Monuments in and around East Delhi

Delhi –The focal point in Golden triangle tour packages offers a variety of sightseeing and experiences .The city of Delhi has evolved over centuries and as a tourist one just is amazed by the contrasting lifestyles that co exist in Delhi.

Modern Delhi has turned its back on the River Yamuna. But the waters played a crucial role in the sitting of some earlier cities. Landlocked forts stand amid offices, stadia and modern memorials. The main thoroughfare, Mahatma Gandhi Road, is a major dual-carriageway, so it is worth setting off early to explore the north end first.

Start outside the back walls of Lal Qila—this was where the public congregated to check on Shah Jahan’s well-being each morning; the emperor’s balcony juts out from the marble palace facades. North of it, the ramparts and bastions of Salimgarh Fort (1545-54) were built by Sher Shah’s son Islam Shah Sur, who failed to consolidate his able father’s achievements.

The first stop in Delhi Sightseeing Tour by Car organized by Swan Tours is the Red fort or lal Qila.

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Information about Lal Qila

Lal Qila has lost its riverside views to a large tract of new land where some of India’s recent heroes are remembered. It is an oasis of peace. First of the memorials is Vijay Ghat dedicated to Lal Bahadur Shastri, India’s second prime minister (died 11 January 1966); then Shanti Vana (forest of peace) where Jawaharlal Nehru (died 27 May 1964) and his daughter Indira Gandhi (assassinated 31 October 1984) were cremated, and where her sons Sanjay and Rajiv are remembered. Finally, Raj Ghat is at the south end, a serenely peaceful place. This is where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated (died 30 January 1948) on the memorial platform which is now set in a sunken psquare garden surrounded by caves and high ramps, the design of Vanu G Bhuta. The Gandhi Memorial Museum is nearby, where the Mahatma’s life and achievements are movingly remembered with photographs, descriptions and quotes such as ‘I shall work for an India in which the poorest shall feel that it is their country in whose making they have an effective voice’.

The Red Fort

Built by: Shah Jahan

Built: 12 May 1639 – 6 April 1648; (8 years 10 months & 25 days) (Source: wikipedia)

The next city is Feroz Shah Kotla, really just the riverside (now landlocked) citadel of Feroz Shah Tughluq’s vast and wealthy city that stretched from the North Ridge of Old Delhi down to Haus Khas in south Delhi. In its heyday the palaces, mosques, hunting-lodges, reservoirs, hospitals and colleges buzzed with princely and intellectual life. Then, in 1398, Timur (Tamburlaine), ancestor of the Mughal conqueror Babur, sacked and laid waste this fifth great Delhi city, leaving with elephants, stone masons and such booty that, according, to one account, ‘they could scarcely march four miles a day’. Today, hoopoes hop about the blossoming gardens which link the ruins of a mosque, palace, living quarters and baoli (step-well); the entrance is on the west side, on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg.

Information about Feroz shah, Delhi

Feroz Shah (ruled 1351-88) was the third sultan of the Tughluqs (1320-1413). Son of a Rajput princess and cousin of the previous, madcap ruler Muhammad, he was politically weak but a great builder, intellectual and antique collector. He had translations made of Sanskrit texts into Persian and Arabic. And here, on top of his Kushk-i-Firuz (Feroz’s place) he put one of the two remarkable Ashoka pillars (273-236 BC) he found, transporting them from Meerut and Topla to Delhi down the Yamuna (the other is up on the North Ridge). When the Mauryan emperor Ashoka’s ancient Brahmi script, a forerunner of modern Devnagari, could not be unravelled (that was James Princep’s feat in 1837), Feroz Shah was told it was a magic charm used in religious ritual. In fact, it bears Ashoka’s messages and promotes dhanna (the Buddhist teachings) and the welfare and happiness of the people.

The National Rose Garden, glorious in February-March, is in the south-east corner of Feroz Shah Kotla, while by the entrance stands Khuni-Darwaza (bloody gate), possibly a gate to Sher Shah’s city, the next to see downriver. Mathura Road, the royal route to Mughal Agra, leads down to it and has several good buildings either side. Not far along, the Abdu’n Nabi’s Mosque (1575-6) on the right was built by Akbar’s ecclesiastical registrar who went to Mecca to distribute money to the poor but failed to account for it on his return, for which he was finally murdered. On the left, a parade of concrete newspaper offices ends with the charming International Dolls Museum. Under Tilak Railway Bridge, modern Pragati Maidan opens on the left. Here is the Crafts Museum, an essential stop if you are interested in India’s cultural, village and craft life (see page 98). Charles Correa designed the museum buildings; Raj Rewal’s pyramidal engineering feat, the Hall of Nations (1970-2), rises behind. Closed Monday.

