Delhi

 

History of Delhi  

Delhi

Mythological mention

According to the Jatakas, Indraprastha was inhabited by seven Kos. Getting long in the capital of Pandavas descendants Indraprastha it can not be said assuredly But mythology as evidence tested and Janamejaya the successors of Hastinapur had their capital too much time and these descendants Nickshu the Hastinapur Ganges flow in But its new capital was built at Kaushambi near Prayag ^[2] Delhi or Indraprastha had no special importance in the Mauryan period because the center of political power was in Magadha at this time . BuddhismThe birth and development of the city also took place in this part of northern India and the neighboring region, due to which the prestige of Buddhism increased, as well as the political power of India remained concentrated in this part (eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar ).

Historical mention

After the Mauryan period , Delhi and its surrounding area remained relatively unimportant for nearly 13 hundred years. After the disintegration of Harsha's empire, several small Rajput princely states were formed in northern India, and in the 12th century Prithviraj Chauhan also had a princely state with Delhi as its capital. The part of Delhi which has a Qutub Minar or the nearest state of Mehrauli is the Delhi of Prithviraj's time. The temple of present day Jogmaya is said to have been originally built by the same Chauhan King. According to an ancient Janushruti, the Chauhans had taken Delhi from the Tomars as indicated by an inscription from 1327 AD ^[3] It is also said that in the fourth century AD, Anangpal TomarWas founded in Delhi. He built his fort on the ruins of the fort of Indraprastha.

Delhi

Tomar, Chauhan and Ghulam dynasty

The epic- Delhi has been given special mention since the Mahabharata period. The rule of Delhi was transferred from one dynasty to another. The Tomar kings dominated the Red Kot for almost a century before it was conquered by a Chauhan Rajput Vishal Dev in 1153 . Vishal Dev's grandson Prithviraj III or Rai Pithora expanded it in 1164 AD by making a huge percot around the red coat. It is called the third city of Delhi. And Qila Rai became known as Pithora. Many historians consider it the first of the seven cities of Delhi. In the battle of 1192, the Muslim invader Muhammad Ghori defeated Prithviraj Chauhan in battle and killed him. Ghori went from here robbing wealth and his slave Qutubuddin Aibak Was appointed as the Governor of this place. After Ghori's death in 1206, Qutubuddin Aibak declared himself Sultan of India and made Lalkot the capital of his empire. For the next three centuries, it was ruled by the Ghulam dynasty and the Sultan dynasty with small intervals . Qutubuddin Aibak gave another important memorial Qutub Minar to Lalkot . It was a memorial to Vijay and was probably a mosque tower , but the current form of Qutubu Minar was completed by Firoz Shah , in which he built two more floors along with marble embellishments, reaching 74 meters in height. In a way, it symbolized the glorious and victorious arrival of the Sultan dynasty in India.

Delhi

Khilji regime

During the Khilji rule (1290–1321), Delhi was attacked by Mongol robbers and demolished its unsafe suburbs. In 1303, Alauddin built a new circular fortified city in an area of ​​1.7 square kilometers around it so that Mongols could not attack again and destroy the suburbs and gardens. Unlike the Qutub-Lalkot complex, the city was called Dehli-e-Kuhna (Old Delhi), initially known as Lashkar or Lashkargah (military cantonment). The city surrounded by this boundary wall connected with Lalkot was later named Siri and was known as Khilji Rajdhani (Darul Khalifa). Its perimeter wall was about 1.5 kilometers long and many towers and gates were built in it. Siri is usually counted as the second city of Delhi, but it was the first completely new city established in India by Muslim conquerors.

Tughlaq Dynasty

Thus Dehli-i-Kuhna or Old Delhi, located in Qutubu-Lalkot clustered in 14th century Delhi; Ghayaspur - Shahar-e-Nau or New City in Kilokhari and Darul Khalifa or Capital located in Siri. In 1321, Delhi passed into the hands of the Tughlaqs, as the last ruler of the Khilji dynasty died without a heir. 11 Tughlaq rulers ruled Delhi but only three showed interest in architecture, each of them building a new city as the capital in the current urban agglomeration located in the Delhi Triangle. These cities reflect the madness of the Sultans towards the military nature and security. First developed as a fort and later a city, the first of these capitals was the fortified city - Durg Tughlakabad (1321-25) built by Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq 

