DELHI INDIA
Lotus Temple
Hindu postcards,
Connaught Place
(right)
Magical and maddening in equal measures, Delhi
is the Indian subcontinent at its undiluted best.
lotus rising
TEMPLE PHOTOGRAPHY: GETTY IMAGES
WORDS SALLY HOWARD PHOTOGRAPHY SEPHI BERGERSON
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Qutb Minar
INDIA DELHI
SEE
QUTB COMPLEX
Mehrauli, South Delhi.
The foundations of this
complex of monuments were
laid in the early 13th century
by the first Sultan of Delhi,
Qutb-ud-din Aybak. The site
has been added to by a series
of subsequent Indian rulers,
including the British. Its
centrepiece is the fabulous
Qutb Minar, one of the tallest
brick minarets in the world
and a leading example of
Indo-Islamic architecture.
Humayun’s Tomb
An iPod clipped to the flowing white folds of the traditional dhoti; donkeys tethered
at the feet of state-of-the-art skyscrapers; internet cafe society rubbing up against religious
rituals that are millennia old. Nowhere do ancient and modern collide as energetically as
they do in 21st-century India.
It’s in the subcontinent’s fast-metamorphosing cities that this tantalising, contradictory
new India – the India rising that so exercises trendspotters across the globe – finds its best
expression. From youthful Bangalore, with its rupee-rich tech workers and vibrant bar
culture; to the entertainment and commercial capital of Mumbai, fuelled by youthful
ambition; to Delhi, the Indian Milan and its nexus of fashion and industry, where the modus
operandi is, as the locals say, “to flaunt it” – India’s major cities throb with promise.
Until very recently, Delhi was thought of as little more than a staging post for tourists en
route to Agra and Jaipur. But the Indian capital rewards the traveller who lingers, as increasing numbers do, to sample superb hospitality (thanks to the world-class domestic
Oberoi and Taj hotel groups); centuries of extant human culture and arts; a mind-boggling
breadth of cuisines (from rich Mughlai curries to newly fashionable sushi); and continentplundering shopping opportunities (from overspilling bazaars to airy modern malls).
Yet Delhi is not for the fainthearted. The touts are irksome, scammers numerous (hotel
staff and cabbies among their number) and autorickshaws race about the streets as if their
drivers have slumped dead on the steering wheel. To lessen the stress you’ll require a cool
head and sensible planning. Happily, the contrasting worlds of this manic megatropolis are
easier to navigate than they might be, thanks to the city’s distinctive geography.
Cutting a swathe to the south of the city, ordered New Delhi was built as the imperial
capital of India by the British and bears the empire’s imprint in its spacious street planning
and hubristic architecture. To its north, the spaghetti tangle of alleyways, medieval bazaars
and mosques of Old Delhi, the capital of Islamic India, couldn’t be more of a contrast.
Anchoring these two worlds is the business district and buzzing traffic circus of Connaught
Place and the seven roads that radiate from it, with their Robert Russell-designed colonnaded buildings serried in military ranks. These days a little tattered and reliably coagulated
with haphazardly parked cars, Connaught Place, or CP, is one of the areas that will be given

a much-needed coat of gloss in time for the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games.
HUMAYUN’S TOMB
Nizamuddin East, New Delhi.
A milestone in the history
of Mughal architecture, this
early 16th-century tomb is a
complex of majestic, oniondomed buildings set in flowing
gardens, awarded World
Heritage status in 1993.
LOTUS TEMPLE,
Kalkaji, South Delhi.
www.bahaindia.org
Resembling an artfully piled
heap of fruit segments, the
marble and dolomite Lotus
Temple in Kalkaji is a Qutb for
the modern age – a dramatic
prayer space set among
glinting pools and lush gardens.
Designed in the late 1980s by
avant-garde Iranian architect
Fariburz Sabha, it is Asia’s only
place of worship for devotees
of the Bahá’í faith.
NATIONAL MUSEUM
Janpath, New Delhi.
(011) 230 19272. www.
nationalmuseum-india.gov.in
A broad collection of exhibits,
including musical instruments,
tapestries, masks, spears and
terracotta sculptures dating to
the Mauryan period.
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DELHI INDIA
SHOP
SANTUSHTI COMPLEX
Chanakyapuri, New Delhi.
(011) 2466 9043.
One of several fashionable
shopping malls studding
Delhi’s suburbs, the
boutiques of Santushti
Complex in Chanakyapuri
are a hotspot for diplomats’
wives. Browse the work of
local couture designers
such as Raghavendra
Rathore – whose bejewelled
men’s sherwanis betray his
Rajasthani royal pedigree –
or the finely wrought kurtas
of bridalwear star Rohit Bal.