To the south there are splendid views of Purana Qila. Closer to it, the great walls belie a chequered history. This is not one city site but several. The earliest may well have been the sacred site of Indraprastha (city of Indra, Hindu god of rain and thunder), founded by Arjun, one of the Pandav brother heroes in the epic Mahabharata. Excavations on the southern slopes are now revealing the reality behind the myth. Next, the second Mughal emperor, Humayun (ruled 1530-40, 1555-6), returned from Agra to the traditional capital and in 1533 founded Dinpanah (shelter of the faith), Delhi’s sixth city. Its surviving two kilometers (1.2 miles) of walls pierced by three giant, double-storey gateways were surrounded by a wide moat opening into the Yamuna. Although he dreamt of ruling a liberal empire with Dinpanah as a cultural capital to rival Samarkand, the aesthete Humayun was too self-indulgent and politically indecisive to consolidate

Mughal power. After crushing defeats at Chaunsa (1539) and Kanauj (1540), he was ousted by Sher Shah.

This remarkable Afghan was a talented organizer and skilful general who, before his death in 1545, was encouraged by Persian renaissance thought to set up an administration which was in effect the blueprint for Akbar’s Mughal government. He enlarged Purana Qila and extended his prosperous city northwards, calling it Shergarh; one gate is thought to be near Feroz Shah Kotla. Two buildings inside /* Purana Qila survive: Qal’a-i-Kuhna-Masjid (old fort mosque, 1541) whose five great arches, decorated mihrabs and marble-inlaid sandstone facade mark the change from Lodi to Mughal architecture; and the octagonal Sher Mandal, possibly built as a pleasure house but soon to witness tragedy.

Qal’a-i-Kuhna Masjid, Purana Qua Humayun had wandered India and then taken refuge at Shah Tahmasp’s court in Persia for ten years, paying for his keep, it is said, with the Koh-i-Nur diamond and other jewels. In 1555, when Sher Shah’s followers were split into warring factions, he won Delhi back. The next year, having made the Sher Mandal his library, he was standing at the top of its steps directing his astrologers to watch for the transit of Venus, an especially auspicious moment, when he heard the muezzin’s call. He tripped on his robe, fell and died three days later. Looking past the south gate of Purana Qila, you can see his tomb in the distance.

white-Tiger-Delhi-Zoo

Between Humayun’s city and tomb there are several good things to see. Delhi Zoo fills most of the space, its entrance right beside the Purana Qila gateway. This is India’s biggest and most important zoo. Beautifully landscaped grounds house a few of the world’s rare white tigers as well as one-horned rhinoceroses from Assam, Asiatic lions from Gujarat, crocodiles, a ravishing assortment of exotic birds, storks, elephants and a rogue Mughal pavilion perfect for picnicking in and enjoying the swum squeaks and soaring views up to Purana Qila. Its ravishing setting and bird-watching opportunities do not make up for the zoo’s unsatisfactory management. (Closed Friday and government holidays). As you go back onto Mathura Road, you will espy a Shergarh gate opposite. Next to it is Khairu’l-Manazi-

Masjid (the most auspicious of houses, 1561), built for Maham Anga who, as wet-nurse to Akbar, became head of the harem and achieved almost royal stature and influence—her son became an army general (see page 105). Steps lead up to good rooftop views. On the way down to Humayun’s tomb the Sundar Nagar antique shops are on the left.

information about Humayun’s Tomb

Humayun’s tomb (1562-75) is the first great Mughal garden tomb. This is the blueprint which reached maturity in the Taj Mahal at Agra. His senior widow Bega Begum, known as Haji Begum, probably built it, although new arguments suggest Humayun’s son Akbar was involved. Its architect was a Persian, Mirak Mirza Ghiyas, who had worked in the Timurid tradition at Herat and Bukhara. Here in Delhi, he used local materials and carving skills, together with the mixture of red sandstone and marble found in some Sultanate buildings. These he used to realize a design inspired by the monumental but simple Timurid tombs and by the ancient Persian idea of the spacious, formal royal garden and the Qur’an’s description of paradise. He also added a new element: a double dome whose two skins made possible a lofty exterior and a well-proportioned interior. The huge size and formality of Humayun’s tomb proclaim the newish dynasty’s might.

Humayun’s Tomb

Together, widow and architect achieved ‘one of the most arresting examples of the building art in India’ and ‘an outstanding landmark in the development of the Mughal style … the synthesis of two of the great building styles of Asia—the Persian and the Indian’ (Percy Brown).

