New Delhi

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New Delhi or simply Delhi is the capital of India. As of Jan 2007 there are some 275 odd CouchSurfing members in Delhi and some 7-8 members in the suburbs of Delhi (Gurgaon, Faridabad, Noida).

Meetings

Delhi CS group has become some what active with meetings and excursions every now and then. We have had few meeting within Delhi, a trip to Kasauliand a walk around Mehrauli also recently.

For more info about the latest meeting or excursion you can always check or post at Delhi Group.

Local Etiquette (external link)

Nice videos (See the destination....before you see it)

Note (Imp Info)

At Delhi Airport and Railway station Delhi Police have their pre-paid taxi booth where you can mention your destination and a taxi at fixed price will be arranged for you

Tourist taxis have number plate in yellow with black text, if the numer plate is in white with black text then it indicates a private car which the tourist agency might be using to avoid taxes. Avoid going on those cars

Check at this link for the list of prepaid taxi & auto booths in Delhi as listed on Delhi Police website and also check the fare calculator.

In case the taxi driver is overcharging/mis-behaving or refuses to ply you can call at round-the-clock help line at 011-23378888 or 011-42400400

History

New Delhi is maybe the 10th capital city located in the region. The previous capitals were:

1: Indraprastha : Indraprastha, mentiond in Mahabharta, the great Indian epic, is probably the first capital, founded by Pandavas, the aryan rulers. Interestingly, today's Parliament House and President's House is built on the land, which was acquired after evacuating the village named Inderpat, which sounds very similar to Indraprastha.

2: Qila Rai Pithoura: Built in the 12th century it became the capital of Prithviraj Chauhan. This is situated right next to Mehrauli Heritage site, near Qutab Minar.

3: Siri: Built by Ala'-ud-Din Khalji around 1303. This is situated at present day's Asian Games village. The legacy of the kingdom lives on in the Village named Shahpur Jat, which has become a hub of Indian Fashion Designers with numerous showrooms, displaying their creations, dotting the lanes and bylanes of the village.

4: Tughlakabad: This city was built by Ghiyas-ud-Din Tughluq in the 1320's. It had to be abandoned because of insufficient water at the site. The court moved back to Siri. Hazrat Nizammudin, a saint who is considered to be the first secular muslim saint, when snubbed by the king Tughlaq, remarked that the same kingdom which maketh the king so arrogant , will be abandoned , to be grazed by the cattle of the Gujjars. As of today, you will find Gujjars, the gypsies , graze their cattle there.

5: Jahanapanah: The son of Tughluq, Muhammad bin Tughluq, extended Siri to the northeast and built fortifications around it. It was called Jahanapan.

6: Firuzabad: Jahanapanah was abandoned when Firuz Shah Tughluq came to power. In 1354 he moved his capital to a site near Indraprastha. In 1526, the Mughal leader Babur made Delhi (Firuzabad) his capital.

7: DinPanah: The son of Babur, Humayun, built a new capital and called it Din Panah.

8: Sher Shahi: Humayun was overthrown by Sher Shah Suri in 1540. Sher Shah built a new capital ("Purana Qila"). The Mughal emperor Akbar moved his capital away from Delhi and his successor, Jehangir, then moved his capital to Agra.

9: Shahjahanabad (Old Delhi): The Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, the grandson of Akbar, started building his new capital, what is now called Old Delhi, in 1638. He surrounded the city with a wall and put in four gates; Ajmeri Gate, Delhi Gate, Kashmiri Gate and Turkman Gate.

10: New Delhi: In 1911 the British Government decided to move the capital of British India from Calcutta to Delhi and build a new city to house the government. It was only around 1931 that the building got completed.

Places to See

See Tourist attractions in Delhi on Wikipedia or read more about Delhi at Wikitravel.

To learn more about Delhi, watch Delhi Videos (Source: www.geobeats.com)

Suggested Itineraries

Walks

Old Delhi

Old City or the walled city- this area contains so much of immense interest. the streets and markets are always so lively with people busy earning a living by printing books on ancient presses, making brass ware in tiny workshops, cooking food, plucking chickens, mixing spicy drinks, giving others a massage/shave, and selling, selling and selling. This area as we all know is known as Shahjahanabad. There are a couple of walks that are more famous than others but they are all rewarding.

Walk No 1

The Red Fort - a walk around the lovely old buildings and gardens of Shah Jahan's palace fortress - the heart and soul of Mughal Delhi. This walk can be taken on any day from dawn to dusk and there's no entrance fee on friday. Allow yourself two hours minimum.You will enter the Red Fort by the Lahore gate. When visiting the Red Fort and the surrounding area, don't take too much with you, and look out for pick pocketers. Don't let this be an issue to dissuade you from visiting this beautiful place though.

