Details in Delhi…
PHOTOS; 1.CHOLA BATULA, 2. JALABIES,3.MAP TO BENGALI MARKET,4. JANTAR MANTAR, 5.MAP OF OLD DEHLI, 6. RED FORT, 7. LAXMI NARAYAN TEMPLE (BIRLA MANDIR), 8.MAP TO CONNAUGHT PLACE, PALIKA MARKET
Breakfast at Bengali Market
Duration: 30 minutes Address: Babar Rd, Connaught Place
If you are staying in Connaught Place, Paharganj or Karol Bagh, take an auto rickshaw and reach Bengali Market for breakfast.
This small market has two famous joints – Bengali Sweets and Nathu Sweets. Try Delhi’s local breakfast options like chola batura, puris, lassi and sweets.
Jantar Mantar
Price: R100.00 (for a single adult) Duration: 50 minutes Address: Sansad Marg, Connaught Place
Built by Maharaja Jai Singh in 1724, Jantar Mantar is actually an observatory and can calculate many astronomical movements very accurately.
What to see: There are four distinct structures within Jantar Mantar in New Delhi: the Samrat Yantra, the Ram Yantra, the Jayaprakash, and the Mishra Yantras.
Hours:9am\to\dusk Entry Fee: Rs 100
Parliament, India Gate, Rajpath, Rastrapati Bhawan (President’s House)
Price: FREE Duration: 50 minutes Address: Rajpath
India Gate is located at one end of Rajpath. (Raj means ‘King’ and path means ‘road’. Rajpath is the 7 km long road that connects India Gate and Rastrapati Bhawan). At one end of Rajpath is the India Gate and on the other end is the Rastrapati Bhawan. From one end, you can walk down the Rajpath towards Rastrapati Bhawan. You’ll not be permitted to enter the Rastrapati Bhawan, so you can just see the structure from outside.
Parliament House: You cannot enter premises without prior permission. So you have to see it from outside. Parliament House is the seat of power and politicians from across the country decides the fate of the nation and democracy here.
India Gate and Rajpath: India Gate is a 42-metre high stone arch of triumph. It bears the name of the 85,000 Indian Army Soldiers who died in the campaigns during the First World War.
Rajpath is the most important road of the country, it is host to the Republic Day Parade. Rajpath has India gate on one end and Rastrapati Bhawan (President’s House) on the other. This area is full of important ministries and government offices.
Rastripati Bhawan: You can see it from near but will not be allowed to enter the building. This is the official residence of the President of India and an important landmark of Lutyens Delhi.
National Museum
Price: R300.00 (for a single adult) Duration: 1 hour Address: Rajpath
While walking from India Gate towards the Rastripati Bhawan, you’ll find the National Museum. This has a collection of over 2,000,000 works of exquisite art, both of Indian and Foreign origin covering more than 5,000 years of India’s cultural heritage.
An hour to see the museum is not enough though you can cover several of its main sections. Some of the recommended sections are Harappan Civilization, Buddhist Art and Pre-Colombian and Western Art.
Hours: 10.00 am to 5.00 pm (Monday Closed) Entry Fee: Rs 300 per person (which includes complete audio tour, available in English, French, German, Japanese and Hindi)
Old Delhi (Shahjahanabad), Chandni Chowk, Jama Masjid
Price: FREE Duration: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Chandni Chowk is the heart of Old Delhi and one of the main markets of Delhi. Chandni Chowk is very crowded and congested, but will give the real essence of Delhi. Just north of Chandni Chowk, walk down the congested lanes of the City of Shahjahanabad, which was the capital of 17th century, the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan. Today, it is one of the city’s most crowded, chaotic and captivating areas, but a great place to experience the sights, smells, and sounds of Old Delhi.
There are several market areas within Chandni Chowk. The notable markets in Chandni Chowk are:
Nai Sarak for books, stationery items and musical instruments.
Cloth Markets at Fatehpuri and the various textiles materials. Also Katra Neel, the cloth bazaar offering all kinds of fabrics such as silks, satin, crepe, cotton and muslin.
Dariba Kalan for pearl, gold and silver jewelleries. One can also buy natural perfumes or 'itra' here.
Chawri Bazaar for paper, stationary items and musical instruments.
Ballimaran for shoes and opticians.
Kinari Bazaar is the best place to find 'zari' and 'zardozi' trimmings and tinsel. Some of the shops here are over 100 years old and one can here witness skilled craftsmen at work.
Flea market (daily behind Jama Masjid) for antiques and all kinds of bargains.
Old Lajpat Rai Market electrical goods.
Cycle Market for bicycles and photography equipments.
Moti Bazar for shawls and pearls.
Khari Baoli for dry fruits, pulses, food grains, spices and saffron.
Local’s Tip: You can take a cycle rickshaws and explore Chandni Chowk and feel the stark contrast between the Old and the New Delhi. A cycle rickshaw is a non-mechanical ‘cart-like vehicle’ physically pulled by the driver and is the cheapest mode to travel around in Old Delhi. Cycle rickshaws are easily available and you can get one just outside the Metro Station. Select a market of your choice (from the above list) and ask the rickshaw puller to take you there. A ride might cost you as little as Rs 10 and maximum Rs 30.
