Lets all have an insightful tour of ‘DELHI’,the U.T.of India famous for its heritage sites:Red Fort,Qutub Minar, ISKCON & Akshardham temples :the magnificent marvels of architecture & spirituality

DELHI , located in the northern part of India, is officially the National Capital Territory (NCT)of Delhi, a city & Union territory of India containing New Delhi(South Delhi) which is the Capital of British India since 1947 & Republic of India since 26 Jan 1950.In old Delhi(North Delhi),dating back to the 1600s, stand the Mughal-era Red Fort(a symbol of India), Jama masjid, Rajghat,Fatehpur ,Digambar Jain Lal temple, Nicolson Cemmetery, Gurudwara Sisganj Sahib ,Roshanara bagh ,India war memorial museum,Urdu park & the Chandani chowk-a vibrant bazaar filled with food carts,sweets &spice stalls!In New Delhi,we have heritage sites such as Akshardham temple ,India gate ,Hauj khaas ,Lotus temple ,National rail museum ,Rashtrapati bhawan !Delhi is of great historical importance as an important commercial transport & cultural hub as well as political centre of India !As per legend, it was named afer Raja Dhilu ,a king who ruled in the 1st century BCE !Total area of Delhi is 1484 sq km.

About Delhi :

Delhi is located alongside river Yamuna & bordered by Haryana & UP .Delhi has completed 100 yrs as capital after it was shifted from Bengal.Delhi has been a seat of many powerful empires in the past & can be traced back in its very carefully preserved monuments ,ancient forts & tombs.All this combine with the best features of a modern city such as metro system ,Roadways & flyovers having improved connectivity (Signature bridge under construction near Wazirabad),bustling markets & fabulous eating places !In the time of Mahabharata, the place was called Indraprasta where Pandavas used to live.The location of Indraprasta is quite uncertain but Purana Qila in the present day New Delhi is is frequently cited as Indraprasta!Over the centuries 8 more cities came into existence near the Indraprasta -Lal kot, Siri Dinapanah, Qila Rai Pithora ,Firozabad, Janapanah,Tuglakabad & Shahjanabad .The most prominent dynasties which made Delhi their capital were the Tuglaqs ,khiljis & the Moghuls !

Demography of Delhi :In 1947, thousands of Hindus & Sikhs from predominantly Muslim Pakistan entered the city in the wake of Independence !After that there have been some imigrants mostly arriving from other states or from other countries diversifying the population.Religious component of Delhis population is also varriedHindus as majority ,Islam contribute the largest minority followed by Sikhs ,Jains, Christians & Buddhists.

Economy : 1)Most important component is service sector. 2)Agriculture was significant previously but now its negligible!3)Manufacturing is significant after a surge in 1980. Administration :Delhi consists of both the urban agglomeration & more than 200 villages across Delhi & Mehrauli tehsils!At the macro level,Delhi is part of NCR which also comprises the bordering tehsils of Haryana & UP.At the micro level NCT consists of 3 adminitrative bodiescalled as MCD ,NDMC & Cantonement board.MCD performs muncipal & discretionary welfare functions!NDMC is responsible for New delhi & adjoing areas ! Cantt board bears the principal responsibilities of water & public utilites management ,public health & sanitation ,birth & death regiistration &elementary education!Delhi was a British province headed by a Chief Comissioner until 1947 when India attained Independence!It became a centrally administered state in 1952 but in 1956 its status was changed to that of UT!In 1958 ,a unified corporation for urban & rural areas was established!In 1991 Lt. General appointed by President of India is the chief admin of the NCT assisted by the CM who is also appointed! Muncipal Services :Delhi Jal board distributes drinking water!Electricity is supplied by local Thermal power stations built in NCT in early 21st century .A portion of energy is tapped for Delhi from outside NCT! Juridiction of fire services extends over both urban & rural areas of NCT!Delhi police force is headed by a commissioner who oversees the operation of several districts each of which is administered by a SP ! Health :Hospitals(larger facilities) in Delhi are administered by the national Govt.or by NCT providing healthcare through large no. of allopathic & homeopathic clinics as well as dispensaries! Education :1)Jamia Millia Islamia 1920,2)Univ. of Delhi 1922,3)JNU-1969 ,4)AIIMS-1956,5)National school of drama -1959,6)IIT-1959, 7) I.I.Mass Communication 1965 ,8)One of the largest distance learning Univ. of India IGNOU (1985) is located here !Also there are some vocational schools ! Cultural Life :It exhibits a unique blend of traditional & cosmopolitan styles.City is dotted with numerous museums ,historic forts & monuments ,auditoriums botanical gardens & places of worship,contemporary art galleries,cinema multiplexes ,sports avenues & restaurants serving indian & international cuisines !Reflecting on Delhi cultural & stylish diversity there are no. of fairs & festivals including annual film festival, trade & book fairs! Architecture :There is rich architectural heritage in Delhi !The oldest building belongs to the early muslim period where also the influence of Rajput craftsman is visible in naturalistic motiffs ,tendrils, ,curves of alphabets of Quranic inscriptions .Some artists ,poets & architects brought with them the Turkish tradition of architecture ,lotus -bud fringe on the arches ,ornamental reliefs & typical brickwork!By the time of Khiljis (1290-1320)a specic method called Pastun style had been had been established in Islamic architecture featuring redstone with white marble inlays,arches, windows with perforated screens,intricate decoration with inspirational texts .Examples of pastun architecture include the Quwat-ul-islaam mosque,the Qutab minar -a UNESCO World heritage site ,tomb of Iltutmish, tombs of Sayyad & Lodi kings .An important piece of Moghal architecture was the Humayuns tomb ,Red fort.Jama masjid is the true example of Moghal mosque !Both Humauns tomb & Red fort complex are UNESCO World heritage sites!Stepwells or baolies also showcase Delhis architectural heritage .Although each stepwell varies stylishtically all of them incoorporated flights of stairs leading from the surface to the water!Many also functioned as the inverted temples ,featuring column supported shade pavillions &elaborate stone carvings.Examples of stepwells in Delhi are Agrasen ki baoli & Gandhak ki Baoli !In British period some style architectures are seen in Rashpati bhawan, Parliament & Secretariate,Banglows & Institutional building, Vigyan bhawan ,National Institute of Immunology ,LIC Headquarters & Embassy of Belgium!