Walk No 2

Meena Bazaar- Jama Masjid- Car Parts Bazaar - Chawri Bazaar - Nai Sarak - You can catch the metro from Connaught Place next to Wengers and get off at Chawri Bazaar. Then walk down Nai Sarak, see Town Hall, Jama Masjid, the car parts Bazaar and back into the metro for a large milk shake at Keventers and confectionary at Wengers. This is a long walk for any weekday or saturfay morning but on sunday the bazaars are closed so you can have a look only at the Masjid. When you enter the mosque's massive gateway you will be able to see the akhara or wrestling ground/amphitheatre. Check out every sunday from 4 pm to 7 pm. Make sure you eat Nihari / kebabs and sheemal at or near 'Karims' near the Masjid.

Walk No 3

The Digambar Jain Temple- Jain Bird Hospital-Dariba Kalan- Kinari Bazaar- Jain Swetambara temple-ghantewala sweet shop.

Walk No 4

Turkman gate-Dargah of Hazrat Shah Turkman Bayabani- Klan Masjid- Sultan Raziya's tomb- Ajmeri gate- the madrasa and the tomb of Ghazi-ud-din

Walk No 5

Netaji Subhas Park- poultry and fish markets- bazaar matya mahal- chitli qabar bazaar- green veggie market- kaley baba(sui walan, in chitli qabar)for seekh kebabs or kallu nihari -shop no 180, chhatta lal mian, jama masjid

Walk No 6

Khari Baoli-Gali Batasha -gadodia market- fatehpuri ki masjid- haidar quli khans gateway this one will take u through spice, pickle and preserved fruit shops

Walk No 7

Lajpat Rai Market- Arya Samaj Building- Begum Samru's palace- old delhi railway station-and then onto Town Hall

Walk No 8

Gauri shankar temple- garland makers-sisganj gurudwara- sunehri masjid- fountain chowk-and a shrine to kali

Walk No 9

Lothian road cemetry- the brit magazine- telegraph memorial- old residency building-st-james's church- kashmiri gate

Walk No 10

Oberoi Maidens- civil lines- qudsia bagh-nicholson cemetry- ludlow castle

Transport

Delhi Metro

Clean, Quick inexpensive and Hassle free way of going around Delhi. But the only fall back is that it does not cover entire Delhi. For more details Station Information and Route Map.

Line 2 is quite useful for reaching New Delhi Railway Station, Old Delhi area (and railway station)and to reach the Inter-state bus terminal also known as ISBT terminal (Kashmere gate stop on line 2)

Taxi

Ambassador or Amby (based on the 1957 Morris Oxford model) is the commonly found metered taxi's on Delhi roads(black body and yellow top). But the taxi drivers will hardly ever take you on meter. You will have to decide (or lets say haggle ) over the fair price before you board one of them(In case the taxi driver is overcharging/mis-behaving or refuses to ply you can call at round-the-clock help line at 011-23378888 or 011-42400400). These taxis ply only within Delhi. To go anywhere outside Delhi you will have to take tourist taxis (which can be car of any model, but white in color with a yellow number plate).

To calculate the approximate taxi fare to areas in Delhi, see [1]

Autorickshaws

Autorickshaws are three wheeler tuk-tuk which again like taxis should go by meter but do not go that way(if you see a policeman near by you can always call them which can result in a fine to the driver or correct fair fixed to your destination) They are cheaper as compared to taxis and can be easily hailed on the roads (as compared to taxis for which you have to go to the nearest taxi stand).

In case the autorickshaw/taxi driver is overcharging/mis-behaving or refuses to ply you can call at round-the-clock help line at 011-23378888 or 011-42400400

To know how much you would approximately pay to travel by auto rickshaw in delhi see [2]

Delhi Transport Authortity (DTC)Bus

To know the exact route numbers and details of the DTC buses check the link [3]

Shopping for the Shopaholics

Shopping in India is not like retail therapy it's a soul satisfying experience. It requires great ingenuity, strenght and deep pockets.

Some great places to shop in Delhi are:-

Santushti Shopping Complex -
Crafts Museum near Pragati Maidan
Dilli Haat- for every imaginable crafts and artisinal textile
Lajpat Nagar Central Market and Nehru Place Market for textiles- loads of gorgeous silk and cotton export surplus and reject cloth
Hauz Khas Market for old and antique embroidered borders
The Carpet Cellar in Anand Lok for fabulous Carpets
Palika Bazaar for Music and CDs
Sadar Bazaar for wholesale of glass and ceramic beads (apparently it's near some underground market)
Look out for interesting exhibitions of various kinds at The Blind School near the Oberoi Hotel and Chinmaya Mission at Lodhi Road

Eating out in Delhi

External Links (Things to do)

Places to See(Area Wise) Very well done and good practical info

Indian Habitat Centre , India International Centre & The Attic You can check these places for some musical gatherings, dance, workshops, exhibits , plays etc.

INTACH(Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage)Check whats happening on the Heritage Festival front in various parts of India

Old Maps/History Check this site for maps, routes, history and tons of info

Delhi Events Name says it all

Doing Delhi(blog) covers few things which are advertised widely and sometimes stuff which you normally wont see being mentined else where.

Rock Street Journal Started as a small time rock magazine in India, today intrumental in promoting rock music and bands in India (and even Jazz & Blues). Check the website for the latest event in Delhi or elsewhere.wikitravel:New Delhi wikipedia:New Delhi csgroup:2286

article history edit