Delhi, THE CAPITAL OF India has an astonishing history and a dynamic present. Indraprastha described in the epic “Mahabarata”, Delhi has been the power for number of dynasties. The Tomars of the 7-8th century or the Ghori’s, The Khaljis, the Tughlaqs, the Saiyads, The Lodis, the Moghuls and finally the British rulers, each has contributed to the colorful history of the city. The city has been raised out of ashes and ruins seven times.

The seventh city known as old Delhi was built by Shah Jehan in the 17th century, and stands today as the epitome of the whole history of Indo-Islamic architecture. The eight city, New Delhi, designed and constructed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker is a mixture of East and West. The public buildings in red sandstone are in the Mughal style. It has a circular Parliament House and an imposing Central Secretariat in two blocks, which stand at the approaches to the Presidents House. Delhi is the political, economic and cultural capital of India.

Sightseeing

The Red Fort
Delhi's most magnificent monument, the Red Fort, was built by Emperor Shah Jehan, in 1638 A.D. Enclosed in this glorious Fort is Diwan-i-am, the hall meant for public audiences; Diwan-i-Khas, where private audiences were granted; Rang Mahal, the water cooled apartment of the royal ladies; the Pearl Mosque, a lovely, ornate dream in white marble.The Prime Minister of India addresses the nation from this age old Fort, on the auspicious day of India’s Independance.

Purana Qila
Purana Quila, the old fort.The fort was built by the great Afghan ruler Sher Shah Suri in the 16th century A.D. aptly on the banks of the river Yamuna. Now Boating facilites are available here. A Sound and Light Show depicting 5000 years of Delhi’s past is held by Delhi Tourism every evening both in Hindi and English.

India Gate
India Gate is a majestic high arch, 42 meters high, built as a memorial to the Indian soldiers killed in the World War I. Beneath it burns an eternal flame. From the base of the arch one can get a good view of the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Jama Masjid
Jama Masjid is the largest mosque in India, and stands across the road from the Red Fort. Built in 1656, it is an eloquent reminder of the Mughal religious fervour. Its spacious courtyard holds thousands of the faithful who offer prayers.

Humayun's Tomb
The Tomb was built by Humayun's widowed Queen Haji Begum, in the 16th century AD. Architecturally the forerunner of the Taj Mahal, it stands in Nizamuddin which shows the Mughal architecture at its best.

Qutab Minar
The Qutub Minar made of red sandstone rising to the height of 72.5mts is an architectural marvel of the 13th century. Also a must is the visit to Ashoka Pillar dating back to the 5th century. Though made of iron it has with stood the weathers of time.

Lotus Temple
This distinctive lotus shaped marvel in marble is surrounded by a landscaped garden and is a symbol of peace.

Lakshmi Narayan Temple
Popularly known as Birla Mandir, it is a large Hindu temple built in 1938. People of all faiths can enter and worship but one must walk barefoot into the courtyard.


Raj Ghat
On the banks of the river Yamuna is the Raj Ghat where the father of the nation Mahatama Gandhi was cremated in 1948, soon after India attained it freedom.

The GARDEN of five SENSES
The Garden of Five Senses is not just a park, it is a space with a variety of activities, inviting public interaction and exploration. The project, developed by Delhi Tourism Transportation Development Corporation, was conceptualized to answer to the city's need for leisure space for the public, for people to socialize and unwind. Such spaces add atmosphere and life to a city and cater to all sections of the society.

The twenty-acre site, located at Said-Ul-Azaib village, close to the Mehrauli heritage area in New Delhi, is spectacular area in New Delhi, is spectacular. The Garden was inaugurated in February 2003. Majestic rocks stand silhouetted against the sky, others lie strewn upon the ground in a casual yet alluring display of nature's sculptural genius. It was the ideal ground on which to realize the concept of a public leisure space that would awaken a sensory response and thereby a sensitivity to the environment.

Soaring stainless
steel birds mounted on slate-clad pillars welcome you into the park. An expansive plaza, set on the natural slope of the site, invites you up the spiral walkway. Across, a troop of elephants, cut in stone, regaling in a water bath, tempts exploration.

The garden itself is divided into distinct areas. On one side of the spiral walkway is the Khas Bagh, a formal garden patterned on the lines of the Mughal Garden. Slow-moving water cascades in channels along its length, while flowering and fragrant shrubs and trees line its paths. The Central axis leads to a series of fountains, some of which are lit up by fibreoptic lighting systems. Encapsulating the expression here is the sculpture of 'A Fountain Tree".

Secluded, away from the heart of the garden, on the other side of the walkway is the food and shopping court. A series of terraces provided with seating face the food court.

The heady Trail of Fragrance leads away to a rocky ridge to the north, where elevated amongst the rocks, a sculpture in stainless-steel, inspired by a pin-wheel, dances in joyous abandon.

Wander down the meandering paths to Neel Bagh, a pool of water-lilies encircled by pergols covered with climbing plants of different colours and textures.

Overhead, hundreds of ceraminc bells chime, whispering secrets to the breeze, teasing you with their gentle laughter.

There are Colour Gardens - beautiful compositions of flowering shrubs and ground covers that have you looking at familiar plants with new eyes. The Courts of Specimen Plants display not so frequently seen species - of bamboo, for instance, or cactii, or herbs.

