| Delhi
Delhi
is the capital of India and the third-largest city after Mumbai
and Calcutta. Delhi has not always been the capital of India but
it has played an important role in Indian history. Delhi is a relatively
easy city to find your way around in, although it is very spread
out. The section of interest to visitors is on the west bank of
the Yamuna River and is divided basically into two parts, viz. Old
Delhi and New Delhi. Old Delhi is basically the 17th century walled
city of Shahjahanabad, with city gates, narrow alleys, the enormous
Red Fort and Jama Masjid, temples, mosques, bazaars and the famous
street/area known as Chandni Chowk. New Delhi is a planned city
of wide, tree-lined streets, parks and fountains. Its hub is the
great circle of Connaught Place and the streets that radiate south
from it. Here you will find most of the airline offices, banks,
travel agents, the various state tourist offices, the national tourist
office, economical rest/guest houses and several of the big hotels.
However,
of late, the focus of business activity has shifted to South Delhi,
i.e. Chanakyapuri and beyond (and even upto the outskirts of Gurgaon).
Most of the popular residential areas are also concentrated there.
The Indira Gandhi International Airport is to the south west of
the city ( towards Gurgaon ), and about halfway between the airport
and Connaught Place is Chanakyapuri, the diplomatic enclave. Most
of embassies in Delhi are concentrated in this modern area and most
diplomats reside there or nearby. The major attractions of Delhi
are India Gate, Raj Ghat, Jantar Mantar, Connaught Place, Parliament
House, Baha'i Temple, the National Museum, the Railway Museum, Red
Fort, Purana Qila, Qutab Minar, Safdarjang's Tomb, Humayun's Tomb,
Lakshmi Narain Mandir, Delhi Zoo, Mughal Gardens, Pragati Maidan,
Badkal Lake, Suraj Kund and Kalindi Kunj. The major Shopping centres
are Chandni Chowk, Connaught Place, Karol Bagh, South Extn., Santushti
(Chanakyapuri), Hauz Khas Village and Lajpat Nagar.
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