|
|
Around 1311, Allaudin Khilji established the second city at Siri and dug a vast reservoir at Hauz Khas. Ramnents of fort Siri are hardly visible but Hauz Khas was extensively renovated. The robust fort of Tughlaqabad was built in 1321 as a protection against raiding Mongols and is considered as the third city and is also a reflection on Tughlaq architecture. Delhi's fourth city Jahanpanah has practically disappeared but its fifth city, Firoz Shah Kotla, on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg near Delhi Gate is well known for its Ashokan Pillar which was brought by Sultan from the holy city of Mathura. Timur attacked Delhi in 1398 and ruthlessly destroyed it and as a result there was hardly any growth in 15th century. The tombs of Lodi kings belong to this era and are located within the Lodi Gardens one of the most beautiful gardens of Delhi.
The foundation of the seventh city, Shahjahanabad was laid by Emperor Shah Jahan In 1639. The walled city has since been continuously inhabited and is one of the most densely populated localities of the world. The area is famous for the Red Fort, (where the national flag was hoisted on India's attaining independence from Britain on 15th August, 1947 and is being repeated every year there after), Jama Masjid (India's largest mosque), and Chandni Chowk (this was once a tree lined bazzar with a canal flowing through its center). Today, it is one of the largest trading centers of Northern India and is replete with historical landmarks and each of its bylanes lead to a world of spices or silver or perfume or textile. The area is always crowded and near chaotic conditions exist there. On the fountain crossing is the famous sikh holy shrine, Gurudwara Sis Ganj. The New Delhi was built in 1911 which was planned by Lutyens and Baker. The city is well planned with wide tree lined avenues and lot of space. The 340-roomed Viceregal lodge, now the Rashtrapati Bhawan, was raised on Raisina Hill. Nearby are India Gate, a world war I memorial, Parliament House, the prestigious National Museum, and the National gallery of Modern Art. On Republic day (26th January), Rajpath witnesses a display of pageantry.
| ||||||||||
Delhi, the capital of India, is one of its fastest growing cities sprawling on the banks of the sacred river Yamuna. Indraprastha, the city founded by the Pandavas in the times of epic Mahabharata (1500 BC) was located near the old fort. The excavations in 1955 within the old fort revealed that the area was inhabited over more than 3000 years. Delhi has now spread far beyond the "seven cities" that were established later by different rulers between 13th and 17th century. The Tomar Rajputs built Lal Kot, the core of the first of the Delhi's seven cities. Later, another Rajput king, Prithviraj Chauhan, extended it and named it as Qila Rai Pithora. In 1206, a muslim named Qutbud din Aibak who was care-taker for Mohammad Ghori, declared himself the Sultan of Delhi and occupied the fort built by the Rajputs. He built the Quwwat- ul-Islam mosque, earlies extant mosque in India and within its courtyard stands the famous fourth century Iron Pillar which has been uncorroded since then. Nearby, he raised the towering mineret, the Qutab Minar, one of the landmarks of Delhi.
In 1526, Babur established the Mughal Empire in India and the Purana Qila , the sixth city of Delhi, is a result of the joint effort by his son, Humayun and the Afghan Sher Shah Suri who temporarily deposed him. Near this fort are some of the places worth visiting like - Zoo, Crafts Museum, and the Pragati Maidan (exhibition grounds). The magnificient, Humayun Tomb, the precursor to the famous Taj Mahal, is about 2 km from here.
