Lotus Temple

Lotus Temple is one of the remarkable architectures of Bahai faith. It is located at Kalkaji in New Delhi. The temple looks like a lotus flower and is made of marble, cement, dolomite and sand. The temple has no restrictions for visitors and is open to people from all religions. The place provides immaculate environment for meditation, peace and wisdom. The Bahai temple was completed in 1986. Since then the temple has received recognition from all over the world for its splendid architecture and design. Lotus Temple is among the most visited monuments in India. The credit for building this beautiful structure goes to the Persian architect Fariborz Sahba from Canada.

Personifying Lotus in the temple does not merely mean giving a lotus shape to the edifice but it has a message to the people of India in the form of a manifestation from the almighty. Lotus is a symbol of peace, purity, love and immortality. It is this particular specialty of Lotus flower which makes the flower an important icon in Indian culture and society. This is why the design of Lotus temple has been inspired by lotus flower.

The design looks like a half opened Lotus flower with 27 freestanding "petals" made of marble. The architect, while designing the temple took into account the eternal beauty of Lotus flower. The construction work took almost 10 years before it finally got shape and was open for public. The team comprised of 800 engineers, technicians, workers and artisans who worked diligently to give realization to one of the most complex edifices in the world. The temple integrates the aesthetic values along with the technological influence within the whole structure. There are nine reflecting pools that encompass the temple from outside. Converting the geometry of the design that did not have any straight line to the actual structure needed a lot of effort and dedicated engineering.

The temple has the capacity to accommodate nearly 2500 people and has nine doors that open in a central hall. The whole structure is made of white marble that adds to the glory of the temple. It is about 40 meters tall surrounded by nine ponds and appears as if the temple is floating like a Lotus flower in water.

The most appraising aspect of this particular architectural masterpiece is the integration of the effervescent Indian history along with the modern engineering and architecture. The temple has to its accreditation being recognized all over the world as one of the most visited edifices in the world with almost 50 million people having visited the temple since its inception in 1986.

Awards Received:

Award given to the architect Mr. Sabha in the year 1987 from International Federation for Art and Architecture, USA.
Award for the structural design by the Institute of Structural Engineers in UK
The Citation Award for personifying the visual impact of the beautiful Lotus flower.
Accreditation for its outdoor illumination in the year 1988
American Concrete Institute Award for being one of the most artistically built concrete structures.
In the year 2000 it received the "Glob Art Academy Award" from Glob Art Academy in Vienna.

So, whenever you visit Delhi, do not forget to see this particular masterpiece which offers a strong message of wisdom, peace and tranquility.

Visit Official Website: http://www.bahaindia.org

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Artical Source:- delhicapital.com

India Gate - New Delhi

India Gate is situated on the Raj Path of New Delhi. India Gate was built by Edwin Lutyens to pay homage to the Indian soldiers who died in the World War I and the Afgan War. Closely looking at the walls of India Gate would let you know the names of 90,000 soldiers who died during the World War I, the Afgan War and the North-West Frontier operations. The structure was finally completed in the year 1931. India Gate was originally called the All India War Memorial.

Amar Jawan Jyoti was built much later to commemorate the soldiers who died in the war against Pakistan in the year 1971 and ever since there is a burning "Amar Jawan Jyoti", called as the flame of immortal warriors.

The shrine is made up of a black marble and on the top of the shire there is a rifle with a soldier's cap on the top. This commemorative is placed on the structure having inscription of "Amar Jawan" on all the four sides.

India Gate is a 42 meter tall structure with beautiful gardens and fountains around. There is a round circle of road around India Gate with many diversions to important roads.

The night view of India Gate looks very majestic with children and families enjoying the evening. There is a lawn throughout the stretch of the Rajpath and people love coming here again and again. A summer evening is the best time to enjoy the surroundings of India Gate. During winters, lawns around India Gate and Rajpath are hot favorites for a picnic spot.

Surroundings in and around India Gate is filled with enjoyment, laughter, and voices of children rejoicing in the lawns. The Fruit Chaats (mixture of fruits), Ice-creams, Bhelpuri (spicy snack), potato chips and cold drinks can be had at any point through the long walk along the Janpath and near India Gate.

 

How To Reach India Gate

One can board DTC and private buses from any location within Delhi. Buses to India Gate can be taken from the  

Inter State Bus Service or the ISBT.
By auto or cabs from anywhere in Delhi
There are frequent buses from Sarai Kale Khan Bus Terminal
One can find buses for India Gate at Connaught Place
Metro Rail Service can be used to reach India Gate. The nearest metro station to India Gate is Central Secretariat.
Tours and travel operators would take you to India Gate under their tourist package to the city.

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Artical Source:- delhicapital.com

Akshardham Mandir - Delhi

Akshardham Temple in Delhi has an important place in Delhi's tourism. The structure depicts great Indian culture and its architecture is simply immaculate. The temple is located at NH 24, Noida Mor, New Delhi. This amazing structure comprises of 20,000 statues, floral motifs and exquisite carved pillars made of stones.

This beautiful structure and masterpiece architecture was built under the support and funding of the Bochasanvasi Aksharpurushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS). The temple was inaugurated on November 7, 2005 by Pramukhswami Maharaj (Leader of BAPS).

