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History of Delhi
Historical Region of North India
Delhi
Location
Delhi
State established:
736 AD
Language
Dynasties
Tomaras-Chauhans (736-1192)
Mamluk (12061289)
Khilji (12901320)
Tughlaqs (13201413)
Sayyids (141451)
Lodis (14511526)
Mughals (15261540)
Suris(1540-1553)
Hindu-Hemu(155356)
Mughals(1556-1857)
British (18571947)
Independence (1947-)
The Indian capital city of Delhi has a long history, including a history as the capital of several empires. The earliest
architectural relics date back to the Maurya Period (c. 300 BC); since then, the site has seen continuous settlement.
In 1966, an inscription of the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka (273-236 BC) was discovered near Srinivaspur. Two
sandstone pillars inscribed with the edicts of Ashoka were brought to by Firuz Shah Tughluq in the 14th century.
The famous Iron pillar near the Qutub Minar was commissioned by the emperor Kumara Gupta I of the Gupta
dynasty (320-540) and transplant Delhi during the 10th century. Eight major cities have been situated in the Delhi
area. The first five cities were in the southern part of present-day Delhi.
Though settlements have been dated to have been in existence in Delhi for millennia, there is no record to stand by
that claim. Delhi is generally considered a close to 5000-year old city, as per Ancient Indian text The Mahabharata,
since the first ever mention of the city is found in this religious scripture. Therefore, except the scripture and some
related heritage like the Yogmaya Temple, archaeological evidences to book the city's Ancient history are as good as
History of Delhi
naught. As a result, Delhi's Ancient history finds no records and this period may be regarded as the lost period of its
history. Extensive coverage of Delhi's history begins with the onset of the Delhi Sultanate in the 12th century. Since
then, Delhi had been the seat of Islamic and British rulers until India's independence in 1947.
The core of Delhi's tangible heritage is Islamic, spanning over seven centuries of Islamic rule over the city, with
some British-styled architectures and zones in Lutyens' Delhi dating to the British rule in India. Whatever records
exist of Delhi- in the form of scriptures or archaeological evidences, they crown Delhi as the Capital city of some
empire or the other all through, with minor random breaks in between, making Delhi one of the longest serving
Capitals and one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world.[1] It is considered to be a city built, destroyed and rebuilt
several times, as outsiders who successfully invaded the Indian Subcontinent would ransack the existing capital city
in Delhi, and those who came to conquer and stay would be so impressed by the city's strategic location as to make it
their capital and rebuild it in their own way.
Cities of Delhi[2]
The modern city contains the remnants of at
least 11 Capital cities including:
1. The first instance of the region being
capitalised was in the Ancient Era, during
the time of the Mahabharata War,
perhaps some 5000 years back, when the
five Pandava brothers built an immense
and highly sophisticated fortress called
Indraprastha and ruled the country from
there.
2. 'Dhili' was founded by the Tomara ruler,
Anangpal according to Vibudh Shridhar
and other later authors.[3] Lal Kot built
by the Tomar was renamed Qila Rai
Historic map of Shahjahanabad (now known as Old Delhi), in 1863
Pithora after Prithvi Raj Chauhan (also
known as Rai Pithora). It was a thirteen-gated fort in Delhi. Prithviraj, a Chauhan king, was the second-to-last
Hindu king of Delhi.
3. Mehrauli, built by Qutubuddin Aibak in the 12th century;
4. Siri, built by Alauddin Khalji in 1303;
5.
6.
7.
8.
History of Delhi
Modern Delhi, referred to as 'Dilli' locally, derived from its historical name Dhili, is an amalgam all of the above.
There are texts that mention Delhi as a cluster of more than 11 cities. This is quite possible, given Delhi's long
history as a capital, but reliable records regarding the same do not exist. Officially, however, only seven of the above
mentioned eleven cities are recognized.[4] The official recognition cites distinct identity and indigenous heritage for a
historical city to be recognized as a City of Delhi. Of the above mentioned eleven Cities of Delhi, the officially
recognized seven cities are Qila Rai Pithora, Mehrauli, Siri, Tughlaqabad, Ferozabad, Dinpanah and Shahjahanabad.
The rest are not officially identified as Cities of Delhi because of some specific reasons.