Successive gateways finally open into a charbagh (four garden, see page 134) where the domed memorial sits on a high plinth. Clamber up onto it for more good views back to Purana Qila and to more monuments scattered nearby.

Inside the mausoleum, the emperor is not alone. Other Mughals here include Bega Begum, Shah Jahan’s son Dara Shukoh and Mughal emperors Farrukh-siyar (ruled 1713-19) and Alamgir II (ruled 1754-9). The last emperor, Bahadur Shah II (ruled 1837-58), was found hiding here during the mutiny. outside the gateway, the aptly named Sabz-Burj (green dome) on the roundabout gives an idea of how luxurious the Mughal buildings looked when first built, as does the tiled Nila-Gumbad (blue dome, 1625), at the south-east corner of the tomb walls. On the way there, you will pass Bega Begum’s so-called Arab-Serai, which probably housed the Persian craftsmen working on the tomb. Near here is another Mathura Road monument, the massive square tomb of Khan-i-Khanan (died 1627). It has lost its exterior decoration to Safdar Jang’s tomb (see below), but held onto its delicate incised and painted plasterwork inside.

Nizamuddin is opposite, a medieval Sufi village replete with Muslim atmosphere, living on quietly in the Imistle of India’s capital. Stalls lining the lanes sell kebabs, Qur’ans, rose petals, lace caps and the latest cassette tapes of qawwalis to the visiting faithful. The village heart is the dargah (shrine) of the Sufi saint Shaikh Nizam-ud-din Chishti (1236-1325), whose royal followers included two Tughlucts, Muhammad and Feroz Shah, and several Mughals. (The Akba-rnama recounts how, after Akbar’s visit, an assassin’s arrow failed to kill the king ‘as the Divine protection and the prayers of the saints were guarding him.’ This shrine was one of the reasons Shah Jahan chose Delhi for his new city). The sacred land surrounding the shrine attracted other important tombs including those of court poet Amir Khusrau (died 1325), who contributed much to the qawwali form of singing; Shah Jahan’s daughter Jahanara, who laid out Chandni Chowk; and emperor Muhammad Shah (ruled 1719-48). Humayun’s tomb is significantly close, too. The daily qawwalis at the dargah continue all night during the Urs festival.

For tourists to explore Delhi in the right manner it is important to involve an expert , Swan Tours – one of the leading travel agents in India offers different travel packages to chose from which offer an insight to the experiences in Delhi.

 

The most interesting facts about Delhi | Swan Tours

As the seat of power of successive dynasties that ruled India, Delhi has always attracted great painters, musicians, dancers and craftsmen from all over the country, but perhaps never more so than today. When the princely states and great landed estates were abolished after Independence, Indian artists lost their traditional patrons, and ever since then have found their new patrons — politicians, government cultural institutes, broadcast media, industrialists and diplomats —concentrated in Delhi. As a result Delhi offers the most varied cultural life of all Indian cities, with the best of court and local traditional styles in dance, music and theatre.

The best way to find out what’s on in a particular week is to look at the cultural pages of the newspapers — the Indian Express on Saturday and the Times of India on Friday carry comprehensive listings, as do the listings magazines the Delhi Diary and The Delhi City.

Delhi’s cultural hub is in the centre of town, between Barakhamba Road and Ferozeshah Road, concentrated around Mandi House Chowk. Here are located the Kamani and FICCI auditoriums and the Shriram Kendra, venues of major cultural performances. Nearby is the Triveni Kala Sangam with its art galleries and theatre; and Rabindra Bhavan, the government-funded cultural academy, which holds art exhibitions and festivals of dance, theatre and music.

Among the big annual events that Delhi stages are four “classical” music and dance festivals —the Shankarlal and Dhrupad festivals in February and March, the Vishnu Digamber festival in Au-gust, and the SPIC-MALAY festival in September. The greatest musicians in India, representing the different gharanas (schools) of Hindustani (North Indian) music, participate. The concerts often beginning late and continue into the night, way beyond the schedule, as the musician warms up and the audience responds. The music most often heard is that derived from the music performed at the North Indian courts.

