Description:
Your umpteenth time in New Delhi? Seen it all? Done it all? Not quite looking forward to the India Gate, Humayun Tomb, Qutub Minar, Red Fort circuit?
We understand.
That's why, to perk up your jaded senses, we have come up with our Top 10 Offbeat things to do in New Delhi.
From a never-inhabited fort to an ancient step-well. From an imperial memorial to a mystic saint. From a haunted jail to a meandering maze...each is a prescription mood elevator for the depressed traveler.
So, go ahead. Get on to the track not usually taken. And tick off the numbers. As for the busload of tourists heading the other way, wave at them. One day, they will also follow in your footsteps...
(Photo courtesy: varunshiv/flickr)
View Iternary mapDay Note:
The sequencing of destinations has been done geographically and not in terms of any ranking. Tughlaqabad fort is the southernmost and we move north from there. You can, of course, do it the other way round. And start from the Coronation Memorial.
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Tughlaqabad Fort
Contact:
- +91 11 2332 0005
Location:
- Tuglaqabad
- New Delhi,DL110062
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Map
Description:
The fort stands high on an outcrop of rocks, with walls reaching 27 meters in places, stretching over a parameter of seven kilometers. This sprawling fortress was built in less than four years in the early 1300s to guard against the attacks by Mongols from central Asia. It was also connected to Old Delhi by a secret underground passage. But the fort was fated to be abandoned right after construction. Legend has it that it had been cursed by a Sufi saint. Today, it lies as beautiful ruins surrounded by rampant wilderness and numerous peacocks. It is a popular destination for trekkers and picnickers.
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Jamali Kamali
Contact:
- +91 11 2464 7005 (Tourist Information)
Location:
- Near Qutub Minar Complex
- Mehrauli Road
- New Delhi,DL110030
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Map
- user rating
Description:
The Jamali Kamali masjid (mosque) and tomb is situated near the Qutub Minar complex and is set within a beautiful park. The mosque's simple lines give it an air of simple elegance and quiet contemplation. Through the door on the right lies a small chamber in which Jamali and Kamali are buried. Jamali was a saint and a poet who was a favorite of the ruling king. The identity of Kamali is unknown. The tomb chamber is closed to the public but the outside premises are worth a view.
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Bhulbhulaiyan
Contact:
- +91 11 2332 0005
Location:
- Mehrauli Village
- Delhi-Gurgaon Road
- New Delhi,DL110030
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Map
Description:
This was constructed in 1562 as a tomb for Adham Khan, who was killed by king Akbar. This is situated next to the entrance of Mehrauli village and is also locally known as Bhulbhulaiyan, which means 'a maze'. According to folklore, this tomb is inhabited by ghosts. It is a beautiful structure in midst of green wilderness - an ideal spot to get a good view of the first fort of Delhi.
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Lal Gumbad
Contact:
- +91 11 2464 7005(Tourist Information)
Location:
- Panchshila Park
- Malviya Nagar
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Map
Description:
The Lal Gumbad is one of the many grand pieces of ancient architecture that beautifully adorn the city of Delhi. Lal Gumbad or the Red Mausoleum is the tomb of Shaikh Kabir-Ud-Din Auliya, who was buried here in 1397, during the pre-Mughal era. The square-shaped tomb is erected of red sandstone, with a conic-shaped plastered dome on the roof. The serene lawns of Panchshila Park, where the tomb is located, exudes a wonderful ambiance. Don't miss this gorgeous monument, when in Delhi!
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Hazrat Nizamuddin
Contact:
- +91 11 2464 7005 (Tourist Information)
Location:
- Mathura Road
- New Delhi,DL110013
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Map
Description:
Nizamuddin is a historic village settlement, which continues to exist within modern Delhi. It gets its name from the Sufi saint, Sheikh Nizamuddin Auliya, who was born in 1236. The area is full of craftsmen shops, traditional Mughal bakeries, ittar (exotic perfumes) bazaars, restaurants, old houses, traditional Islamic bookshops, and numerous shrines devoted to saints and poets. You are immediately transported back in time when you enter Hazrat Nizamuddin. It has a magical ambience.
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Feroz Shah Kotla
Contact:
- +91 11 2332 0005
Location:
- Bhahadur Shah Zafar Road
- New Delhi,DL110002
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Map
Description:
Ferozabad was constructed in 1354 by Feroz Shah Tuglaq. It now lies in ruins at Feroz Shah Kotla. This place now seem like a menacing fortress, but the most famous structure here is the Ashoka Pillar, on which the great king and philosopher, Ashoka's teachings are inscibed. Amongst the ruins are also the remains of a mosque and a well. It has been bought to this state by the endless stipping of its materials to construct newer buildings.
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Ugrasen Ki Baoli
Contact:
- +91 11 2464 7005 (Tourist Information)
Location:
- Near Kasturba Gandhi Marg,
- Connaught Place
- New Delhi,DL110001
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Map
Description:
This baoli (step well) is a small structure built of rubble and dressed stone. Shaded by a massive neem tree, it has no roof. Step wells of this kind were once the lifeline of settlements. They not only provided water but also served as points and centers of community activity; places where people gathered to cool off and socialize. The well has five levels where each level has an arched area, which was used as a resting place. The center of the well has water and the water is linked to a well dug in a covered platform. Today, it stands quietly and ignored amidst the corporate buildings of Connaught Place. If you look over the highest wall of the baoli, you will see a surrounding ring of imposing high rises. It's quite a view.
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Salimgarh
Contact:
- +91 11 2464 7005 (Tourist Information)
Location:
- Ajmere Gate
- Ring Road
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Map
Description:
About 1.5 kilometers north of the Red Fort are the ruins of the small fort of Salimgarh. It was built by king Salim Shah, in 1546, as an island fort on the Yamuna River. The next king, Aurangzeb, converted this fort into a state prison, and the British continued using it as such till the 1940s. Many freedom fighters from the Indian Independent Movement were jailed here for extensive periods of time. That however, is not its only claim to fame; Salimgarh is also considered as one of the most haunted places in Old Delhi.
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Saint James Church
Contact:
- +91 11 332 0005
Location:
- Kashmere Gate
- Church Road and Lothian Road
- New Delhi,DL110006
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Map
- user rating
Description:
Built in 1836, it is the oldest surviving church in the city. St. James Church was built in a western classical design with a Greek cross plan. Three of the arms of the cross have porticoes, while the east arm contains the altar. The dome is very similar to the dome of Florence Cathedral in Italy which was the first renaissance structure in the world. Delicate stained glass windows were added to the building in 1860. Some of the decorative elements have a Mughal influence and these are more prominent and visible in the base of the dome and also in the steps leading to the church.
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Coronation Memorial
Contact:
- +91 11 2462 9365
Location:
- Near Majnu Ka Tila, Ring Road
- New Delhi,DL
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Map
- user rating
Description:
Coronation Memorial has the statue of King George V, which once stood under the canopy near India Gate. The king is attired in the coronation robe he wore for the Darbar (royal court) in 1911. It is surrounded by other statues, including those of Lord Willingdon and Lord Hardinge, all standing on red sandstone plinths. The statues retain their old glory but they are situated within a neglected walled garden.
- Destination(s): New Delhi
- Type: Arts and Culture,Best of...,Off the Beaten Path
- 1 DAY
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