Delhi India North Travel

India Gate at night

Despite the fact that I have been to Delhi an insane number of times over the past few years, as embarrassing as it might sound, I had not been able to visit the India Gate at night. Something I really wanted to do since a while. Heck I haven’t been there even during the day time in almost two decades now. Last I was at the Rajpath was on a humid June (or was it July?) noon as a school boy, way back in 1997. So when me and Ruchi found ourselves in Delhi last summers after a successful trek to the Hampta pass, I saw it as a wonderful opportunity to visit the India Gate which had eluded me far too long now.

India Gate at night photo
India Gate at night-Dilli

The warm and humid air welcomed us as soon as left the comforts of the air-cooled cab. Now not everyone knows it but humidity really bothers me. I can take heat but the sticky humid feel, it really spoils my mood. So the first thought that came to my mind as I stepped out of the cab was, how long will I be able to tolerate this. Thankfully though, the thought was short-lived and I was soon enjoying everything around me.

The strikingly gorgeous India Gate
The strikingly gorgeous India Gate

There is something about this imposing structure. You cannot be not impressed every time you see it. Its grandness, it commands attention and very deservingly so. That however was not something I wanted to experience this time around. I have already seen the iconic monument so what if it was long long ago, the memories are still fresh.This time I was here to see for myself, the ‘charm’ I have read and heard about so many times over the years. The charm of being at the India Gate at night.

The lively Raj Path delhi
The lively Raj Path

I was delighted to find it exactly the way I had read about (and imagined) all these years. Exactly as I had expected. I would not be wrong if I go a step further and sat that it was actually a little more than that, my expectation I mean. Kids ran around vendors selling balloons and toys, cotton candies in their hands while their parents sat relaxing on the evenly levelled green grass that carpeted the lawns on both sides of the roads. Couples enjoyed their ice-cream as if they had all the time in the world. Around all this, how could we have been left behind. So we too took a stroll with our share of bhel-puris in our hands.

A Riot of Colors - India Gate
A Riot of Colors – India Gate

It might not sound anything special to everyone but to me, it was like re-living the years gone-by. Having been grown-up in a Bengali society where post-dinner adda is an important aspect of daily life this, the environment at the India Gate at night is as close as you can get to an adda when away in a non-bengali society.

street-food at India Gate
No dearth of street-food at India Gate

I enjoyed every single minute of the couple of hours or so we were there. It reminded me of the nights of Park Street, Kolkata albeit in much more delightful way. Park – street at night too has the bhel-puri wallahs and balloon sellers and Ice-cream wallahs et al but now having experienced both the places, I can confidently give it to Delhi. No second thoughts about it.

Colors of Delhi - India Gate
Colors of Delhi – India Gate

Have you visited the India Gate? How do you like it there at night?

25 thoughts on “India Gate at night”

  1. This is something which even I have wanted to do for a long time but somehow was never able to visit India Gate at night. Hopefully soon!
    Great pictures Rajiv 🙂

    1. Thanks Arun. If you ask me, I would say it’s a ‘must to thing’ when in Delhi. I for sure am doing as many times as I get the chance to in the future 😉

      Cheers,
      Rajiv

    1. This is something I insist you do the next time you are there. Photography might not be possible always because the cops were swinging laathis the day we went… i think it was not the first time they were doing that but nonetheless, you should.

    1. Thanks dada, glad that you liked it. For someone who has ever loved the quintessential adda, India India Gate in the evening and at night is a wonderful place to be.

  2. I still haven’t been to delhi of all places!!! But thanks to your post and a bit of rangde basanti influence i know where i would spend one night when in Delhi!

    Also i always thought Delhi heat was harsh and dry? Is it not so. Is visiting Delhi during summers advisable or winters because both are extremes kind of and winter has fog issues :/

    1. Delhi with all the wrong things it is famous for Vaisakhi, has an unique charm of its own. India Gate at night is one of those charms.

      And Delhi in summers? For someone who hates humidity, is an absolute no go if you ask me. Not that the heat is any less but the humidity is a bigger turn-off for me. I looooove being in Delhi during winters.

      Cheers,
      Rajiv

  3. Rajiv

    You really miss a great thing. I had the luck of spending my younger days in DELHI at the age of 19 with studying for Gr and later PG. There was not a single day i missed India Gate at evenings. ’cause there was nothing else to do. Today I am retired and still remember those golden days. You must visit the place during the full moon and lay down on the grass carpet.

    Regards
    <

    1. Thank you for sharing your thoughts here. I am sure during those days, with less crowd and less pollution, Delhi must have been a lot more charming.

      I plan to be at the India Gate whenever everythime I can and I will for sure keep in mind the fool moon things. Thanks for your suggestion and thanks for stopping by at the blog 🙂

    1. Thanks Maniparna,

      Whenever you are in Delhi, set aside some time for India Gate post sundown and I am sure you will love it.


      Rajiv

    1. Hey Sarmistha, thanks!

      I insist you don’t miss India Gate at night the next time you are there, you will love it there. Also, I am sure you will ‘feel’ how close it is to the ‘adda’ 😉

      Cheers,
      Rajiv

  4. Hey Rajiv… Long ago I resided at Delhi as a teenager… but did not do sight visiting worried about safety issue in Delhi for the ladies… all I did was go to school by bus and go back home from school by bus… I have heard transport was bad thosedays in Delhi – no Ola, and Uber wack it … Delhi spoiled its name two years ago and no Metro… but past 2 years been thinking of Himachal Pradesh and the hills… and I would love to visit Delhi again maybe not these places but other charming spots… but I had a similar experience in Mysore 3 years ago… I was new to Mysore came there for a function and went exploring by walk… there I read a board about Jagmohan Palace which was the back side of the mysore palace… it was a Sunday and that day there is illumination of the Palace after 7pm… I was tempted to go inside the road after the long white footpath end of which was a beautiful sight of Chamundi Hills… I was followed by a local as well and was afraid… I lost my way going into another road but was glad I lost my stalker… I reached the Mysore bus stand and a Reliance shop which had a esculator… and found that local young stalker back of me I was terrified… I found some bad corn food combination and went into shoe shop and came down the esculator waiting for that stalker… I asked him in bad kanada why was he following me and since there was a crowd he ran away another side… it started raining… I went and somehow reached my hotel and my Dad called me for a walk… I told him the story and told him about me almost going to the Mysore taj Mahal road… we went there turning that road where you can see Chamundhi hills… it was past the time you are allowed to enter Taj Mahal but my Dad said he wants to go because he was 70 years old and came all the way from Hyderabad to see the Mysore Taj Mahal as it was in his bucket list… we got through… and the lawns were awesome… and evening became dark and lights came over… it was a very special movement for me like what I wanted to do that day came true(: … it was one of my happiest movement that time… anyway… goodday…

  5. Delhi is very well famous about tourism in India. Delhi covers most of the forts that are developed in the rule period of Akbar. This place is also famous for shopping and its street foods. Places that you can visit near Delhi are Red Fort
    Humayun’s Tomb
    Qutab Minar
    Bahai (Lotus) Temple
    Lodi Gardens
    Swaminarayan Akshardham Temple
    India Gate
    All the places are the very best to visit Delhi.

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