16 Best Heritage sites in Delhi

At a distance of 4 km from New Delhi Railway Station, The Red Fort or the Lal Qila is one of the best historical places in Delhi situated on the western bank of the River Yamuna. This grand fort is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Delhi, from where the prime minister addresses the nation every year on Independence Day (15 August). It is located in the center of Delhi and houses a number of museums. It is one of the best places to visit in Delhi and also one of the top attractions you must include in Golden Triangle tour.

The Red Fort was built by Shah Jahan between 1638 and 1648. The Fort was built when Shah Jahan transferred his capital from Agra to Delhi. The fort is better planned than the Agra Fort and was the residence of the Mughal emperor of India for nearly 200 years, until 1857. It was originally called as Quila-i-Mubarak, meaning the blessed fort, as it was the royal residence of Mughals.

The Fort is enclosed by a rubble stone wall. The walls of the Fort are about 2 kilometers in length while the height varies from 18 m to 33 m, and surrounded by a deep forbidding moat. The structure is in the form of an octagon with long extended walls on the east and west. The Red Fort is constructed out of red sandstone along with marble that has been extensively used in the construction of the palaces within the fort. It has two main gateways, the Lahore Gate ...

...read more

At a distance of 15 km from New Delhi Railway Station, Qutub Minar is the magnificent tower of victory stands in the Qutub Complex located at Aurabindo Marg near Mehrauli in Delhi. Qutub is the highest tower in India and is an UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is among the must visit Delhi tourist places and one of the best heritage sites in Delhi city. It is also commonly featured in the promotion of Delhi Tourism.

Qutub-ud-Din Aibak laid the foundation of Minar in 1199 AD for the use of the Mu'zzin (crier) to give calls for prayer and raised the first storey, to which three more storeys were added by his successor and son-in-law, Shamsud-Din Iltutmish (AD 1211-36). Numerous inscriptions in Arabic and Nagari characters in different places of the Minar reveal the history of Delhi. According to the inscriptions on its surface it was repaired by Firoz Shah Tughlaq (AD 1351-88) and Sikandar Lodi (AD 1489-1517). Major R. Smith also repaired and restored the Minar in 1829.

It is an ideal example of Indo-Islamic architectural style. The minar has a diameter of 14.32 m at the base and about 2.75 m on the top with a height of 72.5 m (234 feet). The first three storeys are made of red sandstone and are heavily indented with different styles of fluting, alternately round and angular on the bottom floor, round on the second and angular on the third. The fourth and fifth floors are made of marble and sandstone. Qutub Minar is one of the tallest individual towers in the world. All ...

...read more

At a distance of 8 km from New Delhi Railway Station and 3 km from Hazrat Nizamuddin Station, Humayun's Tomb is one of the prime tourist places to visit in Delhi and one of the top historical places in Delhi city. The tomb is an UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the final resting place of Humayun, the second Mughal Emperor and father of Akbar.

The construction of this tomb was commissioned by Humayun's wife, Hamida Banu Begum or Haji Begum in 1562. It was designed by Mirak Mirza Ghiyath, a Persian architect. Humayun's tomb was based on Gur-e Amir, the tomb of Mughal ancestor Timur in Samarkand. The tomb was completed in 1572 AD and is believed to have costed 15 lakh rupees at the time of its completion. The entire structure is built using red sandstone.

Humayun's tomb is a fine specimen of the great Mughal architecture, which was inspired by Persian architecture. The tomb was the first garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent. Its unique beauty is said to have inspired several major architectural innovations, culminating in the construction of the majestic Taj Mahal.

The tomb is octagonal in shape with two double-storeyed gateways to enter the tomb, one on the west and the other on the south. The southern gateway is currently closed. The tomb has a large pavilion and a bathing chamber. The octagonal central chamber contains the main tomb of Humayun and the diagonal sides lead to corner chambers which house the graves of other members of the royal family. The ...

