Amusement Parks and Gardens

One of the greenest capitals in the world, New Delhi has some of the most beautiful and well-planned parks and gardens to boast of. There are regal Mughal Gardens that are only opened for the public for certain days in a year. Then there are vast stretches of Lodi Gardens, which are a hotspot for early morning joggers and picnickers. They also enclose a number of imperial tombs of yore. Old Delhi also houses a number of historic gardens, such as Begam Ka Bagh, Tees Hazari, Roshnara Gardens and Qudsia Garden.

Besides these, there are other parks and gardens worth noting, such as Nehru Park and Buddha Jayanti Park. These parks are sure crowd pullers because of their serene surroundings and environment. Those of you, who love fun and frolic, shouldn't miss out the amusement parks of New Delhi. Appu Ghar and Fun 'N' Food Village, are one of the must visit tourist destinations. They are one of the finest parks in India and provide everything required to have sheer enjoyment.

Appu Ghar

The first amusement park of India, Appu Ghar is the favorite of all children because of its exquisite roller coasters and water slides. The mini-Disneyland of Delhi was inaugurated on 19th November, 1984. It has joy rides for people of all ages. The large range of swings and rides here include the popular Roller Coaster, Big Splash, Dodgem Cars, Eerie Tunnel, Giant Wheel and Appu Columbus. Children love the thrill of riding in a Cable Car and the Speeding Cup. Since, there is no snowfall in New Delhi; the ice games at OYSTERS (a water park) are quite popular.

Four acres of the water park, blanketed with ice offers sledding, skiing, ice boating and bowling is a craze among Delhiites. The couples love to shake a leg and romance in the Rain Dance or the Ice Dance that are introduced according to the season. This water park is especially preferred by people to beat off the scorching heat of the summers. Today, Appu Ghar has become a brand amongst all the amusement parks in the country. It is located on Gate No. 4 at Pragati Maidan and is proposed to be opened at two more locations in Rohini and Noida. This amusement park was the dream child of Smt. Indira Gandhi.

It was realized when, the then Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi inaugurated it on her Birthday in 1984. Appu Ghar is spread over an area of 15.5 acres of land and houses 22 immensely popular rides. There is an interesting story behind the name of the park. Appu, the elephant, was both the cartoon mascot and a live elephant mascot that became the beloved star of the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi. As a result, the amusement park got the name from that Mascot's name. "Appu" is the name of the Elephant and "Ghar" means House. Appu Ghar is the Numero Uno amongst all the amusement parks of Delhi and definitely a trend setter.

Fun 'N' Food Village

The amusement park for people of all ages, including a water park and joy rides, Fun 'N' Food Village is situated on Delhi-Gurgaon border. The serene and tranquil atmosphere of the place, the lush greenery and panoramic views that it offers, makes it one of the best retreats. Launched in 1993, it was inaugurated by the former President of India, Giani Zail Singh, and showcases past traditions along with modern and futuristic recreations. This amusement park aims to promote Indian culture and traditional arts and crafts of India.

Along with the joy rides, one can also see the performances and creations of artisans and craftsmen at work. The well-maintained green lawns, an open-air theatre and the animal parade are the highlights of the park. The Mono Rail and the Flying Carpet are some of the most popular of, more than 20, amusement rides of the park. The water park here, known as 'Village Club', has the longest water slide in the country, along with a 400 ft long water channel known as 'Lazy River'. The adventurous lot can try the 'twisting and turning' Fun Slide.

The wave pool gives you a feeling of swimming in the sea. The high-velocity racing slides of 'Aqua Shoot' and the 'Super Slide', the first of its kind in the whole world that uses aerodynamics, are for the over-enthusiastic people. There is also a health club, a beauty parlor and four Food and Beverage outlets in the park. Fun 'N' Food Village, is open on all the days of the year, except on the festival of Diwali. Apart from being a picnic spot, the park also offers facilities of organizing weddings, birthday parties, exhibitions etc.

Facilities provided for the convenience of the visitors include:

• Enquiries
• Wheelchairs
• Credit cards
• Rest Rooms are located in all major areas within the park
• Public telephones are available
• Parents' nursing rooms are available
• Lockers
• Change Rooms are available for ladies and gents
• First aid and ambulance

Lodi Garden

Established in the 15th-16th century by the Sayyids and Lodis, the vast grounds of Lodi Garden are famous among the joggers of the Delhi city of India. Carefully kept gardens and the medieval monuments lend a charm to these gardens. In 1968, J.A Stein and Garrett Eckbo re-landscaped these gardens giving them their present beautified form. The several tombs situated in the garden belong to the Lodi and Sayyid Era and include Muhammad Shah's Tomb and Sikander Lodi's tomb. Muhammad Shah (1434 - 44) was the third ruler of Sayyid dynasty.

His tomb has been built in a typical octagonal pattern with a central octagonal chamber, verandahs, three arched openings on each side and sloping buttress. Inspired by Mubarak Shah's tomb, this tomb has a more compact plan, high dome, matching chhatris and better proportions. Apart from this, there are other tombs, namely Bara Gumbad and Sheesh Gumbad. Bara Gumbad or the Big Dome is a square tomb with an imposing dome. Its facades appear to be two storied.

