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-- State |
| New Delhi, the capital of India,
became a state in 1992 under the national capital
territory Act. Under this system of diarchy, the
elected Government is given wide powers; except
law and order that remain with the central Government.
New Delhi is the preferred starting point for the
popular Golden Triangle tour that comprises of New
Delhi, Jaipur and Agra. |
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-- General Info & History |
New Delhi, the capital of India,
is a bustling metropolis that has an amazing mix
of modernisation and carefully preserved antiquity.
Sprawled over the west bank of the river Yamuna,
it is one of the fastest growing cities in India.
New Delhi was built by a British architect Edward
Lutyens in 1912 as the new capital of the British
Raj. The Victorian architecture now intermingles
with the city's high rise buildings. Concrete flyovers
built to ease the growing traffic are interspersed
with well laid gardens, Mughal tombs, forts and
monuments.
The city traces its history to Mahabharata, the
great epic tale of wars fought between estranged
cousins, the Kauravas and the Pandavas for the city
of Indraprastha. Historically, the city has long
since been the foremost in political importance
with successive dynasties choosing it as their seat
of power, between the 13th and the 17th centuries.
Old Delhi was founded by Mughal rulers who ruled
the city in succession starting from Qutab-ub-din
to Khiljis, Tughlaqs each, under a different name
given to the city. this fast developing region.
Delhi was made the capital of Independent India
in 1950 and it was declared a state in 1992.
Gurgaon, 8 kms from Indira Gandhi International
Airport is the modern suburb of Delhi. Multinational
investors have built swanky office blocks, malls,
multiplexes, hotels and amusement parks in this
fast developing region. |
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-- Best Season to visit |
| From October to March is the best
time to visit, with cool but sunny weather. Nights
can be quite chilly in December and January. |
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-- Climate / temperature |
Temperatures:
Summer - Max.45°C, Min.27°C
Winter - Max.25.5°C, Min.4°C
Monsoon - Max 35°C, Min 25°C
Rainfall (Average) - 170 mm
Summer in Delhi is harsh- from April to june,
the temperature climbs to more than 45?C and the
heat continues in monsoon until October. |
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-- Weather Chart |
Due to its vast size, India has
a varied climate and it is possible to travel at
almost all times of year and find certain areas
of the Subcontinent that are at their best. The
country has a three season year - summer, monsoon
and winter. Generally the best time to visit is
during winter (November to February), although there
are regional variations. The rainy season is from
June to September. And the post-monsoon season,
which is the north-east monsoon in South India,
is from October-November. Summer (March to May)
is hot everywhere, except in the hills.
Recommended Clothing: During the winter months of
November to February, light woolen clothes are appropriate
for travel in the plains of North India and heavy
woolens for travel in the hills of North India.
For the rest of the year, it can be very hot, so
light, tropical clothing is advised. Raincoat or
waterproof clothing is advisable throughout the
monsoon season.
We have put together a guide below to enable you
to get a general idea of the best time to travel
to the different parts of the Subcontinent. |
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-- North India |
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Delhi
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Jan
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Feb
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Mar
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Apr
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May
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Jun
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Jul
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Aug
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Spe
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Oct
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Nov
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Dec
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Max Temp (?C)
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21
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24
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31
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36
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41
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39
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36
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34
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34
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34
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29
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23
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Max Temp (?C)
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7
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9
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14
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20
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26
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28
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27
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26
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24
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18
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11
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8
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-- Local language |
| Although English is generally used
for official and business purposes, Hindi is the
official language and is spoken by most of the people.
Punjabi and Urdu are also commonly spoken. |
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-- Cue Words |
| Just remember the golden words refer
to yourself as hum and address people with a ji
after their names, that should get you by most problems,
but otherwise Hindi and Punjabi are the most widely
spoken languages, and English is well understood.
Car and auto drivers can normally speak in broken
English, but speak to them in hindi and you will
get a better rate. |
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--
Some helpful words to know |
| Hello |
Namaste |
| Yes |
Haan |
| No |
Nahin |
| Thank you
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Shukriya |
You are
welcome
|
Aapka
swagat hai |
| What is
your name |
Aapka naam kya hai |
| I do not
understand |
Mujhe samjha nahin aya |
| Nice to
meet you |
Aap se milke khushi
hui |
| How are
you |
Aaap kaise hai |
| What is
the price |
Daam kya hai |
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-- How to get there |
Delhi is the main gateway city for
northern India with a modern airport. All major
international air carriers operate direct services
to Delhi from various centres in the world.
