Museums

.

The National Museum, New Delhi is one of the largest museums in India. It holds variety of articles ranging from pre-historic era to modern works of art. There are around 2,00,000 beautiful art works and all the craft masterpieces on display are more than 5,000 years old. It is run by the Ministry of Culture, part of the Government of India. The museum is situated on the corner of Janpath and Maulana Azad Road.

National Agricultural Science Museum

National Agricultural Science Museum (NASM), situated in the National Agricultural Science Centre campus of ICAR in, Pusa, todapur Village, New Delhi, is the first of its kind in the country. Agriculture and animal husbandry have been the backbone of Indian economy since prehistoric time. Even today, about 65% of the Indian population directly or indirectly lives on Agriculture. Agriculture has also shaped the literature, creed and culture of the Indian Society. The rich agricultural wealth of the country attracted hoards of migrants to arrive and settle in India.

Ancient literature and archaeological excavations have provided us with innumerable evidences of agricultural practices in ancient and medieval India. The story of agriculture is the story of Indian society. This story has been documented in a popular form at the National Agricultural Science Museum

The National Rail Museum is a museum in Chanakyapuri, New Delhi which focuses on the rail heritage of India it opened on the 1 February 1977. It is located in over 10 acres (40,000 m2) of land with both indoor and outdoor exhibits. A toy train offers rides around its site on regular days.

It also has some other attractions like the Vice Regal Dining Car, the luxury Prince of Wales Saloon, Maharaja of Baroda's Saloon and Maharaja of Mysore's Saloon. Some of the trains are as old as 100 years and one of the first steam engines which arrived in the Indian Subcontinent is also displayed in this museum.

This museum covers a campus of more than 10 acres and rides are available for children in the toy train that run within the campus.

International Dolls Museum was established in 1957 for displaying the unusual and best dolls from across the world. There are around 6,500 dolls from about 85 countries that are on display in this museum. The two different sections of the museum include Indian and Asian dolls and the second section has dolls from UK, Russia, Thailand, South Korea, Mexico, Poland and Greece.

The themes of dolls are very unique like Japanese Kabuki dancer and man on the moon. This museum was set up by a renowned political cartoonist, K. Shankar Pillai (1902–1989). It is popularly known as Shankar's International Dolls Museum and is housed inside the building of the Children's Book Trust in New Delhi.

It was functional by 1965 and was inaugurated by the then President of India, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan. The museum started with a thousand dolls, which was later increased with another 5 thousand from 1965 to 1987.

Other places of interest

On the bank Yamuna River, is the serene and final resting place of Mahatma Gandhi the father of the nation. Raj Ghat where visiting dignitaries pay homage.Two museums dedicated to Gandhi are situated nearby. Lying close to the Raj Ghat, the Shanti Vana (literally, the forest of peace) is the place where India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru was cremated. The area is lush green with saplings which have now grown into trees planted by visiting dignitaries and heads of state. Buddha Jayanti Park which is on the Ridge Road is a well maintained park for the public. Many Bollywood movies have been shot here. Delhi has a mix of the traditional and modern. Where you might see the latest car on the road, there might be a bullock cart alongside.It is a melting pot of all kinds of people and a visit to this wonderful city is a must.

Delhi is at par with any other city in the world. It can boast of a new international airport and the new metro rail which is a convenient mode of travel for the common man. The Delhi Metro is one of the fastest ways to commute in Delhi and has transformed public transport in the city so much so that the Metro line has become the life-line of New Delhi. Recently a superfast airport express has been put in service to connect the airport with the central part of New Delhi. The many flyovers which have been constructed at whooping costs showcase Delhi as a modern city. Pragati Maidan is another tourist destination. It is a large area of land covered with pavilions which can house exhibitions from other states as well as countries. It is a permanent construction for International Trade Fairs. Delhi has a mix of the traditional and modern.It is a melting pot of all kinds of people and a visit to this wonderful city is a must.

Pragati Maidan is a popular site which is known for organising various exhibitions throughout the year. It is a venue for Annual India International Trade Fare, which is held in November every year. Apart from the International Trade Fair, World Book Fair and Auto Expo are some of the events, which are organised in Pragati Maidan.

The site covers an area of about 72,000 sq. m and is considered as the largest exhibition centre of New Delhi. This exhibition centre was founded in 1982 and is controlled by the Indian Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO). The Nehru Pavilion, the Son of India Pavilion, Defense Pavilion, the Indira Pavilion and Village Complex are some of the major attractions of this place.

This exhibition centre has four main entrances, air conditioned auditorium and conference room, business information centre and a press lounge. Apart from this, there are a number of restaurants along with post offices and banks.

