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Red Fort
Emperor Shah Jahan built Delhi's most
magnificent monument, the Red Fort. In
1638 Shah Jahan shifted the Mughal
Empire's capital from Agra to Delhi. A new
royal palace known as Red Fort or Red Fort
Delhi (Lal Qila) was constructed. It was
begun in 1639 and completed in 1648. The
name Red Fort comes from the massive red
sandstone walls that surround it.
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The fort is
octagonal in shape, like most Islamic
buildings in India. The north of the fort
is connected to the smaller Salimgarh
fort. The Red Fort is an intimidating
structure. It measures 900m by 550m, with
its rampart walls covering a perimeter of
2.41km. It towers at a height of 33.5m. On
the outside, you can still see the moat
that was originally connected with the
Yamuna River.
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Jama
Masjid
Constructed by Shah Jahan in the 17th
century A.D, Jama Masjid, near the Red
Fort is the biggest mosque in India. The
Jama Masjid is constructed on a high
platform with three onion shaped domes
adorned with black stripes. It has four
minarets in four corners. Its courtyard
has a reservoir of water in the center.
This courtyard can gather as many as
10,000 people at a time. This mosque is
constructed in red sandstone with inlaid
white marble. Its construction began in
1644 A.D. and was completed in 1658 A.D.
In the absence of royal patronage, art and
architecture did not flourish, after the
reign of Shah Jahan.
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Humayun's Tomb
The first mature example of Mughal
architecture in India, Humayun's Tomb
was built by the emperor's grieving
widow, Haji Begum, in 1565 AD.
Constructed with red sandstone and
ornamented marks the beginning of a new
tradition of ornate style which
culminated in the Taj Mahal of Agra.
Designed by the Persian architect, Mirza
Ghyas, Humayun's Tomb shows a marked
shift from the Persian tradition of
using coloured tiles for ornamentation.
the tomb is a square tower surmounted by
a magnificent marble dome. The dome
stands 140 feet from the base of the
terrace and is topped with a copper
pinnacle.
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Qutub
Minar
Built in the early 13th century a few
kilometres south of Delhi, the red
sandstone tower of Qutb Minar is 72.5 m
high, tapering from 2.75 m in diameter at
its peak to 14.32 m at its base, and
alternating angular and rounded flutings.
The surrounding archaeological area
contains funerary buildings, notably the
magnificent Alai-Darwaza Gate, the
masterpiece of Indo-Muslim art (built in
1311), and two mosques, including the
Quwwatu'l-Islam, the oldest in northern
India, built of materials reused from some
20 Brahman temples.
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Akshardham
Temple
Swaminarayan Akshardham in New Delhi
epitomises 10,000 years of Indian culture
in all its breathtaking grandeur, beauty,
wisdom and bliss. It brilliantly showcases
the essence of India’s ancient
architecture, traditions and timeless
spiritual messages. The Akshardham
experience is an enlightening journey
through India’s glorious art, values and
contributions for the progress, happiness
and harmony of mankind. The grand,
ancient-styled Swaminarayan Akshardham
complex was built in only five years
through the blessings of HDH Pramukh Swami
Maharaj of the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar
Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS).
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India Gate
Situated on the Rajpath in New Delhi,
the India Gate was originally called the
All India War Memorial is a monument
built by Edwin Lutyens to commemorate
the Indian soldiers who died in World
War I and the Afghan Wars. The
foundation stone was laid on 10 February
1921 by the Duke of Connaught. The names
of the soldiers who died in these wars
are inscribed on the walls. It was
completed in 1931. It is 42 meter tall.
Burning in
a shrine under the arch of India Gate
since 1971 is the Amar Jawan Jyoti (the
flame of the immortal warrior), which
marks the Unknown Soldier's Tomb.
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Bahai
Temple
The Bahá'í House of Worship in Delhi,
India, popularly known as the Lotus
Temple, is a Bahá'í House of Worship and
also a prominent attraction in Delhi. It
was completed in 1986 and serves as the
Mother Temple of the Indian subcontinent.
It has won numerous architectural awards
and been featured in hundreds of newspaper
and magazine articles.
Inspired by the lotus flower, its design
is composed of 27 free-standing marble
clad "petals" arranged in clusters of
three to form nine sides. The architect
was an Iranian named Fariborz Sahba. The
major part of the funds needed to buy this
land was donated by Ardishír Rustampúr of
Hyderabad, who gave his entire life
savings for this purpose in 1953.
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Jantar
Mantar
A unique structure raised in 1724, now
lies in the heart of Delhi's commercial
centre near Connaught place. This is the
Jantar Mantar, one of several astronomical
observatories raised by Maharaja Jai Singh
II of Jaipur. The various abstract
structures within the Jantar Mantar are,
in fact, instruments that were used for
keeping track of celestial bodies. Yet,
Jantar Mantar is not only a timekeeper of
celestial bodies, it also tells a lot
about the technological achievements under
the Rajput kings and their attempt to
resolve the mysteries regarding astronomy.
The Jantar Mantar of Delhi is only one of
the five observatories built by Sawai Jai
Singh II, the other four being located at
Jaipur, Varanasi, Ujjain and Mathura.
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President
House
Rashtrapati Bhawan was formerly known as
'Viceroy's House' and was occupied by
the Governor-General of India, until
independence. Also known as President's
House, the building holds a prominent
position in New Delhi. Designed by the
British architect, Sir Edwin Lutyens,
this classical building uses colors and
details peculiar to Indian architecture.
It was completed by 1929 and was
officially inaugurated in 1931. It was
in 1950 that President started living in
this ceremonial building and the
'Viceroy's House' was renamed as 'Rashtrapati
Bhavan.' It has 340 decorated rooms and
a floor area of 200,000 square feet. It
presents a blend of Mughal and European
architectural styles.
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Parliament
House
While Rashtrapati Bhavan is the official
residence of the President of India,
Sansad Bhawan or the Parliament House is
the center of political power in India
Parliament House is one of the most
magnificent buildings in New Delhi.
Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir
Herbert Baker, it took six years to be
constructed. It was inaugurated on 18th
January, 1927 by the then
Governor-General of India, Lord Irwin.
The massive circular edifice has a
circumference of about one-third of a
mile and stretches across six acres.
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