Cultural Delhi

Culture of New Delhi

New Delhi has been a part of a rich and varied culture. The old city of New Delhi boasts of rich legacies of the time when Mughals were great patrons of arts and crafts. To know more about the culture of New Delhi view the popular classical dance forms at the Kamani Auditorium or Siri Fort of New Delhi.Many dance and music festivals are organized at every corner of the city of New Delhi. A cultural tour to New Delhi would take you to the interiors of the Old Delhi where you can take a look at some of the most beautiful designs of Zardozi, embroidery done with gold thread. The craftsmen work intricate designs on silk, velvet, and even tissue materials. The famed meenakari work still forms a part of the day for some of the craftsmen here. Lacquer work bangles are one of the old art forms still living in Shahjahanabad. Bright shades of yellow, red, and blue are perked up with tiny pieces of mirrors and gold-colored borders with beads to add that extra touch. If you are keen of buying all this you can visit the crafts museum in Pragati Maidan and Dilli Haat. Kinari Bazaar at Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi displays a dazzling array of gold embroidered garments. Available in the numerous small shops here are multiple applications of zardozi or intricate hand embroidery done with gold and silver threads. The festivals in New Delhi form a great part of the ethnic culture of the city. There is an endless list of festivals in New Delhi, which includes, Id-Ul-Fitar, celebrated to mark the end of Ramzan, the Muslim month of fasting. It is an occasion for fasting and rejoicing. Makar Sakranti is a major harvest festival of India. This festival is not only celebrated in Delhi, but in Tamilnadu, Karnataka, and AndhraPradesh also. Republic Day is also one of the main festivals in New Delhi; the celebrations include a magnificent parade of the armed Forces, folk dances, and floats from all the different states of India. Other festivals like that of Maha Shivratri, Holi and Ram Navmi are celebrated all over New Delhi with full vigor, here you can see a glimpse of the culture of the city. There are also music and dance performances to mark these festive occasions.

Facts about Delhi

Important Facts

Capital
New Delhi

Area
1,483 sq km

Population(Census 2001)

13.7 million

Principal Languages

Hindi, English, Punjabi, Urdu

Urbanisation Ratio(1991)

89.9%

Literacy Rate(2001)
81.82%

State domestic product 
Rs. 112010 mln. (1991-92) 

Major Industries 
Manufacture of razor blades, sports goods, radio and T.V. parts, plastic and PVC goods, textiles, chemicals, fertilizers, soft drinks, hand and machine tools. 

Major Crops
Wheat, Maize, Bajra, Jowar, Vegetable and Fruit crops

Places to Visit in New Delhi

Monuments and Forts

Red Fort or Lal Quila: Shah Jahan, the Mughal emperor, laid the foundation of Red Fort in 1639 and it got completed in 1648. This colossus citadel is built with red stone and that is how the fort got its name. The total area of this fort is about 2.41 km. The fort is octagonal in shape. A wide moat that was originally connected with the river and was filled with water surrounds the fort. The main entrance to the Quila is through the Lahori Gate. Some of the main buildings within the fort are: Diwan-i-Am (hall of public audience), Diwan-i-Khas (hall of selective audience), the Hamam (the bathroom set), Moti Masjid (pearl mosque), Mumtaz Mahal (one of the main palaces), Naubat Khana (music house). After India got its independence from the British rule, the National Flag of India is hoisted at the Red Fort every year on 15th of August by the Prime Minister. This magnificent structure with its historical past is truly glorious and demands your visit.

Humayun's Tomb: The tomb of Humayun was built by the orders of Humayun's widow, Hamida Banu Begum, starting in 1562. It took 8 years for the tomb to get completed. The structure is built with red sandstone, whereas white and black marble has been used largely in the borders. This tomb is set in a geometrically arranged garden crisscrossed by numerous water channels. It is the first example of Mughal architecture, with high arches and double dome. Humayun's Tomb is one of the best-preserved Mughal monuments in Delhi. 

