Jama Masjid

The great mosque of Old Delhi is both 1 largest in India and the final architecture extravagance of Shah Jahan. Commences 1644, the mosque was not completed 1658. It has three great gateways, four an towers and two minarets standing 40 met high and constructed of alternating verity strips of red sandstone and white marble.

Broad flights of steps lead up to the imposing gateways. The eastern gateway was originally only opened for the emperor, and now only open on Fridays and Musleem festival days. The general public can enter either the north or south gate Shoes should be removed and those people considered unsuitably dressed (bare legs for either men or women) can hire robes at the Northgate. The courtyard of the mosque has a capacity of 25,000 people. For it's possible climb the southern minaret, and the views all directions arc superb-Old Delhi, the Red Fort and the polluting factories beyond it across the river, and New Delhi to the south.

You can also see one of the features that the architect Lutyens incorporated into his design of New Delhi - the Jama Masjid, Connaught Place and Sansad Bhavan (Par-liament House) are in a direct line. There's also a fine view of the Red port from the east side of the mosque.

Feroz shah Kotla

Erected by Feroz Shah Tughlaq in 1354, the ruins of Ferozabad, the fifth city of Delhi can be found at Feroz Shah Kotla, Just off Bahadur Shah Zafur Marg between the old and new Delhi's. In the frortress-places is a 13-metre-high sadstone Ashoka pillar inscribed with Ashoa's edicts The remains of an old mosque and a fine well can also be seen in the area, but most of the ruins of Ferozabad were used for the construction of later cities.

Rajghat

North-east of Feroz Shah Kotla, on the banks of the Yamuna, a simple square platform of black marble marks of the spot where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated following his assassination in 1948. A commemorative ceremony takes place each Friday, the day he was killed. The Raj Ghat area is now a beautiful park complete with labeled trees planted by a mixed bag of notables including Queen Eliabeth II, Gough Whitlam Dwight Eisenhower and Ho Chi Minn !

..........Back