Jama Masjid

Jama Masjid of Delhi is the largest mosque in India. The Jama Masjid stands across the road in front of the Red Fort. Built between 1644 and 1658, Jama Masjid is one of the last architectural works of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. The spacious courtyard of the Jama Masjid holds thousands of faithful. Jama Masjid is located on a mound in the heart of the old city and projects beautifully into the Old-Delhi skyline. Jama Masjid Mosque was built in red sandstone and marble by more than 5000 artisans. Originally called the Masjid-i-Jahan-Numa, or "mosque commanding view of the world", the Jama Masjid stands at the center of the erstwhile capital city of the Mughals, Shahjahanbad.

The Jama Masjid was completed under the supervision of Saadullah Khan, the Prime Minister of Shah Jahan. A sum of Rs 10 lakhs was spent on the construction of the Jama Masjid. The Jama Masjid is built on a red sandstone porch, about 30 feet (10 m) from the level of the ground and is about 1400 square yards (1200 m²) in extent. The Jama Masjid has three gateways, four towers and two minarets. The gateways in the north and south are led by a fleet of steps. The main entrance is on the eastern side facing the red fort. It was probably used by the emperors. The tower of the Jama Masjid is made up of five distinctive storeys. Each one of the storeys has a projecting balcony. The adjoining edifices are beautifully done with calligraphy.

The first three storeys of the Jama Masjid tower are made of red sandstone and the fourth one is made of marble, while the fifth is made of sandstone. The Jama Masjid is covered with intricate carvings and has verses inscribed from the holy Koran. The grand Red fort (Lal Qila) stands on the eastern side of the Jama Masjid. The main prayer hall of the Jama Masjid is made up of high cusped arches and marble domes. The cabinet in the north gate of the Jama Masjid contains a collection of Muhammad's relics - the Koran written on deerskin, a red beard-hair of the prophet, his sandals and his footprints, implanted in a marble block.

Lodi Garden of Delhi

Established in the 15th-16th century by the Sayyids and Lodis, the vast grounds of Lodi Garden are famous among the joggers of the Delhi city of India. Carefully kept gardens and the medieval monuments lend a charm to these gardens. In 1968, J.A Stein and Garrett Eckbo re-landscaped these gardens giving them their present beautified form. The several tombs situated in the garden belong to the Lodi and Sayyid Era and include Muhammad Shah's Tomb and Sikander Lodi's tomb. Muhammad Shah (1434 - 44) was the third ruler of Sayyid dynasty.

His tomb has been built in a typical octagonal pattern with a central octagonal chamber, verandahs, three arched openings on each side and sloping buttress. Inspired by Mubarak Shah's tomb, this tomb has a more compact plan, high dome, matching chhatris and better proportions. Apart from this, there are other tombs, namely Bara Gumbad and Sheesh Gumbad. Bara Gumbad or the Big Dome is a square tomb with an imposing dome. Its facades appear to be two storied.

It has turrets on corners, arches, stuccowork and painting ornamenting the interiors. It is believed that the tomb belongs to an officer of high rank who served Sikandar Lodi. Besides the tomb, there is the Bara-Gumbad mosque, built with ashlar stone. Its rectangular prayer-hall has five arched openings and is a fine example of the early Mughal mosques. The tapering minarets, built in the Tughluq style, colored tiles and Quranic inscriptions ornament this mosque. Built in 1494, this mosque was constructed during the reign of Sikandar Lodi.

Shish Gumbad tomb is built in the usual square pattern, with a 'double-storied' appearance, and looks much like Bara Gumbad. Its ceiling has incised plasterwork, with floral patterns and Quranic inscriptions. One can still see the traces of the blue tiles that once adorned it and gave it the name of 'Glazed dome'. There are several graves inside it. Sikandar Lodi's Tomb is built in the octagonal tomb pattern, much like Muhammad Shah's tomb. The chhatris over its roof are no more to be seen.

