Traveling with family is always a profoundly beautiful experience. It creates lasting, happy memories that we can keep safely in our hearts forever. My name is Ikbal Valiyathodi, and today I want to share the last and most exciting part of our long Indian holiday. We had just finished an incredible exploration of Ajmer, the vibrant pink city of Jaipur, and the breathtakingly beautiful Taj Mahal in Agra. It was an amazing Golden Triangle loop, but our grand journey was not over just yet. For the final leg of our big trip, we headed back to the bustling capital city of India: New Delhi. I was traveling with my lovely wife, Sabeera, and our sweet two-year-old son, Shabil. We absolutely love exploring new places together, and we always share our detailed travel stories on our family blog, ishabil.com.
We reached Delhi from Agra late in the afternoon. Our tour company had thoughtfully arranged a clean, air-conditioned, and comfortable Suzuki Dzire car for us. This made our travel incredibly smooth, which was a massive relief because traveling on Indian highways with an energetic two-year-old child can sometimes be quite exhausting. Our driver's name was Sabu. We were absolutely thrilled to find out that Sabu was a fellow Malayali! Being able to speak in our native language, Malayalam, made us feel safe, comfortable, and at home right away. Sabu was incredibly friendly, highly polite, and expertly navigated the notoriously busy, chaotic roads of Delhi with perfect ease.
TRIP AT A GLANCE
A Long-Awaited Taste of Home
By the time our car entered the dense, main city area of Delhi, it was already around 3 o'clock in the afternoon. We had been on the highway for hours and had not eaten our lunch yet. Our stomachs were completely empty, and we were feeling incredibly hungry. Little Shabil was also getting quite tired and cranky because of the long delay. We really wanted to eat some good, comforting food that would make us feel better. Sabu, noticing our exhaustion, smiled warmly and told us he knew the absolute perfect place for us. He drove us straight through the traffic to a genuine Kerala restaurant located right in the heart of Delhi.
We walked inside the restaurant and were instantly hit with the wonderful, nostalgic aroma of roasted coconut oil, curry leaves, and traditional Kerala spices. We immediately ordered a traditional vegetarian Kerala sadhya meal. After traveling for several days through Rajasthan and Agra, where the cuisine is deliciously heavy but very different from our own, this was the very first time we were getting a real, comforting taste of home. It came with warm steaming rice, tasty sambar, thick aviyal, spicy pickles, and familiar side dishes. The food tasted exactly like it was cooked in a village kitchen in Kerala. We ate happily, and even little Shabil thoroughly enjoyed the soft boiled rice mixed with fresh curd. It gave us all the much-needed energy for our final days of sightseeing in this massive metropolis.
Finding Peace at the Famous Lotus Temple
After our heavy and deeply satisfying lunch, Sabu drove us to our first official sightseeing stop in the city: the world-famous Lotus Temple in New Delhi. As we approached the majestic building, we noticed it was surrounded by incredibly wide, beautifully landscaped green gardens. The temple grounds are huge, spotlessly clean, and surprisingly quiet, acting as an oasis in the middle of the city. Sabu parked our Suzuki Dzire in the designated parking lot, and we walked together toward the main entrance gates. The afternoon weather was very pleasant, and walking through the well-maintained garden pathways was lovely. There were expansive green lawns and colorful flowers blooming all around us, making it a perfectly safe and fun place to walk with a toddler.
Before entering the main temple structure, we strictly had to take off our shoes. There is a large, dedicated area where you can keep your footwear safely. The volunteers working there were incredibly helpful, kind, and highly organized. They smiled at us warmly, took our shoes, and put them in safe storage spaces, handing us a token in return. The Lotus Temple is a very special house of worship belonging to the Bahá'í faith. This unique religion teaches the beautiful philosophy that there is only one God, and all world religions and all human beings are completely equal. Because of this inclusive message, anyone from any religion, country, or background can freely come inside this temple to pray, meditate, or just sit in complete silence.
The building itself is a breathtaking architectural wonder. It is shaped exactly like a giant, blooming white lotus flower opening its delicate petals to the blue sky. It is constructed from pure white marble stone brought all the way from Greece. Inside, the main prayer hall is simply enormous, reaching high up into a central dome, but there are no pictures, no statues, no idols, and no altars on the walls. It is just a massive, unadorned open space filled with peace and deep silence. We sat there on the smooth stone benches for quite some time, holding little Shabil tightly, and felt a profound sense of calm wash over our minds. It was a wonderful, spiritual break from the noisy roads and honking traffic outside.
