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Delhi
Attractions
New Delhi Atttractions
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 Lateens, it commemorates more than 70,000 Indian soldiers who died in WW1. The arch (43 m high) stand on abases of Bharatpur stone and rises in stages. Under the arch is the Mar awe. Tyoti, commemorating the Indian troops lost in the Indo-Pakistan War of 197l.
Nearby the Secretariats stand on both sides of Raisin Hill, now called Vijay Chock. North block houses the Home and Finance ministries, South Block the Ministry of Affairs hairs. These long classical buildings, topped by Baroque domes designed by Baker, were derived from Wren's Royal Naval College at Greenwich.
At the opposite end of Rajpath stands the official residence of the President of India, the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Completed in 1929 to serve -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 Bahaman requires hundreds of servants. The lovely Mughal Garden, occupying 130 hence, is to the west and is open to public in February.
North of Rajpath is Sansad Bahavan , the Indian Parliament building, a circular colonnaded structure. Permits to visit the parliament and sit in the public gallery - available from the reception office on Raisin 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 Maureen period (2nd - 3rd century BC), exhibits from the Vijayanagar period in South India, miniatures and Mugals, and tribal costumes. The museum is definitely worth a visit and is open from 10a.m. to 5p.m.everyday except Mondays. A small entry fee is charged.
The business and shopping hub of New Delhi is Connaught Place, lying at the northern end. Its a vast traffic circle with an architecturally uniform series of colonnaded buildings around the edge mainly devoted to shops, airline offices and the like. A short stroll down Sensed Marg leads to Jantar Mantar, Maharaja in Singh's observatory, constructed in 1725. A huge sundial known - the Prince of Dials dominated it. The Lakshmi Narayan Mandir or Birla Temple, not far away, is one of Delhi's few striking examples of Hindu architecture.
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