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If it were not for the Montagu-Chelmsford reforms of 1919, the Parliament House may not have been built. It’s corny how the building most indispensable to modern Indian democracy came up as an afterthought. Earlier called the Circular House, it was added to the layout at a later stage following the reforms which created a large Legislative Assembly.

This edifice is the brainchild of Herbert Baker and was much criticized in comparison with Lutyens creations. An article by Robert Byron in Architectural Review, January 1931describes it thus: “The Council Chamber has been Sir Herbert’s unhappiest venture. Its effect from a distance has been described. It resembles a Spanish bull-ring, lying like a mill-wheel dropped accidentally on its side.”

The Massive Structure

To the northwest of Vijay Chowk, this huge circular, colonnaded building comprises three semicircular chambers for the Legislatures and a Central Library crowned by a 27.4m high dome. It is 173m in diameter and covers 2.02 hectares in area, with colonnaded verandahs enclosing the entire circumference. The three semi-circular areas were designed for the Chamber of Princes, the Council of State and the Legislative Assembly. Today they house the chambers of the Lok Sabha (House of the People), Rajya Sabha (Upper House) and the library. A verandah with 144 columns surrounds the three chambers. The boundary wall has blocks of sandstone carved in geometrical patterns that echo the Mughal jalis.

An entry pass to the library can be obtained from the Visitor’s reception on Raisina Road by providing a letter of introduction from a Member of Parliament. The library working hours are from 1000-1800. To obtain a visitor’s pass to Sansad Bhawan, Indian nationals should apply to the Parliament Secretariat. Foreign nationals should apply through their embassies or high commissions.

Lotus Temple – a modern of Delhi is one such temple that facilitates the Bhai’s Faith of Worship. The Baha’i House of Worship is dedicated to the oneness of all religions and mankind. Subsidiary buildings that afford relief to the suffering, sustenance to the poor, shelter to the wayfarer, solace to the bereaved and education to the ignorant will abound around the House of Worship.

There is no clergy in the Baha’i Faith and its service consists of prayers and readings of selections from Baha’i scriptures, and religious texts of the other faiths of the world.

The Bahai’s Faith

The Baha’is lay great emphasis on prayer and meditation. These, they believe are important instruments for the progress of the human soul, both in this world and the next. The Baha’is pray to one God, the Creator of the Universe.

The act of praying is described as ‘Conversation with God’.Meditation is perceived as the ‘Key for opening the doors of mysteries’. In that state, man withdraws himself from all outside objects and immerses himself in the ocean of spiritual life.

In the Baha’i Holy Writings, there are prayers for all occasions. Prayers can be offered individually or collectively. Great importance is given to prayers as is revealed in all the Scriptures.

However, the Baha’i Writings specify that the mere act of praying is not sufficient. The inspiration drawn from one’s prayers must be translated into action that promotes the well being of humanity.

Fatehpuri Masjid located at the western end of the oldest street of Delhi, Chandni Chowk, Fatehpuri Masjid was built in 1650 by Fatehpuri Begum, one of Shah Jahan’s wives. The mosque is built with red sandstone on a large scale and is surmounted by a single dome. Flanked by towering minarets, the Fatehpuri mosque has a traditional design with the prayer hall having seven-arched openings. Among the seven arches, the central arch is the highest. The Fatehpuri mosque in Delhi has single and double-storeyed apartments on the sides and some of its endowments were used as a school for poor students. The British auctioned some parts of the mosque after the 1857 war to a Hindu family. Later in 1877 it was restored to the Muslims at the Delhi Darbar when the British allowed the Muslims back in Old Delhi.

Though Fatehpuri Masjid was an important mosque in Old Delhi but architecturally the mosque is not a very fine example of Mughal architecture. The materials used in the mosque are of poor quality. The proportion of the mosque is also not as perfect as that of the Jama Masjid. If one notices, the dome especially is not in proportion to the building and the overall effect is also not very pleasing. However, different parts of the mosque individually are very beautiful.

A stone’s throw from Birla Mandir to the right is the much smaller but quite popular temple devoted to the Goddess Kali. Especially dear to the Bengali community of Delhi, Kali Bari Mandir in Delhi is the centre of celebration during the festival of Durga Puja held every October. Since Kali is believed to be the manifestation of Durga in her most terrifying, warlike avatar, liquor is offered to the goddess in this temple.

The Kali Bari Mandir is rather small and very simple in design. From within the temple grows a huge peepul tree that pierces through the ceiling to shade the temple. The peepul is considered sacred by Hindus and red threads are tied around its bark when beseeching a boon.

Begumpuri Masjid Jahanpanah, so lovingly planned and so carelessly given up by Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq (1325-1351), is survived by painfully little today. Remaining buildings speak of grandiose and much planning; the idea was to encompass all the Delhis before it in one all-embracing fortress. However like most ideas of Muhammad-bin-Tughlaq (see history) it defied all practical steps taken to make it a reality and Jahanpanah was left as it was when about halfway through.

The Colossal Fort Walls

Whatever left of it has been swallowed up by grasping tentacles of the ever-expanding south Delhi. The walls of Jahanpanah are surprisingly huge; some even have rooms built into them to store provisions and war equipment. You can spot some sections of the wall at Satpula, near Khirkee Village.