When we walked back outside into the sunny gardens again, a few friendly volunteers came over to talk to us. They noticed our family and politely asked where we were visiting from. When we proudly told them we came all the way from Kerala, they smiled warmly in recognition. They quickly went to their information counter and came back to hand us beautifully printed leaflets and booklets about their religion—written perfectly in our own mother tongue, Malayalam! It was truly wonderful and surprising to see our beautiful language being distributed so far away from home in the capital of India. After this beautiful visit, the sun began to slowly set, painting the sky orange. Sabu drove us through the busy evening traffic directly to our hotel. We ate a simple, comforting dinner at the hotel restaurant, which was included in our tour package, and went straight to sleep to prepare our bodies for the next big day of exploring.
⭐ Ishabil Tips: Visiting with Toddlers
When visiting the Lotus Temple with a small toddler, always make sure to carry a bottle of drinking water for the long, sunny walk through the expansive gardens. Also, make sure to keep your children occupied and quiet inside the main hall, as strict, absolute silence is maintained by volunteers for meditation purposes.
A Morning at the Historic Qutub Minar
The following morning started very early for us. We woke up feeling refreshed and headed down to the hotel dining room for a delicious, massive buffet breakfast. There were so many excellent options like hot steaming idlis, toasted bread, fresh cut fruits, and hot masala tea. We ate very well to keep our energy high for the long day of walking ahead. Soon after, our trusty driver Sabu arrived at the hotel gates with the car. We climbed happily into the Suzuki Dzire, completely ready to start our full-day Delhi exploration.
Our very first stop of the morning was the deeply historic Qutub Minar complex. This is an incredibly tall, imposing tower made entirely of red sandstone and marble, built many hundreds of years ago by ancient rulers of the Delhi Sultanate. We bought our entry tickets at the gate and walked inside the large archaeological park. We spent a lot of time visiting all the different ruined areas inside this ancient, sprawling complex. We walked right up to the massive base of the tall tower and looked straight up at the sky. The tower is completely covered with very detailed, intricate stone carvings and beautiful, flowing inscriptions from the holy Quran written in ancient Arabic script. It was absolutely amazing to see how well these delicate stone carvings have survived the harsh weather over so much time.
We also walked carefully through the surrounding ruins of the old Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque and saw the highly famous Iron Pillar of Delhi. This fascinating pillar stands proudly right in the middle of the stone courtyard and is made entirely of solid iron. We walked through the old, grand stone arches, saw the massive but incomplete Alai Minar tower, and took many beautiful family photos in the lush green lawns. Shabil absolutely loved running around freely on the soft green grass while we stood back and admired the ancient, heavy history all around us. The stark, vivid contrast between the ancient red stone walls and the bright green grass looked incredibly beautiful in all of our pictures.
📌 Ishabil Fact: The Rustless Wonder
The world-famous Iron Pillar standing inside the Qutub Minar complex is over 1,600 years old. Even though it is made of nearly pure iron and has stood completely out in the open air, enduring heavy monsoon rain and scorching hot sun for centuries, it has never rusted! This remains a profound testament to how incredibly advanced ancient Indian metallurgists and engineers truly were.
Walking Through History at the Indira Gandhi Museum and Raj Ghat
From the towering heights of Qutub Minar, Sabu took us to a very emotional, deeply historical place: the Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum. This beautiful, pristine white bungalow used to be the official residence of the formidable first female Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi. Today, it has been respectfully turned into a clean and well-kept museum. Walking inside truly felt like stepping directly back into the pages of a history book. We saw her personal rooms beautifully preserved behind glass walls, her large, impressive library filled to the brim with historical books, her simple, elegant furniture, and many old, fascinating black-and-white photographs that detailed the inspiring story of her life and the complex independence of India.
The most touching and poignant part of our entire museum experience was walking out into the quiet backyard garden. The museum curators have built a long, raised pathway made of clear crystal glass over the garden ground. This glass path specifically marks the exact final footsteps that Indira Gandhi took on the tragic morning of October 31, 1984, when she walked out for a scheduled television interview and was suddenly assassinated by her own bodyguards. We walked next to this glass path in complete, heavy silence. At the very end of the path, the exact, sobering spot where she fell is covered with a large clear glass sheet. It was a very powerful, emotionally sad experience that made us stop and think deeply about the turbulent political history of our country.
