Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Day 1- Delhi


Day 1
What better place to start, than  through the Heart of India. You guessed it right!! We will be visiting New Delhi or Delhi which is the capital of India.

How to reach here:
By Air: India Gandhi International Airport (DEL)  is the main gateway to the international and Domestic air traffic.
By Rail: There are five major railway stations- New Delhi Railway station, Old Delhi railway station, Nizamuddin Railway station, Anand Vihar Railway terminal and Sarai Rohilla.
By Road: Delhi is connected to rest of India through major expressways.

Best time to Visit:
October to March

Languages spoken: Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu and English

Must Eat: Gol gappas, Chaat papri and Kulche

Famous Restaurants: Bukhara, Pierre, Chor Bazaar, Moti Mahal, Aka Saka, Top of the Village, United Coffee House, Karim's Hotel.

Places you must visit:

Yogmaya Temple is one of the very ancient Hindu temple of  goddess Yogmaya, sister of Krishna. It is one of the five surviving temples from Mahabharata period.


Red Fort is a 17th century  fort constructed by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. This fort lies along the Yamuna river.


The Bahai house of worship also known as Lotus Temple due to its flower like shape. It is a gathering place where people of all religion can worship God without any restrictions.


Rashtrapati Bhavan is the official residence of the President of India. It is a large mansion with four floors and 360 rooms and built on an area of 200,00 square feet.



Parliament House also known as Sansad Bhawan is situated at the end point of Sansad Marg.It is a circular structure designed by Herbert Baker and was opened in 1927.It has 247 pillars with broad corridors.It is a place where the world's largest Democracy functions.



Supreme Court of India came into existence on January 26, 1950. It is the highest court in India



India Gate is a prominent landmark and commemorates the 90,000 soldiers of the Indian Army who lost their lives while fighting for the British army in World war II.



Raj Ghat is a memorial to Mahatma Gandhi.It is a black marble platform that marks the spot of Mahatma Gandhi's cremation on 31st January 1948.It is left open to the sky while an eternal flame burns perpetually at one end.


Qutub Minar was constructed with red sandstone and  marble and it is one of the tallest Minaret in India.The construction was commenced by Qutb-ud-din Aibak in 1192 and completed by Iltutmish. 


Akshardham  is a Swaminarayan Hindu temple complex. It is constructed entirely from Rajasthani pink sandstone and Italian Carrara marble.The building was inspired and moderated by Pramukh Swami Maharaj.


Jantar Mantar  consists of 13 architectural astronomy instruments built by Maharaj Jai Singh II of Jaipur.
File:Jantar Delhi.jpg

Humayun Tomb was built by Humayun's widow Hamida Banu Begum . It later established a standard for all the Mughal monuments.
File:Humanyu.JPG


Jama Masjid is the largest and the best known  mosque in India.It was commissioned by Mugal Emperor Shah Jahan.The courtyard of the mosque can hold up to twenty-five thousand worshipers.
File:New Delhi Jama Masjid.jpg


Purana Qila situated on the banks of Yamuna in the heart of Delhi was constructed by the Mughal Emperor Humayun. Later it was renovated and named Shergarh by the Afghan emperor of India Sher Shah Suri.The city of Indraprasth(founded by Pandavas from Mahabharat period) existed within the fort walls.
File:Purana Qila 03.jpg


Tughlaqabad Fort is a ruined fort in Delhi which was built by Ghias-ud-Din Tughlaq, the founder of the Tughlaq dynasty, of the Delhi Sultanat of India in 1321.According to the history, Ghiyas-ud-Din was very passionate about building this dream fort, so he dictated that all laborers of Delhi should work on his fort.Due to which Saint Nizamuddin Auliya , a sufi mystic, got incensed as the work of his well was stopped.So the saint utterd a curse to the emperor which was to resonate throughout history right until today: Ya rahey hissar, ya basey gujjar ( may the fort remain unoccupied/infertile, or else the herdsmen may live here).
File:Tughlaqabad Fort, Tughlaqabad, Delhi.jpg


Laxminarayan Temple also called as Birla Temple was built in honor of Goddess Lakshmi  and God Vishnu by Baldeo Das Birla in 1933.
File:Birla Mandir Delhi.jpg














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