à The Red Fort or Lal Qila as it is more popularly known is a masterpiece of architecture and one of the most haunting spots for tourists from both India and abroad. Before the mutiny of 1857, the fort presented an altogether different picture from what it presents today because only about one-fourth of the imposing structure is accessible to visitors with the rest of the area being under the control of the Indian Army, which continues the occupation begun after the uprising of 1857 was suppressed. In 1858, a large number of palaces in the fort were demolished, many of the taikhanas (basement rooms) sealed and massive barracks constructed for the soldiers.
Before 1857, the fort was a mini-city with palaces, offices, workshops and halls of audience where about 3,000 people lived, yet today more than 10,000 visitors come to savor the magnificence of the building everyday.
There are 15 distinct structures within the fort with the first being the Lahore Gate and the last one the Moti Masjid.The Lahore Gate of the palace is veiled by the barbican added by Aurangzeb, a Mughal emperor. The gate is from where the Prime Minister addresses the nation and unfurls the National Flag on August 15, Independence Day.
The entrance of the Gate leads through a long covered bazaar called the Chatta Chowk.From Chatta Chowk follows the Naqqar Khana(Drum Room) also called Naubat Khana or the Welcome Room, which earlier formed part of a square enclosure with apartments for the umrah (Nobles) on duty. It was at this point that everyone other than the Emperor had to dismount from their elephants and walk towards the magnificent Diwan-e-Am(hall of public audience) where the Emperor used to listen to the grievances of the common man.
The Naqqar Khana is 49 feet high with an open arched hall at the top which served as a music gallery from where the strains of music filtered down to welcome the Emperor or to bid him a safe journey.The War Memorial Museum is housed on the first floor.The Diwan-e-Am is built of red sandstone and is set atop an impressive plinth. The southwest and northwest corners of the pavilion are articulated by small chhattris.
After 1857, an ornamental panel depicting Orpheus was dismantled, but it was restored at Lord Curzon's initiative at the beginning of the 20th century. The Diwan-e-Am was originally gilded with elaborate stucco work. However, today only the shell of the magnificent structure can be seen. Along the eastern wall of the fort and commanding a scenic view of the Yamuna River was spaced out the private realm of the Emperor.
The Yamuna in those days flowed past the walls. The remains of the palaces exist today in the form of Mumtaz Mahal, Rang Mahal, Khas Mahal, Diwan-e-Khas, the hammam and the Shah Burj from where originated the Nahar-e-Bishisht ( Canal of Paradise) which flowed in a channel through these buildings.
The Museum of Archaeology, which has artifacts salvaged from the royal palace, is housed in the Mumtaz Mahal. Rang Mahal (Palace of Colors) gets its name from its painted interior. The northern and southern sections were called Sheesh Mahal ( Sheesh-mirrors and mahal- palace).Embedded in the ceiling which reflected lights in fascinating multiplicity, were embedded in the ceiling. This, with its basement, was the palace of the royal ladies. Khas Mahal( Emperor's Palace) has special rooms for private worship and for sleeping. It was small and elegant and had a fine marble screen at the north end which carried a motif of the scales of justice which are seen in many miniature paintings of Shahjahan's time.
A marble balcony, which once projected over the banks of the Yamuna and once the river changed its course it was from this place that the Emperors used to present themselves for public appearance. Perhaps the most elegant part of the fort is the Diwan-e-Khas (hall of private audience) and it is almost like an undetachable part of the history of the Mughal Empire.
In 1739 the hall witnessed Nadir Shah receiving the submission of Emperor Mohammed Shah, and depriving him of his most valuable treasures including the famed Peacock Throne. It was again here in May 1857 that Indian soldiers declared Bahadur Shah Zafar, the Emperor of Hindustan. The throne was set on a high impressive plinth along the rear wall and its flat ceiling supported by a series of engrailed arches, was gilded in sliver and had some of the finest pietra dura work and paintings.
Over the corner arches is inscribed the couplet of Firdaus, the poet in Shahjahan's court which when translated from Urdu means:" If there is a paradise on earth, it is here, it is here, it is here". The hammam (bathing area) has three chambers with a fountain in the middle of the one in the centre. It also has pietra dura work on the walls. Shah Burj was a place where the emperors held private conclaves and it is in a secluded point.
Besides the conclaves, the emperors would also relax in privacy pondering over various issues. Moti Masjid (Pearl Mosque) was a private masjid and was added by the emperor Aurangzeb. The masjid, with three domes in perfect proportion give it a rare look of elegance. To the north of this masjid is the Hayat baksh, a Mughal garden built by Shahjahan. While at the southern and northern ends are the Sawan Bhadon pavilions in the centre of the garden is the grand Zafar Mahal.
A sound and light show is held every evening giving an idea of the Mughal history, both in Hindi and English. The timings for summer Hindi 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. and English 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. and for the winter they are in Hindi 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. and English 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.The entrance charge is Rs. 20.

 

à Qutub Minar: After the Red Fort is the most sought after spot by tourists who come to Delhi.It is 72.5 metres high and one has to climb 379 steps to get to the top.The diameter of the base is 14.3 metres while the top floor measures 2.7 metres in diameter.After an accident some years ago in which many schoolchildren died, no one is permitted to go inside the minar.The minar was said to have been built to celebrate the victory of Mohammed Ghori, the invader from Afghanistan, over the Rajputs in 1192 and it was partly completed by his viceroy, Qutabuddin Aibak ( 1192 -98), the first sultan of the Slave dynasty.After his death, the rest was completed by Iltutmish, another Muslim King.It stands just outside the central courtyard of Quwwatul Masjid and it was meant to function as a minar so that the muezzin could call the faithful to prayer and also as a symbol of the military might of the Turko-Afghan slave dynasty.Lightning knocked off the uppermost floor in 1368, it was left to Firozshah Tughlak to restore and also add two floors, which introduced white marble in the otherwise red and buff sandstone exterior. In the early 19th century, an earthquake destroyed the crowning cupola which was replaced by an English engineer, Major Smith. But it looked so out of place that the then Governor-General, Lord Hardinge, ordered its removal. Today it stands on the lawns close to the minar.