Indraprastha, the legendary Ancient City is believed to have been established 5000 years ago (c. 2800 BC), as per
the ancient Indian text- the Mahabharata. Though very much a part of India's very Ancient history, it lacks any
tangible evidence to say without doubt that it existed. Archaeological evidence exists, but in such scarcity as be
inconclusive. As acknowledged by British historian Michael Wood in his BBC documentary The Story of
India,[5] the excavated ceramic pottery from the site of today's Purana Qila in Delhi and the excavated layers of
the ancient city seem to match what the verses of the Mahabharata indicate. More possible evidence in its favour
is the existence of a village named Indraprastha very close to the Purana Qila that was destroyed by the British
during the construction of Lutyens' Delhi.[6]
Jahanpanah is not considered as a City of Delhi because it is very much in ruins and too diffused now to be
considered a distinct city. Moreover, sections of the city still standing are now counted in Siri or Mehrauli.
Lodi Complex is not counted as a distinct city because their architectures are too few to be counted as a whole
city. The Sayyid and Lodhi dynasties that followed the Tughlak dynasty were far more concerned with restoring
stability than patronisation of arts or architecture. Tombs erected in the honour of the rulers are the only
monuments of these times and these are scattered all over current South and Central Delhis.[7]
New Delhi, the Capital city of modern India is also not counted as a City of Delhi because the structures of those
times are still in use as government buildings. So there seems no such thing as "history" about it. On 12 December
2011 New Delhi celebrated 100 years of serving as India's National Capital.[8]
Early history
According to Indian folklore, Delhi was the site of the magnificent and
opulent Indraprastha, capital of the Pandavas in the Indian epic
Mahabharata, founded around 3500 BC. It was, one of the five
prasthas or `plains', which included Sonepat, Panipat, Tilpat (near
Faridabad), and Baghpat. 16th-century, Persian historian, Firishta,
recorded a tradition that Delhi or Dilli was founded by a Raja Dhilu
before the Yavana (Greek) invasions. However, it should be noted that
the kings then referred to the initial Muslim invaders as Yavanas.[]
The ancient Yogmaya Temple, claimed to be one
Hindu texts state that the city of Delhi used to be referred to in Sanskrit
of the five temples of Mahabharata days in Delhi.
as Hastinapur, which means "elephant-city". The name Delhi may be
derived from the word 'Dhillika', though there are other theories. According to Satyarth Prakash (1874) of Swami
Dayanand, Raja Dhilu (King Dihlu) founded ancient Delhi in 800 BC, however it is not supported by any older
texts[10] It was the name of the first medieval township of Delhi, located on the southwestern border of the present
Delhi, in Mehrauli. This was the first in the series of seven medieval cities. It is also known as Yoginipura, that is,
the fortress of the yoginis (female divinities). It gained importance during the time of Ananga
History of Delhi
Pala Tomar. In the 12th century, the city was included in the dominions of
Prithviraj Chauhan.
Pasanaha Chariu of Vibudh Shridhar (VS 1189-1230) an Apabhramsha
writer, provides the first reference to the legend of the origin of the name
Dhilli for Delhi.
, |
, |
, |
Translation: There are countless villages in Haryana country. The villagers
there work hard. They don't accept domination of others, and are experts in
making the blood of their enemies flow. Indra himself praises this country.
The capital of this country is Dhilli.
, ||
, ||
Translation: The ruler Anangapal is famous, he can slay his enemies with his
sword. The weight (of the Iron pillar) caused the Nagaraj to shake.
A VS 1383 inscription in Delhi Museum confirms the founding of Delhi by the Tomars:
|
||
Prithviraj Raso also confirms the founding by the Tomars and the legend of the loose nail:
|
||
History of Delhi
The Tomar dynasty founded Lal Kot in 736. The Prithviraj Raso
names the Tomar Anangpal as the founder of Lal Kot, whose
name is inscribed on Iron Pillar of Delhi at Qutb complex,
ascribed to Chandra or Chandragupta II.
The Chauhan kings of Ajmer conquered Lal Kot in 1180 and
renamed it Qila Rai Pithora.