Qutub Minar: Your trip to Qutub Minar will be fascinating. This world heritage site is located in Mehrauli, South of Delhi. This tallest brick tower in the world, built in 1193 AD, is named after Qutab-ud-din Aibak. He ruled initially from Lahore and later moved the capital to Delhi; he is considered the first Muslim ruler of South Asia. This tower was started by Qutub-ud-Din Aibak but was completed by his son-in-law Iltutmish and ultimately by Firoz Shah Tughlak. This tower is 72.5 meters tall with 399 steps leading to the top. The base is 14.3 meters wide and the top floor is 2.75 meters wide. While visiting this Minar, do not miss the nearby Iron Pillar. You will immensely enjoy the tour of this monument.

Jantar Mantar:Sawai Jia Singh II of Jaipur had built this in 1710 A.D. He was a keen astronomer. Jantar Mantar is situated at Parliament Street, close to Connaught Place. Jantar Mantar is also known as Delhi Observatory. It is made of stone and marble. This structure consists of fourteen geometric devices used for measuring time, forecasting weather changes, predicting behavior of planets and finding extraterrestrial altitude. It has always been an attraction for the architects, historians and scientists from all over the world. This popular tourist site will be a great place to explore. The structure is a masterpiece of Indian architecture which shows the scientific acumen of ancient India.

Purana Quila:The fort was constructed on the historic site of Indraprastha by Humayun and Sher Shah. The walls of the fort have three gates and are surrounded by a mat fed by the river Yamuna. The wall was built by Humayun while the buildings in the fort are attributed to Sher Shah. The structures that have survived in the fort are the Sher Mandal and the Quila-I-kholina Mosque. As a tourist, you will cherish the fort and its brilliant architecture.

India Gate:You have to visit India Gate, the famous landmark of New Delhi, India. It is one of the largest war memorials in India and commemorates the members of the former British Indian Army who laid their lives fighting for the Indian Empire in World War I and the Afghan Wars. The foundation stone for India Gate was laid in 1921 by the Duke of Connaught and was completed in 1931. This enormous structure was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. After India's independence, India Gate became the site of the Indian Army's tomb of the unknown soldier, known as the Amar Jawan Jyoti. The 42 meter high archway is made of red stone and has the name "INDIA" written on both sides. More than 70,000 names of soldiers are also inscribed on the arch. The archway is located on the Rajpath in New Delhi. This monument is surrounded by lawns, children's park and a boat club. Locals and tourists gather near the India Gate and spend their evenings in leisure.

Religious Places

Bangla Sahib:
One of the most important historical and sacred pilgrimage destinations of the Sikh comunity, Gurdwara Bangla Sahib is the Haveli or palace, where Guru Hari Krishan, the eighth Sikh Guru stayed during his tour to Delhi in 1664. The Guru was entertained as a royal guest by Mirza Raja Jai Singh in this bangla (palace), which was built on the model of the existing palace of Raja Jai Singh in Jaipur.

Akshardham Temple:This 100 acres of sprawling Hindu temple is visited by thousands of people every day. Within this temple, under the central dome, the statue of Bhagwan Swaminarayan is erected, which is 11-foot high. This statue is surrounded by other similar statues of the gurus of the sect. This is a very popular tourist spot. The temple was inaugurated in 2005. You can enjoy programmes in the IMAX theater as well as the musical fountain along with Swaminarayan temple in this Akshardham complex in Delhi.

Lotus Temple:This Baha'i House of Worship is in the shape of lotus. That is the reason this temple is called Lotus Temple. This beautiful structure was opened to public in December 1986. The temple is so popular that it is one of the most visited places in the world. When you enter this temple, you have to maintain a pin drop silence. The atmosphere inside the temple is calm and serene. Visiting this temple is once in a lifetime experience.

Dilli to New Delhi

Delhi was laid out to the south of the Old City which was constructed by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. However, New Delhi overlays the site of seven ancient cities and hence includes many historic monuments like the Jantar Mantar and the Lodhi Gardens.