 

à Humayun’s Tomb: This excellent piece of architecture was said to have been the major idea that is said to have inspired Shahjahan to construct the wonderful, Taj Mahal at Agra.The red and white building has a close resemblance to the Taj Mahal. The inspiration for construction of the tomb came from the death of Humayun and was a tribute to his memory from his widow, Haji Begum in 1565-66. Its unique character lay in the fact that the Begum was said to have spent million and a half rupees on its construction. The grandeur of the building is visible at once when one enters through the lofty double-storied gateway. The tomb is set in the centre of a huge square garden enclosed by high walls on three sides while a river could have been its fourth boundary. The garden is divided into four parts by wide causeways and water channels with each square divided into smaller squares by pathways as is common with all Mughal era gardens. The fountains were worked with simple yet highly developed engineering skills which were common to India in those days. To enter the tomb's chamber one has to come through the south entrance while the other three sides are covered with mesh wire in white marble. In the quietude of the central chamber lies the tomb, though the actual resting place of Humayun is directly beneath in an underground chamber. Several members of the Mughal royal family lie buried in the mausoleum and many tombstones are seen on the terrace.


à Rashtrapati Bhavan, the official residence of the President of India, nestled on the magnificent Raisina Hill, was built as the residence of the Viceroy during the British rule. The first occupant of the palatial building with 340 rooms was Lord Irwin. Designed again by Lutyens, it has a large court and a garden which is open to the public for a short while in February when the flowers are in full bloom. The garden is terraced and resembles the Mughal Gardens in Srinagar, Kashmir.
Lying under the main dome is the elegant Durbar Hall which is the venue for all the official functions of the President. The columns at the front entrance have bells carved into them and Lutyens designed them with the idea that since the bells could not make sounds, the British rule would never come to an end. If they could make sounds, then that would mean the end of the Empire which he did not want.
The Durbar hall served as a museum for several years until the building which now houses the National Museum was constructed. Every Saturday between 10.35 a.m. to 11.10 a.m. in winter and 8.30 a.m. to 9.15 a.m. in summer the President's Bodyguard changes guard and this can be seen from outside the gate. One wishing to visit the building can do so by contacting the deputy Military Secretary to The President. The only points one can visit are the Durbar Hall, Ashok Hall, the Dining Room and the Mughal Gardens.

à India Gate, a majestic structure, 42 meters high, is set at the end of Rajpath, perhaps the most beautiful area of New Delhi with plush green lawns in the backdrop. It is a popular picnic spot during the winters and equally popular as a relaxation area during the summer evenings. Designed and built by Lutyens, it was originally called All India War Memorial in memory of the 90,000 Indian soldiers who died in the campaigns of World War I, the North-West Frontier operations of the same time and the 1919 Afghan Fiasco. On the walls of the structure are inscribed the names of all the soldiers. An eternal flame called Amar Jawan Jyoti that runs on gas was lit in 1971 to honor the martyrs. During the night, it is intensely floodlit and the fountains nearby are lit up with colored lights. Close by is the canopy which once became controversial and under whose red sandstone roof was the marble statue of King George V which has been shifted from there. The canopy was also designed and built by Lutyens.

à Jantar Mantar: The fabled Connaught Place area created and envisioned by the legendary architect, Lutyens, boasts of an observatory of yore in the form of Jantar Mantar.According to the rays of the Sun falling on it, it helped the people calculate to some extent the time of the day. Jantra (yantra-meaning instrument) and mantra-formula) was built in 1724 by Maharaja Jai Singh of Jaipur, who later built observatories on the same lines in Jaipur, Ujjain, Varanasi and Mathura. According to historical records, the Maharaja found the then existing astronomical instruments to record totally accurate observations and so he decided that such bigger structures should be constructed. The instruments at Jantar mantar are fascinating for their novel approach, though as of today, they cannot be relied upon to give the kind of accuracy that they gave then because of the growth of multistoried structures around it which block the avenues of measurement. At one time the lawns in the area were used as a spot for protestors who found it convenient to reach Parliament House from there. But recently a host of them were removed from there and the area restored to its pristine glory.

 

à The Dilli Haat, located opposite the INA Market, is a project jointly set up by the New Delhi Municipal Council and Delhi Tourism. One of the primary objectives of setting this complex was to provide marketing facilities to rural artisans. All kinds of goods made by such artisans are displayed at intervals during the tear. Aside from this, there are permanent shops reflecting the kind of goods made in various states of the country. It is an ideal place to spend some time while admiring the greater array of handicrafts, jewellery, garments and artifacts representing the workmanship of almost all parts of the country. Those interested in folk arts could find this spot a real entertainer.

 

 

 

 

à Bahai’s Temple Is a very recent architectural marvel of the Bahai faith and is visible from several spots in south Delhi. Located in Kalkaji in the south of Delhi, it is lotus shaped and has rightly been given the name. It is made of marble, cement, dolomite and sand. Timings: Summer: 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m., Winter: 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Monday closed