Nestled amongst the natural slope of the site is the amphitheatre with blocks of sandstone to serve as seating. At the rear of the garden is an open exhibition area for displaying art and for holding art workshops.

Almost two hundred varieties of plants are introduced. In addition, there are large areas where the existing vegetarian , consisting mostly of trees such as the local Kikar and he thorny Ber bush, has been left untouched.

The Garden has been designed to the imagery suggested by the name Garden of Five Senses. Colour, fragrances, texture and form all come together in an evocative bouquet that awakens the mind to the beauty of life and invokes a grateful prayer for the gift of sight, sound, touch , smell and taste.

The Art
About twenty-five different sculptures and murals for this project comprised one of the largest commissions of public art in the country. Following the norm of art in public spaces, the artists were selected by a special committee set up for this purpose.

Featured are some remarkable terracotta pots by master craftspersons Smt Angoori Devi and Shri Giri Raj Shah, and a phad wall-hanging by the Rajasthani master craftspersons Shri Shantilal Joshi.

Most of the works of art are, however, contemporary. They include sculptures by Enaz, Radhakrishnan, Subodh Kerkar and John Bowman, Kristine Michael and Ratnabali Kant. In addition, there are also a large number of works by young aspiring students from the Delhi College of Art.

Solar Energy Park

An integral part of the garden is the Solar Energy Park set up with the assistance of the Ministry of Non-conventional Renewable Energy Sources. The aim is to promote awareness of renewable sources of energy. A 20 KW solar power plant is installed to meet the requirements of the park.

The exhibits include
Two solar-powered buses.
Weighing machine.
Solar-powered bicycles.
Solar-powered cars for children.
Quiz computer.
Solar drum and slide.
A prototype of a solar-powered home.
Exhibits on renewable sources.
In addition,solar water- heating has been installed in nine food outlets.

The Solar Energy park features in the Limca Book of records,2004 for its unique concept.

A Culture Venue
The Garden of five Senses is the latest addition to Delhi's cultural circuit. The unique area of the garden with all its natural and man-made surroundings has added a new dimensions to life in Delhi and caters to all sections of society. The place has numerous attractions and changing programmes, such as the annual Garden tourism festival, yoga camps, food festivals, sherbat melas, the longest Dandiya Masti festival in Delhi and other regional dances and shows.

Both tourist and the residents of Delhi now have an exciting and easily accessible new venue for enjoyment and leisure.

Dilli Haat
The DILLI HAAT provides the ambience of a traditional Rural Haat or village market, but one suited for more contemporary needs. Here one sees a synthesis of crafts, food ad cultural activity.


This Food and Craft Bazar is a treasure house of Indian culture, handicrafts and ethnic cuisine, A unique bazaar, in the heart of the city, it displays the richness of Indian culture on a permanent basis.

Excursions

Agra
The city of Agra is 200 Kms from Delhi. Agra was the capital of Mughals and the city has retained the Mughal fever in its buildings and social life. Taj Mahal was built by Shah Jahan in memory of his beloved queen Mumtaz Mahal.Agra also has the imposing Red fort built by Akbar. Near Agra is the Fatehpur Sikri which is also known as Red sandstone capital of Emperor Akbar. This city is built in Red sandstone and has some of the best examples of Rajputana architecture in combination with Moghul architecture. To reach Agra there are conducted tours from Delhi as well as state transport buses ply from Delhi to Agra. There are train services also for Agra.

Jaipur
The capital of Rajasthan is just 300 kms from Delhi and one can take the conducted tour or train or state transport buses to this Pink city. In Jaipur the culture, the tradition, the art, the architecture of Rajasthan appear in full bloom. The Hawa Mahal, the imposing Amer Palace, Nahargarh fort, the city palace, Jantar Mantar and many other places are worth visiting. Jaipur also acts as the corridor to other places in Rajasthan.
Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary
A six hour journey from Delhi, well connected by road and railway is the former princely state of Bharatpur. Time has seen this place in great splendour and today Bharatpur is famous for the Keoladeo national park or popularly called as the Bharatpur Birds sanctuary. The sanctuary houses nearly 400 species of birds and many reptiles and animals. The place is visited by migratory birds and the Siberian cranes. Bharatpur also has the Deegh fort and the museums which tell the saga of a glorious past.

Other options
Delhi is well connected with most of the tourist destinations in its surroundings as well as far off.

- If you are interested in reilgion, meditation, yoga you can opt for Rishikesh, Haridwar, Golden temple,Amritsar,Mathura, Vrindavan.
- If you find wildlife interesting you can opt for going to Jim Corbett,Sulatanpur bird sanctuary Sariska.
Useful city tips
The "Dilli haat" organises some regualr festivals like:
Spicmacay folk festival in January.
Id festival in February.
Jammu & Kashmir Festival in March.
Baisaki festival in April.
Sharbat Festival in May.
Dilli Ka Khaana in June.
Teej Festival in July-August.
The Kerala Onam Festival in September.
Ganesh Utsav in September.
Navrathra Festival & Deep Festival in October/November.
Winter Carnival in December.
The Dilli Utsav in December.