The Delhi We Know...

I literally felt like banging my head on my study table when i opened the chapter of Mughal empire and 'tried' to memorize the names of the Mughal rulers and their so called 'achievements'.

We often think while studying history, that "How am i concerned if some Ud-Din Tughlaq made some fort in memory of someone ?". But what we don't realize is that without the architectural contributions of these rulers, we wouldn't have known the Delhi the way it is today.

Most of us acknowledge what Sir Edward Lutyens architectural skills that he used to design Delhi- The beautiful 'jalas', the location of 'Rashtrapati Bhavan' on the footsteps of 'Raisina hill' and of course the breathtaking 'Cannaught Place', what we today know as 'CP'. However, if we notice Lutyens skills would have gone in vain had he not been assisted by the fascinating architectural heritage that Delhi possesses- thanks to our once upon a time kings and rulers. Today a visitor to Delhi might be lucky enough to get his first glimpse of the city's architectural design from the window of a plane or train. That is the amount and variety of heritage that Delhi possesses.

The one thing that is common in all the monuments of Delhi is their architectural excellence. Be it the 'Red Fort' built by Shah Jahan or the 'Qutub Minar', each and every monument has its own architectural beauty that leaves the viewer mesmerized. Today, most of the delhites are proud of their rich heritage, that in itself attracts a phenomenal amount of tourists to the city.

The Jama Masjid which is one of the largest mosques in India , Qutub Minar, Humayun's Tomb which is a replica of the Taj, India Gate - often called the 'Heart of Delhi', which takes away the breath of every person who sees it at dawn, The Akshardham Temple- A wonder creation or even the Purana Qila. For all these monuments, just mere words aren't enough to describe their beauty. They have to be seen and observed with great appreciation, if one has to get out the essence of their creation. The appeal of heritage cities are not just their magnificent sights, but the inner cities and their quiet neighborhoods, that further enhance the appeal of these monuments.

I would like to conclude by quoting Frank Wedekind's words-

" Monuments are for the living, not the dead... "