Jama Masjid, Delhi

Jama Masjid is one of my personal favourite monuments in Delhi. The walk from the Chandni Chowk metro station to the masjid is quite an experience. You have to pave your way criss-crossing through a zillion street shop vendors, hawkers, rickshaws, honking traffic and other pedestrians. Closer you get to the masjid, the closer you are to the ground reality in which millions of Indians live and more sceptical you are about the whole Indian growth story. The grand stairway is littered with rubbish and lined by disfigured beggars. It is after you have been through all this; that you appreciate the vast expanse, sacred facade and beautiful minarets of the masjid. You can buy a ticket for 10 Rupees to climb up one of the minarets and have a panoramic view of the city or just sit back in the open area and enjoy the hustle bustle of the crowd who are there to pray, relax or feed the pigeons. The mosque is situated at the centre of old Delhi in Chandni Chowk, so the only view you can have from the sides is of clogged roads and cluttered dilapidated houses. Jama Masjid is the biggest mosque in India and was built by the mughal emperor Shah Jahan in 1656, who has also built Taj Mahal and the Red Fort.