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New Delhi - Archaeological excavations in the greater Delhi region have unearthed stone-age tools and implements from Paleolithic to Microlithic periods. The Old Fort in New Delhi is the site of perhaps the most fascinating archaeological excavations in northern India, showing a continuous habitation of this site dating back to the Mahabharata period. Archaeologists have unearthed here the remains of several successive settlements during a period from one Millennium BCE to the sixteenth century CE relating to Mughal, Sultanate, Rajput, post-Gupta and Gupta, Kushan, Sunga, Mauryan & pre-Mauryan periods. The discovery of painted gray ware that is generally associated with Mahabharata period gives credence to the theory that the city, Indraprastha, capital of Pandav brothers may have been in this general region. Painted gray ware is a fine gray thin pottery that is often decorated with black dots, dashes; vertical, oblique and criss-crossing lines in circles, semi-circles; a series of short spirals and swastikas. During its long, tumultuous history the capital cities that were established in greater Delhi area are:
INDRAPRASTH (circa 1000 BCE): The legendary Pandavs of the Mahabharat period around 1000 BCE founded the oldest city in Delhi area. It was called Indraprasth. The Pandavs were the five sons of the Raja Pandu – Yudhister, Bhim Dev, Arjun, Nakul and Sahdev. The Mahabharat is one of the two major ancient Sanskrit epics of Hinduism, the other being the Ramayan.
LAL KOT/QILA RAI PITHORA (late tenth to twelfth century CE): The city of Dhillika was established by Tomar Rajas in 736 CE but it was not a major capital city. Tomar Rajputs first established themselves at Surajkund, about 7 miles from Qutb Minar. Surajpal of this dynasty built the Surajkund reservoir. A later king of this dynasty, Anangpal, who was popularly called Bilan Deo, constructed a dam at about half a mile south of Anangpur village. ‘Prithvirajraso’, a famous bardic poem by Chand Bardai, has references to these kings. The territory they ruled covered areas from north of Delhi to Agra in the south and from banks of River Ganga in the east to Ajmer in the west. Anangpal II is regarded as the founder of the Lal Kot fortified city in the middle of the eleventh century. King Vigraharaja IV of the Chahaman (Chauhan) dynasty who is also named Vilasadev or Bilasdeo of the Sakambhari (present day Sambhar) conquered Lal Kot in 1163/64. He extended the Lal Kot by building massive ramparts that are 16 to 20 feet in thickness and up to about 60 feet high in some places. They were surrounded by a moat in some parts. The massive wall had 13 gates according to the description of the notorious Timur Beg (Tamerlane) who massacred, ransacked and looted this city in 1398. Only three of these gates – Hauz-Rani, Barka and Badaun (main gate) have survived. The famous Moroccan medieval traveler, Ibn Batuta, who visited and lived for some time here in 1334, mentioned Badaun gate in his memoirs.
Prithviraj III Chauhan, also known as Rai Pithora, grandson of Vigraharaja IV, ruled over the areas surrounding Lal Kot and up to Ajmer in Rajasthan. He extended the Lal Kot to include the fortification of Qila Rai Pithora. He won the first battle of Taraori against Muizuddin Mohammad bin Sam of Ghur. But Raja Jai Chand of Kannauj betrayed him and invited the Afghan invader to attack India once again. This time he came prepared, defeated and killed Prithviraj Chauhan and left his former slave, Qutbuddin Aibak, to govern the conquered territories. Qutbuddin Aibak established the first Islamic capital in India at Qila Rai Pithora in January 1193. He built the Qutb Minar and Qutb Jami Mosque by destroying 27 Hindu and Jain temples. Many elements of the destroyed temples were used in the Islamic constructions in this area. The mosque is 141.7 feet x 108.27 feet in area. The Qutb Minar is about 230 feet high with a spiral staircase that has 379 steps. The diameter at the base is 49.25 feet but reduces gradually to only 8.25 feet at the top. It was planned to be the highest minaret in the Islamic world. Qutbuddin Aibak died in 1210 without completing the minaret. Later Islamic rulers completed, renovated and repaired it. The Iron Pillar in the center of the mosque’s courtyard was originally a flagpole from a Hindu temple built by Chandragupta II (375 to 413 CE). It probably had a Garuda (mythical bird associated with Lord Vishnu) on top that is now missing. This pillar is from its bottom under the ground to its top 23.62 feet in length of which 3.05 feet is underground. The pillar is made out of almost pure malleable iron with high phosphorus and low carbon, sulfur and manganese content so that it has not rusted since hundreds of years. This shows that the metallurgical knowledge in Gupta dynasty period was highly developed.
