India Gate - Most special Monument around Lutyens Delhi & the largest War Memorial in India that reminds of Indian warriors who lost their lives for the country
India Gate is a place which I visited the most amongst all other monuments and touristy places in Delhi. and there are millions of Delhi people like me who have spent good amount of time walking around India Gate. There are lot of reasons for India Gate being so popular in many ways. One of the key reasons I think is it's accessibility in Lutyens Delhi and it's beautiful surroundings.
Apart from the nigh clubs and pubs, there is another place in Delhi that comes alive at night. It is right at the heart of the city, India Gate. However, unlike pubs and clubs, most people are there to spend time with their families. The whole area is vibrant with Children, Newlyweds, joint families and amongst them all, hawkers to sell some of the Delhi's famed streetside food. You can also see dotted here and there some policemen to ensure nothing shady happens in the bushes.
I vividly remember those early days when I moved to Delhi from Himachal Pradesh in 2005. Some of the friends and family made me visit India Gate very frequently. This was a place for planning weekend picnics and late evening get-togethers. There are enough parkings around India Gate, it's octagonal road and connecting roads. It's recommended to park your vehicle in paid parking close to India Gate. It may take some time in queue but safer.
India Gate is that one place in Delhi that symbolizes patriotism, the "coolness" factor, the common man, and the top bureaucracy, peace, and struggle, all at one go?
The simple, yet imposing, structure, the India Gate is also home to the Amar Jawan Jyoti - the eternal flame that is kept alight in the memory of soldiers who were martyred in the various wars and during India's struggle for freedom. India Gate is also at the centre of the annual Republic Day Parade in Delhi, which fills every Indian's heart with pride and also showcases the strength of Indian Armed Forces to the world.
Today, India Gate has also come to be known as the place where the common people of Delhi and beyond gather on a pleasant day or in evenings and hangout till late in the night munching on spicy bhelpuri, golgappe, and sweet potato chaat.
It is the place where women-hawkers, draped in colorful Rajasthani or Haryanvi attire, sell trinkets to tourists, where patient young men lighten up the surroundings with magical soap-bubbles in an attempt to entice children into buying the soup solution and the bubble blower.
Tea-sellers roam the lawns with their shiny aluminium kettles selling tea to youngsters sitting on the green lawns, while photographers try to convince people to get their pictures clicked with India Gate in the background. The entire vista is bubbling with happiness and life.
And this becomes even magical in the monsoons when the sky is clear and the puddles form everywhere offering opportunities to click spectacular reflections of India Gate.
At India Gate, this gathering of common people is happening in the backdrop of the President's House. And this is what Delhi is all about - the land of contrasts and contradictions. Even though we are mighty proud of the pictures in this post, no picture can ever do justice to the enigma that is India Gate of today.
India Gate is majestic and is surrounded by some of the most interesting buildings of Delhi. The whole area is under 24 hour security cover as it should be considering the President's house is just a few metres away. You don't expect such an area to be the party hub for middle-class Delhi Families. But it is!
The monument itself stands in memory of the brave soldiers who died fighting in World War I and the Third Anglo-Afghan War. If you look closely at the walls of the monument, you will see the names of all of the soldiers who lost their lives. And beneath the canopy an eternal flame known as the "Amar Jawan Jyoti" burns as a respect to the martyrs.
The area is also very busy in terms of the traffic on the road. All offices of Central Government are located around the complex and you can sense that you are dangerously near bureaucracy. :-)
A female hawker selling some chips. They do find some buyers and it is good that these people get to earn their livings as well. The only problem is cleanliness. People find it too tough to walk to one of the abundant dustbins in the area to dispose of their plastic wastes and instead prefer to leave it lying in the green grass or on the roads.
Some golgappes (pani puri or puchke, if you belong to Mumbai or Kolkatta) on sale. Most of the golgappes available in this area are atta (wheat) golgappes. I prefer Suji (Semolina) golgappes instead. If you really want to taste Delhi ke Golgappe, this is not the place to start.
The area is dotted with specimens of Lutyen's Architecture. The Gate itself was also designed by Sir Edwin Lutyen as were most of the buildings around this area. This part of Delhi has been referred to as Lutyens' Delhi in William Dalrymple's The City of Djinns.
