Road
Map of DelhiDelhi
Delhi, India's capital and a major gateway to the country, is a bustling metropolis which successfully combines in its fold the ancient and the modern. Cobbled lanes meandering to shadowed havelis, winding drives leading to colonial mansions, cramped shops tucked away in dark corners, glass-fronted emporiums opening onto shaded corridors __ and above all, a vibrancy in the air as people from all over the country employ their native enterprise in heralding the 21st century.Built on the ruins of seven (some claim 15) cities whose fortunes rose and fell with time, India's capital in its eighth avataar is just as clearly the seat of government as Washington is. First impressions yield snapshots of imposing, even monumental, buildings; serried rows of bungalows; huge, tree-lined avenues; and a succession of official white Ambassadors that have not quite been displaced by the influx of newer, shinier cars. Delhi is fiercely hot in summer, surprisingly cold in winter (especially for those accustomed to central heating in their home countries) and moody in between.
The British intended New Delhi to be the architectural jewel in the imperial crown when they made the decision to shift the capital from Calcutta to Delhi in 1911. Byron described New Delhi, particularly the Rajpath-Raisina Hill area, as "the shout of the imperial suggestion - a slap in the face of the average man with his second-hand ideals". Between 1911 and 1931, Sir Edwin Lutyens, supported by Herbert Baker and a cohort of architects, worked to build a monument to British India's organisational skills that was destined to house the British for only the next 16 years. Lutyens' contempt for Indian architecture, which he regarded as an oxymoron, dictated his architectural style, replete with columns and domes, and employing much pink sandstone from Rajasthan.
Planned
as an imperial
Champs-Elysee, Rajpath's vastness and breadth dwarfed its inspiration and turned
into an interesting, unique hybrid. Lined with ornamental canals and lawns that
are now increasingly pressed into use for political and other meetings, Rajpath,
formerly known as King's Way, is an impressive 4½ km long avenue. It sweeps
from the Indira Gandhi National Sports Stadium at one end to Rashtrapati Bhavan
at the other. Rajpath plays host to the annual Republic Day Parade; on less
ceremonial days, the lawns are usually crowded in the evenings with families
out on a stroll. Along its length are dotted various buildings and monuments
of interest. The National Museum and National Gallery of Modern Art are both
located in this area.
A day spent in the National Museum -- with Jawaharlal Nehru's Discovery of India in hand, perhaps -- is as good an introduction to the history of India as you are going to get in eight hours. There's a whole range of stuff here from the Neolithic stuff that came out of India's first urban civilisations at Harappa, Mohenjo-Daro and Lothal among other sites. (This period is roughly described as the Indus Valley Civilisation.) The collection of Pahari minatures in breath-taking; so is the collection of Naga masks, Gupat terra cotta scultptures, Chola bronzes, and Buddhist images. Not to be missed. (Tel: 3019272)
The National Gallery of Modern Art
(Tel: 3382220).
The large
square where Rajpath broadens as it meets Raisina Hill is called Vijay Chowk,
and this is where the Beating The Retreat ceremony is held every year on January
29, with massed bands gathering in the gloaming to honour an unforgettable tradition.
It is capped by Rashtrapati Bhavan, rising up on the crest of Raisina Hill.
To the left and the right on the Hill are the impressive and practically identical
Secretariat buildings-North and South Blocks-designed by Herbert Baker. The
Imperial touch is evident, as Dalrymple records, in the inscription that Lutyens
ordered to be set above the gateway of the Secretariats: "Liberty will not descend
to a people; a people must raise themselves to liberty. It is a blessing which
must be earned before it can be enjoyed."
This is where several of the more important ministries are housed, including
the Prime Minister's Office, the Home and Finance Ministries and the Ministry
of External Affairs. Monkeys appear to have made themselves at home within the
corridors of power as well, and apocryphal stories abound of files rendered
missing by simian agency, or of peons feeding sick monkeys cups of tea. They
do not, however, interfere with the running of official business. Central Hall,
in North Block, is open to the public.