Tourists can reach Pragati Maidan through buses, auto-rickshaws, taxis and metro, which are available in plenty in the destination.

Lotus Temple is situated near Kalkaji in Delhi which is the only Bahai Temple in Asia. This temple was designed by Fariborz Sahba, which has a half floating lotus as the main structure along with white petals made of marble. It measures around 35 m in height and is located amidst 9 pools and huge lawns. There is a big prayer hall inside this temple which is used by the devotees for meditation.

Tourists can visit this temple during evening, when the entire structure is illuminated, giving it a golden glow. The temple building was fully completed in 1986 and is open to people of all faiths, creeds and castes. It remains closed on Mondays and does not have any admission fees for the visitors.

Jantar Mantar is situated in the heart of the capital city of Delhi, near Connaught Place. It is one of five astronomical observatories in India that was designed by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II. This monument was built in 1724 and has some of old-fashioned structures that are instruments for tracking the movement of celestial bodies.

These instruments are useful for measuring the position of stars, azimuth, altitude and calculation of eclipses. There is a Samrat Yantra at this site which reflects the accurate time within four minutes. The instrument named Jai Prakash is used for analysing the position of the sun and other heavenly bodies.

Hazrat Nizamuddin or the Nizamuddin's Shrine is a famous dargah dedicated to Nizamuddin Auliya, who was one of the well known Sufi saints. Hazrat Nizamuddin is located in the Nizamuddin west area of Delhi and was constructed by Muhammad Tughlaq.

The site is visited by a number of tourists along with Muslim devotees. Travellers can come across the famous tombs of Jehan Ara Begum and Amir Khusro situated within the Hazrat Nizamuddin complex. Amir Khusro was a famous poet and a beloved disciple of the saint.

Visitors can also visit the tomb of Inayat Khan located close to Hazrat Nizamuddin dargah. During the festival of 'Urs', which is celebrated to commemorate the death anniversaries of Amir Khusro and Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, the site is thronged by tourists and devotees.

Connaught Place is the commercial hub of New Delhi, which is popular among tourists for shopping. Locals refer to it by its abbreviated name, C.P. It was built in 1931 and was inspired from well planned and well structured Victorian style of architecture. Connaught Place is divided into two zones, inner circle and outer circle. It was designed by Robert Tor Russell and W. H. Nicholls, and was named after the Duke of Connaught, who was the member of British royal family.

Of the two circles of Connaught Place, Inner Circle has numerous international brands, restaurants, eateries and bars and bookshops. The place is also popular for buying handicraft items from the nearby location, Janpath.

All the branches of major nationalised and international banks along with the offices of tour operators and emporiums are present in Connaught Place. There is also a central park, located at the centre of Connaught Place, which offers a beautiful environment

Connaught place is located in the heart of the city and can be reached with the availability of various modes of transport such as bus, auto-rickshaw and metro

Ansal Plaza is the shopper’s paradise of Delhi, which covers an area of about 35 acres. It is situated near South Extension, another popular market of Delhi and is a part of HUDCO Place. Built in a circular fashion around an amphitheatre with a centre stage, it is counted amongst the biggest malls in Delhi.

It has a French Glass Curtain wall, which keeps the harmful radiations. It comprises many corporate offices, which are located on the 2nd and 3rd floor. Apart from this, the complex has a twin-level basement car parking area, having a capacity of around 1,000 cars. Various water cascades and fountains all around the corridors beautify the granite and marble flooring.

This complex contains several shops selling branded clothes, designer items and traditional footwear. Besides these, various other products like trendy jewellery, body care products and cosmetics can also be purchased from here. Apart from shopping, various cultural programs, live band performances and fashion shows are organised at this complex. Tourists can reach this place by buses and private taxis.

Chandni Chowk is considered as one of the oldest and busiest markets in North Delhi. It is situated in the Shahjahanabad area between Red Fort and Fatehpuri Masjid. On both sides of the wide Chandni Chowk streets are historical residential areas flanked by narrow lanes (galis).

Created by Shah Jahan the builder of Taj Mahal, the old city, with the Red Fort as its focal point and Jama Masjid as the praying centre, has a fascinating market called Chandni Chowk. Legend has it that Shah Jahan planned Chandni Chowk so that his daughter could shop for all that she wanted. The market was divided by canals. The canals are now closed, but Chandni Chowk remains Asia's largest wholesale market. Crafts once patronized by the Mughals continue to flourish there. Chowk is one of the oldest and busiest markets in central north Delhi, the Laal Quila (The Red Fort) and Fateh Puri Masjid.

