Though I am a north Indian, born and brought up in Punjab and Haryana, and had been to Delhi very often on social visits, yet I had never seen Delhi from a tourist’s point of view. My visits would mainly be hurried ones to attend some wedding or other social celebrations at a relative’s place and I could never make time to see even the “must-see” tourist spots in Delhi. I always assumed that Delhi could be toured any time I wished to. But the sudden realisation that I did not know much about Delhi and my knowledge was limited to what I remembered of History books read in school some 35 years ago, made me plan a visit to Delhi as a tourist. I hatched a plan to “tour” Delhi with my equally enthusiastic daughter and without giving a clue to my relatives and friends of my forthcoming visit. We had four days at our disposal and wanted to make maximum of this time. Going through all the info available on internet by random search, we decided to spend two days in Delhi and two days in Agra.
A little bit about the city - Delhi was the seat of power for seven dynasties which left their mark in the form of rich and varied architectural legacy. It is an epicentre of the power of modern India too. It is said that the modern day Delhi is situated on the site of seven ancient cities. Legend has it that the oldest of these cities called Indraprastha, was first founded around 1200 B.C. by the Pandavas, the heroes of Mahabharata. The modern day Delhi of Baker and Lutyens, planned for the British, is rich in green parks and shaded avenues. The city boasts of some of the best museums in India. It is the only city-state where all other Indian states have their emporia to exhibit and sell their handicrafts and handloom products. A heaven for foodies, Delhi is known for its street- food specialities Chhole-bhature, pani-puri, Delhi-chaat etc. on one hand and fine dining cuisine of Mughlai-Punjabi curries with Tandoori breads on the other hand.
Delhi is the heart (capital) of India and is also referred to as `Dilli Dilwalon Ki’, proudly by the locals. I also feel that men carry their heart on their sleeves here and the land is an eve-teasers’ delight and eves’ nightmare!
My trip was quite pleasant and I observed that the city has beautiful roads and is regularly dotted with green parks, zoological gardens and thick forest patches and is one of the better planned metropolises
The Trip - With Delhi’s city map for reference, we started from central Delhi towards south-east i.e., mainly the old Delhi, the hub of old heritage monuments. Since New Delhi came into picture during the British Raj, both old as well as New Delhi are architecturally significant. For the sake of convenience, the area with the old historical buildings, which spreads from north to east and south-east, is referred to as Delhi and the one with the buildings by the British as New Delhi.
To get around Delhi, we had hired a taxi but there are city buses available from the city centre for all the tourist sites as well as the Delhi Metro. We started with the southern-most end and went straight to Mehrauli to see Qutb complex on our first Day. The Qutb complex, recognised as a world heritage monument by UNESCO, is a huge complex –made of several monuments. Originally, it was a site of 27 ancient Jain temples. Given below is the list of the significant sites that make the Qutb complex—
Imam Zamin’s Tomb- This is a small tomb built on a raised platform belonging to a saint Imam Zamin from Turkestan and lies just outside the eastern opening of Alai Darwaza.
Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque or Qutb Masjid- Built towards the end of the 12th century, this was the first Islamic structure and was said to be modelled on the lines of Prophet’s house in Medina. It was built by Qutb-ud-din-Aibak by destroying Jain temples at the site after the defeat of last Hindu Kingdom. The material from the broken temple was also used to construct the mosque. The inscription and Hindu ornamentations on the walls and various pillars strengthen this theory.
Alai Darwaza- The entrance gate to the mosque, to the south of the mosque is called Alai Darwaza. It is a rectangular, domed- vestibule, opening on all four sides, made with marble and red- stone with fine carving and inlay work. Alai Darwaza was a part of expansion of the mosque carried out by Allah-ud-din-khilji in 13th and 14th centuries.