Though
Rashtrapati Bhavan disappears suddenly from sight as you walk up Raisina Hill,
thanks to an architectural mishap that Lutyens always referred to as his "Bakerloo"
and that Baker's acolytes denied he was responsible for, the erstwhile Viceregal
Lodge is still an impressive sight. Though the official residence of the President
of India is not open to the public, visiting permits are issued on occasion
by the Deputy Military Secretary to the President.
The Iron Gates in front were copies by Lutyens from a pair he saw and liked
in Chiswick. Lutyens designed a large court in front-the Durbar Hall, which
was intended to be the Throne Room and which still plays host to the two gold
and crimson thrones that were designed for the Viceroy and the Vicereine. The
Hall hosts most important state and ceremonial occasions, and its central position,
right under the copper and sandstone dome, highlights its importance. At the
back are the terraced Mughal Gardens, built on three levels, with the third
level planted with flowers that were intended specifically to attract butterflies.
The Mughal Gardens are open to the public every February; an announcement of
the exact dates is usually made in the local newspapers.
The rest of the four-and-a-half-acre sprawl is occupied by other gardens, courtyards,
official residences and buildings, and banqueting halls. Collectively, the buildings
and gardens that make up Rashtrapati Bhavan occupy more space than Versailles.
Cathedral Church of the Redemption, Church Road
Visitors
to Venice are not mistaken: this church, consecrated in 1931, derives both name
and inspiration from Palladio's
Church of Il Redentore. Intended to be the centre of Anglican worship for the
British officials of the day, it is today the diocese of the Bishop of the Church
of Northern India. The memorial tablets and plaques within the church include
one to the architect, Henry Medd.
(Tel: 3015390, 3015360).
The observatory
built by Sawai Jai Singh II of Jaipur in 1724 has a wonderful story attached
to it. Muhammad Shah 'Rangila', the emperor at the time, was also a keen astronomer
who was dissatisfied with the inaccuracies existing instruments of measurement.
He commissioned Sawai Jai Singh II to build five observatories-in Jaipur, Ujjain,
Mathura and Varanasi, aside from Delhi-with instruments that were so large and
so completely fixed in position that the readings from them would be error-free.
A competent guide will show you the Ram Yantra, which reads the altitude
of the sun, the complicated and multi-functional Jai Prakash Yantra (Jai
Singh II's invention) and the giant-sized sundial called the Samrat Yantra.
The observatory is rarely used these days; though the instruments are in working
order, the high-rises that surround the structure stand in the way of accurate
observations and readings. Office workers can be spotted relaxing on their lunch
breaks in the grounds; and it is a popular spot for protestors of various persuasions.
The observatory in Jaipur is in far better order, but the Jantar Mantar is still
well worth a visit.
Gurdwara Bangla Sahib, GBS Road
One
of the most important sites of worship for Delhi's thriving Sikh community,
this is an imposing structure in white with gilt-topped domes. The Sikhs are
renowned for their charity; the langars (free servings of food) held
here during festivals and on days sacred to the Sikhs are legendary. It is built
on the spot
where the eight Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Harkrishan Dev, stayed when he visited
Delhi in 1664. The nearby tank is said to have been blessed by him, and is treated
with reverence even today.
Hanuman Mandir, State Emporium Road
Just opposite the state emporiums is a temple devoted to one of Hindu mythology's best-loved figures-Hanuman, the monkey-king who befriended Rama, went to Sita's rescue when he was kidnapped by Ravana, and set Lanka on fire with his tail according to myth. Outside the temple, the pavements are crowded with sellers who hawk a variety of goods from perfectly legal offerings of flowers for the devout to offer inside and perfectly illegal offerings of ganja, or marijuana, which is officially banned in India.
Ugrasen ki Baoli, off Hailey Road
Just before the embassy of Malta, turn left on Hailey road into a little, unmarked lane. The remains on an old stone wall can be spied; the baoli, or stepwell, lies behind. Legend has it that Raja Ugrasen built it in the 14th century to provide water and shelter for travellers, but the construction appears to be from the 15th century.