Next, we continued our historical journey by driving over to Raj Ghat. This is the highly sacred place where Mahatma Gandhi, the revered Father of our Nation, was cremated following his tragic death in 1948. Raj Ghat is a beautifully maintained, peaceful sanctuary safely tucked away from the loud noises and heavy, choking traffic of Delhi. It is masterfully designed as a large, open green park with beautifully manicured lawns and big, shady trees. In the exact center, there is a very simple, square black marble platform that marks the exact spot of his cremation. A bright eternal flame burns day and night at one end of this black marble structure. We walked slowly and respectfully around the platform barefoot to pay our deepest respects to Gandhiji. The overall atmosphere was incredibly quiet, peaceful, and highly respectful, which felt very comforting to our tired souls.
The Grandeur of Jama Masjid and Humayun's Tomb
After spending reflective time in those quiet gardens, it was time to shift gears and see the grand religious architecture of Old Delhi. Sabu drove us expertly through the incredibly crowded, lively, and energetic market streets straight to the Delhi Jama Masjid. This is undeniably one of the largest and most grand mosques in the entire country of India, built by the prolific Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. To enter the magnificent mosque, we had to climb up a very long flight of wide, red sandstone steps. Little Shabil was very excited by the challenge and wanted to climb them all by himself, holding onto our fingers tightly as he bravely stepped up each heavy stone stair.
When we finally reached the top and walked through the imposing main wooden gate, our eyes opened wide with sheer surprise. The central courtyard is absolutely massive! It is so unbelievably big that tens of thousands of people can comfortably pray together on the red sandstone floor at the exact same time. The mosque prominently features three giant white marble domes adorned with elegant black stripes, and two very tall, highly decorated minarets standing high against the blue sky. We walked barefoot across the sun-warmed stone courtyard and looked closely at the beautiful, curved architectural arches. From the elevated edge of the mosque's outer walls, we could look straight down and see the colorful, extremely bustling markets of Old Delhi stretching out far into the distance. It was an amazing, chaotic sight filled with raw energy and vivid life.
Our very next stop was another incredibly great monument of the golden Mughal era: Humayun's Tomb. This is the grand, final resting place of the Mughal Emperor Humayun, built meticulously in the sixteenth century. When we first walked into the sprawling garden complex and saw the beautiful, highly symmetric building, both Sabeera and I thought it looked strangely familiar. Since we had just traveled down from Agra, we immediately understood why! Sabu explained to us that this specific tomb was actually built many years before the world-famous Taj Mahal in Agra. In fact, the visionary architects who built the Taj Mahal used Humayun's Tomb as their primary design inspiration and main structural model. The building is made of bright red sandstone heavily accented with beautiful white marble, sitting perfectly in the exact center of a large, square Persian-style garden intersected with small, decorative water channels. We walked all around the high stone platforms, admiring the detailed archways, and enjoyed the quiet, serene beauty of this ancient UNESCO World Heritage site.
A Special Lunch at Kerala House
All this extensive walking around giant historical monuments made us very hungry once again. We wanted to experience something highly unique for our lunch, so we asked Sabu to take us to the famous Kerala House in New Delhi. Kerala House is the official state government building of the state of Kerala located right in the capital city. It has a beautiful, highly clean dining hall that proudly serves authentic, traditional Kerala meals to regular visitors, tourists, and high-ranking government officials alike.
Kerala house right in the heart of New Delhi.
We happily sat down at a clean, quiet table and immediately ordered our lunch plates. Within just a few minutes, we were served a wonderful, hot Kerala meal. Eating spicy, tangy fish curry, traditional spiced buttermilk, fresh vegetable toran, and hot, steaming red rice right in the very middle of New Delhi felt like a beautiful, comforting dream. The complex taste was 100% authentic, exactly like what we eat daily at our home in Kerala, and the prices were surprisingly very cheap. It was a truly wonderful feeling to sit among other travelers and government officials from our home state while being located so far away in the distant north of India.
Driving Through Rajpath and Seeing India Gate
With our stomachs comfortably full and our spirits happy, we continued our city tour to see the modern political and administrative heart of India. Sabu drove us slowly down the famous, highly prestigious Rajpath, which is also commonly called the Raj Veethi. This is a very wide, impeccably clean, and perfectly straight road beautifully lined with expansive green lawns, old majestic trees, and decorative water fountains. As we drove along Rajpath, we could easily look out of our car windows and see the grand, imposing Parliament buildings where the elected leaders of India meet and make important national laws. The huge stone buildings looked very strong, highly secure, and exceptionally magnificent.
Sabu then carefully drove toward the very end of the grand road and dropped us off near the impressive Rashtrapati Bhavan, which serves as the official palace residence of the President of India. We were naturally not allowed to go inside the heavily guarded main iron gates due to strict national security rules, but we stood respectfully outside and saw the massive, beautiful building from a short distance. It features a very famous, towering central dome and looks incredibly grand and regal. We stood there on the wide, clean footpath and took a few happy family photos with the majestic President's house in the background to document and remember this special moment.
