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Delhi
General Information:
Delhi, one of India’s fastest growing cities, has spread far beyond the “seven cities” created between the 13th and the 17th centuries. It has sprawled over the west bank of the yamuna and now straddles the river.remnants of thepast survive ckeek-by-jowl with skyscrapers, residential colonies and buatling commercial complexes. Delhi has some of the finest museums in the country. It boutiques and shopping arcades offer access to a wealth of traditional and contemporary crafts from all over the country. It has speciality restaurants to please the gourmet, open parks and gardens ablaze with flowers, and in the winter months particularly, a variety of cultural events. Its many-layered existence is
tantalizing and can entice the curious traveller into a fascinating journey of
discovery.
The history of Delhi goes back to the Mahabharata, as this was the site of ancient Indraprastha.Recently discovered are 3000 year old ruins.The recorded history of Delhi places the Hindu Tomar king, Anangpal, as the founder of the 1st city of Delhi at Lal Kot in 1060 A.D. The famous Prithviraj Chauhan built ramparts and temples in this fort which were pulled by later invaders.Delhi was then rules by a series of Muslim dynasties, the Qitb Shahis, Khilijis, Tughlaks, Sayyids and Lodis, each of whom built forts, tombs and palaces of different artistic styles. Amongst the Mughals who followed, it was the great builder, Shah Jahan, who made Delhi his capital and embellished it. It was from Delhi that Nadir Shah, the Persian emperor, took away the Peacock Throne and the famed Kohinoor diamond.
The British mover their capital from Calcutta to Delhi in 1911 making it the 8th City to be built on the site. New Delhi was designed by Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker, English architects.Few capitals in the world can compete with the number of monuments of which Delhi can be justly proud.
What to See
PURANA QUILA
The history of this centre of power dates to the first millennium BC. In 1955 excavations within the Purana Quila revealed that the area was inhabited more than 3000 years ago. This was Indraprastha, a site associated with the epic Mahabharata.
A clearer picture emerges at the and of the 10th century. The Tomar Rajputs built Lalkot, the core of the first of Delhi’s seven cities. Later, another Rajput king, Prithviraj Chauhan-hero of ballads and legends –extended it to create the Qila Rai Pithora.
QUWWAT UL ISLAM MOSQUE –QUTAB MINAR
In 1206, Qutb ud din Aivak, a slave of Mohammad of Ghor crowned himself
the Sultan of Delhi and occupied the Rajput fort. He commemorated his victory by building the Quwwat ul Islam mosque. It is the earliest extant mosque in India and within its courtyard stands the 10th –century standard of Lord Vishnu, the famous, uncorroded Iron Pillar. Nearby, he raised the towering minaret, the Qutb Minar, one of Delhi’s landmarks. Other architectural gems within this complex incude the tomb of Iltutmish and the Alai Darwaza.
HAUZ KHAS
Around 1311, Allaudin Khilji established Siri, the second city and dug a vast reservoir at Hauz Khas. Very little remains of Siri, but Hauz Khas was extensively renovated a few decades later. Now, ethnic boutiques and cafes dot the Hauz Khas village and the location is as attractive as the exlusive goods on sale.
TUGHLAQABAD
The great fort of Tughlaqabad was raised in 1321 as a protection against Mongol raids and became Delhi’s third city. The fort and tomb are characteristic of robust Tughlaq architecture. Delhi’s fourth city, Jahanpanah has practically disappeared but its fifth, Firoz Shah Kotla rises off Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg and is well known for its Ashokan pillar which the Sultan brought from Mathura. Timur devastated Delhi in 1398 and as a result the 15th century saw little growth. The tombs of the Lodi kings date to this era and are within the landscaped Lodi Gardens, one of Delhi’s most beautiful gardens.
PURANA QUILA
In 1526, Babur founded the Mughal empire in India. The impressive Purana Qila, Delhi’s sixth city, is a combined effort of his son Humayun and the Afghan Sher Shah Suri who temporarily deposed him. The fort contains a fine mosque and what was possibly a library. Nearby are the Zoo, the Crafts Museum, where creftsman work in a simulated rural setting, and Pragati Maidan, the exhibition grounds. The magnificient tomb of Humayun, which is a precursor to the Taj Mahal is 2 km. from here.
OLD DELHI –SHAHJAHANABAD
In April 1639 the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan laid the foundation of Shahjahanabad .Delhi ‘s seventh city , and its epitomized the grandeur of his empire .This walled city has since been continuously inhabited .It is one of the densly populated localities in the world and it remains a unique vitality and charm. The RED FORT ,shah Jahan’s sandstone citadel encompasses grand audience halls – where the legendary Peacock Thorne once stood – and marble palaces ornamented with exquisite pietra dura .Opposite the Red Fort is the Jama Masjid ,India’s largest mosque .For the intrepid traveller there is more …… Chandni Chowk ,the moonlit square , is adjacent to the mosque , and leads to the heart of
the walled city .This was once a tree-lined bazaar with a canal flowing
through its centre .Today ,it is one of the largest trading centers in northern India –thriving, congested and chaotic. Chandani Chowk is replete with historical landmarks and each of its by lanes leads into a world of spices or silver or perfumes or textiles …
NEW DELHI
New Delhi was built in 1911 .It was to be “conceived with spaciousness and care so that the new creations would be in every way worthy of this ancient and beautiful city”. Lutyens and Baker planed a city with wide, tree –lined avenues. The 340-roomed Viceregal Lodge, now the Rastripati Bhawan, was raised on Raisina Hill .Nearby are India Gate ,a world war 1 memorial ,Parliament House, the prestigious National Museum and the National Gallery of Modern Art. On Republic Day, Rajpath witnesses a display of pageantry. The classy commercial centre of Cannaught Place was planned as part of New Delhi. Along with stalls on Janpath, and emporia on Baba Kharak Singh Marg ,it is shopper’s paradise. Rather characteristically, an 18th century masonry observatory, the Jantar Mantar ,lies in the midst of this commercial area.
Standard sightseeing tours
Half Day Tours of New Delhi
Visit Qutab Minar built by Qutab-ud-Aibak in 1199. Humayun’s Tomb , India Gate ( War Memorial Arch ) , Lakshminarayan Temple ,a modern Hindu Temple .Also drive past President’s House , Parliament House ,government secretariat Buildings and Connaught Place , the shopping centre of New Delhi.
Half day tour of Old Delhi
Visit Red Fort ,built in 1648 by Mughal Emperor Shahjehan, Jama Masjid , one of the largest Mosque of India , Raj Ghat and Shanti Vana, the cremation sites of Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. Also drive past Chandni Chowk ,shopping Centre of Old Delhi.
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