Qutb Minar- With a soaring 72.5-meters height, tapering from a base diameter of 14.4 m to a peak of just 2.4 m, Qutb minar is one of the finest stone monuments in the world. The tower has five storeys, each with a distinct balcony. Without elaborating further on the beauty of Qutb Minar, I will allow the pictures to speak for itself – do look at the album below. Here, I would like to share some interesting history of the Minar. Its construction was initiated by Viceroy Qutbuddin Aibak in late 12thC to commemorate victory of Mohd. Ghori over Rajput King Prithviraj Chauhan. He built only the first storey of the minar. In 13thC, Iltutmish, the 2nd Sultan of Slave Dynasty, added three more floors to the minar as a part of mosque expansion plan. In 14thc, it was struck by lightning and its top storey was knocked off. Firozshah Tughlak undertook the restoration work of the damaged part and replaced it with two more storeys. Once again it was struck by lightning in 16thC and was renovated and repaired by Sikander Lodi. In the beginning of the 19thC, its top cupola tumbled down due to earth-quake and the repair works was carried out by British engineers. A minar next to a mosque is generally built to announce prayers but it is said that this minar, which was built as a victory memorial initially, doubled up as a prayer-call minar also with time as it gained height. Built over a period of more than six centuries under different dynasties and rulers from different religions, this minar is the finest example of mixed styles of architecture and this is the reason that every storey has its unique façade(or do I say `Unity in diversity and diversity in unity’)!
Iron pillar- This is a unique 7-meter high Iron pillar dating back to 4th century, bearing Sanskrit inscriptions and was brought from Vishnupada Hill and installed here in 12th C. The high content of phosphorus gives it a protective covering against rusting. It is said that if you can encircle this pillar with your hands by standing with your back towards the pillar, and make a wish, your wish is fulfilled.
Tomb of Iltutmish- Though the outer walls surrounding the grave are mostly damaged, and the dome is not there now, yet what remains on the facades, on the internal walls in particular, is still awe-inspiring and speaks of the rich Islamic architecture of that time.
Khilji’s complex with Alaud-ud-din khilji’s Tomb and Madrasa- This complex is in a dilapidated condition and only the ruins remain.
Alai minar-This was apparently an attempt to build one more Minar like Qutb Minar by Khilji but could never take shape as soon after the central solid core was erected for the first two floors, Khilji died.
I was not expecting such a visual treat in the form of so many beautiful structures. It took us almost two hours to see the complex with attention to all the details, and we were so mesmerised by the intricate sculpturing and the History of the complex that we found it difficult to leave the place. We actually went near the Qutb Minar to have a last dekho at least 8-10 times as if we were to leave behind something. We had to get out of the `spell’ and leave the place for good for our next destination.
We skipped going to Tughluqabad, the third city built by Ghiyasudin Tughlak on a rocky hill with a panoramic view of the city. We were told that nothing much of the fort, Ghiyasudin’s Tomb and Adilabad Fort is remaining now. So we went to Bahai’s Lotus Temple in Nehru Place instead. It is a uniquely designed structure in the shape of a lotus (pictures below) and is a very large centre for meditation. We could not experience and appreciate the meditation part as that requires some time and our mind was too active and focussed on the trip to calm down and go into meditation.
After visiting the Lotus temple we headed to Humayun’s tomb in Nizamudin. When we reached this place, we had a pleasant surprise in the form of Isa Khan Tomb enclosure, as we were not aware of its existence and therefore, it was not on our itinerary.(please see pics)
The tomb of Humayun is an elegant early Mughal structure. It is a large complex with symmetrically placed gardens on all four sides. Humayun had designed it as a public garden. It is situated in the centre of a sprawling plot, and is 90m/90m in size and of 38m height. After his death, his queen Haji Begum got his tomb built there. Now several Mughal royals, including Begum Haji’s bodies lie buried around Humayun’s tomb. This monument is also a World Heritage Site.
Our last destination of day-1 was Lodi Gardens and The Tomb of Sadarganj as these are close to each other and not very far from our place of stay.
The tombs of Lodi Garden (15th-16thC), Lodi Road- The tombs in Lodi Garden were built when the Sultan era was coming to an end. The walls were decoratively painted but the intricate stone –carving work arrived with the Mughal era. These tombs attract tourists with their antiquity and have one of the most beautiful gardens of Delhi surrounding them. The area is so thick with greenery that you can spot some rare and beautiful birds with their chirpings in the garden which is a treat to the eyes and ears of a modern city dweller.
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| Mohd. Shah Tomb in Lodi Garden |
Besides Sikandar Lodi’s Tomb, the garden has Mohd. Shah’s Tomb, Bara Gumbad mosque and Sheesh Gumbad no less in grandeur than the tomb. The beauty of the place and of Sheesh Gumbad has been described by Khushwant Singh in his latest novel `The Sunset Club’ in his own inimitable style. I could not help but envy the people of Delhi who walk and jog here every morning or evening with such beautiful structures in view. What a treat to the body and the mind!
