Touring the City of Delhi (New Delhi, India)

Delhi is the capital of India and the third largest city of India. Delhi and Mumbai are the main cities used for international travel. You can even call them twin cities-Old Delhi and New Delhi. Old Delhi was the capital of India during the Muslim rule from the 12th to the 19th century. New Delhi was created later under the British imperial rule.

Delhi promises everything for a tourist: historic sites, divine retreats, heritage, tourism, theme parks, museums, gardens, galleries, film festivals, great shopping and more

Temperature (deg C.): Summer - Max.41.2, Min.21.4; Winter - Max.33.7, Min.6.8.

Languages Spoken: Hindi, English and Bengali in some parts.

Best Season: September to March.

National Gallery of Modern Art - This gallery has some of the best collection of both Indian and colonial artists (

National Museum - This has lovely collection of bronzes, terracotta and wood sculptures and is worth visiting

Indira Gandhi Museum - This museum was the former residence of Indira Gandhi, which was converted into a museum after her death

Tibet House - This museum contains artifacts from Tibet that was brought by Dalai Lama when he fled Tibet

CraftsMuseum- It houses lovely collection of traditional Indian crafts in wood, metal, ceramic and textiles.

RailTransportMuseum- It houses exotic collection of railway engines.

NehruMuseum and Planetarium - Once the residence of Jawaharlal Nehru, this museum gives an insight into the Independence movement.

Red Fort - The Lal Quila is one of the monuments constructed by Shahjahan. It stands as a symbol of grandeur and pomp of the Mughals.

Lahore gate - This is the main gate to the fort and gets its name from the fact that it is facing towards Lahore. It is from here that the Prime Minister addresses the crowd every year on the Independence Day.

Diwan-i-Am - It is the public hall where the emperor would sit and hear the complaints of his subjects.

Diwan-i-Khas - This is a private hall, where the emperor held private meetings. This also housed the famous Peacock Throne and other very precious gems.

Moti Masjid - Built by Aurangzeb for his safety.

Jama Masjid - This is perhaps the last of the buildings constructed by Shahjahan. It is the largest and one of the oldest of mosques in India.

Feroz Shah Kotla - It is the remains of the old city Ferozabad erected by Feroz Shah Tughlaq.

Raj Ghat - This is the site where father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi was cremated. Just near this place, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Sanjay Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi were also cremated.

Connaught place - It is a business and tourist centre.

India Gate - This arch shaped gate bears the name of more than 85,000 soldiers of Indian army who died during World War I, the Afghan Fiasco and northeast frontier operations.

Jantar Mantar - This is an observatory that was constructed in 1725 by Maharaja Jai Singh.

Rastrapathi Bhavan - This was viceroy's residence before Independence. Now the official residence of the President of India. Inside are the Mughal gardens. Open to public only in FEB

The tomb of Nizam-ud-din-Qutab Minar - This is a soaring tower whose construction started in 1193 was complete in 1368. It is the tower of Victory, which was built after the last Hindu king was defeated. Qutab-ud-din started the construction, but could finish only the first storey. Rest was completed by his successors. Today the structure stands their except for the slight tilt and it is no longer possible to go up the tower.

Quwat-ul-islam Masjid - This is the first mosque to be built in India. It was built by Qutab-ud-din and a number of additions have been made since then. Iron pillar is in the courtyard of the mosque. It has been there long before the mosque's construction. The iron used is of very pure quality and it has not rusted in its history of 2000 years.

Purana Qila - The fort was constructed by Sher Shah during his reign between 1538 to 1545. The fort has three large gate ways and massive walls. There are quite a number of tombs that one can visit, but the main being the Tomb of Safdarjung and The Tomb of Humayun.

Hazrat Nizamuddin

Entering the Nizamuddin neighbourhood is like stepping into a time machine which instantly transports you to the Middle Ages. Located in South Delhi, the tomb of HAZRAT NIZAMUDDIN AULIA {1236-1325} is one of Sufism’s holiest shrines. Hazrat Nizamuddin was the fourth saint of the Chishti order. This Sufi saint espoused a policy of renunciation and tolerance. It is said that, in 1303, his prayers caused an invading Mughal army to withdraw making him immensely popular with people of all religions. The Hazrat died at the age of 92 and construction of the tomb started in the same year. But renovations continued up to 1562.

The shrine consists of a small, square marble chamber topped by a white, marble dome with vertical black lines. The tomb itself is covered by a mother-of-pearl canopy and is surrounded by arches and lattice screens. It is a typical example of Islamic architecture. Once inside the shrine, covering of heads and shoulders is compulsory. Religious music and songs are an integral part of the Sufi tradition of worship and the best time to visit the shrine is in the evenings {esp. Thurs.}between 5-7pm ,Muslim holidays and festival days. On these occasions , qawwali singers regale devotees while working themselves into a state of divine frenzy. The shrine is situated close to the Nizamuddin railway station ,just off Mathura road. Near the shrine, there are many shops selling flowers, incense and head covers.