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PITAMPURA, NEW DELHI
The socio-political and historical city of Delhi is known to have scores of beautiful tourist places. With an astonishing abundance of history, culture, cuisine, art, street life, and innumerable diverse activities to do in Delhi, visitors are bound to be thoroughly engaged.
The Qutub Minar is a towering 73 meter high tower built by Qutub-ud-Din Aibak in 1193. The tower was built to celebrate Muslim dominance in Delhi after the defeat of Delhi’s last Hindu ruler. This tower is the highest tower in India, complete with five storeys and projecting balconies. The first three storeys of the Qutub Minar are made of red sandstone and the last two are made of marble and sandstone. The construction of the Qutub Minar was started by Qitub-ud-Din Aibak and completed by Firoz Shah Tuglak. The different architectural styles from the time of Aibak to Tuglak are clearly visible in the Qutub Minar.
Located in the national capital of New Delhi, the Lotus Temple is an edifice dedicated to the Baha'i faith. The magnificent structure of this building unfolds in the form of a stupendous white petal lotus and is one of the most visited establishments in the world. The design of this shrine was conceptualized by Canadian architect Fariborz Sahba and was completed in the year 1986. This temple seeks to propagate the oneness of the Almighty and is open to all regardless of their nationality, religion, race or gender. The Lotus temple it is one of the seven Baha'i House of Worship present around the world.
Shah Jahan’s last architectural extravagance, the Jama Masjid towers over Old Delhi and is India’s largest mosque. Commissioned by Shah Jahan in 1650 the mosque took six years to be constructed and was completed in 1656. The massive courtyard of the Jama Masjid can hold up to twenty five thousand worshippers and houses many interesting relics, including an ancient copy of the Quran inscribed on deer skin. The main prayer hall of the Jama Masjid is topped with three white bulbous domes and the entrance is adorned with high rising arches which cover the mihrab. A pool in the centre of the mosque is used by the faithful for ablutions before prayer.
Humayun’s tomb is sublimely well proportioned, seeming to float above its symmetrical gardens. It's thought to have inspired the Taj Mahal, which it predates by 60 years. Constructed for the Mughal emperor in the mid-16th century by Haji Begum, Humayun's Persian-born wife, the tomb marries Persian and Mughal elements. The architecture of the mausoleum has details both from Persian architecture and Indian architectural traditions. The Persian influence can be seen in the arched alcoves, corridors and the high double dome, while Indian traditions have inspired the creation of the kiosks, which give it a pyramidal outline from distance.
