The imperial city

New Delhi is about a hundred years old, but the old walled city of Delhi (known as Shahjahanabad after its imperial builder) is far more ancient. Most of the old walled city has disappeared but the old gates still remain – Kashmere Gate, Ajmeri Gate, Turkman Gate, and Delhi Gate. Close to the Delhi Gate lies the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium and the famous Ashoka pillar (brought from Meerut by Feroz Shah Tughlaq). The Qutab Minar (raised by Qutab-ud-din in 1199) and the Jantar Mantar (an ancient observatory built by Maharaja Jai Singh) are examples of unique architectural monuments in and around Delhi. Other historical relics that are a must-see include the Old Fort, Humayun's Tomb, Safdarjung Tomb and the Red Fort.

As a cultural centre, Delhi is home to a large number of shrines and temples, the most famous of which is the Jama Masjid, a 350-year old mosque that is an architectural wonder. Also worth a long visit are the ISKCON temple, the Akshardham temple, the Bahai temple, the Nizamuddin shrine and the Bangla Sahib Gurdwara.

Visitors craving a sense of the heart of Delhi must visit Chandni Chowk for a highly congested but colourful experience of Delhi culture. On the other end of the spectrum are the peaceful environs of Raj Ghat on the banks of the Yamuna. Here one can find memorials to Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri and Indira Gandhi.

And then there are the numerous monuments to governance and democracy, the Rastrapathi Bhavan, Sansad Bhavan, India Gate, the Secretariat and finally, the Rajpath where every year the Republic Day Parade celebrates India's freedom and self-rule.

The visitor to Delhi will also find a bustling, thoroughly modern city that provides residents with the best of museums, art galleries, theatres, parks and a complete choice of nightlife options.