New Delhi

Delhi is the city of cities and its history goes back to over 3000 years. It has seen the rise and fall of several empires and rulers. Its inhabitants have experienced grandeur, battles and bloodshed, from time to time. Delhi also tells the stories of its kings, their manners, ideas, creations and lives. It is believed, that at the present site of Delhi, seven previous cities had been built, while some believe that the number was fifteen, if you take the minor settlements and fortifications, into account. Each ruler came and built a part of the city, giving it his name, and adding something new to it.

HOW TO REACH:

AIR - All the major National and international Air Lines have their flights operating from Delhi's indira Gandhi international Airport.

Road - Delhi is well connected by road to all major destinations in North India. The inter State Bus Terminus (ISBT) are located at Kashmiri Gate, Sarai Kale-Khan and Anand Vihar. Delhi Transport Corporations of the neighbouring states provide frequent bus services through Air Conditioned, Deluxe and Ordinary Coaches.

Train - The Indian Railway with their modern and organised network connects Delhi to all major and minor destinations in India. There are three important Railway Stations in Delhi namely New Delhi Rly. Station, Old Delhi Rly. Station and Hazarat Nizamuddin Rly. Station.

BEST TIME TO VISIT

Delhi has extreme type of climate which gets very hot in summer and very cold in winter. The best time to visit is between October and March.
The summer temperature gets quite unbearable as the mercury soars up to a maximum of 47 degrees celcius.
The minimum temperature in winters goes to 4 degrees celcius.

PLACES OF INTEREST

 RED FORT
The fort was constructed by Shahjahan, and its construction started in 1638, and got completed in 1648 A.D. Today, more than 10,000 visitors come to see it daily and they get to see some of the public and some private areas of the palace complex.

QUTUB MINAR
This Minar was built to celebrate the victory of Mohammed Ghori over the Rajputs in 1192 A.D, by his viceroy Qutub-ud-din Aibak, who was the 1st sultan of the Slave dynasty, (so called because the sultans had been royal slaves).It stands in the courtyard of the Quwwatul Islam mosque.The minar was visualized as something more, a symbol of the military might of the Turko-Afghan Slave dynasty, and the pole of justice and Islam.

 HUMAYUN’S TOMB
The Taj Mahal is known to have been inspired by the Humayun’s Tomb, and in many ways this magnificent red and white building is as spectacular as the famous “ monument to love ”at Agra. This is a memorial built by a grieving wife, Haji Begum in 1565,nine years after his death. She is said to have spent one and a half million rupees on the building.
Jama Masjid The majesty of this flawless piece of architecture, situated on a natural elevation southwest of Lal Quila, does not distance it from the people. Its steps lead down to crowded bazaars on all sides.

 LOTUS TEMPLE
This temple is also known as the “Baha’i house of worship”.The petals are made of concrete clad with white marble which gives freshness and transparency to its surface. In subtle contrast, local red sandstone has been used for the walkways and stairs. Around the blooming petals, there are 9 pools of water, which light up in natural light, and this creates an illusion of a lotus floating on water.

TEEN MURTI
This was initially built as the residence of the British Commander-in-chief in India, and later on became the official residence of Shri Jawahar Lal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of Independent India. After his death it was converted into a memorial.

INDIA GATE
It’s a 42 metre high, free standing arch, popularly known as India Gate. It was designed by Lutyens and built in 1931.It was originally called All India War Memorial in memory of the 90,000 soldiers of the Indian Army who died in the First World War.

GANDHI SMIRITI
Birla House is the place where Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated on 30th January 1948,on his way for his customary evening prayers. The museum has a large collection of photographs on his life and a few of his personal belongings.

RASHTRAPATI BHAWAN
The site chosen for the Viceroy’s House, now the Rashtrapati Bhawan, was on the Raisina Hill which was seen as an Indian acropolis. The building as designed by Lutyens, has a large court to its front and a 12 acre Mughal style garden at the back. It is not like the garden at the Humayun’s Tomb, but is a terraced garden like the ones they built in Kashmir. The garden is open to the public in February.
Parliament House: On the Northwest of Vijay Chowk, is a huge circular, colonnaded building, Sansad Bhawan, where the Indian Parliament meets. This imposing building does not occupy as prominent a position as the other buildings of Lutyens and Baker, because it was the offspring of the new constitution created under the Act of 1919.

RAJ GHAT
To the Southeast of Red Fort, between the ring road and the Yamuna, lies Raj Ghat. The historic name refers to the ghat (stepped embankment) at the edge of the river, but today it means only one thing, it is the memorial to the Father of the Nation, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi- Mahatma to millions of Indians.

CANNAUGHT PLACE

Edwin Lutyens, when drawing up the plans for British New Delhi, meant the new city to lie southwest of the old walled city of Shahjahanabad. In the true spirit of colonial rule, the interface between this new imperial city and the older ‘native’ settlement was intended to be a market, where Lutyens imagined the Indian traders would invest in ‘the grand shopping center for the residents of Shahjahanabad and New Delhi’.