New Prominent Tailors
Noor Jahan homewares,
Santushti Complex
The CP area (the Place itself and the broad parades leading up to it) is an excellent launching
point for explorations of the city. Start in style with morning tea at the landmark art deco
Imperial Hotel, redolent of Raj-era India in its jasmine-scented foyer and turbanned staff, their
ketchup-red jackets gleaming with brass buttons. Allow time to browse the hotel’s unrivalled
collection of British art on India, a great insight into the British understanding of the subcontinent. Steeled with toothachingly sweet chai, take an autorickshaw ride along Janpath
thoroughfare, stopping to idle in the Tibetan Market’s stores, with their shiny brass om
pendants and jade jewellery, textiles and tabla. Richard Gere is usually spotted here when in
town on a Buddhist pilgrimage. CP’s shops are a microcosm of modern Delhi, where airconditioned Puma and Levis flagship stores rub shoulders with generations-old tailor shops;
denim-clad young couples hold hands in Café Coffee Day, and street vendors with red-hennaed
beards dispense lemonade from wheezing streetside contraptions.
Many of the city’s chief tourist sites are in Old Delhi. The most famous, the picture-postcard
Red Fort (Lal Qila) is an evocative testament to the power of the 17th century Mughal
emperors, its sandstone walls extending for 2km and its drowsing might dominating Old
Delhi. Jama Masjid mosque, India’s largest, is equally awe-inspiring. Jama’s sandstone and
marble minarets reach 40m into the grey-blue Delhi skies and its tiled courtyard holds 25,000
for Friday prayer, watched over by circling kites and the occasional vivid green parrot. For 20
rupees you can climb Jama’s southern minaret for an unrivalled bird’s-eye view of New Delhi,
a great first impression of the scale of architect Edwin Lutyens’ architectural ambitions.
Explore New Delhi’s broad parades in one of the city’s ubiquitous yellow-and-black
Ambassador taxis. Ask for a meter ride as you set off. Reclining on the always-riotous cab’s
STATE EMPORIUMS
Baba Kharak Singh Marg,
New Delhi.
The string of cottage and
state emporiums on Baba
Kharak Singh Marg have
handicrafts such as fine
Kashmiri carpets and
scarves, Gujarati mirror
work wall hangings and
Jodphuri shot silks. It’s
worth the price bump
for guaranteed quality and
airconditioned browsing.
NEW PROMINENT TAILORS
K25 Connaught Place,
New Delhi.
(011) 2341 8665.
No well-heeled Indian
would leave the capital
without visiting a 24-hour
tailor, a favourite in this
fast-paced business
city. Passing royals and
dignitaries head for the
generations-old Veda tailor
at Connaught Place. For
an affordable option, try
nearby New Prominent
Tailors, where you’ll be
measured in a flash and
have an impeccable suit in
two days, for about $70.
‘‘
It’s in the subcontinent’s fast-metamorphosing
cities that this tantalising, contradictory new
India finds its best expression
soft furnishing, drink in the pomp of the Lutyens vision for British Delhi, a vision barely
realised as Indian independence returned New Delhi to India within a few years of completion. Presiding over sweeping Rajpath parade to the east, the 42m red sandstone India Gate
commemorates the 90,000 Indian soldiers who lost their lives during the Afghan Wars and
WWI. To the western reach of Rajpath, flanked by the two mighty Secretariat Buildings, lies
Rashtrapati Bhavan (the President’s House). Classically styled, yet bearing Indian motifs in
its formidable dome, water features and 40.5ha Mughal garden, Rashtrapati Bhavan symbolises British hopes of cross-fertilising the best of Eastern and Western civilisations.
Allow a day or two for the cacophonous markets of Old Delhi. To tackle the snare of narrow
alleyways, precariously strung overhead power cables and jostling hawkers, grab a cycle 
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DELHI INDIA
Bukhara
DRINK
KWALITY RESTAURANT
Regal Building, New Delhi.
(011) 2374 2352.
www.kwalitygroup.com
As famous for its
mulligatawny soup as it
is for its spotless service.
Try the excellent boneless
tandoori murg.
DUBLIN PUB
ITC Maurya Sheraton Hotel,
Patel Marg, New Delhi.
(011) 2611 2233. www.
sheraton.com/maurya
Hosting wine tastings and
glitzy corporate gatherings,
this colourful bar is inspired
by Dublin boozers in the
loosest of senses.
THE SPICE ROUTE
The Imperial Hotel,
Janpath, New Delhi.
(011) 2334 1234.
The fabulous interior of this
well-regarded restaurant
took a team of artists seven
years to paint. Pure fantasy,
but backed up with robust
Indian food with lashings
of coconut milk. Try the
vermicelli payasam cooked
in sweetened milk with
fried cashews, raisins
and grated coconut.
BUKHARA
ITC Maurya Sheraton Hotel,
Sadar Patel Marg,
New Delhi.
(011) 2611 2233.
A favourite of Bill Clinton,
there’s little ceremony at
this celebrated restaurant
– diners are dressed in
aprons and urged to tear
the chicken apart with
their hands in deference to
the north-western frontier
theme. The dal bukhara has
achieved global cult status.
Chandni Chowk
Café Coffee Day
Dublin Pub
EAT
STREET FOOD
Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi.
For those with a stern
constitution, the street
stalls of Chandni Chowk
– many of them family
concerns that have traded
continuously for more than
a century – are not to be
missed. Try the spicy chaat,
a Delhi favourite.
