What is it?
A historic green space spread across 90 acres, which is no mean feat given its prime location – in the heart of Delhi. Why historic? Because it’s dotted liberally with monuments from the late 15th and early 16th centuries – a time when the last emperors of the Delhi Sultanate ruled northern India. Besides the heritage appeal, it also features a 2.5-kilometre running track, a rose garden, a bonsai park, and a lake with lots of screeching ducks.
Why go?
Since it’s a free park with multiple entry gates, the garden’s enjoyed several decades (centuries, really) as Delhi’s most popular central park. You’ll find tons of things happening here around the year – yoga and runs are popular in the mornings, whereas you’ll find folk engaging in generally more gregarious activities in the evening – chucking around a frisbee, light soccer practice, or even some rudimentary badminton. It’s also home to all sorts of club meetings. Regular suspects like book clubs, yes, but you’ll also chance upon drawing clubs, and groups of students singing or practicing their lines for a play.
The garden is a hugely popular picnic spot, especially on cooler summer evenings and winter afternoons. Since the topography’s diverse, there’s no stopping where you could lay down your blanket – the nicest spots are near the monuments, which also, incidentally, get the best spots of sunlight. The space is dog-friendly, and plenty of the city’s residents walk their dogs here, too.