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Location North
India
Famous As The Capital Of India & It's
Administrative Center
Main Attractions Qutub Minar, Red Fort, Lotus
Temple
Best Time To Visit October To March
Delhi - the capital of India, is also its seat of
power. One of India's fastest growing cities, Delhi
has spread far beyond the "seven cities",
created between the 13th and the 17th centuries. It
has sprawled over the west bank of the river Yamuna,
straddling the river. Remnants of the glorious past
survive cheek - by - jowl with soaring skyscrapers,
posh residential colonies and bustling commercial
complexes. Delhi has some of the finest museums in the
country. Its boutiques and shopping arcades offer
access to a wealth of traditional and contemporary
crafts, from all over the country.
Delhi has specialty restaurants to please the gourmet,
sprawling parks and gardens ablaze with flowers, and
in the winter months, a variety of cultural events.
The myriad faces of the city are simply tantalizing,
and entice the curious traveller into a fascinating
journey of discovery.
PLACES TO
SEE IN DELHI
India
Gate
India Gate is a majestic high arch, 42 meters
high, built as a memorial to the Indian soldiers
killed in the World War I. Beneath it burns an eternal
flame. From the base of the arch one can get a good
view of the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Red
Fort /Lal Qula
Delhi's most magnificent monument, the Red Fort, was
built by Emperor Shah Jehan, in 1638 A.D. Enclosed in
this glorious Fort is Diwan-i-am, the hall meant for
public audiences
Jama
Masjid
Situated in the ancient town of Old Delhi, the Jama or
Jami Masjid is the final architectural extravaganza of
the Mughal Emperor, Shahjahan. This monument was built
between 1644 and 1658 by five thousand artisans.
Qutub
Minar
Spearing its way proudly into the sky, Qutub Minar
with a height of 72.5 mts commands a panoramic view of
the green fields extending into a sprawling city. The
Qutub Minar was built as a victory memorial by the
Muslims who captured Delhi. Minar is the root of the
English word "minaret" meaning "Little
Minar" or pillar.
Lotus Temple
Baha'i Temple, is known
as one of the most beautiful architectural temples in
India. Popularly called Lotus Temple as it is built in
the shape of a Lotus flower and reaches a height of more
than 40m. It was completed in 1986 and one can enjoy its
exquisite beauty even from a kilometre distance, at
night. The House of Worship is surrounded by nine large
pools of water that not only enhance the beauty of the
building, but also play a significant role in the
natural cooling system of the prayer hall. An adjunct of
the main building is its ancillary building which houses
offices, a conference hall, a library and an
audio-visual room.
The common characteristic of Bahá’i Houses of Worship
is that they are all nine-sided. Nine is the highest
digit and symbolises comprehensiveness, oneness and
unity. Within the prayer hall only the Holy Scriptures
of the Bahá'í Faith and earlier Religions are read or
recited, according to arranged programmes. At other
times, all are welcome to meditate and pray in silence.
No lectures are permitted, nor any rituals performed in
the prayer hall.
The Laxmi Narayan
Mandir
The Laxmi Narayan Mandir
(temple) built by B.D. Birla is a modern Hindu temple
dedicated to Laxmi (goddess of wealth) and Narayana (the
preserver). It was inaugurated by Gandhi with the
stipulation that it should be open to all castes
(including the untouchables) and all faiths, so it is
more welcoming to foreigners than the average temple.
After visiting so many ancient Hindu temples, it was fun
to see a modern functioning one. The whole temple was
quite garish, and noisy with chants over the loud
speaker system, but it was also strangely peaceful. In
the garden there was a tree wound with colored strings,
and two women were praying at the foot.
History
This temple was built over a six year period (1933 -
1939) and was opened by Mahatma Gandhi.
Temple Architecture
The highest tower in the temple reaches a height of 165
feet while the ancillary towers reach 116 feet. The
Geeta Bhavan, a hall is adorned with beautiful paintings
depicting scenes from Indian mythology. There is also a
temple dedicated to Buddha in this complex with fresco
paintings describing his life and work. The entire
complex, especially the walls and the upper gallery are
full of paintings carried out by artists from Jaipur in
Rajasthan. The rear of the temple has been developed as
an artificial mountainous landscape with fountains and
waterfalls.
Significance
This is one of the landmarks in the nation's capital New
Delhi. It was built in the 20th century by the Birla
family of industrialists known for its many other
temples in India. It is modern in concept and
construction. It attracts several devotees and
international tourists. The presiding deity here is
Lakshmi Narain (Vishnu).
Other Shrines in the temple
Durga and Shiva are the other major deities housed in
this temple. Mention must be made of the Buddha temple
in this complex. Access and Accommodation: Accomodation
is available in the temple guest house for out of town
travellers especially for international scholars
pursuing knowledge in Sanskrit or in the Hindu religion.
ISKON Temple
Built in 1998, the temple complex of Iskcon stands
at Hari Krishna Hill, Sant Nagar Main Road, East of
Kailash. The magnificent temple has 'Shikharas' at a
height of 90-feet above the ground level. The hall of
the temple is centrally air-conditioned with a capacity
to accommodate about 1,500 people.
