India
Gate The India Gate is the national monument of India. It is one of
the largest war memorials in India. Situated in the heart of New Delhi,
India Gate was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. Originally known as All India
War Memorial, it is a prominent landmark in Delhi and commemorates the
90,000 soldiers of the British Indian Army who lost their lives while
fighting for the British Indian Empire, or more correctly the British Empire
in India British Raj in World War I and the Afghan Wars. It is composed of
red sand stone and granite.
Originally, a Statue of King George V
had stood under the now-vacant canopy in front of the India Gate, and was
removed to Coronation Park with other statues. Following India's
independence, India Gate became the site of the Indian Army's Tomb of the
Unknown Soldier, known as the Amar Jawan Jyoti (Immortal Soldier).
Rashtrapati
Bhawan Rashtrapati Bhavan (Sanskrit for 'president House /
Presidential Palace') is the official residence of the President of India,
located in New Delhi, Delhi, India. Until 1950 it was known as "Viceroy's
House" and served as the residence of the Viceroy of India. It is at
the heart of an area known as Lutyens' Delhi. It is the largest residence of
any Head of the State in the world.
During the Delhi Durbar year
of 1911, it was decided that the capital of India would be shifted from
Calcutta to Delhi. This was announced on December 12 by King George V. As
the plan for New Delhi took shape, the Governor-General's residence was
given an enormous scale and prominent position. The British architect Edwin
Landseer Lutyens, a key member of the city-planning process, was also given
the prime architectural opportunity of into. The palace developed very
similarly to the original sketches which Lutyens sent Herbert Baker from
Shimla on June 14, 1912. Lutyens' design is grandly classical overall, with
colors and details inspired by Indian architecture.
Lotus
TempleThe Bahá'í House of Worship in Delhi, India,
popularly known as the Lotus Temple due to its flowerlike shape, is a Bahai
House of Worship and also a prominent attraction in Delhi. It was completed
in 1986 and serves as the Mother Temple of the Indian subcontinent. It has
won numerous architectural awards and been featured in hundreds of newspaper
and magazine articles.
The Lotus Temple, share certain
architectural elements, some of which are specified by Bahá'í
scripture. Abdul Baha, the son of the founder of the religion, stipulated
that an essential architectural character of a House of Worship be that it
requires to have a nine-sided circular shape. Inspired by the lotus flower,
its design is composed of 27 free-standing marble clad "petals"
arranged in clusters of three to form nine sides. While all current Bahai
Houses of Worship have a dome, they are not regarded as an essential part of
their architecture.
Red
Fort The Red Fort is a 17th century fort complex constructed by the
Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the walled city of Old Delhi (in present day
Delhi, India). It served as the capital of the Mughals until 1857, when
Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar was exiled by the British Indian
government. The British used it as a military camp until India was made
independent in 1947. It is now a popular tourist site, as well as a powerful
symbol of India's sovereignty: the Prime Minister of India raises the flag
of India on the rampants of the Lahori Gate of the fort complex every year
on Independence Day. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007
Mughal Emperor Shahjahan, started construction of the massive fort
in 1638 and work was completed in 1648 (10 years), The Red Fort was
originally referred to as "Qila-i-Mubarak" (the blessed fort),
because it was the residence of the royal family. The layout of the Red Fort
was organised to retain and integrate this site with the Salimgarh Fort. The
fortress palace was an important focal point of the medieval city of
Shahjahanabad. The planning and aesthetics of the Red Fort represent the
zenith of Mughal creativity which prevailed during the reign of Emperor Shah
Jahan. This Fort has had many developments added on after its construction
by Emperor Shahjahan.
Qutab
MinarThe Qutb Minar, a tower in Delhi, India, is at 72.5 meters
(237.8 ft) the world's tallest brick minaret. Construction commenced in 1193
under the orders of India's first Muslim ruler Quutb-ud-din Aibak, and the
topmost storey of the minaret was completed in 1386 by Firoz Shah Tughluq.
The Qutab Minar is notable for being one of the earliest and most prominent
examples of Indo-Islamic architecture.
It is surrounded by several
other ancient and medieval structures and ruins, collectively known as Qutub
complex. The complex is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is one of
the most popular tourist destinations in Delhi, and was also India's most
visited monument in 2006, as it attracted 3.9 million visitors, even more
than the Taj Mahal, which drew about 2.5 million visitors