It houses many temples like Shri Digambar Jain Lal Mandir and Hindu Gauri Shankar Temple. Apart from these temples, it also has a Gurudwara namely Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib. There exist 2 mosques in this place, namely Muslim Sunehri Masjid and Muslim Fatehpuri Masjid.

It is counted among the biggest wholesale and retail markets of India. It was built in 1650 when Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan shifted his capital to Delhi and is around 300 years old. It is believed that the Emperor's daughter Jahanara, designed this market, where an array of shops were established in a half-moon shape.

Chandni Chowk is famous all over in India for its eating joints and some of these are very old. Tourists can reach this place as the by travelling by bus to the Inter State Bus Terminal that is located very close to it.

Dilli Haat is situated near INA market in the South Delhi region. It is a perfect combination of craft bazaar and food plaza which is located near All India Institute of Medical Sciences on Sri Aurobindo Marg. There is another Dilli Haat situated in Netaji Subash Place, next to the Netaji Subash Place Metro Station. This shopping site has numerous stalls that represent every state of India, which provide different types of regional cuisines.

Tourists can buy items like rosewood, embellished camel hide footwear, beads, metal crafts, silk, wood fabrics, gems, gems, sandalwood carvings and other handicraft items. Several cultural, regional and other festivals are celebrated regularly at this site.

Garden of Five Senses is a huge park located in Saidul Ajaib village, which is near the Mehrauli area in New Delhi. It was developed by Delhi Tourism Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC), which comes under the Government of India. This park was inaugurated in February 2003, and since then, it is famous for organising festivals, cultural programmes, food festivals and Dandiya festivals.

It covers an area of around 20 acres and has food and shopping court, colour gardens, solar energy park, courts of specimen plants and Khas Bagh. Tourists can also enjoy camel ride inside this park. There is an amphitheatre along with few restaurants inside the garden.

Nehru Park is a huge park which is located in the Chanakyapuri area in the diplomatic enclave. This park extends to an area of 80 acres and was named after the first Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. It was established in 1969 as a venue for conducting morning and evening Ragas.

This park is also the venue for SPIC MACAY music concerts and annual Bhakti Festival. The concerts are mainly organised by New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC). It is also an important venue for various art events and morning yoga classes. There is an ancient Lord Shiva Temple, a cafe and a swimming pool inside the park.

Lodhi Garden is a recreational area which is situated on Lodhi Road, near the Safdarjung's Tomb. Britishers used to call this garden as Lady Willingdon Park, which was established by the rulers of Lodhi Dynasty. In 1968, this garden was re-landscaped by Garrett Eckbo and JA Stein. Some of the prominent varieties of trees in this garden are neem, eucalyptus, chinar, chir, deodar and others.

There are few small lakes inside the garden that attract birds like owls, kingfishers, hornbills, kites, mynahs, parakeets and babblers. It also has a rose garden with more than 200 varied kinds of roses. The garden houses the Tomb of Muhammad Shah, Sheesh Gumbad, Tomb of Sikandar Lodi, National Bonsai Park, Bara Gumbad and Athpula.

Appu Ghar was a famous amusement park situated in Pragati Maidan, which has been closed since 17th February 2008. It was also the first amusement park in India, which was inaugurated by the Late Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on 19th November 1984. The park was named after the mascot of Asian Games 1982, 'Appu'.

This amusement park covered around 15.5 acres of land that is now used for Delhi Metro Station and a new section of Supreme Court of India. National Zoological Park is situated near the Purana Qila, covering a large area of around 214 acres. It is popularly known as the Delhi Zoo, which has around 2,000 species of animals and birds that were brought from different parts of the world. Some of the famous species of animals present here are spider monkey, zebras, chimpanzee, hippopotamus, deer, tiger, lion, African wild buffaloes and many more.

Birds like emu, banteng and macaque along with king cobra and pythons can also be seen inside the Delhi Zoo. The National Zoological Park consists of more than 200 different varieties of trees and also has a library, mobile vans and a cafeteria.

Surajkund Crafts Mela is an annual event which is organised by the Haryana Tourism Department from 1st February to 15th February. This site is located at about 8 km from South Delhi in Surajkund village, which is in Faridabad District. The craft mela is organised near the famous Surajkund Lake and is known for its handicraft and handloom items.

Tourists can buy items like textiles, wood stock, pottery, stonework, cane work, ivory work, paintings, terracotta and many more. Folk dances and musical evenings are also organised at this site that attract visitors.

Taxis, state transport buses and auto-rickshaws are available in any part of Delhi to travel to this site of Surajkund Crafts Mela.

TASKS