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Saturday, August 17, 2013

Tourist Attractions in New Delhi

New Delhi is one of the most historic capitals in the world.  So there are lot of tourist places of attraction in New Delhi.  This article gives the details of the tourist attractions of New Delhi.

The Old Delhi has attractions like monuments, mosques which represent Indian history.  Some of the important places of interest at old Delhi are Majestic Red Fort.  New Delhi has many Government buildings apart from places of historical interest.   The Qutub Minar, Red Fort and Humayun's Tomb are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.  Here is a list of tourist places in New Delhi.

Tourist Attractions in New Delhi


There are lot of tourist places of attractions in New Delhi to explore and visit.  New Delhi is an international city with excellent tourist attractions and historic places.  New Delhi is one of the dream city of visitors looking for handicraft items.  There are lot of places of tourist interest and it is very difficult to decide from where to start exploring the city.  Let us now see some of the interesting places of tourist attraction in New Delhi.

India Gate :   India Gate is situated along the ceremonial Rajpath avenue ( means King's way) in New Delhi.  India Gate is constructed as a memorial and was built in the memory of 9,000   Indian soldiers who laid down their lives in World War I.  The shrine in the middle is constructed with black marble and shows a rifle placed on its barrel, crested by a soldier's helmet.  You can see the words "Amar Jawan" ( in Hindi meaning immortal warrior) inscribed on each face of the shrine.  The India Gate is 42 meters high and a popular relaxation area during evenings.  It is also a popular picnic spot during winters.  India Gate was designed and constructed by Lutyens who is an architect who designed Government buildings in New Delhi.  Celebrations are made every year on Republic Day.    The army men and other citizens who are awarded walk through the Rajpath.  The India Gate is a must visit place in New Delhi. 

Red Fort The Mughal emperor Shah Jahan has built the Red Fort.  Red Fort is popularly known as Lal Quila and represents the true splendor of Mughal court.   The walls of the Red Fort are 2 Kms. long.  This Fort is built in Old Delhi.
 
The Red Fort is made out of marble and well designed. The Red Fort was built by Shah Jahan in 1638 when he decided to shift his capital from Agra to Delhi.  The walls of Red Fort are 33 meters above the ground level and built by Red Sandstone.  The walls were designed to keep out the invaders.  The main gate of Red Fort is the Lahore Gate is one of the emotional and symbolic focal points of modern India and attracts major crowd on Independence day.

The construction of Red Fort by red color sandstone gave it the name as Red Fort.  It took 10 years to complete the construction of the Red Fort.  The Fort has a perimeter of 2.5 kilo meters. Various sections in the fort were built according the specific functions.  The "Deewan-e-Aam" is a hall built for general public to interact with the emperor.  "Deewan-e-Khas" is another hall made of natural stones used for private meetings of the emperor.  The "Hammams" is the bath place specially built for the royal family.  "Shahi Burj" is another place where the emperor's office was built.  "rang Mahal" is a special place built for the wives of the emperor.

 "Naqqar Khana" is another place in the fort where musicians would play music specific to the particular time of the day.  The Red Fort is used for addressing the nation on the Independence day of India by Prime Minister of India each year.

Red fort is in Nethaji Subhas marg.  The nearest metro station is chandni chowk.  The entry fee for Indians is Rs.10 and Rs.250 for foreigners.  You need to pay Rs.25 if you want to take video in Red Fort. Monday is closed for visitors.   The sound and light show is an attraction in Red Fort which starts at 6 PM and the ticket amount is Rs.80.  

Rashtrapati Bhavan The Rashtrapati Bhavan is  the eminent monument of British Empire which is said to be the palace of Viceroy of India.  This is the best known monument of India next to Taj Mahal and Qutub Minar.  

The Rashtrapati Bhavan is  built with a mix of western and Indian styles and was originally for the Governor General of India.  The building was inaugurated in 1931 as Viceregal Lodge, the name was changed in 1950 after India became Republic.  

The Rashtrapati Bhavan is the official residence of President of India.  This is the real master piece which was built during the British period.  The total cost of construction of this building crossed £1,253,000 in British India. Rashtrapati Bhavan was designed by Edwin Lutyens and the construction work began in 1911.  It took 19 years to complete.  Lord Edwin, the then Viceroy and Governor General of India was the first to live in this building in 1931.

The dome like structure on top of Rashtrapati Bhavan is known as Chuttri.  The front of the Rashtrapati Bhavan on east side has 12 unevenly spaced columns with the Delhi order capitals.   In the north block, there is a separate wing for the Viceroy and another wing for the guests.  There is a Durbar Hall at the center of the main part of the palace under the main dome.  The dome of the hall measures 22.8 meters in diameter.  You can see the Viceroy's throne in this hall. Today, the Durbar Hall is the major venue of all official ceremonies of the Indian Government such as the oath taking ceremony by the Prime Minister, the Cabinet and the Members of Parliament. The Arjuna Awards for Excellence is also presented in this hall of the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

Rashtrapati Bhavan has the following:
  • The State Drawing Room
  • The State Ball Room
  •  The State Library
  • The State Dining Room
  • The Private Apartments
You can see the wonderful Mughal Gardens to the west of Rashtrapati Bhavan which is open to public in spring.  You can reach this building by a taxi or auto rickshaws.