Calcutta was the capital of India until December 1911 during the British Raj. However, Delhi had served as the political and financial centre of several empires of ancient and medieval India, most notably of the Mughal Empire from 1799 to 1849. During the early 1900s, a proposal was made to the British administration to shift the capital of the British Indian Empire (as it was officially called) from Calcutta to Delhi. Unlike Calcutta, which was located on the eastern coast of India, Delhi was located in northern India and the Government of British India felt that it would be easier to administer India from Delhi rather than from Calcutta. On December 12, 1911, during the Delhi Durbar, George V, the then Emperor of India, along with Queen Mary, his Consort, made the announcement that the capital of the Raj was to be shifted from Calcutta to Delhi, while laying the foundation stone for the Viceroy's residence in the Coronation Park, Kingsway Camp.

The foundation stone of New Delhi was laid by King George V and Queen Mary at the site of Delhi Durbar of 1911 at Kingsway Camp on December 15, 1911, during their imperial visit. Large parts of New Delhi were planned by Edwin Lutyens (Sir Edwin from 1918) and Herbert Baker (Sir Herbert from 1926), both leading 20th century British architects, and the contract was given to Sobha Singh (later Sir Sobha Singh). Lutyens first visited Delhi in 1912, and construction really began after World War I and was completed by 1931, when the city later dubbed "Lutyens' Delhi" was inaugurated on February 13, 1931, by Lord Irwin, the Viceroy. Lutyens laid out the central administrative area of the city as a testament to Britain's imperial aspirations.

Though soon Lutyens started considering other places, and finalized on a site atop the Raisina Hill, formerly Raisina village, a Meo village, for theRashtrapati Bhawan, then known as the Viceroy's House. The historic reason for this choice was that the hill lay directly opposite to the Dinapanahcitadel, which was also considered the site of Indraprastha, the ancient region of Delhi. Subsequently, the foundation stone was shifted from the site ofDelhi Durbar of 1911-1912, where the Coronation Pillar stood as well, and embedded in the walls of the forecourt of the Secretariat. The Rajpath, also known as King's Way, stretched from the India Gate to the Rashtrapati Bhawan. The Secretariat building, which houses various ministries of the Government of India, flanked out of the Rashtrapati Bhawan, and the Parliament House, both designed by Herbert Baker, is located at the Sansad Marg, which runs parallel to the Rajpath.

New Delhi

Delhi – with its tenacious touts and crush of mechanical and human traffic – can be downright confronting and confounding for the first-time visitor. But don’t let petulant first impressions muddy the plus points of this truly multidimensional metropolis. Scratch beyond the gritty surface and you’ll swiftly discover that India’s capital is sprinkled with glittering gems: captivating ancient monuments, magnificent museums, a vivacious performing-arts scene and some of the subcontinent’s yummiest places to eat.

A vibrant melting pot, you’ll hear a jumble of vernaculars spoken in Delhi, the most common being Hindi, English, Punjabi and Urdu. In terms of its layout, Delhi encapsulates two very different worlds, the ‘old’ and the ‘new’, each presenting deliciously different experiences. Spacious New Delhi was built as the imperial capital of India by the British; rambunctious Old Delhi served as the capital of Islamic India. Visitors can easily dip into both, spending half the day immersing themselves in history at the dramatic Red Fort, Jama Masjid and medieval-flavoured bazaars of Old Delhi, and the other half reviving themselves over frothy cappuccinos or frosty cocktails at one of New Delhi’s swanky cafés and bars. Furthermore, Delhi’s recent global cuisine revolution means that hungry travellers can now feast on everything from meaty Mughlai curries and plump South Indian idlis (rice cakes), to crispy wood-fired pizzas and squishy sashimi.

For those here to catch a flight home there are some glorious last-minute shopping opportunities, with handicrafts from all around India – a real blessing if you regret not buying that twinkling mirrorwork bedspread in Rajasthan or striking Madhubani painting in Bihar.