Delhi is a very old city. You would say that you can make that out as soon as you step out of the airport, but hold on. Those are all new buildings covered in dust. You see glimpses of the Delhi of old in bits and pieces as you go around Delhi, on your business as usual or sightseeing, if you are lucky. I have been in Delhi all my life but have not been able to see it in its entirety. So many facets of it still amaze me with their uniqueness. The very same place looks totally different in different seasons and in different light at different times of the day. Perhaps the beauty of Delhi is epitomized in the famous lines of the fabled Firdaus inscribed in Persian on the ceiling of the Diwan-e-Khas (Hall of Nobles) in the Red Fort ” If there be a paradise on earth, it is this, oh it is this……”

There was life in these regions much before Delhi emerged. Stone tools belonging to early stone age were discovered from the Aravalli tracts in and around Anangpur, the Jawaharlal Nehru University Campus, the northern ridge and elsewhere - evidence that the Early Man lived here. Excavations at Mandoli and Bhorgarh in east and north-west Delhi respectively have thrown up remains of chalcolithic period dating back to 2nd millennium BC & 1st millennium BC, as well remains of 4th-5th century AD have been traced here.

The first mention of Delhi is found in the epic Mahabharata and being referred to as Indraprastha, it is supposed to have been founded by the Pandavas in as early as 1450 B.C. Then Delhi rose again as Lal Kot in the 11th century A.D., being built by a Tomar Hindu king Anangpal. After that Delhi manifested itself in various forms as Qila Rai Pithora, Siri, Jahanpanah, Tughlakabad, Ferozabad (Ferozshah Kotla), Dinpanah by Humayun, Delhi Sher Shahi, Shahjahanabad by Shah Jehan, which survived till 1857, and as Delhi thereafter under the British & finally as New Delhi in 1911 through Edwin Lutyens who also referred to it as the “Rome of Hindoostan”.

The following landmarks of the city compete for your attention, contributing to your impression of the city :-

MONUMENTS
1. Qutab Minar - Open Sunrise to Sunset; Tickets: Foreigner Rs.250 Indian Rs.10 After Sunset 1915 to 2030 Rs.20 Children below 15 Free
2. Raj Ghat - Mahatama Gandhi’s memorial
3. India Gate - Open WW-1 memorial
4. Rashtrapati Bhawan (President’s house) - Stop by at Gate; Entry only with appointment
5. Parliament House - Dive by only No stopping anywhere; Entry only with Pass issued by a Member of Parliament
6. Purana Qila (Old Fort) - Open Sunrise to Sunset; Tickets: Foreigner Rs.110 Indian Rs.5
7. Tuglaqabad Fort
8. Humayun’s Tomb - Open Sunrise to Sunset; Tickets: Foreigner Rs.250 Indian Rs.10
9. Safdarjung’s Tomb - Open Sunrise to Sunset; Tickets: Foreigner Rs.110 Indian Rs.5
10. Ferozshah Kotla -
11. Jantar Mantar - Open Sunrise to Sunset; Tickets: Foreigner Rs.100 Indian Rs.5
12. Red Fort - Open Sunrise to Sunset; Tickets: Foreigner Rs.100 Indian Rs. 5
13. Chandni Chowk - Historical market in Old Delhi
14. Indira Gandhi Memorial

TEMPLES
1. Jama Masjid - Mosque
2. Lotus (Bahai) Temple - Open Summer: 0900 to 1900 Winter: 0930 to 1730 Monday closed
3. ISKCON Temple - Open 0430 to 1200 & 1600 to 2100
4. Lakshmi Narayan (Birla) Mandir - Temple
5. Akshardham Temple - Open 0900 to 1800 Monday closed; Tickets: Entry Free Rs.125 for Museum & Show only

MUSEUMS
1. National Museum -
2. National Gallery of Modern Art
3. National Museum of Natural History
4. Rail Museum - Open 0930 to 1900 Monday closed; Tickets: Adult Rs.5 Child Rs.3
5. Gandhi Museum - Open 1000 to 1700 Monday & 2nd Saturday closed
6. Metro Rail Museum - Inside Patel Chowk Metro Station Upper Level
7. Airforce Museum
8. Nehru Planetarium & Museum
9. National Philatelic Museum
10. Museum of Toilets
11. Museum of Dolls
12. Museum of Science & Technology

RECREATIONAL
1. Delhi Zoo - Open Summer: 0800 to 1800 Winter: 0900 to 1700; Tickets: Foreigners: Rs.50 Indian Rs.10
2. Fun & Food Village - Kapashera, South Delhi Open Summer 0930 to 2000 Winters 0930 to 1830 Tickets Adults Weekdays 400 Weekends & Holidays 450 Child 300 Infant Free
3. Adventure Island - Rithala, Rohini Open 1200 to 2300 Tickets Weekday Adult 220 Child 170 Weekends & Holidays Adult 350 Child 270
4. Entertainment City - Adjacent to Great India Place, Noida, besides Sector 18 market