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free admission; Tues–Sun 9:30am–5pm) was the grand home of India’s own “Kennedy clan”: Nehru was India’s first prime minister, a role his daughter and grandson, Indira and Rajiv respectively, were also to play before both were assassinated. The mantle has now been passed on to Rajiv’s Italian wife Sonia, who holds the reins tightly as the President of the currently ruling Congress Party. Although Indians share a love-hate relationship with her (many feel she doesn’t have the right to become prime minister owing to her Italian origins), there is no denying the fact that she is one of the most well known and powerful women in politics. Her dimpled poster-boy son Rahul, although being groomed to become the PM eventually, is at present happy to concentrate on building up youth initiatives and raking controversies (considered as acts of immaturity or breaking conventions, depending on where you are standing), while his sister Priyanka prefers to play from behind the scenes and is considered by many as a young Indira. Those interested in contemporary Indian history may thus also wish to visit Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum (1 Safdarjung Rd.; 011/2301-0094; free admission; Tues–Sun 9:30am–4:45pm). A huge force in postindependence India (see “India Past to Present,” in chapter 2), Indira Gandhi was murdered here by her Sikh bodyguards. Among the displays (which provide a real sense of the woman) is her blood-soaked sari, as well as the clothes worn by her son Rajiv when he was killed in 1991.

The best temples to visit in central New Delhi are Lakshmi Narayan Mandir (west of Connaught Place, on Mandir Marg; leave cameras and cellphones at counter outside), an ornate yet contemporary Hindu temple built by the wealthy industrialist B. D. Birla in 1938; and Bangla Sahib Gurudwara (off Ashoka Rd.), Delhi’s principal Sikh temple. If you aren’t heading north to the Golden Temple at Amritsar (see chapter 13 for more on Sikhism), a visit to the gurudwara is highly recommended, if only to experience the warm and welcoming atmosphere that seems to pervade all Sikh places of worship—evident in details like the efficient shoe deposit, a scarf to cover your head (both free), genuinely devoted guides who expect no recompense (available at the entrance), devotional hymns (sung constantly sunrise–9pm), free food (served three times daily), and prasad (communion) offered as you leave—be warned that it can be oily and you won’t give offense if you decline. The gurudwara is certainly an interesting contrast to Lakshmi Narayan Mandir; a visit to one of the first Hindu temples to open its doors to all castes (including “outcasts” like the foreign Britishers) makes you feel very much like a tourist, whereas the more embracing atmosphere of the gurudwaras has you feeling welcomed and humbled.

If all this sightseeing has you beat, you can retreat to Lodi Gardens (5km/3 miles south of Connaught Place), where green lawns surround the crumbling tombs of the 15th-century Sayyid and Lodi dynasties—the tombs are not well-preserved, but the green, shaded oasis may suffice as a break from the hectic traffic or shopping at nearby Khan Market. Early mornings are quite lovely and in case you want a bit more history to the gardens, we suggest you take a walk with INTACH ( 011/2464-1304;www.intach.org; Rs 50) who also organize walking tours in Hauz Khas, another delightful area to explore on foot, and ideal for early birds. The 18th-century Safdarjang’s Tomb lies just south of Lodi Gardens, but more impressive by far is Humayun’s Tomb (a short rickshaw ride west) and, across the street, Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia (both discussed below).

Finally, for the special-interest traveler, you can view India’s largest collection of rare stamps free of charge at the National Philatelic Museum, located at the post office at Dak Bhavan (Sansad Marg; enter at back of post office; Mon–Fri 9:30am–4:30pm, closed 12:30–2:30pm).

Humayun’s Tomb This tomb, built for the second Mughal emperor, launched a great Mughal architectural legacy—even the Taj, which was built by Humayun’s great-grandson,