A child holding the father's hand around India Gate in Delhi. There is no better way to discover your city.
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The joint families that I mentioned earlier. Its like a late night picnic and for some it extends to 2 AM in the morning. In my opinion, this is a much better way of having fun than drinking with friends and then driving under influence.
Another hawker selling potato chips and popcorns. There are so many of them that sometimes I feel that there are as many hawkers as there are people in this area. Hope everyone is able to earn their living because this one does look tired and kind of sad too.
Some hawkers decorate their stalls with red chillies and candles. This particular stall is selling Bhel-Puri. If you are not used to spices, remember to tell the stall owner to not put any chilli at all because chances are that he would still sneak some in but if you do not ask him not to, you will definitely spend the next ten minutes searching for drinking water.
There are about 50 stalls selling the same stuff and in most cases it tastes the same too. So if you wish to have some, you can practically choose any one of them. try to find the cleanest looking stall if you have a lot of time on your hands.
A lot of recycling goes on in India at homes and everywhere actually. You can see that this hawker is using used mineral water bottle to store some of his sauces. As long as everything has been washed thoroughly before reuse, I think this is a really good practice to follow.
If you want to taste a nice papad or rice crisps as people outside India are more likely to call them, then these are the best bets. These are mostly made up of rice and are roasted instead of fried. Crisp and yet melt in the mouth, these are my favorite papads since childhood.
And at the end, which picnic spot is complete without a Kwality Walls cart and which picnic is complete without an icecream at the end. Be it the sweltering summers or freezing winters, it is icecream season always.
About 150 metres of the India Gate & at the center of the octagon, there is a 73 feet cupola, inspired by a sixth-century pavilion from Mahabalipuram. Lutyens used four Delhi Order columns to support the domed canopy and its chhajja. We are talking about the canopy you see in above photograph's background.
December end till 29th Jan every year, India Gate is a high security zone as Republic Day is celebrated on 26th at India Gate and beating retreat also happens near this place on 29th January.
Now National War Memorial is build in one of the other blocks of this octagon. Travellingcamera is yet to visit and see this new space which sounds interesting. In July 2014, the government announced plans to construct a National War Memorial around the canopy and a National War Museum in adjoining Princess Park. The cabinet allocated rupees 500 crores. The National War Memorial was completed in January 2019 and now open for public.
If you are at India Gate and interested in exploring other places/events nearby, here are some options :
Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi 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.
The layout of the palace is designed around a massive square although there are many courtyards and open inner areas within. There are separate wings for the Viceroy and another wing for guests. The Viceroy’s wing is a separate four-storey house in itself, with its own court areas within. The wing was so large that the first president of India decided not to stay there, staying in the guest wing, a tradition which was followed by subsequent presidents. At the centre of the main part of the palace, underneath the main dome, is the Durbar Hall, which was known as the Throne Room during British rule when it had thrones for the Viceroy and his wife. It's a must visit place for Architecture lovers.
For more details : Indian President's House - Why it's one of the Most Stunning Heritage Buildings to see in Delhi
Long time back when started searching about Change of Guards, goolge was suggesting London or Buckinghom Palce. On searching more I got the confirmation that Change of Guards at Indian President's house is open for public on Sturdays.
Since the ceremony starts at 8am sharp one needs to plan the day early. All of us were up by 5:30 and started from Noida at 6:30am. It hardly took 30 minutes to reach Rashtrapati House in morning and that gave us enough time to figure out the entry gate and car parking.
It's located at walking distance from India Gate. Whole campus has an artistic feel and inside National Gallery of Modern Arts, we don't feel like being in Delhi... There are many such places in Delhi but this is again a wonderful place ! Most of the gardens of National Gallery of Modern Arts have various sculptures created by famous Indian Artists. Above photograph shows some of the sculptures lying in main garden of the Gallery, which is near to main entry gate.
Old Fort (Purana Quila) is very close to Zoo and a few kilometers from India Gate. If you are planning a visit during evening, you can spend good time watching light & sound show which takes you through history of Delhi. Check out the link below for more details on that.
