Best Of Delhi

India the land of diverse culture and places and lots and lots of people. The country is reach in every form. Everyday we can see new things,new people, new hapenings and many more....!!!! The joy and enthusiasm of the caoutnry can be cherished only on visiting the great coutnry India. Today i would like to explore the beautiful Delhi which is the capital of India and second largest metropolitan city of India. The city offers unmatched facilities and the vigor of Indian culture as it reflects the picture perfect of the melting pot of various cultures of the country.The city is visited by thousands every day for its grandeur and business opportunities. The city has an extended boundary which with a population of almost 22 million. The location of Delhi is simply majestic. The travelers can enjoy the banks of river Yamuna and can enjoy a plethora of options regarding tours around the city. Delhi, the capital of the country, enjoys the political status of a federally-administered union territory. Delhi is governed by its own legislative assembly with limited powers.[Read more]

For more about some of the major states in India you can read my posts Rajasthan,Jaipur and Kerala

In this post i present the best tourist spots of Delhi which are really worth visiting. The spots really remind me of the days, i spent with my family and friends and these were the places which i really loved and the memories are still fresh in my heart!!!

This was originally published here

The best spots of Delhi we are going to see are

• India Gate
• Qutub Minar
• Red Fort
• Jantar Mantar
• Garden of Five Senses.

These are some of the best spots which i liked though there are several minute things to see and enjoy in every corner of the streets!!!

India Gate

• The memorial architecture built by Edward Lutyens was dedicated to 90,000 Indian soldiers killed in World War 1. It was designed and completed in 1921.
• The monument was named as the All India War Memorial but later the name was changed to India Gate.
• Burning in a shrine under the arch of India Gate since 1971 is the Amar Jawan Jyoti (the flame of the immortal warrior), which marks the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
• The shrine itself is a black marble cenotaph with a rifle placed on its barrel, crested by a soldier's helmet. Each face of the cenotaph has inscribed in gold the words "Amar Jawan" (Immortal Warrior).
• India Gate of Delhi is a 42 meter high gateway located at Rajpath, New Delhi.The foundation stone of India Gate of Delhi was laid by the Duke of Connaught. The construction of India Gate of Delhi was completed in February 1921.

India Gate in Delhi at present is a famous relaxation for the local people of Delhi in summer evenings and a popular picnic spot in winter months. The popular India Gate is located at the heart of the capital, and easily accessible by the tourists. Delhi India Gate lies at the east end of Janpath that leads to the Rashtrapati Bhawan.India Gate offers a variety of entertainment. The whole day can be spent by watching monkey performance, riding a camel, viewing the soap bubbles that is blown all over the lawns of the India gate, playing with balloons and more. In the evening, Delhi's India Gate is crowded with evening walkers as well as tourists and mobile vendors. You can taste the typical Indian fast foods which are really delicious!!!

Qutub Minar

Cnstruction

The Qutub minar is the head of the city as the tall enchanting tower can be seen from almost every part of Delhi.The soaring tower of the brick tiled magic, called Qutab Minar, has become synonymous with the colonial capital of Delhi. Nestling in the southern quarters of lush Delhi, the 237.8 ft stately tower is an exquisite example of Indo-Islamic Afgan architecture. The architectural wonder is surrounded by a lush green manicured garden, which is a much favoured leisure pad for Delhites, and you can see people lazing out their afternoons here and there. Interestingly, the construction was acknowleged as a heriditary raison d'etre by the Slave Dynasty, as the five storeyed tower was intiated by Qutab-ud-din Aibak and was later finished by his son-in-law and successor Iltutmish. Today, this ornate tower and a eminent member of the World Heritage Site community, leans about 60 cm off the vertical, but otherwise it has survived the ravages of time impressively..[Read more]

Description

Qutub Minar at Delhi is a 5 storied tower. Each tower of the famous Qutub Minar has unique designs. It was hit by lightening twice. Due to this hazard, there was major damage in the structure. But during the reign of Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq, the king repaired the ensuing damage. Again during the reign of emperor Feroze Shah Tughlaq, when the top most storey of the Qutub Minar was destroyed, the king repaired the floor and elevated the Qutub Minar to another level.

Thus we see an interesting mix in architectural styles if we minutely study the structure. The base of the Qutub Minar at Delhi measures 14.32 meters and the top of the structure measures 2.75 meters. The first 3 stories of the Qutub Minar has different designs. While the base has alternate angular and circular flutings, the second one are round. The third storey of the Qutub Minar has only angular flutings. The balconies projecting out of the Delhi Qutub Minar heightens the beauty of the Minar.

