Re-live the glory of the past as you wade through the
streets of India’s famous cities with their spectacular
and prized possessions of tombs and forts, putting India
on the global map of World Heritage Sites.
Delhi, one of the oldest living cities in the world,
is a tale of eight cities. Every conqueror attempted
to invade Delhi and make it his capital. The British
completed the construction of New Delhi in 1931 as the
capital of imperial India making it the eighth city,
designed by two British architects, Sir Edwin Lutyens
and Sir Herbert Baker. It is, therefore, not surprising
that the monuments of Delhi successfully mirror the
development of the architectural styles in the country.
The capital city of Rajasthan, Jaipur, was the stronghold
of a clan of rulers whose three hill forts and series
of palaces in the city are important attractions. Known
as the Pink City because of the colour of the stone
used exclusively in the walled city, Jaipur’s
bazaars sell embroidered leather shoes, blue pottery,
tie-and-dye scarves and other exotic wares.
For most of the time Agra alternated with Delhi as the
capital of the Mughal Empire. As such one finds many
marvels of the Mughal architecture in and around the
city, the most famous of them being the Taj Mahal. Not
only does the story of the love of a king for his wife
haunt its visitors but also the architectural splendour
leave its visitors mesmerized. The Agra Fort, built
by the great Emperor Akbar in 1565 A.D., is a masterpiece
of design and construction. Within the fort are a number
of exquisite buildings, including the Moti Masjid, Diwan-e-Am,
Diwan-e-Khas, Sheesh Mahal and Musamman Burj, where
Emperor Shah Jahan died in imprisonment.
