India’s capital, Delhi, is one of the three points of the Golden Triangle circuit (the other two being, Agra and Jaipur). With large green spaces and ancient monuments, she has many shades to her character that includes colorful local markets, designer shopping malls and a wide variety of cuisine from cheap street food to sumptuous meals at high-end restaurants.
With a population of around 14 million comprising migrants from different parts of the country, several languages are spoken on the streets of which Hindi, Urdu, English and Punjabi are the most common.
The modern city of today was built by the British in the early 20th century. The territory earlier held seven older capitals over the centuries.
Getting there
Delhi is well connected by flights from international destinations as well as other cities in India. The Indira Gandhi International Airport located at Gurgaon in the National Capital Region is the busiest passenger airport in the country having handled close to 30 million passengers in 2011.
The city also has four railway stations connecting to other places in the north, south, east and west of the country. Buses operate to neighboring states in northern India.
Main attractions
Old Delhi – The city of Shajahanabad built by Emperor Shah Jahan, when he shifted the Mughal capital from Agra, is the seventh city. It has several monuments and places worth seeing, including the Red Fort, Jama Masjid and the narrow alleyways of the street market, Chandni Chowk.
Tombs – Delhi has several tombs that are excellent examples of Islamic and Mughal architecture such as Humayun’s Tomb (16th century), Safdarjung’s Tomb (18th century) and the Lodhi Tomb (early 16th century).
Qutub Minar – The tallest brick minaret in the world is a rare specimen of Indo Islamic architectural design.
Purana Qila – The old fort is part of a walled city that marks the spot where the sixth city of Emperor Sher Shah stood.
Other places of interest include Firoz Shah Kotla (the ruins of the fifth city), Jantar Mantar (an open air astronomical observatory), Lotus Temple (a place of worship for the Baha’i faith) and several national museums.
Best time to visit
Like other cities on the northern plains of India, Delhi has extremely hot summers and cold winters. The most pleasant months to visit are October and November, before the onset of peak winter, and February and March, which is spring time.
