2 Jun 2014

Interesting historical sites of Delhi to visit

Delhi is a very glorious city of India with the great historical background. The city fascinates tourists from all over the world due to its great past. Travellers usually book their flights to Delhi to explore its reminiscing history. Since ancient times, Delhi has been serving as the capital city of India. Delhi's history is very old when it was well known as Indraprastha. The first core of Delhi’s seven cities, Lal Kot was constructed by Tomar Rajputs. It has been the major centre of India’s political, economic and cultural activities.
It is often believed that the history of India is the history of Delhi. Today, Delhi is among one of the fastest emerging cities of India. The rich capital city of India has always occupied a strategic place in the country's glorious past, as Hindu and Islamic rulers have administrated this place for a very long time. Every monument has a fascinating past. There are so many monuments in Delhi to see, a few of them are mentioned below:
Red Fort
The Red Fort was built by the Mughal emperor Shahjahan in the 17th century with an aim of focussing the Mughal power in one monument. Laid out by the banks of the Yamuna River, Red fort has an edge of over 2.2 kilometres. Red fort is more like a mini-city than a monument. Unluckily before Shahjahan could shift his capital from Agra to Shahjahanabad in Delhi, he was imprisoned by his son Aurangzeb. The fort is more beautiful than one's imagination. Inside the fort is Naqqar Khana (Drum room) which is also acknowledged as Naubat Khana (Welcome Room), where drums used to be played loudly to announce the arrival of the emperor. On the other side, Diwan-e-Am (Hall of Public Audience) used to be the place where the people used to gather for meetings and prayers. There is a lot more to see here including - Mumtaz Mahal, the Hammam (bathing area), Khas Mahal (Emperor's Palace), Diwan-e Khas (Hall of Private Audience), Rang Mahal (Palace of Colours) and Shah Burj. The fort has basically two main entrances - Delhi Gate and Lahore Gate.



Humayun’s Tomb
Inspired by the Indo-architectural style, Humayun's Tomb is perhaps the most advanced and experimental monument of its era. The tomb was built by Humayun’s widow Hamida Bhanu Begum (also known by the name of Haji Begum) in 1565-66. According to the sources, she is believed to have spent over 15 lakh rupees on it. The tomb is a typical Persian design with a square shaped building cut off at its bends to create it octagonally. Another most interesting fact is tomb’s double dome. The tomb consists of two domes, one below the other. It is one of the most creative ideas of its time. The tomb is open for all the visitors on seven days basis.



Qutab Minar
The Qutab Minar is the highest stone tower in India. It was built in 1192 by the viceroy of Mohammed Ghori, Qutbuddin Aibak to rejoice Ghori's triumph over the Rajputs. The invention of the tower and the victory are very noteworthy as both marked the emergence of a new dynasty called Slave Dynasty. It, later on, laid the foundations of the Delhi Sultanate. The Qutab Minar is about 72.5 meters high and is a five-storey building. The first level of the Qutab Minar was completed in the lifetime of Qutabuddin. Iltutmish, son-in-law, and successor of Qutabuddin made the minaret high by adding the next three storeys. Inside the complex, there is the famous Iron Pillar which has been standing for ages without rusting.  Due to numerous suicidal cases, the entry to the Minar has been banned by the authorities. Undoubtedly, this is the most visited heritage sites in Delhi.


India Gate
This earnest memorial was made in remembrance of those 90,000 Indian fighters who sacrificed their lives in World War I. India Gate was built in 1931 and designed by Lutyens. It was originally named as the All India War Memorial. There are the names of the soldiers engraved on the walls of the semicircle of the gate. Later, an everlasting flame was ignited here in commemoration of the unknown soldiers who passed away in the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war. The place is an ultimate site of a picnic for zillions of visitors.



Tughlaqabad Fort
The outstanding fort of Tughlaqabad was established by Ghiyasuddin Tuglaq. It took almost four years to complete this fort. It was constructed to safeguard the city against the attacks of the Mongols from Central Asia. It was so solid that it has withstood the aftereffects of time and still stands today, all along the 6.5 km boundary. Just at the right side of the main entrance are the wrecks of Vijay Mandal (Tower of Victory). On the west side of the fort, there is a 15.5-metre deep water reservoir named as Jahannum ka Rasta or the Way to Hell. Even the monkeys living the fort maintain distance from the water tank. Traditional stories say that after arguments with a Sufi saint, Nizamuddin Auliya cursed Ghiyasuddin that Tughlaqabad would never flourish. The curse soon prospered with Ghiyasuddin's apparent murder the city also witnessed a tragic end after Ghiyasuddin's death.
Learning about these interesting historical facts is a real adventure. Come down to Delhi to experience the incredible past.
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