SIRI (early fourteenth century CE): Siri, near Hauz Khas, was another capital city in Delhi area. Alauddin Khalji built it in about 1303. Only a few derelict structures, including some public baths survive today, giving the area its present name of Hauz Khas.
TUGHLAKABAD (1321 – 1325 CE): Sultan Ghiasuddin, the founder of the Tughlaq dynasty ordered the construction of this fort in 1321 on top of the desolate Aravali ridge south of Delhi. Its ramparts are about 4 ½ miles long. It was ready for use in just 3 years. Vijay Mandal is the tallest structure in the fort. Water reservoir in the fort is 45 feet deep. Ghiyasuddin’s mausoleum, made out of red sandstone with a white dome, is located south of the fort. A small fortress south of Tughlakabad is called Nai ka Kot or barber’s fortress. Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq built another fort further south called Adilabad Fort.
JAHANPANAH (1325 – 1351 CE): Jahanpanah, comprising of a walled enclosure between Qila-I-Raipithora and Siri, was another capital city built by Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq.
FIROZABAD (late fourteenth century CE): Firozabad, now known as Firozshah Kotla, was built by Sultan Firoz bin Rajab, the Tughlaq dynasty Sultan from 1351 to 1388. The city extended from Hauz Khas to Pir Ghalib on the ridge. It is famous for the Ashoka Pillar (250 BCE), that was placed on it by Firoz Tughlaq. Sultan Firoz Shah was fascinated by this and one other pillar that he noticed while hunting in neighboring areas in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. He undertook elaborate steps to transport the 2 pillars to Delhi. The 42 feet 7 inches high Ashok pillar was installed at the highest point in his fort. Another 32 feet high Ashok pillar is now at the entrance of Bara Hindu Rao Hospital near University of Delhi campus. This area had the Sultan’s hunting lodge originally.
DINPANAH (circa sixteenth century CE): In 1533, when Agra was the Mughal capital, Emperor Humayun laid the foundations of Dinpahah, a new city in the area near old fort of Delhi. Sher Shah Suri, who defeated Humayun, also built his citadel here by adding to the older buildings and called it Shergarh. Emperor Akbar had his father, Humayun’s mausoleum constructed near this fort under supervision of his widow, Hamida Bano Begum.
SHAHJAHANABAD (mid seventeenth century): Before the construction of Taj Mahal at Agra, the fifth Mughal Emperor, Shahjahan, started the construction of the Red Fort of Delhi and Jama Masjid as the focal points of his new capital, Shahjahanabad. His daughter, Jahanara Begum, patronized the construction of Chandni Chowk Bazaar. It was the Mughal aristocratic shopping mall. This was a walled city with many gates piercing it. Only a few of the original gates and some portions of the wall around this city still exist. During the reign of his successors, Raja Jai Singh II of Amber and Jaipur, had the first of his five astronomical observatories constructed in the area south of the walled Shahjahanabad City. This observatory is now opposite the Park Hotel in Connaught Place market.
NEW DELHI (Constructed between 1911 and 1931): King George and Queen Mary decided to move the capital of British India from Calcutta to Delhi and laid the foundation of New Delhi in the Kingsway Camp (near Delhi University) during the period of Lord Hardinge, the Governor General and Viceroy of India. Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens and his assistant, Herbert Baker, were chosen to design and construct the new imperial capital of India in 1912. The construction was interrupted by the First World War and was completed in 1929. The official inauguration was two years later in 1931. A majestic, tree-lined and broad avenue was placed in the center of new capital. At its eastern end a royal and raised pedestal with an Imperial Canopy covering the statue of King Emperor George V was installed. At the western end was the impressive Viceroy’s mansion that now serves as the official residence of the President of India. To the east of the Viceroy’s mansion were the south block (now Prime Minister’s office) and north block (now Home Minister’s office) of the central secretariat on either side of this avenue that was originally called the Kingsway. Its name was changed to Raj Path after independence of India. The circular building of the council chamber was built in the northeast of the central secretariat. It serves as the Parliament of India now.