It is built along the river Yamuna and lies over an area of around 100 acres with beautiful gardens, water fountains and carved pavilions. The temple took complete two years for completion and a hefty sum of rupees was invested in the construction. According to estimates, around 2 billion was spent in the construction of this masterpiece which indeed depicts the great Hindu religion.

The architecture of Akshardham temple is similar to the one at Gandhinagar in Gujarat. The main monument at the temple is about 141 feet high with a beautiful statue of Lord Swaminarayan. There are various structures within the temple which depicts the history and culture of Hindu Religion.

If you want to explore the whole temple then you should take your time off for the whole day as it takes at least five hours to visit each and every structure of the temple.

Other Relevant Information About Akshardham

Location: NH 24, Noida Mor, New Delhi

State: Delhi

Year of Construction: 2005

Specialty: The structure is spread over 100 depicting Indian culture, history, art, values.

Open time for public: 9AM - 9PM from Tuesday to Sunday. Closed on Monday

Nearest Hotels and Accommodation: There are hotels, lodge and guest houses in Delhi which providing tourism services

Near By Cities: Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon and Faridabad

Entry Fee: There is no entry charges except for the special exhibitions and shows organized in the temple.

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Artical Source:- delhicapital.com

Red Fort In Delhi

Lal Quila also called the Red Fort is one of the most important monuments of India. It stands on the bank of river Yamuna. The whole structure is made of Red stone. The fort was built by Shahjahan - the Mughal King who also built the famous Taj Mahal - in 1648. Shahjahan called it the Uru-Muhalla. Shahjahan shifted his capital from Agra to Delhi and Red Fort was the new capital. Lal Quila stands at the eastern side of Shahjahanabad and the very name of "Lal Quila" comes from the huge wall that encloses the whole structure. The wall is 2.5 km long and the height varies from 16 meters on the river side to 33 meters towards the city.One of the special attraction of the fort is the huge wall that encompasses the whole structure. The walls have two entrances, one at the delhi gate and the other at the Lahore gate. Lahore Gate is the main entrance point of the fort, leading to Chatta Chowk. It is a coveres bazaar street where merchnats sold their goods to the nobles of the court.

As you move along the passage of Chatta Chowk, you will come across Naqqar Khana, also called drum house. This place was used by the musicians who played thieir bands every day. The place now is used as a war museum. There is another open space along the main entrance path which served as the courtyard of the Diwan-i-Am. An ornate throne balcony can be seen at the eastern wall of the Diwan-i-Am. Nobles used to gather here facing each other depending on their ranks and hierarchy. The emperor used to sit above with royal princes occupying the place next to the throne and the wazirs used to sit on the marble takht below the throne. The architectural design behind the Emperor's throne was done by French artists which was a major attraction in alomost every Mughal architecture. You could also see the rings that were used for curtains possibly to keep the hall off the sunlight.

A gateway called Lal Purdah can be seen on the left of the Diwan-i-Am which was the way out of the court. The gate was used by Emperor's important members in the court and were called Lal Purdaris.

On the left you will find a royal bath. Close to the royal bath, there is a mosque or private royal chapel. The mosque was built by Auranzeb which was used for offering prayers.

Behind the throne, you will find the imperial apartments which consist of a row of pavilions. These pavilions are covered by continuous water channels called the Nahr-i-Behisht. There is a tower called Shah Burj at the north east corner of the fort which acts as a source for water from the river Yamuna to these water channels. The whole design within the palace is based on the theme of "Paradise- as described in the Koran. An inscription within the palace reads "If there be a paradise on earth, it is here, it is here". Hindu influence of Mughal Architecturecan be seen in all the pavilions despite the fact that the palace was built with Islamic architectural prototypes.

Palace garden at the Red Fort is one of the main attractions as it gives you a glimpse of the great Mughal garden. The garden is also called the Hayat Baksh garden. Another gardens in the palace is the Moonlight Garden or the Mehtab Bagh. It was called Moonligh Garden because the garden was full of flowers that blossomed during the moonlight.

Another pavilion is Diwan-i-Khas, a lavishly decorated hall that was used for mistrial and court gatherings. It is the best among all the pavilions because of its architecture specialty which includes designs with floral pietra patterns on the columns and the wooden painted ceiling. There is a carving on the marbles of Baithak, called the sitting space. The place was used by the emperor to entertain his friends and people close to him. The balcony on the top, also called the Jharoka, was used by the emperor to address the crowd.

As you move beyond the private apartments, you will notice a palace called the Rang Mahal or the Palace of Colors. The palace belonged to Padshah Begum. Beyond the Rang Mahal, there is a building which has now been converted into a museum. The museum contains reminiscence of the great Mughal era, the costumes and the pictures of the Mughal era.

Red Fort has a lot to offer to the visitors. There are many things that can only be seen and witnessed. You must visit the fort once and get to learn a lot about the great Mughal architecture. Being among the top tourist destinations of Delhi, Red Fort attracts thousands of visitors every year. Above all, the Red Fort has a very important purpose in the democracy of India. It is the site that is used for celebrating the Independence Day. The Prime Minister of India addresses the nation on August 15 from this very historical monument.

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Artical Source:- delhicapital.com