Bearing a 5000 year old civilization, Delhi is one of the oldest inhabitant cities across the world. Different passages of time witnessed many dynasties. From being the capital city of Pandavas as mentioned in the epic Mahabharata, to the dwelling place for Mauryas and then Chauhan Gurjars acknowledged the worth of the place. Many other empires made the region their political and cultural hub because of it's perfect location on the map of India. With a long and complex history the place is greatly significant to the country. These particular phases in it's past have left their strong mark on Delhi (or popularly termed as Dilli), which has a strong presence even today. Let us have a look at various important heritage sites of Delhi.

Mughal architecture holds tremendous influence over the ancient monuments of Delhi. It started with the advent of Muhammad Ghori in 12th century. Majority of historical buildings are situated in the Old Delhi region. Among them is the highly famous Jama Masjid, which is India's largest mosque also. Other monuments like Red Fort, Qutub Minar and Humayun's Tomb have been listed in World Heritage Sites. Jantar Mantar and Purana Qila too have the same Islamic feel to them.

Other than Mughal architectural buildings, Delhi includes Lotus Temple, Lakshminarayan Temple, Akshardham Temple etc. While Lotus Temple is a symbol of Bahai faith, other temples mentioned here represent the beauty of Hindu religion. Raj Ghat, a memorial of Mahatma Gandhi, is also located in Delhi. Important government buildings such as the secretariat, parliament house, President's and Prime Minister's residence exhibit exclusive British architecture.

Museums of Delhi are equally magnificent as that of the beautiful buildings of the place. Some important museums like National Rail Museum, Planetorium, National Museum of Natural History, Archaeological Museum, Sanskriti Kendra (Heritage Center) etc will take you back on the time-line to important dates, which created history. On the other hand, Crafts Museum, Sangeet Natak (Music & Dance) Museum and Doll's Museum create a beautiful world of art around you.

Think of amusement parks in Delhi and what strikes in our mind is Appu Ghar. The recent inclusion of 'Oysters' in it has made it all the more popular. Similarly, Fun & Food Village is yet another amazing place. Though, these places are comparatively new to Delhi, yet they are most loved recreational places for the natives of Delhi. Big Swings, good food and a place to hang out with family and friends keeps the place flocked with people all through the year.

Delhi is renowned for its colorful bazaars. They are bustling with crowd round the year. The chirpy places contain stalls of almost every kind. Starting from electronic goods to minor kitchen items, you will find everything there. Some of the famous Delhi markets include Connaught Place, Greater Kailash M-Block market, Ajmal Khan, Chandni Chawk and others. Among the important business hubs for paper, brass, clothing, jewelry, spices and other goods are Sadar Bazaar, Khari Baoli, Dariba etc, which came into existence almost one and a half centuries ago or more. You can not miss the food offered in the small but crowd pulling stalls that are equally old.

Delhi also has some of the best educational institutes of India. Major Indian universities like Delhi University, Jamia Milia Islamia, Jawahar Lal Nehru, IGNOU, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha and other ones attract a lot of pupils from all across the world. All India Institute Of Medical Sciences, Indian Institute Of Foreign Trade, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Institute of Technology and others are known as excellent research centers.

The above mentioned sites clearly portray a beautiful picture of the heritage of Delhi. Delhites are secular and thus there is a good diversity available in all aspects of the city. Grand fairs in Pragati Maidan, Suraj Kund Mela etc are testimony of the same fact. Also, it is one of the greenest metropolis city of India. Delhi stands for a nice fusion of ancientness and contemporary world. It wouldn't be wrong to say that Delhi is a miniature picture of the entire India.