Located right opposite the long, straight road stands the universally recognized, majestic India Gate. This is a giant, imposing stone archway built specifically as a solemn war memorial to heavily honor the brave Indian soldiers who tragically lost their lives during the brutal First World War. The individual names of thousands of incredibly brave soldiers are beautifully and painstakingly carved directly into the hard stone walls of the massive arch. Directly beneath the center of the gate, there is a small, sacred eternal flame called the Amar Jawan Jyoti, which burns constantly day and night to silently remember and honor the fallen soldiers. The entire surrounding area around India Gate was full of happy, vibrant daily life. There were local families walking, young children enthusiastically playing, and lively street vendors eagerly selling bright balloons, cold ice cream, and colorful plastic toys. Shabil absolutely loved watching all the glowing toys moving around on the ground, and we thoroughly enjoyed the cool, refreshing evening breeze blowing gently across the wide lawns.
Riding the Delhi Metro and Shopping at INA Market
To perfectly finish our amazing, comprehensive Delhi exploration exactly like true local people, we highly wanted to try something that millions of busy Delhi residents use reliably every single day: the famous, modern Delhi Metro train system. We warmly thanked Sabu and told him we would meet him again after taking a short, exciting train ride. We walked purposefully down into the Secretariat Metro Station and bought our electronic travel tickets. The station was incredibly modern, completely located underground, and impeccably clean. Soon, the fast, sleek train arrived at the platform, the automatic glass doors opened smoothly, and we stepped happily inside the cool, highly air-conditioned passenger coach.
Riding the Delhi Metro was a very fun, entirely new experience, especially for our little boy, Shabil. He sat safely on my lap right by the large glass window and looked out happily as the fast train moved swiftly through the dark underground tunnels and occasionally came out into the bright city light. We traveled efficiently from the Secretariat station all the way down to the famous INA Market station. When we finally came out of the underground station, we found ourselves standing right at the edge of the incredibly busy INA Market. This is a fantastically authentic market known perfectly for local street shopping. We walked slowly through the very narrow, crowded small stalls and did some fun, small-scale shopping. We bargained and bought some highly unique local handicraft items, beautiful traditional clothes, and a few small, colorful souvenirs to carry back home as gifts for our relatives in Kerala. After our successful shopping was fully done, we met up with Sabu and our trusty Suzuki Dzire car once again. He drove us safely back through the nighttime traffic to our hotel, where we carefully packed our now very heavy suitcases and finally had a much-needed, deeply restful good night's sleep.
Heading Back to Our Home in Kerala
The very next morning, our incredibly wonderful Delhi family vacation officially came to an end. Early in the bright morning, Sabu came promptly to pick us up from the hotel lobby one very last time. He drove us safely to the massive Indira Gandhi International Airport, kindly helping us unload our heavy bags. We said a very warm, heartfelt goodbye to him, sincerely thanking him for taking such incredibly good care of our little family during the trip. We then went inside the big, sprawling airport terminal and checked in smoothly for our scheduled Air India flight.
Our specific flight route was actually very long and interesting: we flew from Delhi down to Mumbai, then across to Coimbatore, and finally landed in Kozhikode. The absolute best part of this long journey was that it was a single, continuous flight sequence with only very short, brief stops on the way. There was absolutely no painful transit involved, meaning we did not have to physically change planes or constantly move our heavy checked luggage from one airplane to another during the entire journey. This was incredibly comfortable and highly convenient for us because traveling with a small, restless child can quickly become very physically tiring if you are forced to switch planes and run through different massive airports. Shabil happily slept deeply through most of the turbulent flight, which was a massive, welcome relief for both Sabeera and me.
Finally, with a soft bump, the airplane wheels touched down safely on the runway at the Kozhikode airport. We walked happily out of the airport arrival gates with our rolling bags, feeling deeply satisfied and very happy to be back in the humid, familiar air of Kerala. As we came out to the busy vehicle parking area, we immediately saw a very familiar, deeply happy face. My lovely cousin Sharif was waiting patiently for us right there with his trusty auto-rickshaw! This was an incredibly beautiful and slightly funny moment because we had actually originally started our entire epic journey from our home by sitting in Sharif's exact auto-rickshaw days ago, and now we were perfectly ending our big city trip by sitting in his auto once again. We happily put our heavy bags in the back space, climbed comfortably into the auto-rickshaw, and talked loudly and happily all the way home, excitedly sharing our incredible, colorful stories of Delhi, Ajmer, Jaipur, and Agra.
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