Delhi, India’s capital territory, is a massive
metropolitan area in the country’s north. In Old Delhi, a neighbourhood dating
to the 1600s, stands the imposing Mughal-era Red Fort, a symbol of India, and
the sprawling Jama Masjid mosque, whose courtyard accommodates 25,000 people.
Nearby is Chandni Chowk, a vibrant bazaar filled with food carts, sweets shops
and spice stalls.
1. Red Fort.
The Red Fort is a historic
fort in the city of Delhi in India, which served as the main residence of the
Mughal Emperors. Every year on the Independence day of India, the Prime
Minister hoists the Indian "tricolour flag" at the main gate of the
fort and delivers a nationally broadcast speech from its ramparts.
2. Jama Masjid.
Mughal Emperor Shah
Jahan built the Jama Masjid between 1650 and 1656. It was
constructed by more than 5000 workers. It was originally called Masjid
e Jahan Numa, meaning 'mosque commanding the view of the world'. The
construction was done under the supervision of Saadullah Khan, wazir (or prime
minister) during Shah Jahan's reign. The cost of the construction at the time
was one million Rupees.[1] Shah
Jahan also built the Taj
Mahal, at Agra and the Red
Fort in Old Delhi, which stands opposite the Jama Masjid.
3. The Qutub Minar
The Qutub Minar, is a minaret that forms part of the Qutub complex, a
UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Mehrauli area of Delhi, India. Qutub Minar is
a 73-metre tall tapering tower of five stories, with a 14.3 metres base
diameter, reducing to 2.7 metres at the top of the peak. It contains a spiral
staircase of 379 steps.
4. Humayun's tomb
Humayun's tomb is the tomb of the Mughal Emperor Humayun in
Delhi, India. The tomb was commissioned by Humayun's first wife and chief
consort, Empress Bega Begum, in 1569-70, and designed by Mirak Mirza Ghiyas and
his son, Sayyed Muhammad, Persian architects chosen by her. It was the first
garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent, and is located in Nizamuddin East,
Delhi, India, close to the Dina-panah Citadel, also known as Purana Qila, that
Humayun found in 1533. It was also the first structure to use red sandstone at
such a scale. The tomb was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993, and
since then has undergone extensive restoration work, which is complete. Besides
the main tomb enclosure of Humayun, several smaller monuments dot the pathway
leading up to it, from the main entrance in the West, including one that even
pre-dates the main tomb itself, by twenty years; it is the tomb complex of Isa
Khan Niyazi, an Afghan noble in Sher Shah Suri's court of the Suri dynasty, who
fought against the Mughals, constructed in 1547 CE.
5. India Gate.
The India
Gate (originally the All India War Memorial) is a war
memorial located astride the Raj path, on the eastern edge
of the "ceremonial axis" of New
Delhi,[1] formerly called
Kingsway. It stands as a memorial to 70,000 soldiers of the British Indian Army who died in between 1914–1921 in
the First World War, in France, Flanders, Mesopotamia, Persia, East
Africa, Gallipoli and elsewhere
in the Near and the Far East, and the Second Anglo-Afghan War. 13,300 servicemen's names, including
some soldiers and officers from the United Kingdom, are inscribed on the gate.[2] Designed by
Sir Edwin Lutyens, the gate evokes the architectural style of
the triumphal arch such as the Arch of Constantine, in Rome, and is often compared to the Arc
de Triomphe in
Paris, and the Gateway
of India in
Mumbai.
Following
the Bangladesh Liberation war in 1972, a
structure consisting of a black marble plinth with a reversed rifle, capped by
a war helmet and bounded by four eternal flames, was built beneath the archway.
This structure, called Amar
Jawan Jyoti (Flame
of the Immortal Soldier), has since 1971 served as India's tomb of the unknown soldier. India Gate is
counted amongst the largest war memorials in India and every Republic Day, the Prime Minister visits the gate to pay their tributes
to the Amar Jawan Jyoti, following which the Republic Day parade starts. The
memorial-gate is also a popular spot for protests by the civil
society in
New Delhi.
6.
The Lotus Temple
The Lotus Temple, located in Delhi, India, is a Baháʼà House
of Worship that was dedicated in December 1986. Notable for its flowerlike
shape, it has become a prominent attraction in the city. Like all Baháʼà Houses
of Worship, the Lotus Temple is open to all, regardless of religion or any
other qualification.
6.
Lodhi Garden.
