Our final destination in India was to drive to Delhi, which, by some counts, is now the third largest city in the world with over 16 million people. The sprawling capital of India consists of the Old City founded by Shah Jahan in 1638; New Delhi, completed by the British in 1931; and several other ruined capitals that were built by earlier rulers. The metropolitan area of Delhi has been expanding rapidly to the south into places like Gurgaon and Noida, which are striving to become posh suburban towns with high-rise apartments, office buildings for international companies, sports facilities and shopping malls.

Since we had already seen a lot of palaces, forts and museums by the time we headed to Delhi, we decided to look for some more unusual places during our last few days in India. Our first stop on the road from Jaipur was out in the countryside in a small village called Abhaneri. The crown jewel of this town is one of the world’s oldest and largest stepwells known as the Chand Baori, which was built in the 9th century by King Chanda. A stepwell is a deep well or pond in which water can be reached by descending a set of steps.

The stepwell at Abhaneri is a majestic square structure that has a large pavilion on one side, an open courtyard with galleries around the top, and a series of steps descending into the earth on the other three sides. What makes Abhaneri so unusual is that it is about 13 stories deep with hundreds of steps laid out in a geometric pattern. Although visitors are no longer allowed to descend into the well for safety reasons, the views around the complex are spectacular and anybody heading toward Jaipur should include Abhaneri in their itinerary. Today, water resources are a major problem in India, and one wonders if the hundreds of abandoned medieval stepwells that once supplied water to millions of Indians in Rajasthan and other dry areas of the country could help provide a 21st-century solution.

When we arrived in the Delhi area, we stayed in Gurgaon so that we would have the opportunity to see an Indian shopping mall and visit one of the capital’s newest attractions called the “Kingdom of Dreams.” Billed as kind of an Indian Disneyland, the Kingdom of Dreams has an indoor shopping area featuring many shops and restaurants from various parts of the country. The big attraction is, however, two large theaters that present high-tech musical shows with Bollywood themes. While the Kingdom was entertaining, the show we saw and the shops we visited did not compare to a visit to Epcot or Broadway.

Our most interesting stop in the Delhi area was to visit a museum known as Gandhi Smriti, which is dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi. After India became an independent nation, Gandhi lived a modest life as a guest of a friend in a colonial bungalow. One day in 1948, while walking to daily prayers in the garden, he was assassinated. Today, visitors to the museum can see many interesting displays that explain Gandhi’s life and the non-violent political revolution that he led. In addition to viewing the bedroom in which he slept, you can retrace the footsteps he took on his final walk and see an eternal flame dedicated to his memory. It is a moving experience that provided an appropriately sentimental end to our visit to an enchanting country full of history, culture and opportunity.

Glenn Carberry of Norwich is a local attorney who practices in New London. A frequent world traveler, he has visited more than 50 countries and more than 100 World Heritage sites. This series shows some of the sites he and his wife Kimberly visited on a recent trip that included India, Singapore and Cambodia.

TIPS FOR VISITING DELHI

What to do: There is plenty for visitors to see and do inside Delhi in addition to stopping at the Gandhi Smriti Museum. One day you could visit the Red Fort, the Jama Masjid mosque and the shopping bazaar at Chandni Chowk in the crowded Old City; and then gaze at majestic colonial and governmental buildings such as the India Gate along the Rajpath in New Delhi. You could also take the time to experience the majesty and generosity of the Bangla Sahib Gurdwara Sikh temple located near Connaught Circle, or to view some relics at the National Museum. Finally, you could go to South Delhi to take a walk around and photograph some distinctive buildings there such as Humayan’s Tomb built in 1565, which served as architectural inspiration for the Taj Mahal, and the buildings at the Qutb Minar complex and the Mehrauli Archeological Park constructed by Delhi’s first sultans in the 12th to 14th centuries.

Guide assistance: Delhi is a very large city so it is useful to organize your time there to be able to see what you want without getting stuck in traffic. A skilled guide will be quite useful to get around town and prioritize your sightseeing. Arvind Singh Chouhan is a highly educated guide with considerable knowledge about the history of the area and the modern city as well.

Where to stay: There are many international hotel chains with numerous hotels in Delhi scattered around various parts of the city including the Oberoi, Leela Palace, Taj, Marriott, Hilton, ITC and more. Although some are located in grand old palaces or colonial buildings, most are modern facilities designed more for businesspeople and government officials than for tourists. We decided to stay about eight miles out of the center of town at the new Trident Gurgaon, which proved to be a sound choice. The Trident had good international food, sparkling pools, excellent security and a spa, and it cost less than you would pay for a hotel room in most American cities.