Leisure & Travel

Lutyen’s stimulating Mughal capitalThe story of India’s past from the 12th-20th centuries remains immortalised in the well preserved monuments and exquisite gardens of Delhi which became India’s capital in 1931Red Fort: landmark heritage monumentWith an archaeological heritage dating back 2,500 years, Delhi, with its dazzling array of monuments, forts, tombs, palaces, mosques, temples and churches has as much to offer as India‚s other business tourist entrepots such as Jaipur, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Chennai, Mumbai, and Kolkata. Indeed for over a century during British rule, Mumbai and Kolkata were the more popular imperial strongholds than this northern city which stands on the ruins and remains of several Mughal dynasties, and is indelibly Islamic in character on account of its historical legacy of majestic specimens of Muslim architecture. But in 1911, a decision to shift the capital from Kolkata to Delhi inaugurated a new period in this city‚s history, transforming it into the modern capital that is New Delhi ‚ a bustling metropolis populated by celebrated politicians, leaders, lawmakers, intellectuals, creative artistes, writers, and other national personalities. Its character now is undeniably modern, cosmopolitan, and global, even as the story of India‚s past from the 12th to the 20th centuries remains immortalised in the well preserved tombs, monuments, and exquisite gardens that lend shape and contours to this city which officially became the capital of India in 1931.Geographically, the National Capital Region (NCR) aka Delhi (population: 13 million) ‚ the third most populous city in the country after Mumbai (16 million) and Kolkata (14 million) ‚ is sited on the Indo-Gangetic plain flanked by Uttar Pradesh in the east and Haryana on the other three sides. To the south-east of Delhi flows the Yamuna ‚ one of the most sacred rivers in India. The region experiences extreme weather conditions with harsh, forbidding summers (May-August) when the mercury rises up to 45‚°C and bone chilling winter months (December-February) when the temperature could dip to 2‚°C. However the best time to visit Delhi is October-November, when the temperature remains constant at a moderate 30‚°C and occasional rains cool the city. All in all, Delhi which includes Old Delhi, the part of the city built by Emperor Shah Jahan in the 17th century, as well as New Delhi, which boasts some of the finest examples of 20th century archi-tecture, is a unique and stimulating blend of past and present, old and new, ancient and modern. Over time, it has evolved a distinctly secular character: here mosques and temples coexist with gurudwaras, churches, and edifices like the lotus-shaped Baha‚i House of Worship, making it a city rich in religious and cultural diversity. India Gate: French-inspired war memorialThe history of the national capital is colourful and interesting. Upto the 7th century AD this region was under the rule of the Maurya, Kushan, and Gupta dynasties. Following the fall of the Gupta kings, the region came into the possession of Rajput Tomara leader Anang Pal who established the towns of Anangpur and Lalkot. Later in 1191 AD, Mohammed of…