India Gate is usually the first stop in a traveler's itinerary. It is a majestic structure, which stands high at the end of Rajpath amidst plush, green manicured lawns and water fountains carved in sandstone. Designed and built by Lutyens, it was originally called the All India War Memorial in memory of the 90,000 Indian soldiers who died in World War I, the North-West Frontier operations, and the 1919 Afghan Fiasco. The names of the soldiers are inscribed on its walls and an eternal flame, the 'Amar Jawan Jyoti', has been kept lit since 1971 to honour the martyrs. The area is especially breathtaking in the evenings when India Gate and the sprawling lawns are dramatically lit with floodlights. On one side of the India Gate is the canopy made in sandstone and on the other is the imposing Rashtrapati Bhavan, the Presidential House.

Soaring high above the Quwwatual Islam mosque is the tower Sultan Qutbuddin Aibak built in AD 1196 to celebrate the invincibility of Islam. Although modeled as a classical tower from which the muezzin calls the faithful to prayers, the Qutb Minar was a symbolic rather than a functional structure. The Minar was a symbol of the military might of the Turko-Afgan Slave dynasty - so called because its earliest kings were all slaves of their predecessors - and the qutb or axis of Islamic dominion. An inscription on the tower says that it was erected by Qutbuddin, literally Staff of God, to 'cast the shadow of God over both East and West'. The Qutb Minar has survived a series of tremors in the eight centuries it has towered over Delhi, acquiring a slight tilt that leaves it some two feet off the perpendicular.

The Red Fort, built by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan between 1638 and 1648, was to serve as his home and fortress for his capital Shahjahanabad. It was constructed on the banks of the River Yamuna, but now the river runs close to a mile away. The fort walls extend around a 2 kilometer circumference and within it lies testimony to the golden era of the Mughals. The invasion by the Persians or the British have not eroded this monument of Mughal dominance. It has now been added to the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The entry to the fort is through the Lahori Gate, which leads into Chatta Chowk, a busy marketplace. Antiques can be found in abundance, and lots of trinkets too, but the price is definitely on the higher side but a bargain is always possible.

Someone said, Delhi is a place of tombs; there isn't a turn you can take, without seeing a tomb. This might be true but none is as grand as Humayun's Tomb. Located, in prime property in Delhi, covering hundreds of acres, lies the complex housing Humayun's tomb. This is a World heritage Site. Humayun inherited the Mughal dynasty from his father Babur in 1530. He was soon exiled as Sher Shah, seized the empire, taking advantage of Humayun's love for luxury and pleasure. But once Sher Shah died, in 1545 Humayun mounted a restoration army and marched into Delhi in 1555. His victory was short lived when he died six months later, falling in his library. In 1570, when Humayun's tomb was built, it was the first garden tomb in the sub-continent. This inspired a whole era of Mughal architecture, the Taj Mahal, now being the most famous. The architect was Persian, Mirak Mirza Ghiyuath, who had earlier designed buildings in now Afghanistan and now Uzbekistan.

Between 1727 and 1734 Maharajah Jai Singh II of Jaipur constructed five astronomical observatories in west central India. The observatories, or "Jantar Mantars" as they are commonly known, incorporate numerous buildings of unique form, each with a specialized function for astronomical measurement. These structures with their striking combinations of geometric forms at large scale, have captivated the attention of architects, artists, and art historians world wide, yet remain largely unknown to the general public. This one is Central Delhi, the other four being located at Jaipur, Varanasi, Ujjain and Mathura.

Birla Mandir, Delhi - While the temples in the South have a huge Kopuram in front, and are very colorful, the temples in the North have a Mughal influence. The temple complex, especially the walls and the upper gallery are full of paintings carried out by artists from Jaipur in Rajasthan. The presiding deity is Laxmi Narayan, Indian god. The temple was built over a period of six years and was opened by Mahatma Gandhi.

The Teen Murti house was the residence of India's first Prime minister Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru. After his death the house was converted into a memorial. The Nehru memorial has a collection of gifts and many other items which he possessed. Nehru Planetarium is within the compound of Teen Murti. This planetarium gives a overview of the Indian Space program. There are daily film shows which are screened in a specially designed auditorium. These films are meant to give information about the Universe or any other topic related to that. The Capsule in which Rakesh Sharma went into space is also kept here.

The Delhi Haat is an Arts and Crafts market developed by the Indian Government. A "Haat" is a rural market that is constantly on the move. Craftsmen set up markets to display their wares. Here in the Delhi Haat, the area has been designed like a rural village, and artists from all over India come to showcase the crafts and work from their region. The Haat also serves as a great place to taste sample Indian food from all the states. It is truly a delight to the palate. This market is spread over a six acre spread with imaginative traditional rural architecture and provides an ambience for the market. The stone and brickwork paved paths interspersed with grass patches make browsing and ambling fun. It is events and monuments like these that make Delhi, India's best city.