Delhi

Historical map of delhi

Muhammad bin Tughlaq (reign 1325-51) conceived a capital that would reflect his plans for the empire. The plan was to strengthen it rather than expand. Assault on the border were not stopped, so he created a defense wall around the Kutubu Delhi, Siri and tughlaqabad fort and Emperor built a new city called. Soon after its construction, the city fell into disarray. Suddenly Muhammad Tughlaq decided to take his capital to Devagiri, which he named Daulatabad , to monitor the recently conquered territory in the Deccan (South) . In 1338 the Jahanpanah population received orders to travel to the new capital. Desolated Delhi was divided into small pieces and its ruins were in the new city of Firozabad.Proved to be a stockpile of bricks. Which was the third and last Tughlaq carpet town The city, established on the banks of the Yamuna in 1354, was located about 8 kilometers northeast of Siri. This city i.e. Fifth Delhi was inhabited by Firoz Shah, (1351-88) and was known by the same name.

 14th-15th century

Tuglaqabad is said to have been a military establishment in 14th century Delhi, an area of ​​Nizamuddin Fakirs and a suburb of Hauz Khas scholarly settlement. Educated refugees from the universities of Samarkand and Central Asia settled in Delhi after the Mongol conquest . Hauz Khas's madrasa 's reputation for higher education spread throughout the Sultanate. Later Syed Bandhu (1414–1444) and Lodi (1451–1526) rulers of the Tughlaqs confined themselves to Firozabad. During his reign, frequent disturbances continued and he did not find time to settle new cities. 

Mughal period Main article :

Mughal period In 1526 Babar, the first Mughal ruler of India , entered and made Agra his capital. In 1530, his son Humayun ascended the throne and ruled Delhi for 10 struggling years. In 1553 he built the new city of Denpanaha to commemorate the establishment of his rule, for this a place was carefully chosen along the banks of the Yamuna. The city is no longer identified. Because it was completely demolished by Sher Shah Suri .

Delhi

The next two Mughal rulers, Akbar and Jahangir , preferred to rule India by making Agra the capital, but realizing the importance of Delhi, they kept coming to Delhi in between. In 1636, Shah Jahan instructed engineers, architects and astrologers to choose a location with good climate between Agra and Lahore . Hazrat Delhi was chosen by the Sultans in the north of the old fort on the western side of the Yamuna . Shah Jahan started the construction of the new capital here by placing a fort called Urdu-e-Moula in the center. This fort, known as Lal Qila, was completed in eight years and on 19 April 1648, Shah Jahan entered the fort of his new capital Shahjahanabad through the river front gate. Qutub Minar, Delhi

Lahore Gate is the grand entrance to the Shahjahanabad Fort. From here the main road of the city starts and goes to Fatehpuri Masjid. The 36-meter-wide road was the main axis of the city, the moon 's golden light falling on the middle reservoir at night named the place Chandni Chowk . This road was the festival site of Delhi. Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb used to take out their royal processions here, Nadirshah and Ahmed Shah Abdali came out as rebel cavalry and the Marathas and Rohillas celebrated the victory. 

Delhi

16th-17th century During the British rule, when Delhi was made the capital of British India, Lord Hardinge's procession also came out by this route. The construction of Jama Masjid began in 1644 and the city ramparts were constructed between 1651 and 1658, which were the next important monuments to be built in the city. This crescent shaped wall was 8 meters high, 3.5 meters wide and 6 kilometers long and it covers an area of ​​about 6.4 square kilometers. It had seven huge gates (Kashmiri, Mori, Kabuli, Lahori, Ajmeri, Turkmani and Akbarabadi) also had three gates (Rajghat, Kilaghat and Nigambodhghat) in the river side wall. The major thoroughfares of the city used to go to these gates. The Jama Masjid of Shahjahanabad, situated on a small hill, also known as Badshahi Mosque. IndiaThe largest mosque was. In a massive fire in Delhi in 1662, 60 thousand and in 1716, 23,000 people died due to the demolition of a house due to heavy

 rains. India Gate, Delhi

Just 10 years after Shahjahanabad was built, Shah Jahan's son Aurangzeb captured the city and placed it under house arrest in Agra and declared himself king in July 1658. Aurangzeb inherited a dense and prosperous capital. But gradually the city began to decline, because its new ruler was very different in nature, unlike its founder. Shah Jahan promoted art and enjoyed life, Aurangzeb stayed away from both of them. He was neither interested in beautifying the city. Nor did he get the opportunity. He did not stay permanently in Shahjahanabad. His successors got to rule a divided and weak kingdom. The heinous invasion of Nadir Shah , the robber of Persia , gave the city a final blow.