When the construction of New Delhi started, the memories of the First World War were still lingering. On February 10, 1921, the Duke of Connaught, laid the foundation of a war memorial. Sir Edwin L. Lutyens designed this memorial in the form of a triumphal, 160.8 feet high, arched Gateway at a short distance from the Imperial canopy with the statue of George V. It was designed to commemorate the 13'516 Indian and British soldiers of Imperial India who died in the First World War. Another memorial to honor the soldiers of Indo-Pakistan war of December 1971 was added to this memorial in the form of a raised platform with a reversed rifle with a helmet hanging on it. On 4 corners of the platform are four eternal flames. On top of the India Gate a 4 feet high flame burns from 7 to 11 PM every night.
The area around the India Gate was called Princes Park. Some of India's most important Maharajas & Nawabs of the states like Jaipur, Bikaner, Patiala, Baroda and Hyderabad built imposing mansions in this area. The Hyderabad House built by Luytens for the Nizam of Hyderabad is the most imposing of all these former royal residences. The Indian government owns them all now. The most important privately owned area of the new capital was the shopping district of Connaught Place. This is a circular market with spacious shops, restaurants and offices lined with a pillared verandah. After the independence of India on 15 August 1947, the new government of independent India decided to retain New Delhi as its capital.
Monuments of Delhi:
Qutb Minar Complex: In January 1193 Qutubuddin Aibak as commander of Muhammad bin Sam of Ghur in Afghanistan took the Qila-i-Raipithora and made it his capital. In 1206, when Muhammad of Ghur was assassinated, Qutbuddin proclaimed himself the Sultan of India. He was originally a slave from Turkestan. Because he started his career as a slave, the dynasty founded by him in India came to be popularly known as "Slave Dynasty". It is also referred as the Mamluk Dynasty. Coming from humble origins himself, he was very generous; the people called him "Lakh Baksh" or the “bestower of hundreds of thousands”. This was a turning point in the history of Islamic invaders and rulers in India. Up to this point Islamic rulers had not established an empire covering a substantial area in northern India. Qutubuddin Aibak was the first Islamic ruler to have a capital in the region of Delhi and a territory extending deep in the Doab valley. Doab literally means two waters and refers to the area around the rivers Yamuna and Ganga.
The Islamic conquerors under Qutubuddin Aibak destroyed all the twenty-seven Hindu and Jain temples in the Lal Kot area in the tradition of the first Islamic invader in India, Mahmud of Ghazni. A gigantic mosque called Qutb-Jami Masjid was planned at the site in replacement of these temples and its construction started already in 1193. There were no skilled Muslim craftsmen available to decorate this mosque. So much of the decoration of the Jain Temples that this mosque replaced was re-utilized. Even the new Islamic calligraphy had Hindu stylistic features rather than the style prevalent in Islamic world of that period. The initial part of the mosque was finished 1198. It covered an area of a rectangular court that is 141.7 feet (43.2 meters) by 108.27 feet (33 meters) in dimensions. Qutb Minar, the minaret for the call of Muezzin to the faithful in this mosque was its most ambitious part. It was planned to be the highest in the Islamic world. The Minaret rises over 230 feet (72.5 meters) and can be ascended by a circular stairway that has 379 steps. The monument tapers from a 49.25 feet (14.32 meters) diameter at the base to just 8.25 feet (2.75 meters) diameter at the top. Qutbuddin Aibak did not live long enough to complete the monument to mark his presence in Indian history. Qutbuddin Aibak probably completed only the first floor of this minaret. He died in 1210.