RICK’S BAR
Taj Mahal Hotel,
1 Mansingh Road, New
Delhi. (011) 2302 6162.
www.tajhotels.com
Based on the bar in
Casablanca, this chocolate
wood-panelled bar is a
favourite with international
businesspeople investing
in a little downtime. Rick’s
classic cocktails are mixed
well enough to woo
Ingrid Bergman.
DJINNS
Hyatt Regency, Ring Road,
New Delhi.
(011) 2679 1234.
www.delhi.hyatt.com
Seemingly styled after
the Cheers bar, Djinns
is popular with Western
expats in Delhi, who come
here for ice-cold beers and
regular performances by
rock bands.
CAFÉ COFFEE DAY
N-11 Connaught Place,
New Delhi.
(011) 5152 3152.
www.cafecoffeeday.com
Avoid the stealthy creep of
the foreign coffee brands.
This, the Indian equivalent,
is a modern interpretation
of the coffee shops popular
in Indian cities for centuries.
A great place to mingle
with India’s confident,

cash-rich youth.
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Oberoi (Kohinoor Suite)
The Imperial
STAY
Shangri-La
NEED TO KNOW
TAXI TIPS Ask for a meter ride
wherever possible or negotiate
an approximate price before you
board (many taxi drivers cover
their meters with a cloth when
they spy a tourist). A common
cabbie scam is to persuade you
to take a diversion to a friend’s
emporium (the state emporiums
are also in on this), for which
they hope for a cut of any
resultant purchases.
Refuse politely yet firmly.
BEGGING Although child
begging rackets are less
prevalent in Delhi than Mumbai,
giving money to beggars does
encourage the practice. Instead,
make a donation to a local
charity. Swamiagnivesh
rehabilitates child workers
rescued from Delhi factories.
www.swamiagnivesh.com/
donations.htm
OBEROI
Dr Zakir Hussain Marg,
New Delhi.
(011) 2436 3030.
www.oberoidelhi.com
With expansive green views
over the prestigious Delhi
Golf Club and Humayun’s
Tomb, the high-end Oberoi
is a breath of fresh air in a
fumy city. The quality you’d
expect from this, the
flagship hotel of one
of India’s leading luxury
brands. Double from
INR19,500 ($556).
SHANGRI-LA
19 Ashoka Road,
Connaught Place,
New Delhi.
(011) 4119 1919.
www.shangri-la.com
One of the newer
quality hotels on the
block. Despite its central
location Shangri-La lacks
nothing in elegance, with
its mammoth chandeliers
and liberal gilt trimmings.
A great spot if your time
in Delhi is limited. Double
from INR13,163 ($375).
HOTEL RAHUL PALACE
5/3 WEA Main Ajmal Khan
Road, Karol Bagh.
(011) 2571 6950. www.
hotelrahulpalace.com
This spot won’t break
the bank and it works for
travellers who prefer to be
in the thick of things, as it’s
slap-bang in the heart of
Karol Bagh, the colourful
wedding trousseau
shopping district of Delhi
that featured in the movie
Monsoon Wedding. Double
from INR2790 ($80).
THE IMPERIAL
Janpath, New Delhi.
(011) 2334 1234. www.
theimperialindia.com
If you’re planning to
pamper yourself in
Delhi, the Imperial,
with its reliable service,
fabulous art deco
architecture and art is a
great choice. Double from
INR16,000 ($456).
rickshaw at the market’s perimeter and book 100 rupees’ ($2.80) worth of hair-raising ride
through the quarter’s jumble of interweaving bazaars. Kinari Bazaar is named for the ornate
wedding sari borders it sells; Dariba Kalan for gold and silver jewellery. The Spice Market is
ablaze with turmeric and chilli powders, the main thoroughfare Chandni Chowk a confusion
of carts, hissing snack stalls and sinewy men lugging ungainly loads. Pick up fine teas, trinkets
and fabrics, but haggle hard (don’t flinch above two-thirds of the stated price).
It’s hard to keep pace with a changing Delhi. As glitzy hotels and shopping mall developments mushroom, Delhiites from the southern suburbs and moneyed call centre satellite town
of Noida (home to a new international airport development) speak excitedly of the opportunity
afforded by the 2010 Games to train the world’s gaze on Delhi. Yet Delhi is far from modern in
every sense. The injustices of a city where powerbrokers spend like Croesus – living in airconditioned, chauffeured privilege while others live on less than a dollar a day – are stark.
This is the capital of a nation sprinting from feudal to high-tech without pause for breath.
As such, India wears it well – perhaps in part because inexorable change is a concept carved
into the country’s heart. At the core of Hindu belief lies the notion of a world in constant flux,
a perpetual cycle of rebirth, reawakening, change. Similarly, at the centre of the Indian flag
is a wheel in perpetual motion, as fitting a symbol as any for this timeless, tireless city.
For airfares call Qantas on 13 13 13 or visit qantas.com
For holiday packages to India call Qantas Holidays on 13 14 15.
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