Delhi Gate

British rule

It was a major center of commerce and business when the English rulers occupied Delhi in 1803 , though the fortified city had turned into a grand slum-dilapidated slum. There were about one lakh thirty thousand people in the boundary wall and about 20 thousand people in the suburbs. In terms of security and location, British commanders set up offices of the East India Company in the area around the Red Fort , which was not densely populated. Residency was created in the northern part, where cantonments, stables, vegetation areas, armory and gunpowder, customs offices, a bank, two hospitals, a few bungalows and a church were also built. Some changes were made to the fortifications according to the new military requirements.

In 1828, a wide cantonment spread over an area beyond the fortified city was shifted to the northwest 'ridge'. An alternative residency in the traditional and Gothic style was constructed at a high point of the hill, after which an even more massive Matcaf house was built, its owner later replacing the Resident as 'Agent of Delhi'. The 1840s saw the development of a self-sufficient and culturally segregated residential suburb around the cantonment area, known as the Civil Area. The early British rulers of Delhi, such as William Fraser and Charles Matchaff , were fascinated by the rich cultural heritage of the Mughal court and allowed to celebrate traditional ceremonies and coin coins in the name of emperors.

Delhi

Indian freedom struggle (1857)

After the Indian independence struggle of 1857, everything even the attitude of British rule towards Delhi changed. After the rebellion, the Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah II was exiled to Rangoon (present-day Yangon ) and his family was killed. The army occupied the palace and converted it into a fort. The 457 meter area around the fort and near Parkote was declared as a military zone and all the buildings between it and Jama Masjid were demolished and turned into plains. The cantonment was again brought back to the city on the acquired land from Kashmiri Gate to Dariyaganj. This area extends to the boundary of the plains (esplanade) and the river in the west in the east. The cantonment settled in one-third of the fortified city. Many European foreigners moved out of the city into civil lines and residents of Daryaganj came to Chandni Chowk.

Development as a colonial city

As soon as the administration of Delhi took over the British crown, its physical form took the form of a traditional colonial city, with the three functional 'units' being the original city cantonment and the urban area commonly called civil lines. Gradually Delhi started being modernized. The first regular train from Calcutta to Delhi in 1867 ran. By 1910 , the establishment of governance of the urban body in the city, water distribution and sewage drainage system, telephone and telegraph lines and electricity were established. The Victoria Clock tower was built at Chandni Chowk, the canal here was bridged and an electric trom route was built over it.

Delhi

Delhi becomes official capital

In 1877 , the first of a series of British courts was held to represent Britain's suzerainty over India . The second court was held in 1903 to commemorate the accession of Edward VII. The third court was held in 1911, which proved to be a turning point for Delhi. During the ceremony, Jorge V. announced that the capital of India would be brought back to Delhi from Calcutta . This decision was upheld on both political and administrative grounds. January 1912A three-member committee was formed for the practical implementation of political decisions. Famous architect Sir Edwin Lutyens was its member who eventually redesigned the city. This committee started the work of site selection. The committee selected Raisina hill, which was neither far nor very close, to the south of Fasil.

Delhi

Construction of Parliament House

Harding announced that the architecture of the new capital would be a mixed form of East and West style. The Rajpath (Kingsway), the main central route from the Viceroy Bhavan, started. Which was 3.2 kilometers long and leads to the river. This route is divided in two by a relatively less grand route from north to south in the middle. Which was called Queensway. The end of the main road is a Vijay - Toran, India GateUsed to be Which was indicative of the memory of the knights who were martyred in the First World War. When it became politically clear that power was to be transferred from the Viceroy to the Legislative Assembly, Lutyens' aide Sir Herbert Baker was instructed to design the House of Parliament. Baker designed the circular building and its location was set on the route leading to the old city in the northwest of the Red Fort. Another circular building was also built at the commercial center Connaught Place, which is designed to resemble a building in Bath, England.