An inscription in Nagari Script found on the minaret refers to it as the “Allauddin-Vijaya-Stambha” or Allauddin’s victory tower. From the Nagari and Persian scripts on the minaret it is quite certain that it was rebuilt twice in 1326 and 1368 probably, after it was struck with lightening each time. Mohammed Tughlaq (1325-1351) had it restored after the first damage. Firuz Tughlaq (1351-1388) repaired the second damage. Initially but after Qutbuddin Aibak’s death, Shamsuddin Illtutmish - his son-in-law and successor made additions to it. Much later Sikandar Lodi (1489-1517) had some restorations done using white marble in the upper part. Some claims are made that Prithviraj Chauhan originally built this minaret. A slab with a Nagari inscription “Pirthi Nirap” or the King Pirthi was found on the minaret. This slab must have come from an earlier structure. The construction of the mosque and the minaret both used stones from earlier Hindu and Jain structures. These claims do not have any basis either in the architecture or in contemporary historical accounts. Although extensive Hindu decorative styles were used in the motifs on the minaret, its architecture is certainly Islamic and there are at least two older brick minarets in Ghazni very similar to it in overall architecture. In various parts of the Qutb Minar many inscriptions in local dialects of Nagari script mention Qutbuddin Aibak, Shamsuddin Illtutmish, Allauddin Khilji among other later monarchs. These inscriptions make it quite clear that this minaret was an Islamic construction that was repeatedly repaired, restored and improved by various later Islamic rulers.
An iron pillar stands very prominently placed in the middle of the courtyard of the Qutb Jami mosque. The Sanskrit inscription on the pillar is in a later form of Brahmi Script of the Mauryan Ashoka period that was probably used in the Gupta period in the fourth century. The message conveyed on this pillar mentions that it was raised as a standard “Dhwaja” for the Hindu God Vishnu on a hill known as Vishnupada and it was put up in the memory of a mighty king “Chandra”. It has been established by historians and archaeologists that the name “Chandra” refers to Chandragupta II of the imperial Gupta dynasty that ruled from 375 to 413. There is a sizable hole on top of the pillar where originally the mythical vehicle of Vishnu, Garuda, must have been placed. The whereabouts of this mythical bird on top of the pillar are not known. It is possible that the capital on top was already not there when this pillar was replaced from its original location to the present site or it may have been removed and destroyed by one of Islamic zealot Sultans. It is quite certain that this pillar did not belong to this site because no other relics of the fourth century have been found in its vicinity. There is a bardic tradition that the Tomar king, Anangpal, had it placed in this location when he built Lalkot. The total height of the pillar from its bottom underground to its top is 23.62 feet (7.20 meters) of which 3.05 feet (93 cm.) is underground. The pillar is made out of almost pure malleable iron with a high phosphorus and low carbon, sulfur and manganese content. The portion underground is knobby and has small pieces jutting out into the foundation. This portion is covered with a lead sheet and has minor rusting signs. Surprisingly the entire pillar above ground has withstood rains and dust over its life span from fourth century to the present without any rusting at all. This shows that there was a sufficiently developed metallurgical knowledge already in the Gupta period.
Humayun’s Tomb: The literal meaning of the word “Humayun” is lucky, a very inappropriate name for the second Mughal emperor. Humayun was struck by one misfortune after another throughout his life. He spent almost 10 years in exile followed by his enemies until he reached the court of Shah Tahmasp of the Safawid Dynasty of Persia. Humayun spent many years in Persia and only with assistance of the Persian army did he manage to re-conquer Delhi and empire of Hindustan in 1555. Just six months after regaining the throne of Delhi, he slipped on a staircase in a library in old fort of Delhi and succumbed to his injuries. His memorial was the first big mausoleum of the Mughal period. His widow Haji Begum built it in the reign of third Mughal emperor Akbar. The mausoleum was laid in the center of ‘Char Bagh’ – ‘the Garden divided in 4 parts’ style that was later used in slight variations in the tombs of Akbar, Itmad-ud-Daulah and the Taj Mahal in Agra. The art of inlay of white marble in red sandstone was used here on an extensive scale for the first time in India. Many not very prominent descendents of the Mughal Emperor Humayun are also buried in this mausoleum.
Shahjahanabad (mid 17th century): While work was still going on at the site of Taj Mahal mausoleum in Agra and before his son, Aurangzeb arrested him in 1658, Shahjahan the fifth Mughal Emperor moved his capital back to Delhi. He built the Red Fort of Delhi, the grand Jama Mosque complete with a residential city around the Chandni Chowk Bazaar. This was a walled city. Only a few of the original gates and some portions of the wall around this city still exist.
