Saturday, October 11, 2008

Important Information

If you are in Delhi and you are in an emergency situtation you can call 100 for the police, 101 for fire and 102 or 1099 for an ambulance. If you are in Delhi and you need medical treatment you have many choices. There are both Govt Hospitals and Private Hospitals. One of the best Govt hospital is All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), next to the AIIMS is Safdarjung Hospital. But I want to bring one thing to your attention, the govt hospitals are usually very busy, you might have to wait a lot for getting treatment. So if you can afford private treatment, there are 100s of good hospital in Delhi. I am listing a few of them.

Central Delhi: Delhi Heart and Lung Institute http://www.dhli.com/. Sir Ganga Ram Hospital http://www.sgrh.com/.
North Delhi: Sant Parmanand Hospital: http://sphdelhi.org/. Max Hospital http://www.maxhealthcare.in/corporate/index.asp.
South Delhi: Metro Hospital and Heart Institute: http://www.metrohospitals.com/. VIMHANS http://www.vimhans.com/. Escorts http://www.ehirc.com/. Apollo Hospital http://www.apollohospdelhi.com/
West Delhi: Maharaja Agrasen Hospital Tel:+(91)-(11) 25226645, 25226646, Jaipur Golden Hospital http://www.jghdelhi.net/

How to travel within India

The cheapest way to travel in India is through the Indian Railways but remember one fact when you plan your journey, the trains usually get late, so you need to keep a buffer of time if you have to catch another train or plane. Railway stations are not so clean and the waiting rooms are also not great. Try to buy the ticket in the AC compartments because they have better facilities. First class is best option if you can afford but the II tier and sleeper class options are also good. If you get upset stomach easily, better pack your own food because the food they serve might not be of the best standards, though it might look good and tempting but hygeine part is missing.

You can book your tickets online and take a printout but remember to take your identification proof along with you. This is the Indian Railways official site http://www.indianrail.gov.in/.

The next best option to travel within India is my airline. They are not so expensive and most of the them offer good service. My favorite was Kingfisher Airline though it a bit expensive than other but you will get better service. http://www.flykingfisher.com. Jet is also a good airline: http://www.jetairways.com/. Then there are many low-cost carriers and then are good too. Like Deccan airlines, Indigo, Indian airlines (Govt).

The last mode of transport which i will prefer to travel short distance or medium distance is buses. Usually the state which you preferring to visit have their own bus service, so you can go to any of their site and ask for bus service. Always ask for luxury buses, especially tell them do you have Volvo buses.

Lotus Temple - Delhi


The Bahá'í House of Worship in Delhi, India, popularly known as the Lotus Temple, is a Bahai House of Worship and also a prominent attraction in Delhi. Inspired by the lotus flower, its design is composed of 27 free-standing marble clad "petals" arranged in clusters of three to form nine sides. The architect was an Iranian, who now lives in Canada, named Fariborz . The major part of the funds needed to buy this land was donated by Ardishír Rustampúr of Hyderabad, who gave his entire life savings for this purpose in 1953.


Akshardham Temple Delhi


Swaminarayan Akshardham in New Delhi epitomises 10,000 years of Indian culture in all its breathtaking grandeur, beauty, wisdom and bliss. It brilliantly showcases the essence of India’s ancient architecture, traditions and timeless spiritual messages. The Akshardham experience is an enlightening journey through India’s glorious art, values and contributions for the progress, happiness and harmony of mankind. The grand, ancient-styled Swaminarayan Akshardham complex was built in only five years through the blessings of HDH Pramukh Swami Maharaj of the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) and the colossal devotional efforts of 11,000 artisans and BAPS volunteers. The complex was inaugurated on 6 November, 2005.
Akshardham means the eternal, divine abode of the supreme God, the abode of eternal values and virtues of Akshar as defined in the Vedas and Upanishads where divine bhakti, purity and peace forever pervades.
To know more about this place: http://www.akshardham.com/whatisakdm/index.htm

Humanyun was the second mughal emperor. Humayun died in 1556, and his widow Hamida Banu Begam, also known as Haji Begam, commenced the construction of his tomb in 1569, fourteen years after his death. It is the first distinct example of proper Mughal style, which was inspired by Persian architecture. It is well known that Humayun picked up the principles of Persian architecture during his exile, and he himself is likely to have planned the tomb, although there is no record to that effect. The tomb was constructed at a cost of 15 lakh rupees (1.5 million).

Qutub Minar


Qutub Minar (Urdu: قطب منار) is the world's tallest brick minaret in Delhi, India. The Qutub Minar is 72 meters high (237.8 ft) with 379 steps leading to the top. The diameter of the base is 14.3 meters wide while the top floor measures 2.75 meters in diameter. Construction commenced in 1193 under the orders of India's first Muslim ruler Qutb-ud-din Aibak and the topmost storey of the minaret was completed in 1386 by Firuz Shah. The Qutab Minar is notable for being one of the earliest and most prominent examples of Indo-Islamic architecture. It is surrounded by several other ancient and medieval structures and ruins, collectively known as Qutub complex. The complex is listed as a UNESCO world heritage site and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Delhi.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Places to Visit in Delhi

The first place to visit Delhi if you love the historical places is the Red Fort. The Delhi Fort also known as Lal Qil'ah, or Lal Qila (Hindi: लाल क़िला, Urdu: لال قلعہ) meaning the Red Fort, located in Delhi, India and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007. The Red Fort and the city of Shahjahanabad was constructed by the Emperor Shah Jahan in 1639 A.D. The Red Fort was the palace for Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan's new capital, Shahjahanabad, the seventh Muslim city in the Delhi site. He moved his capital from Agra in a move designed to bring prestige to his reign, and to provide ample opportunity to apply his ambitious building schemes and interests. The fort is also the site from which the Prime Minister of India addresses the nation on August 15, the day India achieved independence from the British. It also happens to be the largest monument in Old Delhi.