Another interesting construction here is the 'Athpula' Bridge. It was built by Nawab Bahadur in the 16th century, during Akbar's reign. This is bridge is called Athpula (eight bridge), as it rests on eight piers, forming seven arches. Besides these tombs, one can also visit the National Bonsai Park developed here, which has a delightful collection of miniature versions of several trees and plants. They look beautiful at sunset under soft light. Originally known as the Lady Willingdon Park, it was renamed Lodi Garden after Indian Independence in 1947.

The Garden of Five Senses

The Garden of Five Senses is a large public space for the city of Delhi where people can come to unwind and relax. People of all genres find something in the garden they can relate to and enjoy. It is an effort to create a democratic space which would benefit all sections of the society.

It looks at the wider perspective of ‘Garden as Public Space’. There is a broad range of areas, from the more intense activity zones, like the food courts and shops, to contemplative zones, like the fragrant gardens, colour gardens, and the Lily Pool. The project is one of India’s largest commissions of public art featuring works of over 25 artists.

The garden has been planned to respect the natural ecological features of the site - the native plants and the beautiful rocky ridge outcrop. Over 200 species of plants create a rich collage of form, colour and texture. The aim was to create a balance between the built and unbuilt as well as the man-made and the natural.

The architecture may be described as quirky and fun, where the traditional brick and stonework is offset by quixotic concrete columns, mosaic work and dramatic planting effects.

Jantar Mantar (New Delhi)

Jantar Mantar in Connaugth Place, New Delhi was built by Maharaja Jai Singh II, the ruler & founder of Jaipur, in India. This ancient monument (built in 1724) is one of the five astronomical observatories build by Maharaja Jai Singh II as he was given by Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah the task of revising the calendar and astronomical tables. Besides Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, the other four being located at Jaipur, Varanasi, Ujjain and Mathura. The main objective of making Jantar Mantar observatory was to compile astronomical tables, and to predict the times and movements of the sun, moon and planets.

This great masterpiece of Indian architecture is located at Parliament Street, Connaught Place. Jantar Mantar in Connaught Place is maintained by the Jaipur government because it was built by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II of Jaipur in 1710 A.D.

History of Jantar Mantar
All these observatories were made during the period of AD 1724-1730. That was the time when Mughal Empire was rapidly declining. During this period turmoil, Muhammad Shah ascended the throne of the Mughal Empire. But since there were number of enemies surrounded him, he south the alliance of many Hindu rulers, out of whom Sawai Jai Singh II of Amber was the most notable one. Sawaii Jai Singh was barely 11 years old when throne of Amber was ascended to him in 1699 but he handled the situation so well that Mughal emperor Aurangzeb gave him the title of 'Sawai', meaning one and a quarter of an average man in worth. As Muhammad Shah was seeking a reliable ally with Hindu ruler, Jai Singh proved to be a dependable ally of Mughals. He was also one of the noble in Mughal court.

Jai Singh was a keen astronomer and passionate about art and science mainly astronomy. Once in the court he found Hindu and Muslim astronomer having a heated argument about certain astronomical fact to find out an auspicious hour for the emperor to set out on an expedition. Jai Singh then offered to rectify the then available astronomical tables. He was dissatisfied by the brass and metal astronomical instruments and decided to correct and update the astronomical records with more accurate instruments. The result was an onsite Jantar Mantar in Delhi, an astronomical observatory where the movements of sun, moon and planets could be observed.

Structure
Maharaja Jai Singh named this observatory in New Delhi as Yantra Mantra (Yantra means instrument and mantra means formula). As the time goes on this is being known as Jantar Mantar. There are four distinct instruments within the observatory of Jantar Mantar: the Samrat Yantra, the Ram Yantra, the Jayaprakasht, and the Mishra yantras.

The Samrat Yantra 'Prince of Dials' is the largest device and used to measure the accurate time of the day. It also measured the declination of the sun which can be seen by the shadow moving around the structure.