The gharana (male lineages of musical instruction, usually hereditary) of the court musicians generally traced their ancestry back to Tansen, a musician at the court of Akbar (1556-1605). He is said to have been one of the greatest performers of dhrupad, a vocal genre held by many musicians to be the “purest” form of raga music. Although initially very popular at the courts, during the time of Muhammad Shah (1719-48) dhrupad was sup-planted by khayal. Muhammad Shah’s court musician, Niyamat Khan, is usually credited with popularizing the form (which legend says was invented by Sultan Husain Shargi in the 15th century). – Enjoy Golden Triangle Tour – Including Delhi, Jaipur, Rajasthan

Khayal is now the vocal genre most commonly heard in the concert hall. A khayal composition (bandis or ciz) comprises two short sections, known as sthayi and antara, which are in contrasting registers. Usually two compositions are presented, the first in a slow tempo, known as a “big” (tiara) khayal, the second, a “small” (chota) khayal in a faster tempo, which speeds up towards the end of the performance. A khayal concert starts with a short unmetered section introducing the raga (mode or pitch collection), followed by the ciz, which is in tala (rhythmic cycle), the most common of which is the 16-beat tintal. It is accompanied by the tabla (paired kettledrums) and, traditionally, the bowed lute, sarangi (this is now usually replaced by the harmonium, a small hand-pumped organ introduced to South Asia by French missionaries). The dronelute tambura provides a constant background, sometimes played by a supporting singer and usually tuned to sa and pa (roughly corresponding to the Western doh and soh). The compositions are explored in 0 series of elaborations and improvisations.

Another popular genre often performed on the concert stage, particularly by female vocalists — is thumri. This is a “light-classical” form which developed at the courts of Avadh (present-day Lucknow), consisting of a sung poem performed in a slow tempo with a highly melismatic melodic line. The Hindu texts are highly charged and devotional—even though the singers were usually Muslim — and often mildly erotic and written in a dialect of Hindi called Braj Bhasa. The accompaniment is the same as for a khayal performance.

Instrumental music, particularly of the sitar and sarod (both plucked lutes), follows a slightly different pattern, and draws on both khayal and dhrupad traditions. Compositions are known as gat (analogous to those of khayal); they are preceded by a long alap section, an unmetred presentation of the raga introducing each note in turn, in a similar fashion to that of dhrupad singers. The soloist then uses a variety of improvisational techniques to explore the material presented in the gat, and will usually present two different compositions, the second of which is faster. Instrumentalists usually consider themselves part of the Seniya gharana, which is traced back to Tansen.

Leading dancers of all the main “classical” styles — bharata-natyam, kathak, kathakali, kuchipudi, manipuri, mohiniattam and odissi —give regular concerts in Delhi. Delhi society turns out in force at these events, to see and be seen, and afterwards to catch up on all the gossip and intrigue of the cultural world.

The dance-style you are most likely to see advertised is bharata-natyam. Although it originated in Tamil Nadu, it is now taught and performed across India as well as overseas. It is derived from Tamil temple dance and has been a concert form since the early 20th century.

The female hereditary temple dancers (devadasis) took part in rituals in praise of the temple deity and were considered “married” to the god. This made them auspicious women as they could never become widowed. They would also be the sexual partners of the temple priests and local king (sponsor of the temple). It was this aspect of their duties that outraged Victorian sensibilities and an “anti-nautch” (from the Sanskrit naca, “dance”) was started, culminating in the banning of temple dancing. At the same time, growing Indian nationalism was seeking to legitimise claims for independence by presenting elements of South Asian culture as evidence of a strong national identity. Led by the Brahman dancer and teacher Rukmini Devi, moves were made to establish a “pure” form of the dance on the stage, the result was present-day bharata-natyam. Explore Delhi Sightseeing Tour by Car

It is a solo dance, still performed largely by women, with an accompaniment of Karnatak (South Indian) music played by an ensemble known as the cinna melam and led by the nattuvanar, who keeps time with a pair of cymbals and calls out the dance patterns, or jati. The dancers wear pellet bells (ghungru) around their ankles which add to rhythmic texture of the music. A bharata-natyam performance ideally consists of seven pieces: the introductory alarippu which is a prayer to the presiding deity; a jatisvaram, a technical piece using nrtta (abstract movement); the sabda, which introduces nrtya (movement expressing emotion); a complex dance known as varnam, that uses both nrtya and nrtta; a padam, a piece expressing love through nrtya; a technical and fast tillana; and a concluding sloka (rhythmic recitation of a religious verse).

The other “classical” dance-style widely per-formed in Delhi is kathak. The origins of kathak are closely linked to the rise of Hindustani music at the North Indian courts, particularly khayal, thumri and dadra. Traditionally danced by courtesans, it is characterized by its fast pirouettes and rhythmic patterns created by pellet bells (ghungru) worn on the ankles. Regular concerts are held by the Kathak Kendra in Bahawalpur House on Bhagwan Das Road.