It has turrets on corners, arches, stuccowork and painting ornamenting the interiors. It is believed that the tomb belongs to an officer of high rank who served Sikandar Lodi. Besides the tomb, there is the Bara-Gumbad mosque, built with ashlar stone. Its rectangular prayer-hall has five arched openings and is a fine example of the early Mughal mosques. The tapering minarets, built in the Tughluq style, colored tiles and Quranic inscriptions ornament this mosque. Built in 1494, this mosque was constructed during the reign of Sikandar Lodi.

Shish Gumbad tomb is built in the usual square pattern, with a 'double-storied' appearance, and looks much like Bara Gumbad. Its ceiling has incised plasterwork, with floral patterns and Quranic inscriptions. One can still see the traces of the blue tiles that once adorned it and gave it the name of 'Glazed dome'. There are several graves inside it. Sikandar Lodi's Tomb is built in the octagonal tomb pattern, much like Muhammad Shah's tomb. The chhatris over its roof are no more to be seen.

Another interesting construction here is the 'Athpula' Bridge. It was built by Nawab Bahadur in the 16th century, during Akbar's reign. This is bridge is called Athpula (eight bridge), as it rests on eight piers, forming seven arches. Besides these tombs, one can also visit the National Bonsai Park developed here, which has a delightful collection of miniature versions of several trees and plants. They look beautiful at sunset under soft light. Originally known as the Lady Willingdon Park, it was renamed Lodi Garden after Indian Independence in 1947.

Mughal Gardens

Sprawled across six hectares of the Rashtrapati Bhavan Complex, the famous Mughal Gardens were designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens for Lady Harding. These gardens combine the formal Moghul style with the British garden designs. Delhi Mughal Gardens sport Mughal canals, multi-level terraces and flowering shrubs along with European flowerbeds, lawns and privet hedges. W. R. Mustoe can be credited with planting the appropriate shrubs, plants and trees in the garden.

Together, the two masterminds transformed it into an oasis by 1929. The Gardens consist of three parts - the Rectangular Garden immediately behind the main building, the Long Garden and the Circular Garden. A virtual paradise, it has four waterways, with unique fountains at the intersections that consist of 3-tiered huge red sandstone discs resembling lotus leaves. Plots of lawn and chequered flowerbeds lend an enchanting look to this wonderfully landscaped garden.

In the Long Garden, there is a splendid Pergola on which bougainvillea creepers are grown. The bed of roses and trimmed hedge of Ingadulets on its sides look like colored knots on a vast carpet. The segmented, tiered flowerbeds around the pool in the Circular Garden are the best place to see butterflies. Thus, it is also known as the Pearl Garden or Butterfly Garden. The variety of flowers found here includes Rose, Viscaria, Teptosyne, Sweet William, Oxalis, Marigold and Bougainvillea and several other Annuals and Perennials.

It has more than 250 rose varieties at one place, including the Benkinsian, believed to be the parent of all strains, 60 kinds of Bougainvillea, the best and largest collection of Indian marigold flowers and Dahlias of 13 different colors-some of which even look like peppermint. Besides these, there are special Moulsari trees, chosen by Lutyens because of their Indian origin. The Bonsai collection here is undoubtedly one of the finest in the country. One can only visit these gardens during the months of February to March, except on Mondays

National Zoological Park

National Zoological Park or the Delhi Zoo is one of the finest zoos in Asia and is situated close to Purana Qila or Old Fort. It extends over a massive area of 214 acres and was established in 1959. It aims to provide natural habitat to more than 2,000 animals and birds species that have been brought here from different parts of India as well as other continents such as Africa, America, Australia, etc. Delhi Zoo proves to be an idyllic picnic spot in winters. The serenity and the greenery here seem very pleasing and offer a delightful respite from the humdrum of the city.

The winding pathways lead to the administrative building, with a library on the right side, where you can get all the information on animals, birds, plants and rare zoological species in India. Visitors, especially children, love to see Chimpanzee, Hippopotamus, Spider monkey, African Wild Buffalo, Gir Lion and Zebras, water animals and birds such as Macaque, Banteng, Emu, Hyenas, Axis Deer, Fallow Deer, Peafowl, Hog Deer and the Jaguar. The underground Reptile Home Complex displays a wide array of snakes such as King Cobra & Pythons.

Besides these, there are more than 200 varieties of trees here, including the hanging deep yellow Alamtas Hedges, the drought resistant Lahura trees and the native Delhi Bistendu. Delhi Zoo also has an early 17th century Kos Minar, which was built by Jehangir, son of Emperor Akbar. You can admire the vast expanse of the Zoological Park, as you climb up the red sandstone gate. The Zoo is an all time favorite amongst the children. It offers facilities like mobile vans and cafeteria for food, drinking water and parks to rest. You can visit the zoo throughout the year on all days, except Monday.