Delhi
 Spacious and planned, New Delhi was built as
the imperial capital of India by the British, while action-packed Old Delhi served as the capital of Islamic India. Visitors can effortlessly dip into both worlds, spending half the day soaking up history at the Red Fort, Jama Masjid and medieval-flavoured bazaars of Old Delhi, and the other half reviving themselves over a frothy cappuccino or ice-cold beer in one of central New Delhi’s swanky restaurants or bars. Indeed, the hungry traveller will be happy to know that Delhi’s global menus offer everything from rich Mughlai curries to crispy wood-fired pizzas. Beverage lists are similarly seductive, with many watering holes showcasing rows of gleaming bottles flaunting local and foreign labels. As one of India’s busiest international gateways, Delhi is the nucleus of the North Indian travel network.
Delhi hasn’t always been India’s capital, but it has played a paramount role in Indian history. Many have invaded Delhi, including the Persian emperor Nadir Shah, who
ransacked the city in 1739 and carted the Kohinoor Diamond (now part of the British royal family’s crown jewels) and the famous Peacock Throne to Iran. The British captured Delhi in 1803, but during the Indian Uprising of 1857 it was a centre of resistance.
There have been at least eight cities founded around modern Delhi. The old saying that whoever establishes a new city at Delhi will lose it has come true every time – most recently for the British, who lasted here only 16 years.
New Delhi, was constructed by the British. The moving of the capital of British India from Kolkata (Calcutta) – Bengal was championing Indian independence – to Delhi was announced in 1911 but construction was not completed, and the city officially inaugurated, until 1931. In 1947 it became the capital of modern India.
Other Useful Information
- Entertainment
- Orientation
- Shopping
- Sights
Entertainment
Eating & Drinking
Catering to most palates and pockets, eating out is a Delhi highlight. There are some sublime home-grown restaurants, while those homesick for familiar fast food will find ever-multiplying chains, including McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Subway and TGI Friday’s. From chilled-out bars to perky cafés, Delhi has something to please boozers and teetotallers alike.
Many bars double as music-pumping nightclubs anytime after 8pm, drowning out any hope of conversation. A smart-casual dress code applies at the more upmarket places.
Nightclubs
The most hip nightclubs (discos) are at five-star hotels, which is where you’ll rub shoulders with Delhi’s beautiful people. Prices
here can be relatively high though, with drink taxes as high as 30%. Entry to hotel nightclubs can be hit-and-miss, with priority given to members and hotel guests. Couples and women stand a better chance of being admitted than unaccompanied men. Don’t rock up in shorts and a T-shirt.
Orientation
Delhi is a vast and
spread out city and is divided through artificial boundaries betwenn
Old Delhi, North, Sounth, East, West and Central Delhi. Central and South
Delhi are th e popular tourist areas and also house the best of Delhi
hotels, Eateries and Entertainment destinations. New Delhi can be further subdivided into the business and residential areas around Connaught Place (the city’s core) and the government areas around Rajpath to the south. Running south from Connaught Place is Janpath, which has the tourist office, hotels and a shopping strip.
The satellite
cities of Gurgaon and Noida have also grown in importance in the recent
past and are major business centeres of the country. It is here that one
witnesses the development aspect of Indfa which is spoken about so vastly
all over the World today.
The domestic terminals of the Indira Gandhi International Airport are 15km southwest of the centre and the international terminal is a further 8km away.
Shopping
Delhi has marvellous shopping opportunities and its emporiums mean you can find items from all over India. There’s also a magnificent mix of markets, from cheap clothing bazaars to designer shopping enclaves.
There are oodles of eye-popping handicrafts to buy, including textiles, brassware, woodwork, jewellery, leatherwork, carpets and metalwork, as well as agarbathi
(incense stick), spices and tea. The capital also has some of India’s most phenomenal bookshops.
Please refer to
Leisure Activities in New Delhi for more information.
Sights
Delhi’s major tourist sights are predominantly found in Old Delhi and in the vicinity of New Delhi’s Connaught Place.
Old Delhi
The old walled city of Shahjahanabad spreads west from the Red Fort and was at one time surrounded by a
sturdy defensive wall, only fragments of which now exist. The Kashmiri Gate, at the northern end of the walled city, was the scene of desperate fighting when the British retook Delhi during the 1857 Indian Uprising. West of here is the British-erected Mutiny Memorial, dedicated to the soldiers who died during the Uprising. Near the monument is an Ashoka Pillar; like the one in Firoz Shah Kotla, it was brought here by Firoz Shah.
Red Fort (Lal qila)
The sandstone walls of the Red Fort (Indian/foreigner Rs 11/US$2, video Rs 25; opens sunrise-sunset Tue-Sun) extend for 2km and vary in height from 18m on the river side to 33m on the city side. Shah Jahan began construction of the massive fort in 1638 and it was completed in 1648. Shah Jahan never completely moved his capital from Agra to his new city of Shahjahanabad in Delhi because he was deposed and imprisoned in Agra Fort by his son Aurangzeb.
Evening Attraction - Sound - & - Light Show at Red
Fort
Each evening this one-hour sound-and-light show (admission Rs 50; in English time 7.30pm Nov-Jan, 8.30pm Feb-Apr & Sep-Oct, 9pm
May-Aug except Mon) re-creates events of India’s history, particularly those associated with the Red Fort. Tickets are available from the ticket kiosk at the fort.
