Delhi : Heart of India
Delhi – The Capital of India
The generic term Delhi covers the entire metropolis with almost 18 million inhabitants. Politically and historically correct, the country’s second largest city after Mumbai has been officially called Dilli again for a few years. Today’s Delhi consists of two clearly separated parts: Old Delhi, with its typical oriental narrow streets, bazaars, and historical monuments, and New Delhi, which was laid out symmetrically as a planned city by British architects Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker in 1931.
In the present urban area of Delhi, there were important cities long before our era. Around 1200 BC, the legendary metropolis of Indra-Prastha was located here, which was the first of a total of eight capitals in what is now Greater Delhi. In the 12th century, Islamic conquerors invaded Delhi. Prithviraj, the last Hindu king to rule Delhi, was killed in a battle in 1192. Muslim rulers ruled from that time until British colonial rule. Allah-ud-Din built his capital Sirri in the 12th century, which was followed by Tughlaqabad, Jahanpanah in the 14th century, and later Ferozabad, capitals three through five. Emperor Sher Shah established Purana Qila, the sixth capital, near present-day India Gate in New Delhi. Finally, under the reign of Mughal Shah Jahan in the 17th century, the city named after him, Shahjahanabad, came into being, which roughly corresponded to present-day Old Delhi and has been preserved in large parts. For many centuries, invaders repeatedly invaded the city. The conquest of the Persian emperor Nadir Shah (1739) was particularly momentous. Under him the city was totally plundered. Then in 1803 the British came and claimed Delhi for themselves. When the British moved the capital of British India from Calcutta to Delhi in 1911, they began to build New Delhi, the eighth and for the time being last capital, within a few years.
Old Delhi (Shahjahanabad) : The City of Mughal Empror Shahjahan
Old Delhi is the district enclosed by the 17th century city walls and can only be entered through the city gates. Within these walls are the Red Fort, the Jama Masjid mosque built by Shah Jahan, bazaars, narrow alleys and the famous Chandni Chowk street.
Red Fort : Lal Qila
This massive structure was begun in 1638 under Shah Jahan and completed in 1648 after only 9 years of construction. Since 2007, the Red Fort is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Surrounded by a 2.4 km long wall built of red sandstone, the fort is modeled after the Red Fort in Agra and has an octagonal base shape. The Mughal emperors used the Red Fort as a residence until 1857, when the British expelled the last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, and demolished many structures in the fort in favor of barracks and barracks. The massive Lahore Gate is today’s main entrance to the fort. Inside the vast complex are a wide variety of structures, including elephant fighting grounds, numerous palaces, a bath and a mosque. Above the entrance of the Diwan-i-Kha, the audience hall of the Great Mogul, is written: “If there is a paradise on earth, it is here, here, here”. These words of the builder, Shah Jahan, were not exaggerated – even if today only a faint reflection of the original splendor remains. The reason for the decay was, among other things, the looting in 1739 by the Persian ruler Nadir Shah and in 1857 by the British soldiers. The most valuable pieces that fell into the hands of Nadir Shah were the famous Kohinoor diamond and the legendary Peacock Throne. He took both with him to Persia. There is also little left of the precious stones and jewels that once adorned the walls. However, the palaces still contain very beautiful marble work.
Chandni Chowk : Bazaar
Across from the Red Fort stretches the bazaar district of Chandni Chowk, a model of typical Indian crowds and chaos, but at the same time of incredible color and variety. There are many small stores and workshops here, merchants and craftsmen of all kinds, as well as Chaat shops. At the eastern end of the street, near the Red Fort, is a Jain temple; at the western end is the Fatehpuri Mosque, built in 1650 by one of Shah Jahan’s wives.
Jama Masjid : This great mosque (the mosque of Friday)
The Jama Masjid in Delhi is the largest mosque in India and one of the last architectural extravagances allowed by Shah Jahan, the Mughal emperor who also built the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort in Agra. In 1644, construction began on the Jama Masjid, whose courtyard seats 25,000 worshippers. The mosque has three large entrances, four corner towers and two minarets 40 meters high, built of alternating layers of red sandstone and white marble. The southern tower can be climbed, and from there I have a good view over Delhi. Visitors must be dressed conservatively, otherwise they keep long robes for tourists to put on. Photo fee – Rs.300 and entrance only without shoes . Women must wear a gown, which is given to them at the entrance, and men must be covered with long trousers and sleeved shirts.
Raj Ghat : Memorial of the Father of the Nation
At Raj Ghat, on the banks of the Yamuna River, a simple ashlar of black marble commemorates the place where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated after his assassination in 1948. Every Friday, a memorial service is held here in honor of the peace teacher and spiritual father of India. Two museums dedicated to Gandhi are located nearby. India’s first prime minister, Jawahrlal Nehru (1964), and his daughter Indira Gandhi were cremated just north of here at Shanti Vana (Forest of Peace). The area is now a beautiful park with trees planted by a number of diverse celebrities, including Queen Elizabeth II, Dwight Eisenhower and Ho Chi Minh, Barack Obama.
Humayun’s Tomb : In the Memory of an Emperor
Humayun was the second Mughal emperor (1508-1556). His tomb, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was built in the mid-16th century by Haji Begum, Humayun’s widow,
Humayun’s widow. It is an example of the architecture of the early Mughal period and also served as a model for the Taj Mahal in Agra. The very well preserved red sandstone mausoleum with its brilliant white onion dome is Delhi’s oldest Mughal tomb and is one of the city’s most magnificent historic structures. The facades were ornately decorated with marble inlays and four large arched portals lead to the plain interior, under which lies the actual burial chamber. The surrounding gardens, with numerous small watercourses and fountains, also contain the tomb of Humayun’s wife, made of red and white sandstone and black and yellow marble, and, more unexpectedly, the tomb of his barber.
