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 Delhi
is one of the oldest cities in the world and combines ancient and
the modern eras side by side. A truly cosmopolitan city it has
brought within its fold people of all ethnic groups and their
traditions and culture, reflected in a variety of arts, crafts,
cuisines, festivals and lifestyles it pulsates with music
concerts, dance festivals, theatre performances and art
exhibitions.
 Modern
India's history is synonymous with Delhi. It was from the ramparts
of its Red Fort that India's first Prime Minister, Pandit
Jawaharlal Nehru unfurled the National flag on August 15,1947,
signifying the end of the three hundred years long British rule.
It is a history whose past is lengthy and to discover fully needs
far more time and page space than I can put together here. However
the following will give you an idea, in some part, as to it’s
colourful past.
 One
of the oldest living cities in the world, Delhi has close on
20,000 ruins and these monuments secret the history of the capital
itself. Every conqueror did his best to possess Delhi and make it
his capital and in doing so created more than one city within the
city. In fact Delhi is a combination of eight cities dating back
from 900 BC to 1930 when the British completed the construction of
New Delhi as the capital of imperial India. It is, therefore not
surprising that the monuments of Delhi successfully mirror the
development of the architectural styles in the country.
 The
earliest references to Delhi are in Buddhist and Jain scriptures
but these sources cannot be precisely dated. In the great Indian
epic Mahabharat composed around 900 BC, there is mention of the
Indraprastha, a city founded by the Pandavas on the banks of the
river Yamuna. The next mention of the city is during the rule of
Raja Anangpal who built his fort in the Qutab area. In the 11th
century AD, Raja Anangpal of Kanauj a Tomar king established Lal
Kot as his capital city in the vicinity of the Qutab Minar. This
was the first city of Delhi. Anangpal successors ruled from this
fort for almost a century until Visal Deva, a Chauhan Rajput raja
from Ajmer conquered Delhi.
 Towards
the end of the 12th century Mohammed Ghori invaded from
Afghanistan, defeated Prithvi Raj, Visal Deva's grandson, and
occupied Delhi. He however, returned to Afghanistan soon
afterwards leaving his new kingdom in the trusted hands of
Alla-ud-din Khilji. The Lal Kot continued to be the capital till
1303 when Khilji defeated the invading Rajputs at Siri and
constructed Delhi's second city in the area.
 During
the Tughlak rule (1320-1412) the third and fourth cities of Delhi
were founded. Ghyas-ud-din Tughlak founded Tughlakabad took four
years to build but was deserted soon after due to a scarcity of
water. Sultan Mohammad-bin-Tughlak constructed Delhi's fourth city
called Jahanpanah close to the Qutab Minar to protect his people
living in the open plains from attack by invaders.
 Founded
by Firoz Shah Tughlaq (1351-88) Delhi's fifth city was named
Ferozabad and was located in the vicinity of the present Feroz
Shah Kotla.
 Constructed
in an area said to be the ancient city of Indraprastha, Purana
Quila was erected by the Mughal Emperor Humayun between 1533-34
and was forced to flee from Purana Quila by in the invading Afghan
warrior Sher Shah Suri (1530 -39). Sher Shah Suri built a
beautiful hall and mosque in the fort and ruled from her till 1555
when Humayun returned to power and recaptured the fort.
 Shahjahanabad
or old Delhi as it is now called was build by Emperor Shah Jahan
as Delhi's seventh city between 1638 and 1649. This city comprises
of the famous Red Fort, Jama Masjid and contains many fine
examples of Mughal architecture.
 Delhi’s
eighth city now known as New Delhi was formally inaugurated in
1931, following the British decision to shift the capital of
imperial India from Calcutta to Delhi in 1911. Two British
architects, Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker were
commissioned by design a city in keeping with the grandeur of
India. This new city is today the capital of modern India and its
infrastructure, pretty much like the rest of the world though
perhaps more crowded, more dramatic and more of a true discovery
than other cities of similar stature around the world.
Now it is up to you to ‘find’ it again and
experience it, like only you, the visitor can.
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