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 Delhi
is one of the most historic capitals in the
world and two of its monuments - the Qutab
Minar and Humayun's Tomb - have
been declared World Heritage Sites.
It is also one of the greatest capitals. For
the visitor, it serves as a perfect
introduction to the cultural wealth, the
complexities and the dynamism of India which
Jawaharlal Nehru likened to " an
ancient palimpsest on which layer upon layer
of thought and reverie has been
inscribed".
A tour of New Delhi usually starts with a
visit to India Gate, the War Memorial
situated at the east end of Rajpath.
Designed by Lutyens, it commemorates more
than 70,000 Indian soldiers who died in
World War I. The arch (43 m high) stands on
a base of Bharatpur stoe and rises in
stages. Under the arch is the Amar Jawan
Jyoti, commemorating the Indian troops lost
in the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971. Nearby the
Secretariats stand on both sides of Raisina
Hill, now called Vijay Chowk. North Block
houses the Home and finance ministries,
South Block the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
These long classical buildings, topped by
Baroque domes designed by Baker, were
derived fro Wren's Royal Naval College at
Greenwich.
Rashtrapati Bhavan
At the opposite end of Rajpath stand the
official residence of the President of
India, the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Completed in
1929 to serve, as viceroy's residence the
palace-like building is a blend of Mughal
and Western architectural styles, the most
obvious Indian feature being the huge copper
dome. Maintenance of the 340 rooms and the
extensive gardens of the Bhavan require
hundreds of servants. The lovely Mughal
Garden, occupying 130 hectares, is to
the west and is open to public in February. North of Rajpath is Sansad Bhavan,
the Indian Parliament building, a circular
colonnaded structure. Permits to visit the
parliament and sit in the public gallery are
available from the reception office on
Raisina Road. On Janpath just south of
Rajpath, the National Museum has a good
collection of Indian bronzes, terracotta and
wood sculptures dating back to the Mauryan
period (2nd-3rd
century BC), exhibits from the Vijayanagar
period in South India, miniatures of the
Mughals, and tribal costumes. The museum is
definitely worth a visit and is open from 10
AM to 5 PM everyday except Mondays. A small
entry fee is charged.
Business Center
The business and shopping hub of New Delhi
is Connaught Place, lying at the northern
end. It's a vast traffic circle with an
architecturally uniform series of colonnaded
buildings around the edge mainly devoted to
shops, airline officers and the like. A
short stroll down Snasand Marg leads to
Jantar Mantar, Maharshtra Jai Singh's
observatory, constructed in 1715. It is
dominated by a huge sundial known as the
Prince of dials. The Lakshmi Narayan Mandir
or Birla Temple, not far away, is one of
Delhi's few striking examples of Zhindy
architecture.
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