Qutub Minar “victory tower”
The Qutab Minar is a 72.5-meter-high victory column whose construction began immediately after the subjugation of the last Hindu kingdom of Delhi in 1193. It symbolizes Islamic rule over the city. The Victory Column has five stories, each marked by a balcony, and tapers from 15 meters in diameter at the base to only 2.50 meters at the top. The first three floors are made of red sandstone, the fourth and fifth of marble and sandstone. However, since there was once a panic with several deaths during a visit by a school class, visitors are no longer allowed to climb the tower. At the foot of the Victory Column is the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque, India’s first mosque. An inscription above its east entrance provocatively proclaims that it was built from stones of 27 destroyed “idol (read: Hindu) temples.” Also noteworthy is a 7-meter-high iron column in the mosque’s courtyard: it dates from the 4th century, does not rust, and is therefore a marvel of ancient Indian metallurgy. It is said that a wish will come true if you manage to embrace it standing with your back to it.
New Delhi : The Capital & a union territory of India
New Delhi, with its wide boulevards, large parks and shady avenues, and colonial architecture, stands out today from the cityscape of other Indian metropolises that have experienced less planning in their development. When the British chose New Delhi as India’s new capital, the city was initially developed on the drawing board under the direction of architect Edward Lutyens starting in 1929. The result is spacious, expansive, and still surprisingly functional compared to many other planned cities of the 20th century, despite the large shadeless areas. This part of the city is home to much of the government buildings and also most of the embassies.
Parliament House : Sansad Bhavan
The Indian Parliament, now known as “Sansad Bhavan”, covers a floor area of more than 20,000 square meters and presents itself from the outside as a circle of 144 columns with a floor above and a central dome. Inside the building are three circular plenary halls. The Chamber of Princes met here until India’s independence. The Parliament was a fundamental part of New Delhi’s urban planning. From here, you can draw a straight line along Parliament Street, right through Connaught Place, and up to the center of Jama Masjid.
Rashtrapati Bhavan : The Official Residence of The President
The government palace “Rashtrapati Bhavan” was not completed until 1929 and, despite its classical columns and Mughal-style chatris and domes, bears an unmistakable British signature. The H-shaped, salmon-colored building was designed by Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker for the British viceroy. It was a symbol of imperial power, with some 2000 clerks and servants working there in colonial times. In 1947, India’s formal independence from England was accomplished here, when the English Viceroy Mountbatten handed over the power of government to J. Nehru. Since then, the Rashtrapati Bhavan has been the official residence of the President of India.
India Gate : A War Memorial
A four-kilometer-long, dead-straight boulevard, the “Raj Path,” leads from the Rashtrapati Bhavan in the north to India Gate. This 42-meter-high triumphal arch, which resembles the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, bears the names of 70,000 Indian Army soldiers who died during World War I and in the 1919 war in Afghanistan. In the evening, the illuminated India Gate is a popular meeting place for locals. Then there is almost something like a folk festival atmosphere here, there are souvenir sellers and snake charmers, drink and food stalls.
Connaught Place : Commercial And Business Centres
Connaught Place is the hub of New Delhi and a popular business center. It has been laid out in a circular fashion, with four ring roads leading concentrically around it and cht arterial roads radiating away from it. Stores and offices are housed in magnificent white buildings with column-supported arcaded walkways. Connaught Place hosts an immense tourist offer, a large number of hotels and restaurants and life bubbles here day and night.
Jantar Mantar : An Astronomical Observatory
The Jantar Mantar open-air observatory in Delhi was the first of several observatories built by the ruler of Jaipur, Maharaja Jai Singh II. It is located between Connaught Place and the “Rashtrapati Bhavan” and has been almost unchanged since its construction in 1724. The giant red and white stone structures are enlargements of astronomical devices in use at the time. By means of the shadow cast by a gigantic sundial, for example, the time could be determined with admirable accuracy. Other instruments were used to determine the solar and lunar calendars, the course of the stars, or to predict solar eclipses.
Lotus Temple : House Of Worship
This temple, built in the shape of a lotus flower, belongs to the Bahai religious community. The building, which has won numerous architectural competitions, was completed in 1986. The architect was the Iranian Fariborz Sahba. Surrounded by nine water basins, nine access doors open to a large, 40-meter-high white marble worship hall. The Lotus Temple is one of the most popular tourist destinations in New Delhi, visited by more than four million people a year, or about 13,000 people a day.
Akshardham Temple : Swaminarayan Temple
The Akshardham Temple in New Delhi is the newest of the capital’s religious monuments. Construction began in 2000 and although the temple complex was opened only in 2005, it is already known worldwide. Since December 2007, the temple has an entry in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest Hindu temple complex in the world in terms of area. The inspiration to build this contemporary architectural marvel came from Pramukh Swami Maharaj, leader of the Hindu sect Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha. The temple is set in a spacious park with many fountains and water features , so one of the highlights of the temple tour is a ten-minute boat ride. However, photography of the temple is not allowed and cameras and bags must be deposited in the entrance area of the huge complex. Entrance to the main complex is allowed only without shoes.