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| Places to See |
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Akshardham
Akshardham Temple in Delhi epitomizes 10,000 years of Indian culture in
all its breathtaking grandeur, beauty, wisdom and bliss. It brilliantly
showcases the essence of India’s ancient architecture, traditions and
timeless spiritual messages. The main monument, depicting ancient Indian
"vastu shastra" and architecture, is a marvel in pink sandstone and
white marble that is 141 feet high, 316 feet wide and 370 feet long with
234 ornate pillars, over 20,000 sculptures and statues of deities,
eleven 72-foot-high huge domes (mandapams) and decorative arches. For
visitors, entry to the complex is free. However, those who want to visit
exhibition halls and theatres, Rs.125 is to be paid and for children and
senior citizens the charges are Rs.75.
Bahai Temple
This unique temple built in the shape of a lotus flower is the last of
seven Major Bahai's temples built around the world. Completed in1986,
the structure is made of pure white marble. The architect Furiburz Sabha
chose the lotus as the symbol common to Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and
Islam. Members of any faith are free to visit the temple to pray or
meditate. The blooming petals have nine pools of water around them which
look ethereal when flood lit.
Birla Mandir
Birla Mandir is one of Delhi's major temples. Built by the industrialist
G.D. Birla in 1938 and hence known by his name, the beautiful temple is
located in the west of Connaught Place. Dedicated to Laxmi (the goddess
of prosperity) and Narayana (the preserver), the temple was inaugurated
by Mahatma Gandhi on the condition that people of all castes be allowed
to enter the temple.
Garden of Five Senses
The Garden of Five Senses, located at Said-Ul-Azaib village, close to
the Mehrauli heritage area in New Delhi is not just any other park but a
place that offer individuals a variety of activities and a place to
explore themselves. Majestic rocks stand silhouetted against the sky,
others lie strewn upon the ground in a casual yet alluring display of
nature's sculptural genius. The Garden has been designed to the imagery
suggested by the name Garden of Five Senses. Colour, fragrances, texture
and form all come together in an evocative bouquet that awakens the mind
to the beauty of life and invokes a grateful prayer for the gift of
sight, sound, touch, smell and taste.
Humayun’s Tomb
Buit in 1565 AD, nine years after the death of Humayun by his senior
widow Bega Begam, the tomb’s prominent features are the garden squares (chaharbagh)
with pathways water channels, centrally located well proportional
mausoleum topped by double dome.
Several graves of Mughal rulers are located inside the walled enclosure
and it is from here in 1857 A.D that Lieutenant Hudson had captured the
last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah II.
India Gate
Central to New Delhi stands the 42 m high India Gate, commemorating the
70,000 Indian soldiers who lost their lives fighting for the British
Army during the World War I. The memorial bears the names of more than
13,516 British and Indian soldiers killed in the Northwestern Frontier
in the Afghan war of 1919.
The foundation stone of India Gate was laid by His Royal Highness, the
Duke of Cannaught in 1921 and it was designed by Edwin Lutyens. The
monument was dedicated to the nation in 1931 by the then Viceroy, Lord
Irwin. Another memorial, Amar Jawan Jyoti was added after India got its
independence. One can see the eternal flame burning day and night under
the arch to remind the nation of soldiers who laid down their lives in
the Indo-Pakistan War of December 1971.
The green lawns surrounding India Gate is a popular picnic spot. One can
see hoards of people moving about the brightly lit area and on the lawns
on all evenings.
Jama Masjid
Jama Masjid is one of the largest mosques in India; the mosque has a
courtyard capable of holding 25,000 devotees. Began in 1644, this mosque
can said to be the final architectural extravagance of Shah Jahan, the
Mughal emperor who built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort. The highly
decorative mosque has three great gates, four towers and two 40 m-high
minarets constructed of strips of red sandstone and white marble. Robes
are available at the Northern gate for visitors.
