A heritage tour of Delhi

Scottish author William Dalrymple rightly called it the ‘City of Djinns’. Delhi, India’s capital for over 100 years and one of its oldest cities, is an unfathomable land where every nook and corner reeks of the glorious past. Destroyed and rebuilt a number of times, Delhi is resilient, mystical and chaotic. On the advent of the 71st Republic Day let’s take a walk down the memory lane flipping through the pages of our history where it all started, and where things are still happening.

Red Fort

The jewel of the reign of Shah Jahan, it was here centuries later after it’s construction that Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru made his famous ‘Tryst with destiny’ speech at the emergence of the Indian independence in 1947. As tradition continues, every year our Prime Minister hoists the tricolour at the magnificent Lahori Gate of the fortress and addresses the celebration with a customary speech. Shah Jahan’s Lal Qila was the central point of his rule in Delhi. Even today walking on the premise, through the Diwan-i-Khas and Diwan-i-Aam the nostalgia of the courtesy of the Persian durbars creeps in. Try hard enough and you might just hear the giggles of the wives and mistresses of the former emperors in Rang Mahal.

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from
via Lonely Planet India