The Chauhan king Prithviraj III was defeated in 1192 by the Muslim
invader Muhammad Ghori. Anangpal Tomar, who, according to
historian Augustus Hoernle, was a Gurjar ruler of Delhi, often
described as the founder of Delhi, built the citadel some 10 kilometres
from Suraj Kund around 731.
From 1206, Delhi became the capital of the Delhi Sultanate under the
Slave Dynasty. The first Sultan of Delhi, Qutb-ud-din Aybak, was a
former slave who rose through the ranks to become a general, a
governor and then Sultan of Delhi. Qutb-ud-din started the
Museum and remnants of the walls at Qila Rai
construction of the Qutub Minar, a recognisable symbol of Delhi, to
Pithora, the first city of Delhi, founded during
10th century by Prithviraj Chauhan
commemorate his victory but died before its completion. In the Qutb
complex he also constructed the Quwwat-al-Islam (might of Islam),
which is the earliest extant mosque in India. He was said to have destroyed twenty-seven Jain temples initially
housed in the Qutb complex and pillaged exquisitely carved pillars and building material from their debris for this
mosque, many of which can still be seen. After the end of its the Slave dynasty, a succession of Turkic Central Asian
and Afghan dynasties, the Khilji dynasty, the Tughluq dynasty, the Sayyid dynasty and the Lodi dynasty held power
in the late medieval period and built a sequence of forts and townships in Delhi.[11]
In 1398, Timur Lang invaded India on the pretext that the Muslim sultans of Delhi were too tolerant of their Hindu
subjects. After defeating the armies of Nasiruddin Mahmud of Tughlaq dynasty, on 15 December 1398, Timur
entered Delhi on 18 December 1398, and the city was sacked, destroyed, and left in ruins, and over 100,000 war
prisoners were killed as well.[12] In 1526, following the First Battle of Panipat, Zahiruddin Babur, the former ruler of
Fergana, defeated the last Afghan Lodi sultan and founded the Mughal dynasty which ruled from Delhi, Agra and
Lahore.
History of Delhi
The third and greatest Mughal emperor, Akbar, moved the capital
to Agra, resulting in a decline in the fortunes of Delhi. In the
mid-17th century, the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (16281658)
built the city that sometimes bears his name Shahjahanabad, the
seventh city of Delhi that is more commonly known as the old city
or old Delhi. This city contains a number of significant
architectural features, including the Red Fort (Lal Qila) and the
Jama Masjid. The old city served as the capital of the later Mughal
Empire from 1638 onwards, when Shah Jahan transferred the
capital back from Agra. Aurangzeb (16581707) crowned himself
as emperor in Delhi in 1658 at the Shalimar garden
('Aizzabad-Bagh) with a second coronation in 1659. After 1680,
the Mughal Empire's influence declined rapidly as the Hindu
Maratha Empire rose to prominence.
History of Delhi
Delhi today
Calcutta was declared the capital of British India but in 1911 at the
Delhi Durbar of 1911, held at the Coronation Park, King George V
announced the shifting of the capital back to Delhi. Parts of the old city
were New Delhi, a monumental new quarter of the city designed by the
British architect Edwin Lutyens to house the government buildings was
inaugurated in 1931 after its construction was delayed due to World
War I.[13] New Delhi was officially declared as the seat of the
Government of India after independence in 1949. During the Partition
of India thousands of Hindu and Sikh refugees from West Punjab
migrated to Delhi, and subsequently settled in North and West Delhi
areas, while Hindus from East Pakistan, settled in late 1960s at EPDP
Colony (EPDP: East Pakistan Displaced Persons) in South Delhi, later
named Chittaranjan Park in 1980s.
Further reading
Hartcourt, A., Assistant Commissioner Delhi (1873). The New guide
to Delhi [14]. Lahore, Victoria Press.
The Raj Ghat, where Mahatma Gandhi was
cremated.
Hearn, Gordon Risley (1906). The Seven Cities of Delhi [17]. W. Thacker & Co., London.
History of Delhi
References
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
External links
Delhi (1938), a documentary by BFI archives (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiSFxKMO_2Q&NR=1)
"Scenes from Delhi (Silent film, 18:16 - 23.27)" (http://www.archive.org/details/
upenn-f16-0737_1930_India). University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology Films. c.
1930.
License
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