Launch of new capital

The new capital was launched in January 1931 . The road plan of New Delhi is based on the notion of geometrical aesthetics. The overall plan consists of a series of hexagons and main roads 96 km long , with Rajpath (Kingsway) as the main base. These hexagons were situated between three routes that lead from the Governor's House to the historic Jama Masjid , Indraprastha and Safdarjag's mausoleum and connect the present with the past. The purpose of the city's residential infrastructure plan was to organize the facility of the residence. Gardens and gardens were also constructed at various places.

Delhi

Hundred years of the capital

Mahatma Gandhi Memorial, Rajghat , Delhi

During the period of slavery, the British Emperor George V made Delhi the capital of Kolkata on 12 December 1911 . Its design and construction work was overseen by the British architect Edwin Luchanes (Lutyens). After ruling India through Kolkata for one hundred and fifty years, the British had chosen Delhi as a new place by shifting the capital to North India in the wake of their empire expansion and started an ambitious campaign to build a new capital here. ^[4]To celebrate the ascension of King George V and to accept him as the Emperor of India, a large number of people from the rulers of British India, Indian princes, feudatories, soldiers and nobility gathered in the court held in Delhi. An astonishing announcement was made in the last phase of the court. The then Viceroy, Lord Hording, handed over a document after the announcement of the titles and gifts conferred on the occasion of the king's ascension. The British king read the statement and announced other administrative changes, including shifting the capital from Calcutta to Delhi, reuniting East and West Bengal . It was a surprising decision for the Delhiites, while this announcement, in one stroke, transformed the city of a province into the capital of an empire, while from 1772 the capital of British India was Calcutta.

Delhi

Delhi Durbar Railway

In view of the Delhi Durbar, the British decided to increase additional railway facilities and lay new lines. For which the government formed a special organization called Delhi Durbar Railway. MarchFrom April to 1911, there were six meetings for diagnosis of traffic problems, including one main railway station with 11 platforms for trains coming from different directions in Delhi, two additional double rail lines in Delhi Durbar area up to Azadpur Junction, from Bombay. Important decisions were taken like laying a new line to Delhi via Agra. A freight train was run daily from Calcutta to Delhi to deliver goods to soldiers and civilians, which used to run from Howrah to Kingsway station in Delhi. In this way, the goods train covered a distance of 900 miles in about 42 hours. In November 1911, five special trains called Motor Special were run between Howrah and Delhi. Special trains were run to bring 80,000 soldiers from all over the country to Delhi. 

Delhi

Also know

Delhi on the map of India

• Had the First World War not broken , more money would have been spent in the construction of New Delhi and the city would have become more grand.
• The river Yamuna flowed along the old fort and passed through the Rajpath, becoming its witness.
• If Lord Curzon and his friends had gone, the decision to make New Delhi the capital would have been scrapped.
• If Herbert Baker had not built Pretoria, Lutyens would not have had an opportunity in the New Delhi project and would not have built on the lines of Vijay Chowk Pretoria.
• If Lutyens' will

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  Delhi

  
  
  

Had it gone, the Rashtrapati Bhavan would have been built near the Malcha Palace on Sardar Patel Marg.

• At present, where Delhi is, there were 11 cities in the past.
• Tomar ruler Anangpal established Delhi. Tomar built the red coat, which was later called 'Qila Rai Pithora' after Prithviraj Chauhan .
• Prithviraj Chauhan was the last second Hindu emperor of Delhi .
• In the twelfth century Qutbuddin Aibak built all the visible structures around Mehrauli.
• Siri was built in 1303 under the supervision of Alauddin Khilji .
• Ghayasuddin Tughlaq established Tughlaqabad during 1321-1325 . Similarly, Jahanpath was built by Muhammad bin Tughlaq during the period 1325-1351.
• Sher Shah Suri got a number of construction works done during his reign.
• Humayun built Dinpanah, while Shergarh was built by Sher Shah Suri.
• What is today called the 'Lodi Complex' was built by the Lodi kings. The Delhi Sultanate (1451–1526) held Lodi colplex for all dynasties.
• The Mughal emperor Shah Jahan built a city surrounded by stone walls named Shahjahanabad during 1638–1649. Earlier, the Red Fort and Chandni Chowk used to be here. It used to be the capital of the Mughals during the reign of Shah Jahan. This area is today called 'Old Delhi', but the British built South-West Delhi and named it - Lutyens' Delhi or New Delhi.