The Jai Prakash Yantra consists of hollowed out hemispheres with markings on their concave surfaces, shows the sun's position at the time of equinox. There is a hole near the bottom of the structure which witnesses sunshine only once in a year that is on 21 march, called vernal eqinox.

Another important structure called the Ram Yantra, consists of two large buildings with open top. Both these two buildings form a complete device. The device is used to measure the altitude of stars which is equivalent to the latitude and the longitude on the earth.

The Mishra yantra were able to indicate when it was noon in various cities all over the world. It consists of five instruments. Pillars on the southwest of Mishra Yantra are used to measure the shortest day (21 December) and the longest day (21 June) of the year.

The whole structure of Jantar Mantar is made of stone and marble with each of then having an engraved astronomical scale. Jantar Mantar finally got the status of a national monument in 1948. As compared to other observatories this one is the largest and the best preserved today. Jantar Mantar Observatory in Connught Place, New Delhi is an integral part of India’s scientific heritage. The Jantar Mantar in Delhi is often projected in travel books, brochures, on postage stamps and was the logo of the 1982 Asian Games. It has always attracted architects, historians and scientists from all over the world. Jantar mantar remains one of the most intriguing structures of Indian capital, one that explodes in a burst of questions in the mind of the inquisitive tourist.

Akshardham temple

One of the most popular and amazing tourist attractions in the Indian nation is Akshardham temple.Known for its beauty and wide area Akshardham has several attributes that defines the existence and motive of human. Destiny of humankind along with universe details comprises the history of Akshardham temple. Researchers do not call this place only as temple as it is the place of enlightenment, education and entertainment. The entire area of Akshardham spreads over 23 acres and it includes parks, rides, lakes, sculptures and shrines flooded over the complete area of temple. All these things collectively describe the entire experience of India’s rich heritage and culture. Akshardham temple history devotes its existence to Lord Swaminarayan and has its inspiration from Pujya Pramukh Swami Maharaj. Thousands of people and volunteers have invested their money and service to establish this miraculous architecture of Akshardham that explores the rich culture of religion.

 

The followers of Lord Swaminarayan work over here by spreading and enhancing the flavor of spirituality and devotion with complete peace of mind. This monument based on authentic and modern techniques present the perfect impression or imprint of Indian architecture with religious culture. The architecture comprises of pink sandstone that comes from Rajasthan. More than thousands of these exclusive stones are carved with historical imprints that narrate the rich culture of India through pictures and carvings. The artists and builders have not used cement or metals like steel so that monument lives for years to come.
The history of Akshardham temple suggests that there are about 93 pillars that are sculpted and more than 40 windows having carving from either sides that allows patterns to look outstanding. The carving done on pillars and the walls of temple are actually poetic and looks wonderful in narrating the aura of devotion towards the culture. This particular temple has its name in the book of records in world, Guinness and it includes all the basic amenities and features that allow offering a prayer. Akshardham Temple history is available on stores and internet for the people having interest in this religious monument. The temple does not ask you to follow particular God rather it just asks people to pray their mentor or teacher that is to whom they owe their existence. All these theories by Lord Swaminarayan were compiled together and the place called Akshardham came in to origin. People here come to practice self-peace of mind and soul as per historical aim of this temple.