Laxmi Narayan Mandir, Mandir Marg
Named after
the Duke of Connaught, Connaught Place was designed in a deliberate attempt
to resuscitate memories of Bath. It's essentially a series of white concentric
structures that culminate in a central garden. Once one of the largest shopping
and tourist complexes in Delhi, CP has lost much of its lustre. But it still
attracts many tourists, and hosts several airlines offices, the Cottage Industries
Emporium and the state emporia in addition to other places of business. Though
Connaught Place has officially been Rajiv Chowk and Connaught Circus Indira
Chowk since 1995, in memory of the mother-son Prime Ministerial duo, locals
still refer to it as CP.
Safdarjung's Tomb, Race Course Road
The most imposing of the tombs are to the south of the tomb of Sikandar Lodi-the
Bara Gumbad and Sheesh Gumbad ("big dome" and "mirrored dome" respectively).
The Athpula, or eight-piered, bridge near the South end road entrance
is supposed to have been constructed in the 17th century. It's one of the most
attractive and one of the safest parks in Delhi and is frequented by joggers,
walkers and random enthusiasts.
Nizamuddin Dargah, Mathura Road
Sheikh Hazrat
Nizamuddin Auliya, who gave his name to the dargah, the complex and the residential
area here, was one of the best known of the Sufi saints. Though he died in 1325,
the disciples who flocked to him during his lifetime dubbed him a "zinda
pir" or living spirit. The dargah is alive and vibrant to this day; a narrow
alley leads to the saint's grave. Every Thursday, devotees gather at the marble
pavilion near the grave after 6 pm to sing devotional songs and qawwalis.
Women are not permitted to go beyond the outer verandah, but may watch the proceedings
from behind a lattice screen. The graves of Jahanara Begum and the poet Amir
Khusrau are also located here, as is the legendary baoli (stepwell) constructed by the
saint. The basti located here ensures that the
monument is never desolate, and that the hubbub of daily life continues among
the prayers. In April, for three days that shift according to the lunar calendar,
the birth and death anniversary of Nizamuddin Auliya is celebrated, attracting
pilgrims from all over India.
Humayun's Tomb, off Mathura Road
The second of the great Mughal emperors, father to Akbar, is said to have knelt on the library steps as he heard the muezzin's call, slipped and broken his neck. His tomb, built in 1565, is one of the finest of the Mughal structures, set in the centre of a square and typically Mughal garden enclosed by high walls on three sides. The tomb itself is surmounted by a white marble double dome and featuring intricate and detailed trelliswork. The gardens surrounding it are still reasonably maintained, though the Yamuna that formed their fourth boundary no longer flows this side. The graves include those of Humayun's wives and that of Dara Shikoh, one of Shah Jahan's sons: but in the place of honour is the unadorned white marble sarcophagus that marks the spot where Humayun's body is buried in the basement underneath.
An oasis
of sudden and surprising calm amid the din of traffic on the Mathura road and
the bustle of crowds at nearby Pragati Maidan, the Purana Qila is one of Delhi's
most impressive and oldest ruins. The Old Fort is believed to have been under
near-continous occupation since 1000 BC. In that time, it has witnessed the
construction, abandonment and destruction of several of Delhi's avataars -- some say that the Purana
Qila will outlast modern Delhi as well. Indraprastha, the mythical capital of
the Pandavas in the Mahabharatha, was said to have stood here; this is where
Humayun planned the building of Dinpanah, only to be ousted by Sher Shah Suri;
Sher Shah, in turn, added new structures, strengthened the citadel and called
it Shergarh.
Like Humayun's tomb, the Purana Qila originally stood alongside the Yamuna,
but the river has changed course ever since. Its three gates -- the Humayun
Darwaza, Talaqi Darwaza and Bara Darwaza -- still form the main entrances to
the fort today. Buildings of interest include the Sher Mandal, used by Humayun
as a library where he tripped on the staircase and fell to his death and the
Qila Kuhna Masjid, built by Sher Shah, which fills in the gaps between Lodi
architecture and Mughal architecture.
The nerve
centre for India's exhibitions covers a stupendous 150 acres and features pavilions
from all the Indian states. Trade fairs, auto expos and exhibitions are a regular
feature here all year round; two theatres, somewhat run down, screen Indian
and foreign films; and of late, food centres ranging from a Food Court to Domino's
Pizzas have sprung up here.
