| Don't let your first impressions of Delhi stick like
a sacred cow in a traffic jam: get behind the madcap façade
and discover the inner peace of a city rich with culture,
architecture and human diversity, deep with history and
totally addictive to epicureans.
Both Old and New Delhi exert a beguiling charm on visitors.
Lose yourself unwinding the secrets of the city's Mughal
past in the labyrinthine streets of Old Delhi before
emerging into the wide open spaces of imperial New Delhi,
with its ordered governmental vistas and generous leafy
avenues.
Delhi is located at 28°61'N 77°23'E, and lies
in northern India. It borders the Indian state of Uttar
Pradesh on the south and Haryana on the west. Delhi
can be divided into three major geographical regions:
the Yamuna flood plain, the Delhi ridge and the Gangetic
Plains. The low-lying Yamuna flood plains provide fertile
alluvial soil suitable for agriculture. However, these
plains are prone to recurrent floods. With an average
altitude of 293 m (961 ft),[14] the ridge forms the
most dominating feature in this region. It originates
from the Aravalli Range in the south and encircles the
west, northeast and northwest parts of the city. The
Great Gangetic Plains are located in the south of the
city and cover most of Delhi. Yamuna, a sacred river
in Hinduism, is the only major river flowing through
Delhi. Most of the city, including New Delhi, lies west
of the river. East of the river is the urban area of
Shahdara. Delhi falls under seismic zone-IV, making
it vulnerable to major earthquakes.
Most of the Delhi metropolitan area lies within the
National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). The NCT has
three local municipal corporations: Municipal Corporation
of Delhi (MCD), New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and
Delhi Cantonment Board. MCD is one of the largest municipal
corporations in the world providing civic amenities
to an estimated 13.78 million people.[22] The capital
of India, New Delhi, falls under the administration
of NDMC. The chairperson of the NDMC is appointed by
the Government of India in consultation with the Chief
Minister of Delhi.
When To Go
Summer in Delhi is no joke - from April the temperature
climbs relentlessly to more than 45°C (113°F)
in May and June and the heat doesn't really abate until
October. Dust storms called loo sweep in from Rajasthan
with considerable fury. The arrival of the monsoon,
at the end of June, brings intense humidity - the murder
rate usually peaks in this month.
From November to March is the best time to visit, with
cool but sunny weather. Also, Holi, one of the most
exuberant Hindu festivals, takes place around this time,
in February or March. October sees the end of the monsoon,
but is reasonably pleasant, although the days can still
be pretty hot. Nights can be quite chilly in December
and January.
Although it is India's national language, Hindi is only
spoken as a mother tongue by about 20% of the population,
mainly in the area known as the Hindi-belt, the cow-belt
or Mimaru, which includes Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan
and Uttar Pradesh. This Indic language is the official
language of the Indian government and the states already
mentioned, plus Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. |
