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AsiaIS >India > Delhi > Introduction
| D E
L H I |
| Delhi travel
guide>> Destination guide and tourist information on Delhi, Sightseeing in Delhi,
India Gate, Red Fort, Qutub Minar, Chandni Chowk, Lotus Temple |
| A city of great character, of
contrasts and convolutions - this is Delhi, the capital city of India. A city with
antiquity dating back over 2,000 years, it is also a modern metropolis with fast cars and
neon lit shopping malls. So varied are the shades of Delhi's different faces, it is
difficult to grasp it in a short span of time. |
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| Home to over 10 million
people, the sights of Destination Delhi range from the ruins of the seven historical
cities built over time, monuments that testify to its position as a central hub of
commerce and government, to symbols of an ever-growing prosperity in the southern parts
that has engulfed a multitude of old villages. Even a cursory glance at a Delhi
destination guide will reveal that here is a city that is simply packed with important
sights that include the historical, cultural and the religious. This is the home of the
Qutub Minar and India Gate, Chandni Chowk and the Red Fort, the Lotus Temple and Jama
Masjid. Delhi is the city of the mythological Pandavs and the mythical Indraprastha, of
the medieval Sultanate and of the great Mughal, Shah Jahan. |
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The large number of
important sightseeing venues and the expanse of the city together make Delhi actually
quite a difficult city to "do" in a short span of time. North Delhi, which is
Old Delhi, is the area where the Mughals left behind some of the greatest architectural
delights in all of India. In the southern parts of New Delhi are more remnants from bygone
eras: forts, mausoleums and other sundry monuments. |
| But it is central Delhi
where much of the action happens; this is Lutyen's Delhi, where the corridors of power are
located and only the most successful companies can afford the real estate. Tourists flock
to central Delhi with the intuition of homing pigeons. Budget accommodation abounds in
Paharganj, from where the New Delhi railway station is just a short walk, a brief
auto-rickshaw ride will get one to the atmospheric lanes of Old Delhi, and the pleasures
of Connaught Place are right there. Only a small distance from "CP" are Delhi's
most important museums. |
If your India travel plans restrict your stay in Delhi to a day then Connaught Place is
where you want to be: airline offices, tourist information kiosks, footpath Delhi City
Guide hawkers, restaurants, pubs, monuments like the Jantar Mantar observatory, shopping
streets like Janpath, chaos, clutter, colour - this place packs in all that's best about
Delhi in both its older and newer avatars. If you're spending only two days in Delhi, then
too you'd want to be located in this area, give one day to the action at Connaught Place
and reserve the other for a well-organised guided city tour, most of which originate from
Connaught Place.
A repository of India's culture and heritage, Delhi is famous for its many museums, art
galleries and crafts expositions that are a mirror to the entire country. It is also the
center of most important cultural festivals, where performers from the classical arts to
modern pop stars, artists, sculptors, dramatists, film-makers, all come to present their
works. Charting phenomenal growth over five decades after India's independence in 1947,
Delhi has now become a heterogeneous mixture of all religious groups, linguistic
communities, social segments and economic brackets. While the city is bustling with
activity that holds out a promise for everyone, it can brutally stamp out the vulnerable,
leaving no ripples on the surface. Delhi - here you can feel the pulse of India beating to
the rhythm of rapidly changing times. |
F A C
T B O X |
| Area |
1,483 square kms |
| Population |
13,782,976 (2001) |
| Language |
Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu, English |
Religion |
Hinduism, Sikhism, Islam and Christianity |
| Literacy |
76.09% |
| For more tourist information on Delhi,
click on the links below or on the right panel.
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