Busier than the Kali temple in Mandir Marg, this is one of the most active temples in the city. The legend goes that a farmer built the temple after discovering that his cow wasn't yielding enough milk because she was offering it to Ma Kali, or the goddess Kalka. Historians say the temple was built in the mid-18th century by Raja Kedarnath, though it has been added to and refurbished several times since by rich merchants and traders. The approach is crowded and bustling with edge-to-edge stalls; the 12-domed temple is always crowded during the daily services and on festival days. The image of Kali here, sheltered by silver umbrellas, is more abstract than usual, and it is worth contrasting this later image with the older and less prettified icon in the Kali Bari.
Completed in 1986, it derives its more popular name from the white marble structure
in the shape of an opening lotus. It is sacred to members of the Bahai sect
of Persia, who have a strong following in India, but is open to general members
of the public during hours of worship as well providing they keep the peace.
The surrounding 25-odd acres of greenery add to the serenity; the 1,300-seater
auditorium dwarfs worshippers and curious tourists alike. Though it's possible
to make a flying visit here, it's recommended that you spend a while here just
to get the feel of the atmosphere.
Open Tuesday to Sunday from April to September from 9 am to 7 pm, and from October
to March from 9.30 am to 5.30 pm.
(Tel: 6444029)
Moth ki Masjid, South Extension, Part II
Miyan Bhuwa, Sikander Lodi's Prime Minister in the 15th century, is said to have built this delicate, gracious mosque after Sikander gave him a moth, or lentil grain. The grain was planted and the crops that sprouted from it were so plentous that they funded the mosque. Or so legend says. The moth could not preserve him from the ire of Sikander's successor, Ibrahim; Miyan Bhuwa ran afoul of Ibrahim and was put to death a few years after his masjid came up.
The huge tank that had been built by Alaudin Khilji was resurrected by Feroze
Shah, who constructed many buildings on the banks of the tank. His tomb, a madrasa
where scholars debated once upon a time, and a ruined mosque still stand; and
from the balconies of some of the more fashionable restaurants, you can view
the now-dry tank that once provided enough water for a small town. On the approach
road to Hauz Khas is the Chor Minar, a tower that has now collapsed into rubble.
The holes in the wall are not all caused by the depredations of nature -- they
were built for the specific purpose of housing the heads of thieves, the beheadings
employed as a deterrent to other would-be criminals.
To visit
Delhi without seeing the Qutb Minar is like visiting New York and missing out
on the Statue of Liberty. Kitsch or not, it's a pilgrimage that has to be made.
The Minar itself, at an imposing 72.5 m, the world's highest single tower, was
intended to be a commemorative pillar of victory, commissioned by Qutbuddin Aibak
after he had vanquished the Rajputs. Construction began in his reign, in 1193,
and was completed by his successor Iltutmish. The 13th
century dargah of the Sufi sant Qutubuddin Bakhtiyar is at the heart of a complex
that was added to several times after his death. It now lies right in the middle
of the Mehrauli bazaar, and includes several supplementary structures such as
the Jogmaya Temple, from where the flower-sellers embark on the annual procession
known as the Phoolwalon ki Sair. Nearby are the graves of several later
Mughal emperors-the mortal remains of Bahadur Shah I and Akbar II, for instance,
are interred here.
About 11
km away from the Qutb Minar stand the massive ruins of Tughlaqabad Fort, built
with such skill and speed over four years by the craftsmen of Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq
that most of the ramparts are still intact, seven centuries later. Tughlaq's planning
was meticulous -- the grids where houses were laid out still exist, though the
houses do not. The ruins of the Vijay Mandal can be seen, but little else remains
beyond a forest of interlacing arches that hint at the complexity of the city-fort.
The fort complex is not within walking distance, and it's advisable to hire a
car. 
