A Tour of Delhi Trivia Quiz

Answer: Qutub Minar

The Qutub Minar is located in a small town called Mehrauli in South Delhi. It is made of sandstone and has a height of 72.5 meters. Verses from the Qur'an are inscribed along the walls of the tower along with intricate carvings. Though it was Qutub-ud-din Aibek who started building the Qutub Minar, it was completed by his successor, Iltutmish.

In the centre of the courtyard stands the Ashoka Pillar, which is made of a special metal that renders it impervious to rust.

Answer: Lotus Temple

The Bahai Temple is built in white marble and is shaped like a lotus. It was built by the Baha'i community. It was designed by Fariborz Sahba and took six years and eight months to be completed. It also won an award for excellence in religious art and architecture from the US-based Institute of Structural Engineers. The lotus flower is a symbol of purity and peace.

Answer: Red Fort

The Red Fort was completed in 1647 when Shahjahan decided to shift his capital from Agra to New Delhi. It was the last fort built in New Delhi. The Diwan-i-Khas consists of marble columns and a stone platform on which once stood the Peacock Throne. The Peacock Throne was made of a solid gold frame and studded with diamonds, rubies, emeralds and pearls valued at around 12,037,500 pounds sterling.

Another beautifully sculpted throne was the 'Seat of the Shadow God' in the Diwan-i-Aam. The marble lotus in the Rang Mahal has been crafted out of a single block of marble.

The gardens and palaces in the Red Fort were fed by streams of Nihir-i-Bihisht Stream of Paradise.

Answer: Humayun's Tomb

Humayun's Tomb was designed by a Persian architect, Mirak Mirza Ghiyas and completed in 1565. Three hundred craftsmen were brought from Persia for this job. The tomb is built in red sandstone. Humayun was the second Mughal Emperor, the first being Babur.

Answer: Raj Ghat

The Raj Ghat is located on the banks of the Yamuna River. Two museums dedicated to Gandhiji are also found nearby. Shanti Vana, situated close to Raj Ghat, is the place where Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India, was cremated. Both these places are visited by heads of states and other dignitaries.

Answer: Rashtrapati Bhavan

On December 12, 1911, King George V shifted the capital of British India from Calcutta to Delhi. The present day Rashtrapati Bhavan was at that time designed as the residence of the British Viceroy. It was constructed to affirm the permanence of British rule in India and was designed by the British architect Edwin Landseer Lutyens.

When India became a republic on the 26th of January, 1950, it became the official residence of the President of India.

Answer: India Gate

This war memorial was also designed by Edwin Lutyens. It was earlier known as the All India War Memorial. Amar Jawan Jyoti is another memorial at the India Gate. The flame was lit in memory of the soldiers who died during the India-Pakistan war of 1971 and has been burning ever since.

Answer: Jama Masjid

The construction of this mosque began in 1650 when Shahjahan decided to build a mosque to complement his palace at the Red Fort. More than 5000 workers toiled for six years to build this mosque. The mosque has three gateways, four angle towers and two 40 meter high minarets.

Answer: Jantar Mantar

Jantar Mantar was built during the period of 1699-1743 by Sawai Jai Singh II who was a noble in the Mughal court and a keen astronomer. The observatory consists of the Samrat Yantra - a simple equal hour sun dial, the Ram Yantra for reading altitudinal angles, Jai Prakash for determining the position of the sun and other celestial bodies and the Misra Yantra which is a combination of four scientific instruments.

Answer: Old Fort

The Old Fort is also known as the Purana Quila. The work on this fort was started by Humayun in 1539. When Sher Shah Suri defeated Humayun, he destroyed much of the earlier work done by Humayun and built the Qala-i-Kuhna mosque in 1541 and Sher Mandal, an octagonal tower.

Sher Shah Suri wanted to build the mosque entirely of marble, but the scarcity of marble forced him to use red sandstone. When Humayun returned to power in 1556, he used Sher Mandal as his observatory and library. There are three entrances to the fort - Humayun Darwaza, Talaqi Darwaza and Bara Darwaza.