Delhi is an Indian state and comprises of Old Delhi and New Delhi. New Delhi was officially declared as the Capital of India after Indian independence in 1947. Delhi shares its borders with Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh.
Delhi is situated at an altitude of 293 m above sea level with river Yamuna in the east and the Aravali range of hills in the South west. Delhi / Dilli has always been the hot seat of power and the saga continues. People have migrated to Delhi since second millennium BC. The colonies have increased manifold and now it is the 8th largest metropolis in the world.
How can Delhi be not touched with Indian mythology!? Delhi is known as Indraprastha, the capital of the Pandavas in the epic Mahabharatha. There are around 1200 heritage buildings and 175 monuments have been declared as national heritage sites.
Due to the trade routes from east and west, it became the hub of commercial activity of the northern part of India. The invasion of the Mughals launched the city to be the capital of seat of power – politics, money – economics, and glamor – multi-cultural city.
Anang Pal of the Tomara dynasty founded the city of Lal Kot in AD 736. The Chauhans conquered Lal Kot in 1180 and renamed it Qila Rai Pithora. The Chauhan king Prithviraj III was defeated in 1192 by the invader Muhammad Ghori.
In 1639, Mughal emperor Shahjahan built a new walled city in Delhi, which served as the capital of the Mughal Empire from 1649 to 1857.
Rulers of Delhi:
736 – AD Tomara dynasty founded the city of Lal Kot
1180 – Chauhans conquered Lal Kot
1192 – Prithviraj Chauhan III defeated by Muhammad Ghori
1206 – Qutb-ud-din-Aibak established Delhi Sultanate
1290 – 1320 Khilji Dynasty
1321 – Tughlaq Dynasty
1397-1398 – Timur invaded Delhi
1414 to 1451 – Sayyid Dynasty
1451 to 1526 – Lodhi Dynasty
1526 – Zahiruddin Babur defeated the last Lodhi Sultan in the first battle of Panipat and founded the Mughal Empire
1540 – 1556 – Hindu king Hemu Vikramaditya
1556 – Akbar – defeated Hemu in the second battle of Panipat
1638 – Shahjahan built Shahjahanabad city now known as old Delhi
1680 – Rise of Maratha empire
1737 – Maratha victory against the Mughals in the first battle of Delhi
1738 – 1739 – Turkic ruler Nader Shah invaded Delhi and took the Peacock throne with him
1752 – Marathas were made the protector of the Mughal throne
1803 – British defeat the Maratha forces in the second battle of Delhi
1857 – Delhi was made the district province of Punjab
King George V announced in 1911 that the capital of British India would be Delhi. A new capital city, New Delhi, to suit the needs of the British was built to the south of the old city during the 1920s.
British architects led by Edwin Lutyens designed a new political and administrative area, to house the government buildings. New Delhi is also known as Lutyens’ Delhi.
Delhi has a humid subtropical climate, and the part of Delhi that meets the Aravalli range of hills is known as Delhi’s Green Lung. The availability of food and shelter due to the green cover attracts a large number of birds. State bird of Delhi is house sparrow.
National events like Republic Day, Independence Day and Gandhi Jayanti (Gandhi’s birthday) are celebrated with great enthusiasm in Delhi. Best time to visit is from October to December and February to March.
Shopping and eating out in Delhi:
Delhi offers a wide range of shopping and eating out options suitable for all budgets. Delhi Haat, Janpat, Sarojini Nagar, Panch Kuya, the innumerable malls are some of the areas from where you can buy marble inlay work, embroidered dresses, silver Jewelry, shawls, salwar suits, western outfits, and so on.
Cuisines from all over the world can be tasted here at a street stall or seated in the finest restaurants of the world. The local food is influenced by Moghul and Punjabi cuisine.
Interesting places in Delhi:
Jumma Masjid
Red Fort
Qutub Minar
Chattarpur Temple Complex
Zoo
India Gate
Rashtrapathi Bhavan
Parliament House
Humanyun’s tomb
Jantar Mantar
Lotus Temple
Fatehpur Sikhri
Birla temple
Raj Ghat
Teen Murthi Bhavan
Planetarium
Akshardham Temple
Gurdwara Bangla Sahib
Rail Museum
Museum of Toilets
Teen Murti Bhavan
Lodhi Gardens
Interesting places around Delhi:
Dwarka
Agra
Jaipur
Sariska
Ranthambor
Pushkar
Manali
Kullu
Kasauli
Bharatpur
Corbett Park
Haridwar
Place Statistics:
Type of place: Capital city of India
Situated: North India
Distance: 2553 Km from Mumbai, 876 Km from Srinagar, 447 Km from Amritsar, 258 Km from Jaipur
Transport: Well connected by road, rail and air
Facilities: Everything under the sun