Chandni Chowk
Old Delhi’s main thoroughfare is the chronically congested Chandni Chowk, which is best negotiated by cycle-rickshaw. At the eastern (Red Fort) end of Chandni Chowk, there’s the 16th-century Digambara Jain Temple
(here you are required to remove shoes and all leather before entering). The
bird hospital (donations welcomed) here is run by the Jains, who believe in the preservation of all life.
Jama Masjid
This striking mosque (camera/video each Rs 150; opens for non-Muslims 8.30am-12.30pm & 1.45pm-30min before sunset, closed noon-2pm Fri) is the largest in India and the final architectural extravagance of Shah Jahan. Begun in 1644, it wasn’t completed until 1658.
Visitors should dress respectfully and remove their shoes at the top of the stairs (pay the shoe minder Rs 5 upon collection).
Raj Ghat
South of the Red Fort, on the banks of the Yamuna, a simple square platform of black marble marks the spot where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated following his assassination in 1948.
Rajpath
Immensely broad Rajpath (Kingsway) is another focus of Lutyens’ New Delhi. The Republic Day parade is held here every 26 January and thousands gather for this spectacle. At the eastern end of Rajpath is India Gate, while at the western end is Rashtrapati Bhavan, which is flanked by the two large Secretariat buildings. These three buildings sit upon a small rise, known as Raisina Hill.
India Gate
A 42m-high stone memorial arch, bears the names of around 90,000 Indian army soldiers who died in WWI, the Northwest Frontier operations of the same time and the 1919 Afghan fiasco.
The official residence of the president of India, the Rashtrapati Bhavan (President’s House), was completed in 1929. The palace like building exhibits a blend of Mughal and Western architectural styles.
Humayun’s Tomb
Built in the mid-16th century by Haji Begum, Persian-born senior wife of the second Mughal emperor Humayun, this tomb (Indian/foreigner Rs 10/US$5, video Rs 25; opens sunrise-sunset), off Mathura
Road, is a superb example of early Mughal architecture. Elements in its design – a squat building with high arched entrances that let in light, topped by a bulbous dome and surrounded by formalgardens
– were to be refined over the years to eventually create the magnificence of Agra’s Taj Mahal. Haji Begum is buried in the red-and-white sandstone and black-and-yellow marble tomb.
The octagonal tomb of Isa Khan is through a gate to the left of the entrance and is a fine example of Lodi architecture.
Qutab Minar
The imposing buildings in the Qutab Minar complex (Indian/foreigner Rs 10/US$5, video Rs 25; opens 7.30am-5.30pm Tue-Sun) date from the onset of Islamic rule in India and are fine examples of early Afghan architecture.
The Qutb Minar itself is a soaring tower of victory that was started in 1193, immediately after the defeat of the last Hindu kingdom in Delhi. It’s nearly 73m high and tapers from a 15m-diameter base to just 2.5m at the top.
Safdarjang’s Tomb
This mid-18th-century tomb (Aurobindo Marg; Indian/foreigner Rs 5/US$2, video Rs 25; opens sunrise-sunset) was built by the Nawab of Avadh for his father, Safdarjang, and is one of the last examples of Mughal architecture before the final remnants before the collapse of the great empire.
National Museum
A varied and wide collection of exhibits is on display at the National Museum (%23019272; Janpath; Indian/foreigner Rs 10/150, camera Rs 300, video prohibited; opens 10am-5pm Tue-Sun), including Indian bronze, terracotta and wood sculptures dating back to the Mauryan period, exhibits from the Vijayanagar period in South India, miniature and mural paintings, musical instruments, manuscripts, tapestries, tribal masks,
swoRoads, spears and much more.
National Gallery of Modern Art
This gallery (Jaipur Gate; Indian/foreigner Rs 10/150; opens 10am-5pm Tue-Sun), formerly the maharaja of Jaipur’s Delhi residence, displays more than 300 contemporary paintings by Indian artists. Photography is not allowed.
Crafts Museum
Near Pragati Maidan is this tranquil museum (Bhairon Marg; admission free; opens 10am-5pm Tue-Sun) containing a collection of traditional stalls displaying various crafts such as textiles, woodwork and ceramics. There are craft demonstrations, and artisans sell direct to the buyer. It’s part of a contrived, yet still very impressive, ‘village life’ complex.
Connaught Place (CP)
The heart of New Delhi is the vast traffic circle of Connaught Place and the seven streets that radiate from it, which are divided into blocks. It has an architecturally uniform series of colonnaded buildings devoted to shops, banks, restaurants, hotels and offices.
Lakshmi Narayan Temple (Birla Mandir)
West of Connaught Place, with soaring domes, the large Orissan-style Lakshmi Narayan Temple (Mandir Marg; opens 6am-9pm) was erected in 1938 by the rich industrialist
GD Birla. The main temple is dedicated to Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth
and Vishnu (The Preserver God ).
Bahai Temple
This temple (Kalkaji; opens 9.30am-5.30pm Tue-Sun), stunningly shaped like an unfurling white lotus, is especially spectacular at dusk when it’s floodlit. Completed in 1986, the temple is set among pools and well-tendedgardens, and welcomes adherents of all faiths to pray or meditate silently
accoRoading to their own religion. Principles inherent to the Bahai faith include elimination of prejudice and universal peace.
Shankar’s International Dolls Museum
Boasting almost 6500 dolls from around 85 countries, Shankar’s International Dolls Museum (Nehru House, 4 Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg; admission Rs 10; opens 10am-6pm Tue-Sun) is certainly impressive. Apart from its immense international collection, there are also Indian dolls, including brides.
|