...read more

At a distance of 3 km from Delhi Junction Railway Station, Jantar Mantar is one of the best historical places in Delhi situated in Parliament Street near Connaught Place. Jantar Mantar was declared a national monument in 1948. The Jantar Mantar is among the best places to visit in Delhi and is a great place for astronomy lovers.

Jantar Mantar, also known as the Delhi Observatory was built in 1724 AD. It is one of five astronomical observatories in India that was designed by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II of Jaipur. The other four observatories are situated at Jaipur, Varanasi, Ujjain and Mathura. The essential purpose of the Jantar Mantar was to accumulate astronomical tables which in turn would help predict the time and movement of the celestial bodies such as the sun, moon and other planets. The task was given to Raja Jai Singh by the Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah.

It houses 13 astrological instruments, including the Samrat Yantra, Ram Yantra, Jaya Prakash and Mishra Yantra. The entire structure is made of stone and marble. The instruments have been repaired and restored repeatedly, but without any large scale alteration.

The Samrat Yantra reflects the accurate time within a variation of four minutes. Any change in the weather or the onset of the monsoon can be prepared by the Indian Chhatri, which is a small dome-shaped structure. The Jai Prakash Yantra consists ...

...read more

At a distance of 10 km from New Delhi Railway Station, Akshardham Temple or Swaminarayan Temple is located on the banks of River Yamuna near Nizamuddin Bridge in Delhi. The temple is included in the list of Seven Wonders of the 21st Century by the prestigious Reader's Digest magazine. It is one of best built temples in India and among must visit tourist places in Delhi. It also has been listed in the 2009 edition of the Guinness World Records book as the largest Hindu temple in the world.

Akshardham Temple is dedicated to Lord Swaminarayan. Akshardham means the adobe of the supreme lord and the temple is a fine example of the Hindu architecture. The complex is the second Akshardham complex in the country after the one at Gandhinagar in Gujarat.
The building was inspired and moderated by Pramukh Swami Maharaj who was the spiritual leader BAPS community. It was inaugurated in November 2005 by the President, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.

Spread over 100 acres, the temple complex is one of the most beautiful structures in India. The temple is a complex of many small structures with the main monument built according to Vaastu Shastra. The main monument is made of Rajasthani pink sandstone and Italian Carrara Marble. Built with earthquake-resistant provisions, its interior is bright and air conditioned. It is 141 feet high, 316 feet wide and about 370 feet long supported by 234 pillars with floral carvings and also has 11 huge mandapas (domes) and decorated arches.

There ...

...read more

At a distance of 3.5 km from New Delhi Railway Station, Jama Masjid or Masjid-i-jahan-Numa is located in the center of old Delhi near the famous Red Fort. This is one of the largest mosques in India and one of the last monuments built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. It is one of the top places to visit in Delhi city and also among the top historical sites in Delhi.

Jama Masjid was commissioned by Shah Jahan between 1644 and 1656 at a cost of 1 million rupees. This mosque was constructed with the efforts of more than 5,000 workers. The Masjid was completed under the supervision of Saadullah Khan, the Prime Minister of Shah Jahan and was inaugurated by an imam from Bukhara, present-day Uzbekistan. After the British victory in Revolt of 1857, they occupied the mosque and stationed their soldiers here.

The mosque has three large gates, four towers and two 40 m high minarets constructed using red sandstone and white marble. The mosque is built on a red sandstone porch, which is about 30 feet from ground level and spreads over 1200 square meter. There are three domes on the terrace which are surrounded by the two minarets. The minarets are 130 feet (40 m) high and consist of 130 steps. The minarets consist of five storeys, each with a balcony. The adjoining edifices are filled with calligraphy. The first three storeys of the minarets are made of red sandstone, the fourth of marble and the fifth of sandstone.

The floor of the mosque has been totally covered with white ...

...read more

At a distance of 5 km from New Delhi Railway Station, Raj Ghat is a memorial dedicated to the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi located on the banks of Yamuna River in Old Delhi.

