( ျမန္မာဘာသာ )
- Connaught Place
CP is a well-known place for shopping and evening outing. It’s also a main commercial area of Delhi. It’s constructed like two layers of circle called inner circle and outer circle and a park in the center. In outer circle, there are plenty of book shops, food shops, restaurants and bars. Street food shops, Indian handicraft shops, book stores, branded shops are all filled in inner circle. There is a huge India Flag in the middle of central park and a steel spinning-wheel that is the symbol of Mahatma Gandhi.
The underground market (Palika Bazar) under the central park mostly sells clothes, phone accessories, handicrafts and kitschy jewelries.
CP is the place where you can gaze around the busy people walking everywhere, taste street foods if you want to and can do some shopping. CP is always busy with tourists and locals in all day and night.
Tips by Chaw
- It’s a kind of touristy place so if you want to buy something, please do some bargaining.
- Going there in evening is recommended because temperature also reduces little bit, you can also enjoy evening outing and Delhi night life.
- My personal favorite is the book stalls that are set in the corridors. As a book lover, this is the place where I can enjoy searching for books that I might find interesting. Old books, pirated books, magazines, journals or newspapers are available in those stalls.
- Handicrafts shops are selling fancy earrings, shiny necklaces and beautiful bracelets that are made in Indian style. If you love fancy things then CP is the best place for buying it. (but please don’t forget to bargain)
- There are a lot of restaurants in CP that you can choose as per your taste. Also try some Indian street foods there.
- Raj Ghat
Raj Ghat is memorial dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi, Father of India Nation. A black marble platform in an open space marks where he was cremated in 1948, a day after his assassination. An eternal flame on the platform keeps burning as a symbol of his eternal teachings and everlasting memories.
The surrounding areas of Raj Ghat are also filled with other leaders’ cremation spots. Indian Prime Minister Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and others famous prime ministers and presidents are cremated in this compound.
Raj Ghat area is pretty wide and covered with greenery. It is a very peaceful place where a lot of people come to pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi and it’s also a recreation place for families.
Tips by Chaw
- No Entry fee required.
- All guests must remove footwear before entering Raj Ghat walls.
- Its open daily 6:30 AM to 5 PM.
- Step well – Agrasen ki Baoli
We used to see step wells in a lot of Bollywood movies and songs. Agrasen Ki Baoli is the first step well which I saw in real life. It is one of the step wells that were built in 14th century. As per history, King Agrasen ordered to build 104 water temples across India. Out of those, this step well is built in red sandstone and has 108 steps.
This historical step well once was used as water reservoir but now the well inside the baoli has dried out. While going down deeper to the well, the sound of pigeons, bats, a drop in temperature and echo of our own footsteps create a strange atmosphere.
Many people consider this place to be haunted. Legend has it that the baoli was filled with mystical dark waters that compelled people to jump and drown. Agrasen Ki Baoli is quite famous for its hauntings, leading people to avoid going there after sunset.
Agrasen ki Baoli was the place where some scenes of the movie PK were shot. But I went there because I wanted to see it in real life. I am not sure that it’s actually haunted or not but it has really interesting stories which make the place more famous. The old brick walls did take me back in time where I could feel the history of it.
Now this baoli is protected by Archaeological Survey of India. The place is being promoted as a historical spot and unique tourist destination.
Tips by Chaw
- No Entry fee required.
- Open Daily 7 AM to 6 PM.
Part IV coming soon >