Excursion tour in New Delhi. Top architecture - monuments, castles, temples and palaces

» The Lotus Temple, or the Bahá'í House, is one of the nine temples built all over the world. It belongs to Bahái followers. It is modern religion that lacks confessional restrictions, sermons, priests, and altars. Adherents to this religion don’t worship icons and sculptures.
»  The huge white building that resembles a lotus flower was built in 1986 on the donations collected all over the world. The project architect was Fariborz Sahba, an Iranian who lived in Canada.
»  Before the construction, the building project had been modeled on the computer for two years. The main hall that has a diameter of 75 m and is 31 m high can accommodate from 1 300 to 2 500 visitors. The Bahá'í House was awarded several architectural prizes.
»  In Bahá'í temples, adherents of any religion can pray. Here, volunteers serving visitors and the temple work.
»  Over the years of its existence, the temple was visited by more people than the Taj Mahal or the Eiffel Tower was.

» The Red Fort is a grand construction built during the reign of Shah Jahan in the period between 1639 and 1648. It was the luxurious residence of the imperial family.
»  At the entrance to the Qila-i-Mubarak, you can see the quote of a Persian poet: “If heaven can be on the face of the earth, it is this, it is this, it is this”. In the territory of the fortress, there were luxurious palaces, a mosque, blooming gardens, hamams, and baths. The residence of Jahan was served by 3 000 servants.
»  The fortification walls along the river are 16 m high. The walls in the city are 33 m high. The circumference of the fort is 2.5 km.
»  In 1857, the fort was occupied by Englishmen. Treasures were taken away and plundered. Then, the citadel was left in disrepair.
»  Only in 2004, the Indian Archeological Society started to restore the fortress.
»  The Red Fort in New Delhi is not the only one. Two more Red Forts are located in Agra and Lahore (Pakistan).

» Akshardham is a modern Hindu Temple built in 2005. It is the biggest temple complex in the world that was even registered in the Guinness Book of Records.
»  The total area of the complex is 12 hectares. The construction cost half a billion dollars of donations.
»  Akshardham was built by 7 000 workers. When it was being built, modern construction materials, for example, cement or metal, were not used. The facade was manually finished with pink stone from the outside and white marble from the inside.
»  The temple is decorated with 9 domes and 20 pyramidal towers. The construction is supported by 234 columns with ornaments and patterns painted manually. In the halls, there are 20 000 statues. There are a lot of statues of elephants that totally weigh 3 000 tons.
»  The main statue of the temple is the statue of Nilkanth Varni (1781-1830) that is 3 m high. He is also known as Bhagvan Swaminarayan. He was the founder of the religious movement. His relics are kept here. Everyone can enter the temple absolutely for free.

» The India Gate is a stone arch constructed in honor of Indian soldiers dying during the war against Afghanistan and the First World War. 90 000 names of soldiers are written on it. The monument was projected by the British architect Edwin Lutyens. The construction lasted 10 years and was completed in 1931. An eternal flame constantly burns here. In 1971, Indira Gandhi festively opened the Monument to the Unknown Soldier when the Indo-Pakistan ended. Nowadays, this memorial is a place where a lot of festive events and parades are held. In the evenings, the monument is beautifully illuminated. There is a park around the monument. A lot of people come to relax here. Since 2011, the International Kite Festival that attracts thousands of spectators has been held in the park.

» The Secretariat Building that consists of two buildings and is located on a hilltop is the seat of ministries of the supreme authority. The Secretariat Building is also known as the Central Secretariat.
»  You can enter the fenced territory through a big gate. The houses here have inner courtyards that occupy much space where new buildings will be built in the future.
»  The nearby Parliament House was built in 1927 around the axis of Rajpath. The project was presented by the British engineer who designed buildings in the shape of squares.
»  The walls and the foundation were faced with cream and red sandstone. Similar four-storeyed buildings are opposite one another and symmetric. On each floor, there are a thousand rooms.
»  Spacious hallways with wide staircases lead to the other wing of the building with a balcony with columns. Mesh blinds are used to hide from bright light and monsoon rains.
»  Each building has a huge dome. The domed structure casts a shadow that saves from the scorching sun. The Secretariat Building is home to official authorities, different ministries, and offices.