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Population:
10.1 million
Area: 1485sqkm
People per sq. km: 6801
Main Languages: Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi English
Telephone Area Code: 011
Best Time to Go: October to March country.
Delhi
is the capital of India. It has played an important role in
Indian History. The settlement of Indraprastha, ace featured
in the epic Mahabharata n 3000 years ago, was located approx.
on the site of present-day Delhi. Over 200 years ago,
Pataliputra (Patna) was the capital of Emperor teak's kingdom.
More recently, the Mughal emperors made Agar the capital
the 16th and 17th centuries. Under British, Calcutta was the
capital until the of New Delhi in 1911.
Lal
Quila
The
red sandstone walls of Lal Qila, the Red Fort, extend for two
km and vary in height from 18 meters on the river side to 33
meters on the city side. Shah Jahan started construction of
the massive fort in 1638 and it was completed in 1648. He
never completely moved his capital from Agra to his new city
of Shahjahanahad in Delhi because he was deposed and
imprisoned in Agra Fort by his son Aurangzeb. The Red
Fort dates from the very peak of Mughal power. When the
emperor rode out on elephant-back into the streets of Old
Delhi it was a display of pomp and power at its most
magnificent. The Mughal reign from Delhi was a short one,
however. Aurangzeb was the first and last great Mughal emperor
to rule from here. Today, the fort is typically Indian
with would-be guides leaping forth to offer their services as
soon as you enter. It's still a calm haven of peace if you've
just left the frantic streets of Old Delhi, however. The city
noise and confusion are light years away from the fort gardens
and pavilions. The Yamuna River used to flow right by the
eastern edge of the fort, and filled the 10-metre-deep moat.
These days the river is over one km to the east and the moat
remains empty. Entry to the fort is on Friday.
Jama
Masjid
The
great mosque of Old Delhi is both 1 largest in India and the
final architecture extravagance of Shah Jahan. Commences
1644, the mosque was not completed 1658. It has three great
gateways, four towers and two minarets standing 40 meter
high and constructed of alternating verity strips of red
sandstone and white marble.
Broad flights of steps lead up to the gateways. The
eastern gateway originally only opened to the emperor, as now
only open on Fridays and Musk festival days. The general
public can enter either the north or south gate she
(should be removed and those people cons erred unsuitably
dressed (bare legs for bitumen or women) can hire robes at the
Northgate.
India
Gate
 This
42 meter high stone arch of triumph stands at the eastern end
of the Rajpath. It bears the name of 90, 000 Indian Army
soldiers who died in the campaigns of WWI the North-West
Frontier operations of the same time and the 1919 Fagan
fiasco.
Lakshmi
Narayan Temple
Situated
due west of Connaught Palace, this garish modern temple was
erected by the industrialist B D Birla in 1938. It's dedicated
to Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity and good fortune,
and is commonly known as Birla Mandir.
Raj
Ghat
North-east
of Feroz Shah Kotla, on the banks of the Yamuna, a simple
square platform of black marble marks the spot where
Mahatma Gandi was cremated following his assassination in
1948.
Jantar
Mantar
Only
a short stroll down Sansad Marg from Connaught Place, this
strange collection of salmon-colored structures is one of
Maharaja Jai Singh's observatories. The ruler from Jaipur
constructed this observatory in 1725 and it is dominated by a
huge sundial known as the Prince of Dials. |
