The walls of Shahjahanabad were pierced by thirteen gates (a fourteenth was later added by the British). Nearly all the gates were named for the direction they faced: Kashmiri Gate faced faraway Kashmir; Lahori Gate faced Lahore; Ajmeri Gate faced Ajmer; and so on. Today, except for four gates, none remain.

One of the gates that still stands (the others being Ajmeri Gate, Kashmiri Gate and Turkman Gate) is Delhi Gate. This, by the way, also follows the rule for other gates named after a direction: Delhi, in Shahjahan’s time, referred to the old cities of Delhi—all of which lie south of Shahjahanabad. The gate faced what was, in the 17th century, `Old Delhi’.

This is a solid-looking gate, built on what’s now an oblong traffic island on Netaji Subhash Marg. Heavy grey quartzite comprises the bulk of the gateway, which has two faceted bastions at either corner. In the centre is the arched gateway, which in earlier times would’ve been closed with heavy iron-bound wooden doors, guarded by soldiers.

The gateway has minor decorative features: it’s dressed with red sandstone, and you can still see signs of spare carving: little medallions and bosses, niches, and even a row of battlements atop the gate. The battlements have loopholes that could be used to fire from.

Delhi Gate was one of the many historic sites that were occupied by refugees from Pakistan after the harrowing partition of India in 1947. Looking at files in the Delhi Archives a couple of months back, I saw an irate letter from the Assistant Superintendent, Archaeological Survey of India, to the Chief Commissioner regarding Delhi Gate: "...everywhere here and there heaps of refuse and peelings mixed with overripe eatables stink badly in the corners; also the smoke coming out of their improvised ovens has defaced the facades spotted here and there with spitting of betels... Some of the headstrongs amongst the refugees have fitted door leaves... and raised unsightly wooden stalls dwindling and cramping upon the aesthetics about these monuments. I shall be grateful if you will kindly arrange to evict these people."

The refugees are gone and Delhi Gate is a protected monument today, but it still breathes history!

India gate is a fine 42m archway built to commemorate the lives of over 90,000 Indian soldiers who were killed in the First World War. All the names have been carved onto the memorial and the eternal flame, which once was on top of the arch burns permanently guarded now under the archway. Behind the main arch is a smaller canopy, which at one time housed a statue of King George. This was removed after Independence Day in 1929.

On January 26 each year, Republic Day, there’s a large procession down the King’s Road with decorated elephants, camels, cows, horses, and with representatives wearing traditional costumes from every single state in India. There’s dancing and general merry-making, and I guess it’s a spectacular sight. The large parkland around the arch is a popular picnic area in the summer months and the large fountains, redundant at the time of our visit, are fully operable in the summer.

Approximately 2½km down the road is the Presidential Palace and Parliament buildings. The Palace was built by the British Government and was the official home of Lord Mountbatten, the last viceroy of India. This grand home is set in 6 acres of splendid parkland, and when Mountbatten was in residence he employed 418 gardeners and a further 50 boys to chase away the birds and the butterflies. Unfortunately, the gardens were not open for viewing – you need to be there in February. The ornate iron gates with the stone elephant sculptures watch over the King’s Road, and you’d be forgiven for thinking that you were somewhere in the centre of London. This sector is heavily guarded, and although we didn’t see any signs prohibiting photography, our guide was insistent that we shouldn’t "snap" the parliament buildings, and he particularly pointed out the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Food. We observed the warning and complied 100%. However, there is no restriction on taking photos of the Presidential Palace or, indeed, towards Parliament from the Palace gates.

The roads close to Parliament are dotted with open park spaces, formally laid-out rose gardens, and surprisingly huge numbers of large bungalows set in huge grounds. These were originally occupied by high government officials, but nowadays they are either privately owned or being acquired by hotel chains for demolition and re-development. The area is also packed with foreign embassies, and at one point it was like watching a tennis match as we turned our heads to look at the embassy being named by our guide. I don’t think I’ve seen before so many grand looking embassy buildings in such a small geographical area!

This area of Delhi is well maintained and free from litter – a stark contrast from the regions we’d see as we’d travelled from the airport and around Delhi’s train station. People have told us that the centre of Delhi is even worse but we didn’t have the time, or the inclination, to check that out!