The Hindi show starts at 7:00pm and the English one at 8:30pm (during the month of October). The timings are different during different months, so it's recommended to check out the ITDC website for right timings of these shows.
For the English show, entry starts 15 minutes before the show and the show itself starts almost on time. The sound that tells the story of Delhi is perfectly in sync with the visuals projected on a facade of old fort. All these photographs show different visuals flashed on the walls of Old Fort in Delhi.
The ticket costs 100 Rs per person and it's 50 Rs for senior citizen, kids & students. If you are going in a car, there is enough parking space at the gate, unless there are lot of people. If you want to use Delhi Metro for commute - take the metro to Pragati Maidan and from there an auto would charge 40/50 Rs. Several buses too travel on this road from Pragati Maidan Metro station.
Delhi Zoo is one of the most popular place for folks visiting Delhi from other parts of the world or different Indian States. Especially Kids love to visit Delhi Zoological Park to experience controlled wildlife. Delhi Zoo is one of the very well maintained zoological parks in the country which has good number of wild animals and birds in it. This is located just next to the Old Fort and the lake. There is enough parking space outside the main gate. And it's recommended to eat something before entering into the zoo. Now eatables are not allowed inside and there is no option inside if you feel like eating something.
Probably Delhi Zoo is best place when you are planning an outing with Kids. Kids love going to the Zoo, watching different animals especially White Tiger, Giraffe, Lion, Zerba, Jaguar and colorful birds which can be rarely seen otherwise.
Khan Market is popular market in South Delhi which has some very interesting showrooms, designer outlets, fancy cafes and outstanding restaurants along with some very old & popular eateries like Khan Chacha's Kebabs.
Taj Mahal of Delhi in red stone is Humayun's tomb, although the real connection between Taj Mahal & Humayun's tomb is more interesting. When Taj Mahal was built, the inspiration for Architecture came from this beautiful tomb in Delhi. Certainly the size of Taj Mahal is huge in comparison to the Humayun's Tomb and other basic difference is kind of stone used. Taj Mahal is made up of white marble when Humayun's tomb is in Red Stone. Both of these beautiful monuments are symmetrical and built on top of a square platform. Look at the monument from any of the four directions and it will look the same.
Humayun Tomb is one of the popular place among Delhi Photographers and many of the Photographers have worked on this beautiful monument. I have visited this place many times and this time we were accompanying some of the office folks who had come from US and wanted to explore something around Delhi.
Related Blogpost - Humayun's Tomb - Taj Mahal of Delhi in shining Red stone and a popular UNESCO World Heritage site in Indian capital
Lodhi garden is at walking distance from Lodhi Garden and it's huge. It's not only a beautiful park with green landscapes but it also has some stunning heritage structures and a very beautiful water body with well structured bridge over it. It's probably one of the best parks to walk around during early morning and late evening. Lot of families come here for weekend or evening picnics and there is enough space in the park. For more, check out the following link :
Another visit to Lodhi Garden @ Delhi, INDIA || PHOTO JOURNEY through green lawns, interesting Monuments, water-bodies & meeting some birds
Delhi is extremely rich in terms of heritage and there are 3 UNESCO sites in the capital city of India. Apart from Red Fort, Qutub Minar and Humayun's tomb there are lot of other monuments to visit & explore in Delhi. Safdarjung is very special amongst them because of various reasons like it's architecture, well maintained gardens around it, it's location and a lot more which we will share through this blogpost. We will also discuss about how to reach Safdarjung Tomb from various parts of Delhi by using various transportation systems and entry ticket fees, timings etc. But more than that, we bring you some interesting secrets about Safdarjung Tomb and places around it.
If you liked this post and found it helpful, I would request you to follow these things when traveling -
- Manage your waste well and don’t litter
- Use dustbins. Tell us if you went to a place and found it hard to locate a dustbin.
- Avoid bottle waters in hills. Usually you get clean water in hills and water bottles create lot of mess in our ecosystem.
- Say big no to plastic and avoid those unhealthy snacks packed in plastic bags. Rather buy fruits.
- Don't play loud blaring music in forests of jungle camps. You are a guest in that ecosystem and disturbing the locals (humans and animals) is not polite
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