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Monuments in Delhi

Qutub Minar : Qutub Minar is one of the ancient and most beautiful monuments in India and is also the highest tower in India with a height of 72.5m and a diameter of 14.32m at the base and 2.75m at the top. The minaret is built in red brick and is the tallest brick minaret in the wolrd. The tower is build in an Indo-Islamic architecture and is declared as UNESCO world heritage site. Its foundation was laid by Qutb-u'd-Din Aibak in AD 1199 and is believed to be built on behalf of the victory celebration of Mohammed Ghori (an invader from Afghanistan), over the Rajputs in AD 1192. He built the first storey and three more storeys were built by his successor Shamsu'd-Din IItutmish between AD 1211 and 1236. The minar consist of a numerous inscriptions in Arabic and Nagari characters in different places, revelaing the history of Qutub Minar. The minar was repaired by by Firoz Shah Tughlaq between AD 1351 and AD1388, and Sikandar Lodi between AD 1489 and AD 1517. There is also an Iron Pillar in the courtyard, which bears an inscription in Sanskrit in Brahmi script of 4th century AD. The pillar which is made of 98 per cent wrought iron highlights ancient India's achievements in mettalurgy. The speciality of this pillar is that it has stood 1600 years without decomposing or rusting.

Red Fort, Delhi : The Red Fort or Lal Quila, with its wall extending upto 2 kms in length is one of the most spectacular and magnificient monuments of the Mughal Architecture and was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan between AD 1638 and AD 1648. The surroundings of the Red Fort in Delhi is now a busy market place, known as the Meena Bazaar, which is famous for its collections of antiques, ivory jewellery and miniature paintings. The Red fort contains all the expected trappings of the centre of Mughal government such as halls of public and private audience, plush private apartments, domed and arched marble palaces, a mosque and elaborately designed beautiful gardens. The Diwan-i-Khas where the private audiences were granted, is made of marble, with its centre-piece of the Peacock Throne, which was studded with rare and valuable rubies and gems. The Royal Baths, the Shahi Burj and the Moti Masjid are some of the attractions eclosed within the monument. Every year the Indian Prime Minister of India addresses the nation from this Fort on India's Independence Day. The Rang Mahal, which is another attraction of the Fort used to be the palace of Emperor's wives and mistresses.

India Gate : The 42 m high India Gate is a majestic high arch, built by Edwin Lutyens in memory of the Indian soldiers killed in the World War I and the Afghan wars. The wall of India Gate consist of the names of over 70,000 soldiers who died during these wars. The foundation stone of India Gate was laid on 10 February 1921 by the Duke of Connaught and was completed in 1931. It is also known for the Amar Jawan Jyoti or the flame of the immortal warrior, which marks the Unknown Soldier's Tomb. The lush green lawns, Children Park, famous boat club around the place and the cool evening breeze make it a perfect picnic spot. India Gate is illuminated with number of lights around it in the evening.

Jewish Synagogue : The Judah Hyan Jewish Synagogue is the only synagogue in Delhi, which caters to about 200 Jews residing in Delhi. the synagogue is situated behind the land mark cementry near Khan Market. Rosh-hashana. which is the Jewish new year is the major festival of this Jewish Synagogue in Delhi and is celebrated on September 23. The prayers on this day is followed by sanctification over wine, where traditional foods such as dates, apple dipped in honey, leek, beetroot and sheep or fish head is served. There are routine "Tora" reading on Friday evening and Saturday morning. There is also ancient and modern Hebrew classes on Sundays and inter faith studies to make a comparitive studies of all the religions.

Jantar Mantar : Jantra Mantar was contructed in the year AD 1724 and is located near Connaught Place, which lies in the heart of Delhi's commercial center. The large masonry structures in Jantar Mantar appears to be abstract is far way from being called as a modern art gallery. Jantar Mantar is an observatory built by the Raja Sawai Jai Singh II of Jaipur (1699-1743) who was an honored noble in the Mughal court during the Aurungzeb era. Sawai Jai Singh who was a keen astronomer and the erroreneous brass and metal astronomical instruments of those times were not satisfactory. After ensuring the safety of his kingdom, he turned his focus towards correcting the existing astronomical tables and replacing the almanac with more reliable instruments. Delhi's Jantar Mantar is the first of the five observatories of its type in India. The other observatories are situated in Jaipur, Varanasi, Ujjain and Mathura. Astronomical observations were regularly made at Jantar Mantar and these observations were used for drawing up a new set of tables. Some of the major and famou scientific instruments included the Samrat Yantra, the Ram Yantra, Jai Prakash Yantra and the Misra Yantra. Jantar Mantar gives a sound ringing bell to the minds of tourist on the scientic and research advancement of India even centuries ago. Today Jantar Mantar in Delhi is one of the major heritage tourist attractions of Delhi.

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