Theatre in Delhi offers a variety that ranges from Moliere and Brecht translated into Hindi, to the best of contemporary regional theatre selected and brought to the capital — experimental plays as well as traditional forms, like puppet theatre from Karnataka and Rajasthan.

The Pragati Maidan exhibition ground is another hub of cultural activity, from art cinema to regional plays and performance by the most promising young dancers.

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Information about Delhi Heritage Walk

Delhi Walk

What number of you realizes that the region of North Delhi Ridge houses a few chronicled structures? It is a decent place for Delhi legacy walk and when I got welcome from Vipin Gaur I couldn’t avoid the enticement.

Having lived close to the North Delhi Ridge – for near 8 years – and having trodden those street which I took at the end of the day after a long break, I was flabbergasted to acknowledge what I had been missing. Also Visit – Delhi Agra Jaipur Luxury Tour

We have all think about the Revolt of 1857 – likewise alluded to as Sepoy Mutiny or the principal war of Indian Independence relying on whose rendition you are perusing – from our history books, motion pictures and legends.

In any case, relatively few of us know that the absolute most noteworthy structures going back to the time of Revolt of 1857 are situated close Kamla Nehru Ridge Area close to the North Campus of Delhi University.

The Flagstaff tower simply inverse the Vice Chancellor’s office of Delhi University is one of those vital points of interest as are the Gumtis, Chauburja, Khooni Jheel, Hindu Rao Hospital, and the Mutiny Memorial.

To my pleasure, this legacy stroll in North Delhi Ridge likewise included going to a few structures going back to Tughlaq time. The Tughlaq time building incorporate the Kushak-i-Shikar, a disintegrating baoli and one of the two Ashokan Rock Edict going back to third century BC that Firuz Shah Tughlaq moved to Delhi.

Worked in 1857, the flagstaff tower is the most elevated purpose of the North Delhi (Kamla Nehru) Ridge and was a point of convergence of the revolt of 1857. The British authorities were sitting tight for support from Karnal that never came and once the news of spreading viciousness, revolting and kill achieved, they whole assembling left Flagstaff Tower and fled towards Karnal and Ambala by walking.

Delhi Walk

Kushk-i-Shikar likewise alluded to as the Pir Ghaib is a standout amongst the most intriguing structures in North Delhi Ridge. The inception of this building could be followed to the rule of Sultan Mohammad Bin Tughlaq and Firuz Shah Tughlaq, who established fourth and the fifth city of Delhi individually.

The motivation behind the development of Pir Ghaib is as yet far from being obviously true while some adage that it effectively hunted hotel of Firuz Shah Tughlaq, others assert that it would have been a cosmic tower as Mohammad receptacle Tughlaq has unmistakable fascination in stargazing.

Both sides have their own contentions to demonstrate their point however that will be pending in my next updates on North Ridge Delhi Heritage Walk. Also Visit – Things to do in Connaught Place

Chauburja is yet another essential commemoration of 1857 uprising yet it goes back to the rule of Firuz Shah Tughlag. Worked as a catacomb, Chauburja was later extended and altered amid the rule of Mughals.

Chauburji, a two story structure, is so named in light of the fact that quite a long time ago there were four (Char) burjas (vaults) on the four upper corners of this mosque. It is construct completely utilizing rubble stone work similarly as the boali and Kush-i-Shikar are fabricated.

Presently just a single out of four turret remains and a few sections have crumbled radically. Amid the Revolt Chauburja was as far as anyone knows utilized as a shelter by British Forces amid the attack of Delhi and later a scene of substantial battling when they came back to retake Delhi.

Firuz Shah is thought to be the most punctual traditionalist in India. Not just he assembled a few landmarks in and around Delhi; he additionally embraced the reclamation of many disintegrating structures in Delhi most remarkable of among them being the Hauz Khas Complex and the Qutb Minar.

The Ashokan Pillar or the Rocjk Edict lecturing Buddha’s message of Dharma was brought from Meerut and set here close to his Kushak-i-Shikar he had as of now purchased yet another of Ashokan Rock Edict which he mounted on the Pyramidal Structure inside his Kotla which is presently alluded to as the Kolta of Firuz Shah.

So companions do tell me what you think about this yet another Delhi legacy walk which I took crosswise over North Delhi Ridge. Don’t hesitate to share your considerations and encounters on the off chance that you have been to any of these relics of our history and store of our legacy.

For more information about Delhi heritage walk and Delhi holiday packages like Delhi sightseeing tour by car contact Swan Tours one of the leading travel agents in India.