Qutub Minar

Qutub Minar ,a World Heritage Site , is  located in Mehrauli , Delhi is a must for every tourist. The visitor is greeted by the well maintained historical monument and its green lawns and pathways. A nominal amount is charged as entry tickets and the meandering pathway leads to the awesome monument which is a marvel in architecture. Its said that the top few stories fell due to ravages of time and nature,even today the beautifully sculpted Qutub Minar  leaves one speechless.
The Qutub Minar's construction was started in 1192 by Qutub-ud-din Aibak ,the first slave king and completed by his successors Illtutmish in 1368  and finally Feroze Shah Tughlaq added the fifth and the last tower. It is said to be built upon the  ruins of the capital of the  Tomars and Chauhans. We can see the surrounding buildings and courtyards strewn with the remnants of the previous structures which were used to in the construction.
The red sandstone Minar is approximately 73 meters tall with 378 steps and is decorated with intricate carvings and religious text. Earlier visitors could climb up  winding stairs and view the surrounding locales  but now public entry is disallowed.
The Qutub Minar complex also houses the Iron Pillar which is equally famous and has inscriptions of the ancient Hindu period.A mosque is also located in the same premises.
Many Bollywood movies have been shot in this complex and Qutub Minar and tops the list of  every Delhi tourist . It also makes a dry history lesson come alive!
Delhi Metro connects this historical attraction to the rest of Delhi , there is also an E-ticketing facility and parking area for vehicles.

Delhi- Retail Therapy

Delhi is a thickly populated city attracting thousands of migrants every year.No doubt its expensive as compared to other cities but an enterprising person can make money too.There are a myriad opportunities present for everyone. I have seen well-off aged ladies taking orders for home- made pickles, hand -knitted sweaters enthusiastically.
Actually the Punjabis are very hard working and enterprising, after the Partition many people coming from Pakistan made Delhi their home. They worked hard and prospered,bought shops and made it a success due to their warmth and sincerity. Trust me it's very difficult to leave a shop without making a purchase!
Palika Bazaar , the underground air-conditioned market at Connaught Place is always bustling with bonhomie and life. Its a task to walk through the by-lanes as shop keepers ask ,"Madam, kya chahiye?" , bargaining is mandatory. A sale goes on like this , "Madam,this is for Rs300 only," leaving the shop Madam says ,"Too much , its worth only 150!". After 5 minutes of friendly haggling ultimately both will settle Rs 200 or slightly less. Madam will good at getting a heavy discount and the seller will grin at his friends after making a neat profit, a transaction giving happiness to both!
Delhi is a shopper's paradise as things are really cheap at whole -sale rates. Stitched clothes are a big business and are exported to foreign countries. Sarojini Nagar in South Delhi is a young girl's dream come true as its's full of beautiful dresses, accessories and other things.Most of the colorful clothes are export rejects , they say heaps of clothes get rejected for a minor fault and sold at dirt cheap prices to recover the initial cost. One can buy gorgeous clothes for a pittance and appear trendy and hot!
Auntyji's or middle aged ladies prefer shopping at Karol Bagh which is vast market with several lanes lined with shops.There is an entire lane of jewellery shops and so on.My Mom shopped at the best shops at Karol Bagh for family weddings. She said that the big names took care to maintain high standards and it was money well spent ,she was right, the saris looked good for years!Large heaps of fashionable handbags are sold on the pavements like vegetables at Rs 100 each!
Dilli Haat with village ambience is a great place to shop for ethnic stuff and also see real artisans working on their wares. Its a good way to have a glimpse of Indian arts and crafts and taste the local food if one cannot visit all the states.Now there are two Delhi Haats , one at South Delhi and the other at Pitampura.

Delhi

Delhi , the capital of India is a shopper' paradise and one can find almost anything in the by-lanes of Chandini Chowk in Old Delhi.Even high flying designers out-source their embellishments from the famous Kinari Bazaar. During my childhood we visited Delhi quite often and I loved shopping around with my Mom while Father fulfilled his official engagements.My brothers were great movie buffs and it was mandatory to watch the latest movie in the best cinema houses of the period and brag about it back home at Lucknow.
I remember shopping at Janpath as a young teenager for trendy bags and clothes.We also shopped at Karol Bagh for gorgeous printed Silk saris for my Mom. She got me a doll's china tea-set complete with a teapot, teacups etc from a crockery shop in Chandini Chowk !Its tough for anyone to believe now that I was the pampered brat of the family thoroughly spoilt by my parents and brothers.
Delhi has a special place in my heart because of the beautiful memories and also because it's a well laid out city full of greenery, flowers , wide clean roads and a great shopping experience.But there is more to Delhi than all this and that is the history behind the existence of the city.
Co-incidently this year is also New Delhi's centenary. Exactly 100 years ago the capital was shifted from Calcutta to Delhi and the British architect Lutyen's planned and created a new city.So now we have the New Delhi with it wide roads and Old Delhi with its old monuments and fabled bazaars!The Metro Rail connects both , and its an exhilarating experience to emerge from the spanking new Metro and walk into Old Delhi !
Legend says that the Pandavas created Indraprastha , the first city at the same site as of Delhi today.There have at least 8 cities built throughout the centuries.Many times the rulers tried and tested other locations but all came back to Delhi. Its geographic location has much to say for its popularity. Its easy to control the western and eastern borders from Delhi while the great Himalayas guard the north and the seas the South!
Delhi has seen the rise and fall of seven powerful empires ruled by famous emperors and I personally love to visit the old monuments literally strewn around the city.The superb Light and Sound Show at the Old Fort is a must to experience the by-gone era!
The Tomar Rajputs were the first rulers to have established their kingdom and built Lal Kot in 736 AD at the same location, later the Chauhan Rajputs took over the city and renamed it . The ruins can still be seen at Mehrauli where Qutub Minar was later built.
Several stories revolve around the brave Chauhan king Prithviraj Chauhan. He fell in love with Princess Samyukta, daughter of his arch rival Jaichand and attented her 'Swayamvara'or groom choosing ceremony as an uninvited guest in disguise and kidnapped the willing bride! This fuelled the hatred between Prithvi Raj and Jaichand paving the way for the Muslim invasion by Muhammed Ghauri from Afghanistan.
Qutub Minar or the victory tower was built by Qutub-ud-din Aibak, a slave left by Ghauri to rule who later became independent and started the Slave Dynasty.