The Tomb of Safdarjung (1774) - This splendid, tall tomb stands just across the T-junction of Lodi road, in the centre of an extensive garden and can be seen from the road itself. We just drove past Sadarganj tomb and admired the structure from the outside itself. With this we winded up our first day’s sight-seeing and went to our hotel to take rest and be charged for an equally hectic schedule the next day. In fact, we were able to relax in Lodi Garden itself, as it was already dusk and the serene environment of the garden proved captivating for our tired souls and feet.
On the second day we again started from the farthest point, but to the North of Delhi this time, the place where The Jama Masjid and The Lal Quilla are situated. As both these monuments are in Chandni Chowk and close to each other, we chose to start our day by visiting Jama Masjid.
Jama Masjid (1658 A.D.)- Built by Shahjahan, this is the largest mosque in India. It is built in the same style as Humayun’s tomb and has a sister mosque, called Badshahi mosque, in Lahore, Pakistan. It has three majestic white and black marbled domes covering the prayer hall and can accommodate 20,000 worshippers at a time. The climb to one of the minars gives one a view of awfully congested Old Delhi and its crowning glory, the historical Lal Quilla. My daughter climbed up the narrow, spiralling Minar to get the view while I had to stay behind because of my claustrophobia.
The Red Fort or Lal Quilla, 17th C- A colossal red-sandstone structure, it was built by Shah Jahan in 1638 to shift his capital from Agra (due to scarcity of water there) to Delhi and was the seat of Mughal Empire until the end. Inside there are many palaces built in marble with intricate carving and inlaid work. The fort is called Red Fort because it is fortified with a long and attractive red stone wall.
Diwan-I-khas is a special audience hall, a vast majestic palace with arches which once had the famous peacock throne embellished with rubies and diamonds in its centre. There is Diwan-i-am, Khas Mahal for the royals, Rang Mahal, and Mumtaj Mahal with many pavilions (chhatriyan) on them. One of the pavilions here bears the inscription in Pashtoon by the poet Firdaus, which when translated in English means “If there is a paradise on earth, it is here! It is here!! It is here!!!”
The sound-and-light show in the evening recreates the glory of India’s ancient history, the rise and fall of Mughal Empire.
In the past, Red Fort, Jama Masjid and the area around formed the seventh city, called Shahjahanabad with Chandni Chowk as its main market. We had planned to have our lunch at the famous `Paranthewali gali’ in Chandni Chowk. As we stood outside The Lal Quilla, looking across the road, the maddeningly crowded Chandi Chowk, we were dumbstruck and just could not gather courage to jostle for the place to reach the eatery (am sure we missed really amazing food!). We could see the peaks of historical Gurudwara Sheeshganj and Digambar Jain Temple across the street just behind one block. Despite the many temptations, we could not make it to the Chandni Chowk. Everything seemed so near but so far! All of a sudden there started a heavy downpour. Taking it as a cue from the rain gods, we abandoned our plan of going to the Chandani Chowk and called the cab to take us to Akshardham.
Swaminarayan Akshardham Complex - This is a 20st Century temple complex spread over 30 acres of land on the banks of the Yamuna River in East Delhi. It is a modern wonder which reflects the essence and magnitude of India’s ancient architecture and timeless spirituality. The colossal monument has been built in line with ancient Indian Vastu Shastra and is a marvel in pink stone and marble. It is a step forward to carry on Indian architectural tradition to the generations and centuries to come. The Rs.400 crore plus project by BAPS (Bochasanvasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha) has taken inspiration from Badrinath, Somnath and Konark temples for its carvings and motifs.
The main temple is 141ft high, 316 ft wide, and 370 ft long with many ornate pillars, scriptures and statues, eleven 72-ft high domes and ornately carved arches. A double-storeyed parikrama in the form of arched corridor encircles the monument like a necklace around it. The whole monument rises on the shoulders of about 150 huge stone elephants with a tall panchdhatu statue of Swaminarayan presiding prominently inside the temple. In nut shell, it is a must-see place!