Attractive Canopy

As one climbs up to the masjid, its massive pointed dome suddenly pops out of the towering doorways that it had been hiding behind. There were originally forty-fur smaller domes too, however some of these have either fallen or are crumbling. These used to be atop the riwaq (cloister), strewn across the courtyard above the porticos.
An interesting façade of twenty four arched openings greets the visitor to this mosque. On either side of the mosque you will see tapering minarets which are characteristic Tughlaq material. Architecture freaks don’t miss the core of the courtyard, which is akin to the Jaunpur Mosques and the only example of its kind in Delhi.
One wonders why this mosque was ever abandoned, considering that India is teeming with medieval mosques that still in worship. There are steps which can take you right to the top of mosque; you can get an excellent view of the Bijai Mandal next door.

Situated beyond the commercial complex of Nehru Place lies this temple dedicated to the goddess Kalka Devi. Its oldest section dates back to 1764 and additions were made in the mid-19 ^th century. However most of the building is modern. Thousands of pilgrims throng the temple, especially in October during the nine days of navratrey, when a huge fair is held here.

The Bara Gumbad, or “big dome,” is a large domed structure grouped together with the Friday mosque of Sikander Lodi and a mehman khana (guesthouse), located in New Delhi’s Lodi Gardens. The buildings were constructed at different times during the Lodi era and occupy a common raised platform. Formerly an outlying area of Delhi, the Lodi Gardens are a British-planned landscaped garden which includes a number of monuments (primarily tombs) from the Sayyid and the Lodi dynasties. Originally called Willingdon Park, the gardens were located in the former village of Khairpur, now on the edge of Lutyen’s Delhi, the colonial capital built by the British in the early 20th century. The gardens, which cover approx. 70 acres, have come to be surrounded by institutional buildings and some of contemporary Delhi’s most expensive real estate.

Although they were built under the same dynasty, each of the three structures was undertaken separately. The Bara Gumbad, completed in 1490, is considered to have the first full dome constructed in Delhi. Its original purpose is contested; although it appears to be a freestanding tomb, it contains no tombstone. This causes the speculation that the building might have been intended as a gateway for the Friday mosque; however, their respective placements, stylistic differences, and construction dates do not support this theory. The Friday mosque, completed in 1494, is the first example of the new mosque type that developed during the Lodi era. Characterized by a relatively simple five bay prayer hall building adjacent to a simple open courtyard, this type was an important precedent for mosque architecture in the Lodi and Mughal eras.

The complex can be accessed from various points along the roads bordering the Lodi Gardens, with the access from the Lodi road towards the south most prominent. The buildings are situated at a distance of about 300 meters from Muhammad Shah’s tomb towards the south and about 380 meters from Sikander Lodi’s tomb towards the north. Another prominent structure, the Shish Gumbad, is located facing the Bara Gumbad at a distance of about seventy-five meters towards the north. The area surrounding the buildings is landscaped with manicured grass lawns. Few trees are planted in the immediate vicinity, leaving the view of the structures unobscured. The path winding through the Lodi Gardens approaches the buildings axially from the north, although the building plinth is accessible all from all sides.

The buildings are sited on a three-meter-high platform, measuring approximately 30 meters (east-west) by 25 meters (north-south). The Friday mosque is located along the western edge of the platform; the guesthouse is sited opposite it, occupying the eastern edge, while the Bara Gumbad is located along the southern edge. Stone masonry walls, about six meters high, connect the three structures along the southern edge. The northern edge is provided with staircases for accessing the platform. A centrally located straight flight comprising of eight steps, about ten meters wide, connects the ground to a generous mid landing. Another ‘C’ shaped flight of eight steps wraps around the landing, creating an amphitheatre-like space and reaching the top of the platform. The current arrangement of steps appears to be more recent, and the remains of walls adjoining the southern face of the guesthouse and the mosque indicate that the northern edge might have originally been walled. In the center of the raised court, with its southern edge along the staircase, are the remains of a square shaped platform, 8 meters wide, which appears to be a grave.

Also Known As Lakshmi-Narayan Mandir

Strictly speaking, this structure is not part of the New Delhi Lutyens designed. Famous Birla Mandir in Delhi is essentially a Hindu temple which came up alongside with New Delhi and has therefore been pegged with it. Popularly known as the Birla Mandir, it is the first of the temples built across the country by the industrial family of Birla. Located just off Connaught Place on Mandir Marg, it is dedicated to Vishnu, the second of the Hindu Trinity of creator-preserver-destroyer, and his consort Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth.

The Most Important Temples of Hindus

Built in 1938, famous Birla Mandir in Delhi was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi (Father of the Indian Nation) on the express condition that people of all castes and especially untouchables would be allowed in. (Refer to section People). Consequently a plaque at the gate reiterates that people of all faiths and classes are welcome. Till date, it remains one of the most popular temples in Delhi.

The Architectural Brilliance of The Birla Mandir (Temple)

Birla Mandir is also famous for the festival of Janmashtami (birth of the Hindu deity Krishna). The festival is celebrated here with much goodwill and cheer.

The temple is designed in the Orissan style, with tall curved towers capped by large amalakas (circular ribbed motif at the summit of a temple tower). The exterior is faced with the white marble and red sandstone typical of Delhi’s Mughal architecture. The interior court is overlooked by two-storey verandahs on three sides; there are gardens and fountains at the rear. The profusion of sculptures, idols, spires and jalis, the Birla Mandir in Delhi is also considered as splendor in terms of its architecture.