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Home - City Guide - Delhi - Key Attractions | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Key Attractions Humayun's Tomb Considered one of the best examples of Mughal architecture, this sixteenth-century structure - Delhi's first Mughal tomb - is reputed to be an early inspiration for the Taj Mahal. It was built by Haji Begum, wife of Humayun, and both are buried in the black and yellow marble tomb contained within the red sandstone walls. Nearby are the tombs of Nila Gumbad (Blue Dome), Babur (the first Mughal emperor and father of Humayun) and Isa Khan. Lodi Road and Mathura Road crossroads Opening hours: Dawn-dusk daily. Admission: Rs0.50 (free Fri). Purana Qila Humayun's city of Delhi, created in the sixth century, had at its centre the fortress of Purana Qila, whose crumbling remains are said to stand on the site of Indraprastha, the city of the Pandavas in the Mahabharata. Of the two main buildings that survive today, the Qila-i-Kuhna Masjid was constructed in 1541 in Afghan style, influenced by Indo-Islamic architecture. The Sher Mandal is an octagonal observatory and library, reputedly the scene of the death of Humayun in 1556. There is a small museum just inside the south gate Lal Darwaza. Mathura Road Opening hours: Dawn-dusk daily; (museum) 0800-1830. Admission: Free. Raj Ghat The ghats (steps leading down to the water) along the banks of the Yamuna River mark the cremation sites of the leaders and freedom fighters of India. The most popular, Raj Ghat, is a simple square platform of black marble where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated after his assassination in 1948. Pilgrims come to touch the petal-strewn platform or samadhi with reverence and emotion, and every Friday evening and on the anniversaries of his birth and death (2 October and 30 January) prayers are held in remembrance. North of Raj Ghat is Shanti Van, the cremation ground of Jawaharlal Nehru, while Indira Gandhi, Sanjay Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri were also cremated nearby. Opening hours: Dawn-dusk daily. Admission: Free. Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum Situated on Safdarjung Road, in the house where Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her own bodyguards in 1984, this museum displays her bloodstained sari as well as a collection of letters, press cuttings, photos and personal possessions. There is also a section devoted to her son, Rajiv. 1 Safdarjung Road Tel: (011) 301 0094. Opening hours: 0930-1700 Tues-Sun. Admission: Free. National Gallery of Modern Art The best place in Delhi to view contemporary Indian art is the National Gallery, at Jaipur House, near India Gate - once the residence of the Maharaja of Jaipur. Highlights include pieces by the Bengali Renaissance artists Abanendranath Tagore and Nandalal Bose, India's legendary poet and artist Rabindranath Tagore, and Jamini Roy. Jaipur House, India Gate Tel: (011) 338 2835. Opening hours: 1000-1700 daily. Admission: Free. |
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