Other places of historical importance :1)National museum of India, 2)National Gallery of modern art , 3)IGNC for Arts , 4)Crafts museum , 5)Sirifort auditorium is important centre for cultural events !Pragati maidan is a world class trade & cultural centre where events & exhibitions of International level are held throughout the year! Dilli haat is another place with diverse handicrafts & cuisines ! Delhi is a city of gardens & fountains : 1)Roshan Ara is meticulously planned Moghul garden , 2)Lodhi gardens ,3)Firoshah Kotla grounds around Ashoka Pillar, 4)Rajghat honouring Mahatma Gandhi ,5)Shantivan honouring JL Nehru , 6)Vijay ghat honouring Lal Bahadur Shastri , Sports & Recreation :Sporting facilities include stadium & sports complex Media & Publishing :1) Important centre for publishing, the press and other mass communication ,2)Doordarshan is national network ,3)All India Radio, 4)Major daily news papers are The Hindustan Times & The Times of India.

Worth Visiting historical destinations of Delhi : 1) Red Fort :1600-Imperial Residence & museum ! 2)Qutab Minar : Landmark brick minaret amid monuments ! 3)Humayuns Tomb :Tomb ,mausoleum ,monument, architecture & garden! 4)Jama Masjid :vast,17th century Moghul style mosque ! 5)India gate :1920s ,triumphal arch & war memorial ! 6)Akshardham :Modern temple celebrating Indian arts ! 7)Rashtrapati bhawan :Presidents office ,residence & museum ! 8)Jantar mantar :18th century astronomy complex ! 9)National museum :Museum spanning Indias history ! 10)Lotus temple :Temple with a flower like design ! 11)Purana kila :Riverside fortress with Mughal era gates! 12)Lodhi Garden: 80 acre city park innaugurated in 1936 13)Agrasen ki Baoli :historic stepwell with stone arches 14)Gurudwara shri Bangla sahib:sikh religious site, pond with healing waters 15)Dilli Haat INA :Handicrafts & architecture 16)Shri Laxmi narain temple 17)Rajghat 18)Safdarjung Tomb 19)The Garden of 5 senses 20)National gallery of modern Art 21)National Zoological park 22)Parliament of India 23)Tuglakabad fort 24)Hazarat Nizamuddin Aulia Durgah 25)Gandhi smriti museum 26)Khan market 27)National craft museum & hastakala Folk art & textiles 28)Feroz shah kotla fort 29)Sri kalkaji temple 30)Shanti stupa 31)Nehru planetorium 32)Digambar Jain Lal mandir 33)ISKCON Temple 34)Mehrauli Archeological park 35)National War memorial 36)Moghul garden 37)Air force museum 38)Sikandar Lodhi tomb 39)Waste to wonder theme park 40)Arun Jaitli stadium 41)Sacred Heart Cathedral Catholic Church 42)Badkhal lake 43)Buddha Jayanti park 44)Khooni darwaja 45)Hauz khaas complex 46)Kila Rai Pithora fort 47)Indraprasta park 48)Amar Jawan Jyoti 49)Metro museum 50)National Philatelic museum of Indian stamps 51)Museum of Illusions 52)Saanskitik Kendra /Art /craft/textile museum 53)Triveni Kala sangam 54)Jahaz Mahal 55)Aravali Biodiversity Park 56)Guru Teg Bahadur Memorial

My readers may kindly point out any misinformation in the writeup on this site which will be duly corrected! I am very very grateful to the Wikipedia for some information & photos !HAVE A NICE DAY💕 ! HAPPY READING !