The two circular stories in white marble were built by Firozshah Tughlaq in 1368, who used marble to face the redstone. From a base of 14.32m it tapers to 2.75m at a height of 72.5m. Its a red sandstone tower covered with beautiful and striking carvings and is inscribed with verses from the holy Quran.

With a height of 72.5 m and 379 steps, it is the highest stone tower in India, as well as one of the finest Islamic structures ever raised and Delhi's recognised landmark.

Majesty

The richly decorated facades, built in white marble and embellished with intricate geometric patterns and Arabic inscriptions. Although you will find it hard to take your eyes off this stately monument, but there are other attractions strewned all over the alluring precincts that may catch your attention. At the foot of the Qutab Minar stands the first mosque to be built in India, the Quwwat-ul-Islam Masjid. Referred to as the Might of Islam Mosque, this sacred relic is a fruit of successive additions and extensions over the centuries.

Walk over to the east gate and you can see an inscription over there that expounds that the original mosque was built on the foundations of a Hindu temple and the materials obtained by demolishing 27 idolatrous temples! Walk over to the west of this mosque and you will overwhelmed to see the spectacularly decorated tomb of Iltutmish, portraying an enigmatic array of exquisite carvings which virtually cover the entire interior of the 9 sq m tomb.

Red Fort

One of the most spectacular pieces of Mughal Architecture is the Lal Quila or the Red Fort. Built by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan between 1638 and 1648, the Red Fort has walls extending up to 2 kms. in length with the height varying from 18 mts. on the river side to 33 mts. on the city side.
The entry to this splendid fort is from the Lahori Gate or the Chatta Chowk. Lal Quila is now a busy market place called the ‘Meena Bazaar'. This bazaar has an excellent collection of antiques, miniature paintings and skillfully crafted fake ivory jewellery. The bazaar also sells some fabulous carpets beautifully woven. Just beyond the Chhata Chowk, is the heart of the fort called Naubat Khana, or the Drum House. Musicians used to play for the emperor from the Naubat Khana, and the arrival of princes and royalty was heralded from here.

Description

Emperor Shah Jahan built Delhi's most magnificent monument, the Red Fort and above is the red fort picture . In 1638 Shah Jahan shifted the Mughal Empire's capital from Agra to Delhi. A new royal palace known as Red Fort or Red Fort Delhi (Lal Qila) was constructed. It was begun in 1639 and completed in 1648. The name Red Fort comes from the massive red sandstone walls that surround it. The Red Fort has walls extending up to 2 kms. in length with the height varying from 18 mts. on the river side to 33 mts. on the city side.

Like most Islamic buildings in India, the Red Fort is octagonal in shape. The Red Fort is 900 meter by 550 meter. The height of its tower is about 33.5 meters. Towards the north, you will find Salimgarh fort. A moat lays outside the Red fort which was previously connected with the Yamuna River. The Red Fort is in fact a daunting structure.

The Red Fort has some major attractions inside the fort. They are as follows:

Diwan-i-Am or Hall of Public Audience is situated in the Red Fort of Delhi. It originally had a courtyard on its front and was richly ornamented with gilded stuccowork. Heavy curtains graced the main hall, which were three bays in depth.

Accompanying the Diwan-i-Khas, or Hall of Selective Audience, the Hamam (bathroom set) consists of three apartments interconnected by corridors. The marble floors and dados are inlaid with beautiful floral patterns of multi-colored stones.

The personal mosque of Aurungzeb, Moti Masjid or Pearl Mosque lies to the west of Hamam. Situated on a higher level than courtyards, the prayer-hall of the mosque has inlaid black-marble outlines of ‘musallas' (small carpets for prayers) and is surmounted by three bulbous domes.

One of the original six main-palaces situated along the river front, Mumtaz Mahal was also known as ‘Chhoti Baithak'. A beautiful water channel called ‘Nahr-i-Bihisht' (meaning Stream of Paradise) flew through these palaces. However, this palace has been removed, probably because it was totally in ruins.

Naubat Khana Naubat Khana, or Naqqar Khana (meaning the Drum House), is situated at the entrance of the palace area. Here music was played five times a day at the appointed hours. It housed a gate known as ‘Hathi Pol' (Elephant Gate), where visitors dismounted from their elephants.

On 15th of August every year the National Flag of India is hoisted at the Red Fort by the Prime Minister, celebrating India's independence.

Jantar Mantar

Jantar Mantar was built in 1724 by Raja Jai Singh II of Jaipur in Delhi. Jantar Mantar of Delhi, is an astronomical observatory with masonry instruments. Jantar Mantar in Delhi is a remarkable and curious creation of Raja Jai Singh II, the mathematician and astronomer king. Jantar Mantar has instruments that can graph the path of the astronomical universe.