Lotus Temple of India

The construction of this Bahá’í temple became possible because the staunch believers all over the world made their donations for it. The building works started on April 21st, 1980, and were finished on December 24th, 1986. In order to construct this magnificent temple, a talented Canadian architect, born in Iran, Fariburz Sahba was employed. The Lotus Temple is a preaching house for the Bahá’í adepts and at the same time one of the most vivid structures of the modern Delhi.
The temple building has the shape of a giant lotus flower, which consists of twenty seven petals, which are arranged into three rows. The lotus petals are made of white concrete, and outside they are covered with slabs of white Greek marble. It took two years only to make a computer model of the great temple. The Lotus Temple is unique due to the fact that it does not contain a single straight line. The entrance to the temple territory is free and anyone can step inside, no matter to which religion he or she belongs to.
The building also possesses a unique ventilation system, which is based on the ventilation principles of ancient structures. The warm air from the central hall comes out through an opening in the dome, and the cool air enters the hall after coming through a system of water tanks and the foundation.
In order to ascend to the temple, you have to take off your shoes. At the beginning of the stairs there is a special place where you can leave them absolutely for free, without being worried about their destiny. When you come back, your belongings will be returned to you, for sure.
People who wish to visit this sacred place have to unite into small groups. They are formed right at the entrance. Inside the temple it is forbidden to talk, take photos and shoot video. It is very quiet and cool there. Beneath the dome the giant golden symbol of Bahá’í is situated. Right under it several rows of chairs are placed, where one can sit and dream: the only condition here is being quiet. Before the temple was constructed, the place that it occupies now was known as the mystical settlement Bahá’í Pur (translated from Hindu as “the house of Bahá’í”).
At the exit from the territory of the Lotus Temple there is a small museum devoted to the process of its construction, with photos, miniatures and instruments that were used in the building works. This is a must to see this museum during your visit to the Temple, as it contains a lot of things that will catch your imagination.
Here are several curious facts about the Lotus Temple:
- The land plot for the construction was bought in 1953.
- The Temple occupies the territory of about twenty six acres.
- The height of the Temple is a bit more than thirty four meters.
- It has enough space for 1300 people.
- The temple is surrounded by nine pools.
- The diameter of the structure is seventy meters.

At the end of our journey, it is worth telling about a prophecy about this unusual and impressive structure: “Four hundred and fifty years ago Shah Akbar, the greatest of the Mogul dynasty, dreamt about his own majestic palace and about uniting all the peoples of India under the single universal faith: “And I had a dream that stone by stone I erected a sacred temple. Not a pagoda, nor a mosque nor a church, but a more elevated and simple one, with gates open for the breath of Heaven, and the Truth, Peace, Love and Justice found a home in it”.
The center of the hall, which is octagonal in shape typical of Mogul architecture, stands the Cenotaph of Humayun. It is surrounded by smaller octagonal halls on alternate corners. It also has arched lobbies on the sides. But it is a closed structure secluded through Jaalis. There is an arch on every side. The central arch is the highest among them. All the floors of the Humayun's tomb have uniform design. The top floor has a 42 meters high double dome with marble and cenotaphs around it. This architectural design used, known as 'Hasht Bahisht' (Eight circles of Paradise), is first in the sub-continent.

Humayun's Tomb

Humayun's Tomb, considered the masterpiece of the Indo-Islamic culture, was built in the year 1565 by Haji Begum, the eldest widow of the Mogul emperor Humayun. This was built on the bank of the then river Yamuna. It is built on a large stone platform, typical of all the monuments of that era. The stone pedestal was surrounded on three sides by lush-green lawns. On the back of the structure was river Yamuna. Though the river has shifted its course in these years, one can still find the traces of marks left by the gurgling water.

The mausoleum was commissioned to one Mirak Mirza Ghiyas, who started the work in the year 1556. It is said that the total expenditure on the project was more than 1 million rupees at that time. This structure has been designed keeping in view the Iranian 'Charbhag'. This particular style was brought in India by Emperor Babur who greatly detested the existing indigenous style. Therefore the building has gardens and high walls on 3 sides which are further divided in to 36 equal areas with the help of fountains and canal.

The footpath which leads to the main structure is abruptly very long. This was a pioneer in design. You will have to cross not less than gardens and as many as two intimidating gateways before you reach your destination. This style was later applied in the building of Taj Mahal. In fact, there are many things in the Taj, which have been copied from this tomb, such as 'Charbagh' style and Crescent on the top of the dome. The surrounding garden is spread in not less than 350 square meters. This architecturally pioneer tomb is mainly built of red sandstone and red and white marble. It has a series of cells with arched openings.