This was
the gate from which the royal families would leave Delhi every year in the summer,
heading for the cooler climes of Kashmir. On 14 September, 1857, at the height
of the Revolt, the British mounted a desperate attack in a bid to wrestle Delhi
back from the Indians. The short stretch between Kashmiri Gate and the GPO saw
much action. As history and the nearby memorial records, the British did win through
and did win the Empire back-as it turned out, for less than a century.
In 1800,
a 22-year-old lying wounded on a battlefield vowed to build a church if he survived.
James Skinner rose later to become a Colonel in the East India Company army, the
legendary commander of Skinner's Horse; he built his church several years later,
in the shape of a Greek cross and at the cost of Rs 80,000. 
No signposts or plaques herald the Old Residency, which is a little hard to locate. Once the hub of British high society, at the turn of the 19th century, it is now a dilapidated mansion, painted a shade of pink that clashes oddly with its original architecture. Before the British moved in, the structure was a library constructed for the pleasure of Dara Shikoh, Shah Jahan's bookish son; the British added pillars and a verandah when they moved in around 1803, with Sir David Ochterlony as the first Resident. Dara Shikoh's library, having survived the onslaught of time, did not survive the Revolt of 1857. The Archaeological Survey of India now occupies the premises; ironically, its books are stored in the room once used by Dara for his own.
The grave
of Brigadier General John Nicholson is on the right hand side, along a path on
an incline. The man who was reputed to display the severed heads of criminals
on his desk, like eccentric paperweights, was a brilliant fighting man. He was
shot in the back while leading an assault on Lahore Gate, the main entrance to
the Red Fort, during the Revolt and took 10 days to die, aged 35. The cemetery
is neglected, the walls broken in many places, but the graves are looked after
to some extent. Besides Nicholson's grave are the graves of other soldiers who
died in the Revolt, of British children who succumbed to the heat or to disease.
Open from 10 am to 5 pm.
Nearby in the grounds of the Hindu Rao Hospital is another kind of memorial
-- a double-storeyed house built in the time of Feroze Shah Tughlaq and known
as Pir Ghaib. The pir or holy man who meditated on the premises is reported
to have unaccountably disappeared, or become ghaib, one day, hence the name!
Both the Northern Ridge and The Ridge itself are still beautiful, but increasingly
suffering from encroachments. A large chunk of it has been preserved as the
Buddha Jayanti Park and is a pleasant, if secluded, place. Within the park,
an ornamental island hosts a large, gilt-layered statue of the Buddha; every
May, Buddhists gather here to celebrate Buddha Jayanti.
One of
the gates of old Shahjahanabad, Ajmeri Gate has lasted for over 300 years and
is only now beginning to show the effects of pollution. It rears up in the middle
of one of Delhi's most congested localities. A stone's throw away from Ajmeri
Gate is the Zeenat Mahal, built in 1846 as a home for the wife of Bahadur Shah
Zafar, the last Mughal emperor. On the other side of Ajmeri Gate is the madrasa of Ghazi-ud-din-in the late
17th century, one of the most important centres of learning in the East. Students
still learn their lessons at the mosque here and Delhi's Zakir Hussain College
was located on the premises until fairly recently.
Named after
a Muslim pir, Hazrat Shah Turkman Bayabani, Turkman Gate's solid mass still commands
attention among the more modern buildings around it. Not far from this gate is
the tomb of the only woman to rule medieval Delhi, Razia Sultana. She was a competent
ruler, but her gender made her a trifle more susceptible to revolt, and was killed
in 1240 while attempting to flee Delhi. Her grave is a plain structure, unattended
and almost forgotten. Also in Daryaganj is the charming Ghata (Cloud) Mosque,
so named because its striped domes recall the clouded-over monsoon sky.
The site
of Mahatma Gandhi's cremation is the one essential stop for all visiting heads
of state, and still draws hundreds of Indians every year who mourn for the Mahatma.
The memorial is simple, as befitted a man who eschewed the trappings of power:
a black marble platform inscribed with the last words he spoke: He Ram.
The ruins
of Ferozabad, the palace complex built by Feroze Shah Tughlaq, are sparse. A few
ramparts and the partial ruins of the mosque where Timurlane was said to have
said his Friday prayers, the Jami Masjid, are all that remain.