Jantar Mantar
Jantar or Yantra means instruments; Mantar or Mantra means formulae. The
structure was constructed in 1724. Maharaja Jai Singh of Jaipur who
built this observatory went on to build other observatories in Ujjain,
Varanasi and Mathura. As the existing astronomical instruments were too
small to take correct measurements, Jai Singh built these larger and
more accurate instruments.
Purana Quila
Purana Quila having a circuit of nearly two kilometers was built by
Humayun in 1534 AD. The fort was encircled by a wide moat connected to
river Yamuna, which used to flow on the east of the fort. The northern
gateway, called the Talaqui Darwaza or the forbidden gateway, combines
the typically Isalmic pointed arch with Hindu Chhatris and brackets. The
southern gateway called the Humayun Darwaza also sports a similar plan.
There is a spectacular sound and light show held every evening in the
fort complex.
Qutub Minar
A magnificent 73 m-high tower of victory, built in 1193 by Qutab-ud-din
Aibak immediately after the defeat of Delhi's last Hindu king. The tower
with five distinct storeys, tapers from a 15 m diameter at the base to
just 2.5 m at the top. The first three storeys are made of red sandstone
while the fourth and fifth storeys are of marble and sandstone. At the
foot of the tower is the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, the first mosque to be
built in India.
Within the Qutub complex are minarets and mosque and the tomb of
Shamsu'd-Din -Iltutmish, son-in-law and successor of Qutub-ud-din- Aibak.
Also, a 7 m-high iron pillar stands in the courtyard of the mosque. It
is believed that if you can encircle the pillar with your hands while
standing with your back to it your wish will be fulfilled.
Red Fort
An impressive reminder of Mughal grandeur, the Red Fort is historically
important in being the place where the Indian flag was hoisted on its
first eve of independence in the Lahore Gate and the consequent years
there on.
The walls of the Red Fort have delicate work, said to have been embedded
with precious and semi precious stones during the Mughal times. The fort
holds the Diwan-i-Am (Hall of Public Audience), where state functions
were held and the Diwan-i-Khas, (the hall of private audience), which is
said to have held the celebrated Peacock Throne. The Rang Mahal (Palace
of Colour) holds a lotus shaped fountain, made out of a single piece of
marble, is said to have been decorated with paintings, gold-gilded
projections, mosaics of mirrors and had a ceiling etched in gold and
silver.
Safdarjung’s Tomb
One of the last enclosed garden tombs in Delhi in the tradition of
Humayun's Tomb, Safdurjung’s tomb is though far less grand in scale.
Built in 1753- 54 as mausoleum of Safdarjung, it has several smaller
pavilions with evocative names like Jangli Mahal, (Palace in the woods),
Moti Mahal (Pearl Palace) and Badshah Pasand ( King's favourite) and
houses a madarsa.
Short Excursions |
- Mathura - 146 Kms, South East Of Delhi
- Agra - 56 Kms from Mathura, 200 Kms from Delhi.
- Fatehpur Sikri - 38 Kms from Agra, 238 Kms from Delhi.
- Jaipur - 250 Kms from Delhi.
- Ranthambhor- 160 Kms, southwest of Jaipur via Sawai Madhopur.
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| Long Vacations |
- Vaishno Devi - 61 Kms, North of Jammu, Jammu is 585 Kms, from
Delhi.
- Dehradun - 230 Kms, from Delhi.
- Mussoorie - 266 Kms from Delhi.
- Rishikesh - 225 Kms, from Delhi.
- Haridwar - 210 Kms, from Delhi.
- Ajmer - 450 Kms, southwest Delhi.
- Bikaner - 460 Kms, from Delhi.
- Chandigarh - 250 Kms, North-East of Delhi.
- Gwalior - 320 Kms from Delhi, 120 Kms from Agra
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| National Park |
- Corbett National Park - lies north of Ramnagar around 300 Kms.
From Delhi.
- Bharatpur - (Keoladeo Ghana National Park)- 120 Kms from Delhi.
- Alwar - (Sariska National Park)200 Kms, from Delhi
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