The name of this noteworthy astronomical observatory, Jantar Mantar means ‘instrument for calculation.' There is a colossal Samrat Yantra at the periphery of Jantar Mantar. To the south of Samrat Yantra there is an amazing instrument called Jai Prakash. The Jai Prakash of Jantar Mantar in Delhi has two concave hemispherical structures and used for determining the position of the sun and celestial bodies. Jantar Mantar is built of brick rubble that is plastered in lime. You can see the following instruments inside the Jantar Mantar of Delhi.

• Samrat Yantra
• Jai Prakash
• Ram Yantra
• Niyati Chakra
• Misra Yantra

All these instruments can be used for various astronomical calculations. Today the historical structure is encircled by new office buildings. Jantar Mantar of Delhi is even used by modern day scholars to ascertain the location of the heavenly bodies in our universe.

This was originally published here

Astronomical observations were regularly made over here and these observations were used for drawing up a new set of tables, later compiled as Zij Muhammad Shahi dedicated to the reigning monarch. Jai Singh named his observatory Jantar Mantar, which is actually pronounced, as ‘Yantra Mantra', yantra for instrument and mantra for formula. A huge sundial known as "Samrat Yantra" or ‘Prince of Dials', meant to measure accurate time of the day within half a second and the declination of the sun and other heavenly bodies dominates it.

Jai Singh himself designed this yantra. Other yantras were also meant for the study of heavenly bodies, plotting their course and predicting eclipses. The two pillars on the southwest of Mishra Yantra are meant to determine the shortest and longest days of the year. Interestingly, in December one pillar completely covers the other with its shadow while in June it does not cast any such shadow at all. After the completion of the first Jantar Mantar and with a view to verifying astronomical observations made at Delhi, Jai Singh built similar, even if smaller observatories, at other important Indian cities-Jaipur, Varanasi, Ujjain, and Mathura. The Jantar Mantars may have fallen into disuse but they remain an integral part of India's scientific heritage. It presents that the spirit of scientific enquiry was not dead in India and would have yielded rich results if only an opportunity of research and development had been given to it.

Garden of Five Senses

Garden of Five Senses in Delhi is a breath taking and charming garden/park stimulating all our senses. The delightful arrangement of flowering plants, ponds and the medieval pathways every now and then serves as a great stress reliever. It was developed at a cost of Rs 10.5 crore by Delhi Tourism Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC), in the Said-Ul-Azaib village, close to the Mehrauli heritage area. The garden was inaugurated in February 2003 by then Chief Minister of Delhi, Sheila Dikshit, coinciding with the beginning of the 16th garden festival.

Features

It is an intricate blend of natures bounty and subtle human creation. Amidst the concrete jungle and the hustle and bustle of the city, the garden of five senses comes across as a welcome breadth of fresh air and serene quietude. True to the imagery suggested by its name and with its beautiful, lush green landscapes, the garden of five senses stimulates all the five senses in an evocative bouquet that awakens the mind to the beauty of life and invokes a grateful prayer for the gift of touch, sight, sound, smell and taste .

Visitors are encouraged to touch the rocks and displays, the fragrance of flower for the nose, beds stimulates the olfactory senses, the landscaping appeals to the eyes – the sight, the ceramic bells and the water falls create a soothing sound -pleasing to the ear and the food courts serve a variety of cuisines – to please the tongue.

Attractions

There is an abundant display of flora, with a vast congregation of about 200 special varieties of plants and flowers under one roof.

There are large areas where the existing vegetation, consisting mostly of trees such as the local Kikar and thorny Ber bush, have been left untouched.

There are Colour Gardens – beautiful compositions of flowering shrubs and ground covers that have you looking at familiar plants with new eyes.

The Courts ofSpecimen Plants display not so frequently seen species, namely, Kalpaka Vritch, Kadambaha, bamboo, cacti, teak, Rudraksh, Camphor, Arjun and other herbs.

On one side of the spiral walkway is the Khas Bagh, a formal garden pattern on the lines of the Mughal Garden.

At the rear of the garden is an open exhibition area for displaying art and holding workshops.

Pools of water lilies, bamboo courts and herb gardens are some of the other attractions.

The mountainous landscapes and rocks strewn in every here and there give a casual trekking experience. Majestic rocks stand silhouetted against the sky, others lie strewn upon the ground in an alluring display of natures sculptural genius. Visitors are encouraged to touch the rocks and displays, the fragrance of flower beds stimulates the olfactory senses, the landscaping appeals to the eyes, the ceramic bells and the water falls create a soothing sound and the food courts serve a variety of cuisines.