The entry to the monument is free but there are tickets for the exhibition halls, robotic shows, I-max theatre and boat rides inside.
The place is the hottest tourist spot for the guests and Delhiites alike. It provides a very beautiful and serene environment for a day out on picnic too as its well-stocked food-court area takes care of the visitors’ gastronomic needs as well. After seeing the place and resting for sometime by seating under one of the arches of parikrama, where the cross air-breeze swept away our tiredness, we had a sumptuous meal at the food-court to our heart’s content and made up for the paranthas that we missed.
Post lunch, our destination was Lutyen’s New Delhi. We drove past Purana Quila as time did not permit us to see it at leisure. Moreover, our driver of the hired vehicle, a pleasant sardarji, discouraged us to go to the Quilla, as according to him, there was nothing left of the old Quilla and it was completely in ruins. It was built about a hundred years before the Red Fort by Humayun, on the site of Indraprastha, the capital of Pandavas. There is a Sher Mandal, a small octagonal, double-storey structure which was a library. I gathered that Humayun fell down the steps and died here in 1556. Just driving past Old Fort, we entered New Delhi and took Raj Path to reach India Gate.
India Gate is a war memorial arch, built in memory of 90,000 soldiers who lost their lives in WW I. The names of all those soldiers are inscribed on it and an eternal lamp, `Amar Jawan Jyoti’ is kept burning as tribute to all those martyrs. The India Gate is beautified by vast lawns which are open to public and a favourite place of Delhiites to relax and spend the evenings on the sprawling lawns. We did not spend much time at India gate as it was noon time and the monument was under renovation and being readied for the guests expected for the forthcoming Commonwealth Games.
The Raj Path from India Gate led us to Rashtrapati Bhavan at the other extreme end. The Raj Path lies perpendicular on Jan Path. It is at this cross- junction, that the other roads radiate in a hexagonal pattern and form the Connaught circus, the shopping hub for all. The Rashtrapati Bhavan was designed by Lutyens and is the pride possession of the Indian capital. One can drive straight up to the Bhavan but cannot Park the vehicle there as it is a high security zone. Rashtrspati Bhavan, formerly the residence of the British Viceroy, is the official residence of the President of India. Flanked on its sides by the North and the South blocks which constitute the Secretariat, Rashtrpati Bhavan has 340 rooms with the most magnificent Durbar Hall, the ceremonial hall for all official functions. It has a massive, beautiful Mughal garden which is open to public only twice a year.
In the vicinity, north-west of Vijay Chowk, is situated the huge, completely circular with supporting 144 pillars, the Parliament House or Sansad Bhavan. While driving past these structures we decided to make a quick visit to Birla temple as it was in the same area.
Birla Temple also known as Shree Laxmi Narayana Temple is one of the popular temples of the city and visited by a large number of local devotees everyday but I don’t think it is unique in any way for the tourists.
We decided to complete our journey by visiting a gurudwara and sought our driver’s advice for the choice as we knew that he would be the right person to guide us. We were not wrong. He took us to one of the most revered gurudwaras, Gurudwara Bangla Sahib in Connaught Circus, which is very large and beautiful. One thing I want to share here, is that in any gurudwara, you are very warmly welcome with a helping Kar-sevak to guide you around. The Kada-prasad or halwa tastes heavenly in the serene environment of a gurudwara. Having grown up in the company of Sikh-friends since my school and college days, and having been to gurudwaras often and having always relished the Kadah-prasad, this visit brought back the nostalgia of those days when we visited the place more out of greed for halwa than reverence !
The other places of my interest, which could not be a part of this trip due to time constraint, are Raj Ghat- the memorial to the father of our nation, Mahatma Gandhi, Iskcon temple, Jantar Mantar complex and the museums.
Important: View the picture album below to fully appreciate the tourney to Delhi.
P.S. Things to keep in mind while planning your trip-
Lotus Temple and The Red Fort are closed on Monday.
Safdarjung Tomb and Old Fort are opened only on Monday.
Rashtrapati Bhavan and its museum are open for visitors on Mon, Wed, Fri and Sat from 11am with visiting permission taken in advance. The `changing-of-the guard’ ceremony can be viewed from the gates, every Saturday morning.
There are no entry fees to places of worship and a nominal fee of rupees 5-20 at heritage sites which is charged by the archaeological Survey of India.
