TOURISM: New Delhi tourism

Showing posts with label New Delhi tourism. Show all posts

Thursday, September 15, 2011

National Zoological Park

National Zoological Park is a place for children and adults near the Old Fort. You will be surprised by the abounding bird life and animals. Some of the rare White Bengal Tigers, giraffes, rhinoceros and a variety of endangered species are housed here. You can get to know more about the wild inhabitants from the Park’s library. Set eyes on some of the rarest snakes housed in the underground Reptile Home complex.

National Railway Museum

http://www.dave-ford.co.uk/Photos/Railway_Museum04.jpg

National Railway Museum at Chanakyapuri is a delightful place to spend some time with the family. It has a huge collection of old trains, royal carriages and locomotives of bygone era, especially the luxury Prince of Wales Saloon, Maharaja of Mysore's Saloon, Maharaja of Baroda's Saloon and Vice regal Dining Car when the trains used to run on coal. Here are a few trains that are more than 100 years old. One of the first steam engine that traveled the Indian sub continent is on display there while a mini train that runs through the entire complex, providing a glimpse on the evolution of the railways.

ISKCON Temple

Built 11 years back in 1998, the ISKCON temple in New Delhi is one of the biggest temple complexes in India. The temple can be found in the east of Kailash at the Hari Krishna Hill. International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) was started in 1966 by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada to spread the Hare Krishna movement. As a part of the movement, various temples were constructed throughout the world to encourage people to follow the “bhakti yoga” and devote their life to Lord Krishna.

This massive temple at Delhi, built by the Hare Krishna cult followers, has shrines erected at a height of 90 feet above the ground. There is a centrally air-conditioned hall in the temple that can accommodate about 1500 devotees at one go. Inside the complex, a museum is also there, which runs multimedia shows daily to explain the teachings of Ramayana and Mahabharata to the guests. One of the special attractions of this place is the “Gita” chanting robot, which preaches and enacts verses from the holy book. The timings of the temple are 4.30 a.m. – 12.30 p.m. and 4.00 p.m. – 9.00 p.m.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Fatehpuri Mosque

http://www.hotels-new-delhi.com/gifs/fatehpuri-masjid-delhi.jpg

Apart from the lip smacking traditional cuisines available here, Chandni Chowk is a tourist’s delight with numerous places to see within a short distance. Fatehpuri Mosque known to be constructed by Shah Jahan’s wives and Sunheri Mosque from where Nadir Shah ordered his army to plunder and massacre the people of Delhi.Historically, Chandni Chowk has always been a market for all goods ranging from jewelry, gems, clothes and other products.

Raj Ghat

A visit to Delhi without paying homage to the final resting place of Mahatma Gandhi is not possible. Raj Ghat was built to honor the memory of Gandhiji and this cenotaph draws millions of people all through the year. Black marble platform marks the cremation spot of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948, while a small flame burns ceaselessly at one corner. Well landscaped sprawling lawns surround the platform, while a stone alleyway leads to the memorial that is inscribed with his last words “Hey! Ram”; All visitors are required to remove their footwear before entering the complex.

Jama Masjid

The Masjid-i Jahan-Numa, better known as Jama Masjid, is one of the primary attractions of Old Delhi. Located in the busy central street of Old Delhi, in the Chandni Chowk area, the construction of this mosque was completed in 1656 AD. This beautiful construction was the result of the effort put in by 5000 workers, over a period of 6 years. According to the historians, the cost of the construction was 10 Lakh Rupees. At any given time, the front yard of the mosque can hold up to 25000 worshippers.

Built under the rule of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, this mosque is the most popular and largest mosque in India. Shah Jahan is also known in the history for his other two notable constructions namely Taj Mahal in Agra and Red Fort in Delhi.

Chandni Chowk

One of the most notable places in Delhi that cannot be missed is the chaotic Chandni Chowk, very close to Jama Masjid and Red Fort. Even with increasing traffic and disorderly congestion, Chandni Chowk retains its flavors. Long back, it was a beautiful place with fountains and gardens.

Lotus temple

One of the most beautiful specimen’s of modern architecture is the Lotus temple, a symbol of Bahai faith. It was completed in 1986 under the guidance of the Persian architect from Canada, Fariborz Sahba. Located in Kalkaji, the whole temple has been constructed out of milk white marble in the shape of a lotus. The temple is open to people of all religion and is more of a meditation hall. It is well known for its prayer sessions. Visitors are required to maintain silence inside the premises and entry is free for all.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

India Gate

India Gate, considered to be a national monument, is one of the largest war monuments in India. This 42 metre tall monument, built in the memory of the World War 1 martyrs (i.e. British soldiers), can be located on Rajpath in New Delhi. This magnificent architectural marvel was designed by British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens. The construction was completed on February 1921.

Since 1971, a flame was lit in a shrine under the arch of India gate to commemorate the deaths of unknown soldiers. This flame, which burns continuously, was named as Amar Jawan Jyoti. The black marble cenotaph of the shrine was constructed with a rifle placed on its barrel and on top of it, rests a soldier's helmet.

Old Fort

Another must-see place is the Old Fort or the Purana Quila. The fort is a mute testimony to the uneasy co-existence of the Mughals and the Afghans who were in power at that time lived in. You can have an interesting time visiting the library and the observatory. With four large gateways, with the stone cut geometric patterns still clearly visible. One of the gates leads to River Yamuna, while a huge serene lake is perfect to enjoy a boat ride.

Qutb Minar

http://i1.trekearth.com/photos/40000/qutub01.jpg

One of the most important sightseeing places in Delhi is the Qutb Minar, which is the tallest brick minaret in the World at 72.5 m. Spelled also as Qutub and Qutab minar, this beautiful monument is located in the Qutb Complex of Delhi. Several other important ruins of ancient and medieval structures are also present in the complex. This complex was listed in the UNESCO Heritage site list and got the distinction of India’s most visited attraction in 2006 surpassing Taj Mahal by a huge margin of 13 lakh visitors.

The construction for this minaret was started in the year 1193 AD by the first Muslim ruler of India, Qutb-ud-din Aibak. However, due to his untimely death, it was his successor Iltutmish who completed the construction. The last storey of the tower was completed by Firuz Shah Tughluq, known for several other constructions in Delhi, in 1386.

Red Fort

The Lal Quila or Red Fort was built by the famous Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. This 360 year old architectural masterpiece, located next to Chandni Chowk, is completely built with red stone. Red fort was the epitome of the power of Mughal Empire. Shah Jahan laid the foundation of Red Fort after he shifted his capital from Agra to Delhi. Red Fort was also called Qila-i-Mubarak, which literally means the "blessed fort". It was the official residence of the royal family.

Red Fort also has a significant place in Indian history. It was here the British Empire beheaded Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal Empire marking the end of Mughal Empire and the start of British rule after the Revolt of 1857. This is also a significant place in the Indian freedom struggle as many famous speeches were made in Red Fort. Today Red Fort is one of the most important tourist attractions in Delhi, only half of the fort is opened for public which includes beautiful palaces, gardens etc.
The important buildings in Red Fort are Diwan-i-Aam, Nahr-i-Behisht, Zenana, and Moti Masjit. Presently, on the Independence Day every year the Prime Minister of India addresses to public from the Red Fort.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Labels