the building of
palaces.
The fort is octagonal in
shape, like most Islamic
buildings in India. The
north of the fort is
connected to the smaller
Salimgarh fort. The Red
Fort is an intimidating
structure. It measures
900m by 550m, with its
rampart walls covering a
perimeter of 2.41km. It
towers at a height of
33.5m. On the outside,
you can still see the
moat that was originally
connected with the
Yamuna River. |
 |
|
|
|
|
Purana
Qila |
|
|
|
When
the second Mughal
emperor Humayun decided
to make a city of his
own he decided on the
site of the ancient city
of Indraprastha. Humayun
was quite a scholar with
a fine grasp on such
matters and so it is
certain that the site
was chosen deliberately.
When his Sher Shah Suri
overthrew him, he
destroyed most of
Dinpanah (refuge of the
faithful) as the city of
Humayun was called to
make way for his own
Dilli Sher Shahi or
Shergarh. Incidentally,
Humayun was probably the
only emperor in history
who built a city in
Delhi and did not give
it his own name – this
was typical of Humayun's
rather sophisticated and
dreamy character. The
Layout of The Massive
Colossal |
 |
|
|
|
|
Qutub
Minar |
|
|
|
The
world famous towering
Qutub Minar, started in
1192 by Qutub-ud-din
Aibak (1192-98),
breathes down the neck
of the Quwwat-ul-Islam
mosque. There is a
slight difference of
opinion as to its
purpose: it probably was
a tower of victory, but
then again it could have
been built to be a minar
(tower), attached to the
Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque,
for the muezzin (priest)
to climb up top for a
prayer.
Among Delhites there are
lots of other theories
about the origin of the
tower. Some say it was
the observatory of the
great scientist
Aryabhatta of ancient
India, other claim that
it was built by Prithvi
Chauhan for his daughter
to see the Yamuna. In
fact everything short of
an extraterrestrial
origin has been
attributed to it.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
Rashtrapati Bhawan |
|
|
|
The
Viceroy Palace remains
Lutyens most significant
achievement. It is
befittingly the crowning
glory of the British
Empire and architecture
in India. Today, it is
perhaps India’s best
known monument after the
Taj Mahal and the Qutub
Minar. Bigger than the
Palace of Versailles, it
cost a whopping
£12,53,000 and now
houses the President of
India. It is
unquestionably a
masterpiece of symmetry,
discipline, silhouette,
colour and harmony.
Better known now as the
Rashtrapati Bhawan, the
sprawling palace
straddles the crown of
Raisina Hill and is the
focal point of New
Delhi. The majestic
Rajpath (earlier Kings
Way) leads up to the
palace on Raisina Hill
and here comes into view
the one fatal flaw in
design. |
 |
|
|
|
|
■
A Stay To Remember |
|
|
|
There are number of hotels in
Delhi which provide comfortable
stay to its visitors. The hotel
category may vary from deluxe to
budget. All the hotels are
present with requisite
facilities. |
|
|
|
♦
Hotels in Delhi |
|
|
|
|
|
|