However, remember: * Beware of pickpocket *Beware of touts *Beware of duplicate products*And don't forget to bargain! (Start at least 25 to 30% off)
Otherwise, take a short trip yourself though Chandni Chowk; Start from the 16th-century u Digambara Jain Temple (located at the beginning of Chandni Chowk). Next stop is the v Gauri Shankar temple of Lord Shiva. Continue to walk west until you reach the renowned wJalebiwala, a century-old sweet shop on the corner of Dariba Kalan Road. (Jalebi is the traditional and a very popular sweet in India; ‘wala’ means seller.) Walk through the market along the x DARIBA KALAN ROAD. There are shops famous for jewelleries, espically silver and traditional garments. A good place to do little shopping and collect souvenirs.Turn left from Dariba Kalan Road to enter the lane popularly known as yKinari Bazaar, a market famous for wedding paraphernalia.
Keep walking straight until you reach a slight diversion left and reach the z Svetambara Jain Temple. Come back on the Kinari Bazaar lane and walk straight until you reach { Paratha Wali Gali, a lane veering to the right, devoted to little eateries specializing in parathas (Indian-style flat bread). If you are hungry, you can try an aloo paratha, which is a traditional favourite. But don’t stuff yourself and there are better eating option ahead.Paratha Wali Gali will lead you back to Chandni Chowk. Turn right and walk until you reach the | Sunheri Masjid - an 18th-century mosque. Not far away from the mosque is the } Sisganj Gurdwara, a Sikh temple built, where you can finish your tour listening to devotional singing, which is performed here throughout the day.
You can do it partly by walking and some parts on a cycle rickshaw. And whenever you feel that you are done, take a cycle rickshaw, tell the driver the word “Jama Masjid” and head down to see the largest mosque of India. Built in 1656, this mosque as several other monuments of Old Delhi is a part of Mughal legacy.
You might not get a chance to explore deep inside the mosque but surely you can walk up the stairs and explore the fringe.
Lunch at Karim's
Price: FREE Duration: 40 minutes Address: Matiya Mahal, Jama Masjid, Gali Kababian, Old Delhi
What to eat: Have tandoori chicken or kababs as starters, tondoori roti/ roghani nun, chicken/mutton gravy (like Lazeez Murgh Saag, Jahangiri Qorma and Akbari Murgh Masala) and lassi.
Red Fort
Price:R250.00 (for a single adult) Duration: 1 hour and 50 minutes Address: Chandni Chowk, Netaji Subhash Rd, New Delhi
The Red Fort is one of the city’s famous landmarks. Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan constructed this massive fort in 1638 and work was completed in 1648. The Red Fort was the residence of the royal family. The Fort represents the zenith of Mughal creativity which prevailed during the reign of Emperor Shah Jahan, later subsequent rulers made substantial addition to its structure. The Red Fort is an attraction for tourists from around the world. You can easily spend a day here exploring the architectural genius of the palace, but an hour here can at least enable you to see the overall place and learn about the history. There are musical shows conducted here in the evenings on particular days of the week which you can see if you are in the city for a longer time and can spare an evening. There are several monuments and gardens inside the fort and you can explore all of them in a relaxed manner.
What to see: The ‘must see’ structures inside the Fort are Diwan-i-'Am (‘hall of pubic audience’) and Diwan-i-Khas (‘hall of private audience’).
Hours: 8 am to 6 pm. Entry Fee: Rs 250 per person
Raj Ghat
Price: FREE Duration: 20 minutes Address: Shakti Sthal Ring Rd, New Delhi
Moving from Red Fort, the next stop would be Raj Ghat which is the memorial of the Father of the Nation - Mahatma Gandhi. One can relax here for a while letting in the serenity of the surrounding. If you are interested to know more about Mahatma Gandhi, head towards the Gandhi Memorial Museum, located next to Raj Ghat. The museum here contains mainly memorabilia of Gandhi along with a display of various photographs and artifacts presenting his life as the nation’s hero during the freedom movement. The entry to the museum is free. Check the museum website www.gandhimuseum.org for more information.
Hours: 5.00 a.m. to 7.30 pm Entry Fee: Free
Laxmi Narayan Temple (Birla Mandir)
Price: FREE Duration: 40 minutes Address: Mandir Marg, DIZ Area, New Delhi
Located in the west of Connaught Place, this temple was built by G. D. Birla in 1938. The temple is beautifully decorated, entirely made of marbles, has beautiful gardens and is a very good place to relax for a while.
Hours: Morning till late night Entry Fee: Free
Connaught Place, Palika Market
Price: FREE Duration: 2 hours and 20 minutes Address: Palika Bazaar Radial Road Number 1, Connaught Place, New Delhi
Connaught Place is a huge market place with lots of branded outlets and food joints, pubs, etc and is the best place to spend the evening. There are numerous street shops in between as well. Explore the Inner and the Outer Circles, relax in the garden, which is in the middle or check out the underground Palika Market.
You can also walk down to Janpath Flea Market or to Government Emporiums at the Baba Kharak Singh Marg if you are in a mood for shopping. Spend as much time you want in and around Connaught Place, have dinner (there are numerous mid-ranged, budget restaurants of all flavors ranging from Indian, Chinese, Asian, continental etc in CP) and walk back to the hotel.
Dinner Recommendation: After exploring Connaught Place, you can go to Rodeo (A Block, 12 Inner Circle, Connaught Place, Ph: 23713780, 23713781) for a drink and Mexican dinner.
However, if you again want to try out Indian flavours, I would recommend you to go to Veda, located in H27, Outer Circle, Connaught Place. Try out various Mughlai dishes and north Indian cuisines.
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