New Delhi And Goa: Nature And Culture Beautifully Combined

DELHI

NEW DELHI – Displacing Calcutta as the new capital of British India, and an alternative to the congested Shahjehanabad, New Delhi was conceived as an imperial city with palatial Viceregal residences, grand official buildings, residential spaces and tree-lined boulevards. Connaught Place, an expansive colonnaded shopping and business hub, was the buffer between the two worlds. With India’s Independence, it became the political-bureaucratic hub of the government. Key Raj-era structures: Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament house, India Gate, Lutyens Bungalow Zone and Connaught Place.

MEHRAULI – The spectacle of ancient empires here compels a further acquaintance with the history and heritage of 1,000 years of Imperial Delhi. Mehrauli reflects the presence of the Slave, Khalji and Tugh-luk dynasties all of whom ruled Delhi at various points. The Qutub Minar and the nearby mosque mark the year Islamic rule began in the country. Mehrauli’s other important sites are the Iron Pillar, Dargah of Sufi saint Bakhtiyar Kaki, the Mehrauli Archaeological Park with the ruins of Lai Kot (700 CE), Zafar Mahal, two baolis, Hauz-i-Shamsi, Jahaz Mahal, Adam Khan’s Tomb, Balban’s and Jamali-Kamali Tomb and Mosque.

BOTANICAL CITY – Delhi’s rulers loved gardens and scattered around the city are not just formal gardens, but also tree-lined avenues and flowering roundabouts. In February, the city is ablaze with its generous floral delights and even the Mughal Gardens at the Rashtrapati Bhavan are opened to the public. Delhi Tourism’s Garden of Five Senses hosts a music festival in the winter as does Nehru Park. India Gate’s lawns are for an ice cream outing. At Emperor Humayun’s Tomb witness the perfection of a Mughal charbagh. Sunder Nursery is being renovated and don’t miss the mughal-era Qudsia Gardens.

GOA

REIS MAGOS FORT – It’s now a charming heritage site that forms an idyllic backdrop for weddings and fashion shoots, but the fact is, this used to be a highly strategic fort. Portuguese general Afonso de Albuquerque built the Reis Magos Fort in 1551 over a steep slope of headland on the banks of the Mandovi river. Together with an outpost on the opposite side, the fortification was the first line of defence against the Dutch incursions into the port town of Goa. The same building was later used as a jail, and after that a hospital, before falling into disuse. The Reis Magos Fort was lovingly restored and it is now being used as a cultural centre. Reis Magos Fort is 9 km away from the city of Panjim.

VELHA GOA – Velha Goa is Portuguese for ‘Old Goa’—the historical remains of what was once a thriving hub of religious propagation and commerce. Constructed by the Bijapur Sultanate in the 15th century, this port on the banks of the Mandovi was the capital of Portuguese India from 1510 till it was abandoned in the 18th century due to an epidemic. A city of nearly 20 lakh people, this Unesco World Heritage Site used to be the seat of several religious orders, which explains its abundance of beautiful churches: the Se Cathedral, the Church of St. Francis of Assisi, and of course the famous Basilica of Bom Jesus. Velha Goa is 10km from Panjim.

CHORLA GHAT – There is a winding road that heads out of Panjim that is much celebrated among nature lovers. Chorla Ghat is a part of the Sahyadri range of the Western Ghats, and stands at a mean elevation of 800m above the sea. The Mhadei Research Center here monitors the Mhadei region’s biodiversity and researchers have recently discovered a new species of limbless serpentine amphibian named Ichthyophis davidi. Unmissable at Chorla are the roaring twin waterfalls of Vajra-Sakla, where the river Valvanti cascades down almost 150m into two distinct cataracts. Chorla Ghat is on the State Highway 4, 56km from Panjim and 58km from Belgavi. Stay at the wonderfully appointed resort Wildernest.