Must Visit Places in Delhi

Delhi is not just capital of India but one of the oldest cities in the country. The oldest recorded mention of the city comes in Mahabharata as Indraprastha, a city built by the Pandavas for themselves. Since then Delhi has come a long way. It saw rule of Chandragupta II to the Mughals and each ruler left his impression of the city.

If you happens to be planning a tour of New Delhi. Here are some of the must visit places which I would recommend you to definitely visit.

India Gate is the first war memorial to have been built in India. It was built during the days of British Raj by the British establishment to honor the brave soldiers of India who fought the World War 1 under the British flag. The names of all the soldiers who died during World War 1 are inscribed on the walls of India Gate. The main attraction here is the shrine which is built in the middle of the gate with black marble with golden words "Amar Jawan" inscribed on it. India Gate is popular picnic spot for Delhites and tourists.

Red Fort was a significant building during the Mughal era as well after the independence of India. It was built in 1639 by Shah Jahan who decided to move his capital from Agra to Delhi. The fort is made of red sandstone and has gone through huge modification during the British Rule. After the independence of India, Red Fort was used to hoist the tricolor for the very first time. Since then it has become tradition for Indian Prime Minister to hoist Indian National Flag from Red Fort on August 15 every year.

For a large part of Delhi's history, Qutab Minar at the height of 72.5 meters was the highest building in the city. It was built by the Qutub-ud-din Aibak after winning possession of Delhi in 1206. Qutub-ud-din Aibak saw Qutab Minar as the sign of Muslim dominance of Delhi. Qutab Minar is known as the first monument to have been built by the invading Muslim ruler.

It has been overshadowed by the neighboring Qutab Minar but still has a very important place in the history of Delhi. The Iron Pillar of Delhi was built by none other than Chandragupta II who is regarded as one of the greatest rulers of India. The Iron pillar stands at the height of 7 meters. For years it has attracted the attention of scientists for its high resistance to corrosion. The pillar was erected in honor of Lord Vishnu.

Jantar Mantar is one of the classic examples of Indian architecture. It was built by the Maharaja Jai Singh II of Jaipur in 1724. In fact it was one of the 5 built by the Maharaja Jai Singh II. The sole purpose of Jantar Mantar was related to astronomy. It was used to find the exact movements of Sun, Moon and other planets of our solar system.

Argubly the most popular attraction in Delhi is Humayun's Tomb. It looks exactly like Taj Mahal in design. The only difference is that while Taj Mahal was built out of While Marble, Humayun's Tomb has extensively used red sandstone. It was built in 1570 for the Emperor Humayun on order of his wife Bega Begum. During the last days of Mughal rule in India, the last Mughal Ruler, Bahadur Shah Jafar took refuge here during the first freedom movement in 1857.

Raj Ghat is the first resting place of Mahatma Gandhi, the father of nation. The Raj Ghat is located on the banks of river Yamuna. It has become custom for heads of foreign states to visit Raj Ghat and pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi who played instrumental role in India's freedom movement and his non violent methods earn praise from global community. Among the people who are inspired by Mahatma Gandhi is US President Barack Obama.

A lot of tourists find museums boring but trust me, you are going to enjoy visiting National Rail Museum especially if you are traveling with kids. Surely your kids will love one of the first open air museums in India. The museum is spread over the area of 10 acres. It has both indoor and outdoor exhibits. At National Rail Museum you can learn about Indian Railways which has the third largest network in the world and carries more passengers than population of a lot of countries.

Simply known as Delhi Zoo, it is one of the oldest zoos in India. The Delhi Zoo is spread in 176 acres near Old Fort which is also worth visiting. There are total of 1700 animals belonging to over 130 species of birds and animals at the Zoo. The best time to visit the Zoological Park is during the winter season when thousands of birds from different species migrate to the city.

Connaught Place is called the heart of Delhi. It is a business center with headquarter of various Indian firms. It was built during the British Rule but back then it served as the headquarter of British rule in India. Today thousands of tourists visit Connaught Place for shopping. Palika Bazaar is the famous shopping site at Connaught Place. It was India's first underground shopping center.