Raj Ghat is the last resting place of Mahatma Gandhi. The cremation of Mahatma Gandhi took place at the Raj Ghat on 31st January 1948, a day after his assassination. The memorial was designed by Vanu G. Bhuta, who intended it to reflect the simplicity of the Mahatma's life. It has won several awards for its architectural design.

The memorial stone of Mahatma Gandhi placed on a simple square platform made of black stone, with the words Hey Ram inscribed on it. It is left open to the sky while an eternal flame burns perpetually at one end. The road on which it is located is also known as the Mahatma Gandhi Road.

It is situated amidst a well maintained garden with fountains and numerous trees that give the area a serene atmosphere. Near the memorial, there are labeled trees planted by visiting dignitaries such as Queen Elizabeth II, Ho Chi Minh, the former Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitman and the former US president Dwight Eisenhower. Around the sides of the garden are quotes and thoughts written by Gandhi, engraved in different languages.

All guests must remove their footwear before entering the Raj Ghat walls. To the north of the Raj Ghat is the cremation site of Jawaharlal Nehru known as the Shanti Van. Near to this are the cremation sites of Indira Gandhi, who ...

...read more

At a distance of 7.5 km from New Delhi Railway Station and 7 km from Hazrat Nizamuddin Station, Safdarjung Tomb is located near the Safdarjung Airport at the T-junction of Lodi Road and Aurobindo Marg. It is located at a distance of 1 km from the Lodi Garden. It was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1993.

Safdarjung Tomb was built by his son Shujaud Daula in 1754. It is among the best tourist places in Delhi and also among the top historical places in Delhi city. This Tomb is dedicated to Mirza Muqeem Abdul-Mansur Khan, who was also known as Safdarjung. He was the viceroy of Oudh under Muhammad Shah and prime minister under Ahmad Shah. The tomb is the last example of the pattern which began with Humayun's tomb.

The Tomb was built in distinct Mughal architecture. Constructed in the center of a large garden, the compound is decorated with ponds and fountains. Crafted out of red sandstone with a white marble dome, the Tomb is built on a raised platform. The tomb has a gate on the East and pavilions on the other sides, namely, Moti mahal or the pearl palace, Jangli mahal and Badshah Pasand. The compound is surrounded by a high outer masonry wall, with channels to carry water to different pavilions. The walls contain a series of arches on its inner side and the four corners are articulated with octagonal chhatris. The entrance gateway contains few apartments, a courtyard and a mosque.

It is a square double-storeyed structure and surmounted by a bulbous ...

...read more

At a distance of 4.5 km from New Delhi Railway Station, India Gate is one of the most popular monuments situated at eastern end of Raj Path in New Delhi. It is also one of the most visited tourist places in Delhi.

India Gate, Originally called the All India War Memorial, is a war memorial in honour of the 70,000 Indian soldiers who died during the World War I. The memorial bears the names of more than 13,516 British and Indian soldiers killed in the Northwestern Frontier in the Afghan war of 1919.

It was designed by the famous British architect, Edward Lutyens and the foundation stone was laid down by the Duke of Connaught in 1921. The monument similar in design to the French war memorial, the Arc-de-Triomphe, was completed in 1931.The monument was dedicated to the nation in 1931 by the then Viceroy, Lord Irwin. Another memorial, Amar Jawan Jyoti was added much later, after India got its independence. The eternal flame burns day and night under the arch to remind the nation of soldiers who laid down their lives in the Indo-Pakistan War of December 1971.

The India Gate reaches up to a height of 42 m and stands tall in the heart of the city with an arched structure. The entire arch stands on a low base of red stone and rises in stages to a huge moulding. The cornice is inscribed with the Imperial suns while both sides of the arch have INDIA, flanked by the dates MCMXIV (1914 left) and MCMXIX (1919 right). The shallow domed bowl at the top was intended to be ...

...read more