Lodhi Garden is one of the best places to visit in Delhi and the best
part is that it is absolutely free. It is more than just a garden; it has 15th century architecture too from the Sayyed and
Lodi Dynasties. There’s history, nature, peace, locals and a lot of beauty.
This is where I bring most of my friends when they visit Delhi and they love it.
7. The Rashtrapati Bhavan.
The Rashtrapati Bhavan
is the official residence of the President of India located at the Western end
of Raj path in New Delhi, India. I normally don’t make an effort of ever
mentioning who built what, but in this case, it is very interesting. Sir Edwin
Lutyens built it in 1931; who by the way built most of the New Delhi towards
the end of British India. Because of this, some parts of New Delhi are
called Lutyens’ Delhi.
More than just the
India Gate, the majority of the people visit this area to enjoy the gardens
around it. Many locals use these gardens for picnic spots, we did too when we
were in school. On our request, my dad would drive us around here from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate so that we could enjoy the view.
8. Old Fort or Purana Qila.
9. Akshardham Temple.
Akshardham Temple is a magnificent newly built Hindu Mandir that’s on the
banks of Yamuna River. It was built on the principles of traditional Hindu architectural
system – Vastu Shastra that defines minuscule details like the layout,
geometry, measurements, ground preparation, etc.
Visitors are not
allowed to take their cameras or cell phones inside and that’s why you hardly
ever see pictures of the magnificent Akshardham temple. It is almost entirely
made with pink sandstones from Rajasthan and Carra marble from Italy without
any steel or concrete support.
Akshardham Temple has
many domes and pillars with intricately carvings. There is a Hall of Values and
theatre that’s indie the temple complex. You can also do a Sanskruti Vihar boat
ride where you can learn about the history of Hinduism from Vedic India and
Vedic teachings such as yoga, mathematics, astronomy, science, arts, and more.
10. Nizamuddin’s Dargah.
Nizamuddin Dargah is the
dargah of one of the Sufi saints, Khawaja Nizamuddin Auliya. Situated in the
Nizamuddin West area of Delhi, the dargah is visited by thousands of pilgrims
every week. The site is also known for its evening qawwali devotional music
sessions.
11. Safdarjung Tomb.
The tomb of Safdarjung
is a smaller and a less magnificent version of Humayun's Tomb. It was built in
1754 for Mirza Muqim Abul Mansur Khan, a.k.a Safdarjung. It is not perfectly
symmetrical and inferior material was used for construction as per historians.
Safdarjung was never
an emperor like Humayun but was the statesman and the Prime Minister of the
Mughal Empire. It was the last tomb garden of the Mughals. Again, there is a big section
about Safdarjung Tomb in City of Djinns where Dalrymple talks about the ill
fated construction of this tomb and why it lacks symmetry.
12. Tughlaqabad Fort.
Tughlaqabad Fort is a
forgotten fort, which was built by Ghazi Malik (Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq), the
founder of Tughluq dynasty in Delhi. This fort is in runs and is in the middle
of Delhi’s residential area.
Apparently, there was
a disagreement between Sufi Saint (of Ni Nizamuddin zamuddin Dargah) and Ghazi
Malik because the ruler wanted every single worked in Delhi to work on his
fort.
Nizamuddin cursed
Ghazi and it appears that his curses became reality. While the fort that was
built by Ghazi Malik is in ruins and was forgotten for a long time, Nizamuddin
Dargah shines on a little more every day.
13. Khan Market
The reason why Khan
Market is on this list because if you were visiting Delhi, maybe you’d also
like to see the city’s most posh market area. Khan Market is the country’s most
expensive retail space and also the world’s 21st most
expensive high street as per Cushman & Wakefield.
Khan Market is more
than just a shopping area, it a place try out Delhi’s most amazing restaurants
and bars. Go to Mamagoto for a memorable Asian meal or Big Chill for Italian or
just continental comfort food as well as deserts. Go to Harry’s Bar or the Out
of the Box Bar for drinks. There is also the famous Khan Chacha’s rolls that
you can eat on the road.
14. Jantar Mantar
Jantar Mantar is a
giant sundial that was built to measure time but as of late it has become a
site for political protests. There are total 9 Jantar Mantars in Delhi and I
even visited the one in the pink city – Jaipur that is supposed to be accurate
up to 2 seconds.
Delhi’s Jantar Mantar
is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was built in 1724, although in earlier
records it was mistakenly put as 1710. It has three instruments for calculating
time inside Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, which are the Samrat Yantra, the
Jayaprakash, and the Misra Yantra.