There are beautiful paintings of Russian artists on the
different past times of Radha Krishna, Sita, Ram, Laxman,
Hanuman and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Special programmes
like Kirtan, Aarti, Pravachan and Prasadam are held
every Sunday between noon to 3.00pm.
The temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna and was built by
the Hare-Rama Hare-Krishna cult followers. This complex
is elegantly built and is one of the largest temple
complexes in India. The main attraction of the temple is
the Robot who enacts and preaches the Gita.
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)
was initially raised as a spiritual society in New York
to Propagate the message of the Bhagwad Gita. It was
founded by Swami Prabhupada. In India there are about 40
ISKCON temples.
Other Famous ISKCON Temples In India
ISKCON Temple, Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh :
Upon his return to Vrindavan in 1977 Prabhupada entered
into Samadhi Mandir (memorial) in his honour. It is
located within the premises of the Krishna-Baldev Temple
in Vrindavan. Beautiful paintings depicting the life of
Lord Krishna adorn the galleries leading to the main
temple. ISKCON devotees from various parts of the world
can be spotted manning the library or ISKCON book stalls
and partaking in temple rituals with gay abandon.
At Vrindavan the ISKCON society also runs a boarding
school on the lines of a Gurukul with classes being run
from I to VII. A Gurukul is a holistic kind of
educational system whereby students and teachers live in
the same complex so students may learn by observing the
teacher. There are guest houses for devotees within the
premises so they may take part in the day to day
activities of the temple.
Gurudwara
Bangla Sahib
Near Connaught Place in New Delhi, a vast and
magnificent building that once belonged to Raja Jai
Singh of Amber now stands stately Gurdwara Bangla Sahib,
in memory of Guru Har Krishan ji. Guru Har Rai ji had
two sons, Ram Rai was elder and the younger Har Krishan.
Ram Rai had displeased his father on account of his
manifesting miracles despite strict instructions not to
do so as it was against the Sikh faith. Guru Har Rai ji
had thus ordained Guruship to his younger son Har
Krishan. Through a cunning and crafty design, the
deranged and distraught Ram Rai involved Emperor
Aurangzeb against the succession. The Emperor ordered
Raja Jai Singh to get Guru Harkrishan ji to see him in
Delhi. The Raja was a great devotee of the Sikh Guru's
and he knew the true story of the succession too. The
Raja instead of presenting the Guru before the King,
made him his own guest. It so happened that at time
Delhi was inflamed with the epidemic of smallpox and
people in large gatherings had been visiting the Guru
continuously. The Guru thus could not escapee the attack
of smallpox and he left for his heavenly abode in 1664
at the tender age of just eight. It is at this place
where the Guru breathed his last and the big palace was
converted into an inspiring Gurdwara now known as
Gurdwara Bangla Sahib, which is a sacred place for
pilgrimage with the Sikhs.
Jantar
Mantar
Jantar Mantar is an astronomical observatory with
masonry instruments, built in 1724 by Jai Singh, the
mathematician and astronomer king. The Samrat or Yantra
supreme - the largest structure shaped like a
right-angled triangle, is actually a huge sun-dial; the
other five instruments are intended to show the
movements of the sun, moon, etc.
Purana Qila
One does not have to go far to see the Old Fort or
Purana Qila standing amidst wild greenery. Popularly
known as Purana Qila, the citadel of 6th city of Delhi,
stands over an ancient mound believed to be the site of
Indraprastha of the Mahabharata period.
Humayun's
Tomb
Another magnificent Mughal building, the tomb of the
emperor Humayun was built by his wife in 1565-66. Set in
a square enclosed garden, the finely proportioned
structured in red sandstone and marble served later as a
model for the Taj Mahal.
Parliament
House
This circular shaped colonnaded building houses the two
Houses of Parliament- the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
Its domed Central Hall is 90 feet in diameter.
Rashtrapati Bhavan
A must visit are the colonial architectural grandeur,
the exquisitely designed Rashtrapati Bhavan was
completed in the year 1929 to serve as Viceroy’s
residence. The palace like building is a blend of Mughal
and Western architectural styles. Another attraction
over here is the lovely Mughal Garden, occupying 130
hectares of the area and is open to the public in
February.
Raj Ghat
On the banks of the river Yamuna is the Raj Ghat where
the father of the nation Mahatama Gandhi was cremated in
1948, soon after India attained it freedom.
National Museum
A comprehensive collection of antique crafts, stone
carvings and artifacts. Some of them dating back to the
period of Harappa & Mohanjodaro. The museum shows
what ancient India was all about.
The National Rail
Museum
The National Rail Museum is a fine outdoor museum having
a range of locomotives and carriages ranging over the
150 years of the railways in India. The biggest
attraction over here is a toy train, which takes
children for a tour around the museum.
National Museum of
Natural History
Here the focus is on ecology. Various galleries take
visitors through the gamut of earth's natural resources.
The museum also has activity rooms for children to play
and learn.
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