Indira Gandhi international Airport is divided into
two wings, International Terminal (20 km from downtown
Connaught Place) and Domestic Terminal (15 km from
City Centre).
Delhi's strategic location allows easy access to
the rest of the country by air rail and road.
Air
All leading domestic airlines connect other cities
to Delhi. It takes 20 mintues to 2and half hours
to fly from any city in India to Delhi.
Rail
Delhi is one of the major hubs on Indian Railways
network. It is connected to all the metro cities
and most of the important tourist and business cities
in India. Rajdhani super express trains connect
Delhi to all important state capitals. Shatabdi
Express airconditioned fast tourist train operates
to Bhopal (via Agra, Gwalior, Jhansi), Lucknow (via
Kanpur) and Chandigarh, and provides access to some
of the neighboring tourist centres within short
distances of 5-6 hours. Many other trains connect
Delhi to different destinations.
Delhi is serviced by two lines, broad and meter
gauge and has three major railway stations, Delhi
Main (receives both broad and meter gauge trains),
New Delhi and Hazrat Nizamuddin. Delhi Main Railways
Station is 6 km from Downtown, New Delhi is about
1 km and Nizamuddin 5 km.
Road
Delhi is well connected by road to many major cities.
Road travel is especially suitable for travel within
Northern India and Rajasthan. Delhi Transport Corporation
and neighbouring state transport corporation buses
connect different cities to Delhi.Air-conditioned
and non-air-conditioned self driven or chauffeur
driven cars can be hired from major car rental companies. |
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-- Air |
| City
(From Delhi To) |
Distance in Air Time |
| Mumbai |
02 hrs |
Kolkata
|
01hr 30min. |
| Thiruvananthapuram |
4 hrs |
| Bangalore |
3hr 30 min. |
| Hyderabad |
02hr |
| Chennai |
03hr
30 min. |
| Goa |
02 hrs 30 min |
| Ahmedabad |
02 hr |
| Aurangabad |
03 hr |
| Pune |
02hr 30 min |
| Bhubaneshwar |
01hr 30min |
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-- Rail |
| City
(From Delhi To) |
Distance in Rail
Time |
| Mumbai |
17 hrs |
Agra
|
2 ? hrs |
| Jaipur |
3 hrs |
| Amritsar |
5hrs
45 mins |
| Dehradun |
5hrs 45 mins |
| Lucknow |
6 hrs 40 mins |
| Kolkata
|
17hrs |
| Patna |
12hrs 40 mins |
| Bangalore |
34 hrs |
| Chennai
|
28 hrs |
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-- Road |
| By Road |
In Kms |
Drive |
Gurgaon
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30
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45mins |
Agra
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203 |
4 hrs |
| Jaipur |
258 |
41/2 hrs |
| Dehradun |
235 |
41/2 hrs |
Chandigarh
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238
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41/2 hrs |
| Lucknow |
497 |
9 hrs |
| Bharatpur |
190 km |
31/2 hrs |
| Corbett
National Park |
270 km |
5 hrs |
| Jammu |
586 km |
12 hrs |
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-- Local Transport |
Taxi and coach transfer is available
from both International and Domestic Arrivals. Pre-paid
Taxi (a service with journey fare paid at the booking
counter), air-conditioned and non- air-conditioned
coach counters are located immediately outside the
customs Hall in International Terminal and outside
Baggage Claim area in Domestic Arrivals.
Airport Coach (non-airconditioned) is operated by
Delhi Transport Corporation (via Connaught Place
and Railway Stations) to Inter State Bus Terminus
(ISBT), Kashmiri Gate and by Ex- Servicemen's Airlink
Transport Service to Connaught Place. The coach
covers all major hotels enroute.
Fleets of metered taxis and auto-rickshaws clog
the streets of Delhi providing transport for locals
and visitors. Rates fluctuate, but drivers should
have rate charts available and tourists should ensure
the meter is reset or a price negotiated before
departure.A ring railway starts and ends at the
Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station with trains running
in both clockwise and anti-clockwise directions
around the city.Delhi Transport Corporation runs
a large fleet of buses covering the entire city,
but these are always overcrowded. The frequency
of buses drops during the off-peak time between
1pm and 2.30pm. There are night service buses on
selected routes and from the three main railway
stations between 11pm and 5am.
Metro trains cover 14 miles (22kms) from Shahdara
to Rithala, Central secretariat to the University
and Barakhamba road to Dwaraka. |
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