New Delhi was built to replace Calcutta as India's capital city in 1931. Planned by British architect Edwin Lutyens, it resembles capital cities like Washington, with wide boulevards and similar architecture. While New Delhi is clean (almost sterile), expansive, and relatively devoid of activity, nearby Old Delhi is packed with people. The image above is Rashtrapati Bhavan, the presidents house in New Delhi.
We happened to catch the president of India coming out of her house, which took a very long time for her to do.
The view from the presidents house toward India Gate. It's one long, wide boulevard with administrative buildings on either side. A walk from one to the other would probably take around 20 - 30 minutes. Though very beautiful, it was clearly built during the golden age of the car.
Also designed by Lutyens, India Gate is the national monument. There was a much higher concentration of people (mostly tourists) around this part. Driving around the area, it was rare to see many people walking.
By contrast, Old Delhi is a much more familiar sight in India, with commerce spilling out into the streets. This particular one-way street was split in half for automobiles and pedestrian traffic.
Our hotel had a pretty cool 3-D map of Delhi on the wall. Looking at this map on Google, it's pretty clear where Old Delhi ends and New Delhi begins.
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