Red Fort of Delhi: Shahjahan wished to move his capital back to Delhi in 1639. The "Mir-i-Imarat" went to Delhi to search for a suitable site for the Fort with Palaces as well as a whole new city. Originally the Talkatora Gardens and Raisina Hills, where Rashtrapati Bhavan stands today, were chosen. But the chief masons rejected these sites because of too many minerals in the soil that could erode the sandstone to be used in the buildings. The two masons, Ustad Hamid and Ustad Hira chose the site on the banks of river Yamuna for the fort. It happened to be in harmony with the Hindu principles of Architecture, the "Vastu Shastra". Izzat Khan was appointed supervisor for digging the foundation of the fort. There is an interesting tale about the two chief mason disappearing while foundations were about to be completely dug. When the irate Emperor Shahjahan ordered their arrest, they voluntarily came to his court and explained that they went in hiding because they wanted some time to pass after the digging of foundations before starting construction. They believed that in this way the foundations would be everlasting. Saiyyad Ahmed Khan Asur-us-Sanadid of Delhi (1847) found among the old documents a horoscope that was especially made for the Red Fort of Delhi. According to that the work on foundations was started in the night of Friday, the ninth day of Muharram of the Islamic year 1049 corresponding to May 12, 1639. At the time of completion of the Red Fort Shahjahan was in Kabul. It was the twentieth year of reign. He was overjoyed to hear the good news, immediately returned to Delhi and entered the fort through its river entrance - Khizri Gate.
Chandni Chowk: Princess Jahanara, popularly known as Begum Sahiba, had a large square with a pool of water in its center built between two parallel roads leading from the Red Fort. Ali Mardan Khan Canal was built along the middle of the two roads to feed water to this pool. On moonlit nights the water in this pool used to shine like Silver. Chandni literally means moon light shining like Silver. Later traders from all over the empire and even from foreign lands established their shops on either side of the roads and soon it became the most affluent trading center of Mughal India. A book called Murraqa-i-Delhi written by Nawab Dargah Quli Bahadur with the Mughal title of ‘Salar Jung I’ describes the Chandni Chowk market in Persian language. An interesting episode is narrated in the book that explains how rich the merchants and how expensive the merchandise sold in the Chandni Chowk Bazaar in Shahjahan's time were. A nobleman recently lamented the demise of his father. He went to his mother to get some money to go shopping in Chandni Chowk. The mother broke down in tears on hearing the request of her son and said, "My dearest son, your father did not leave enough money to shop in Chandni Chowk. However I don't want to hurt your feelings, here are a hundred thousand Rupees with which you could perhaps make some token purchases." Many traditions continued in this market long after the Mughal Empire had vanished. In late nineteenth century it is said that each Vendor in Chandni Chowk had a charming song to describe the special items he sold. People would go the Chandni Chowk just to listen to these songs even if they did not wish to buy any thing. Pamphlets with news used to be sold for one paisa. These were very popular during the long freedom struggle against the British. Even in these pamphlets the language used was poetic. One popular verse during the early twentieth century was: "Gandhi chala hai run main - Dijo zara sahara" - Gandhi is going to the battlefield! Do help him! Chandni Chowk is a bustling typical old Delhi market place and offers the foreign tourists many interesting subjects to photograph.
Jama Masjid: The grand mosque of Delhi was originally called "Masjid-i-Jahan Numa" - the mosque commanding the view of the entire world! On October 6, 1630 the foundation stone of was laid. Contemporary chroniclers have written an interesting episode about this ceremony. The Emperor offered the privilege of laying the first stone to anyone present who had never missed a single mid-night prayer in his/her entire life. No one came forward to take the offer. Finally the Emperor modestly regretted that no one took up his offer and decided to lay the stone himself. When the work of construction was complete some one ran to the emperor to inform him about the news. Actually the construction had barely finished but the debris was still lying all over. Shahjahan was excited and impatient to see the new mosque. He immediately ordered that he would be offering the first prayers in the mosque the very next day. There was panic among the construction supervisors. One of them had a brilliant idea. He went to the emperor and requested that orders be given for general public to come to the new mosque and pick up any stone or other article lying in debris. The people from far and wide flocked to the mosque to collect the stones and bricks etc. Within a few hours the mosque was absolute empty and ready to be swept. The entire mosque was washed and mopped. Then carpets were laid, Chandeliers and tapestry were hung from it gigantic arches. The next day when Shahjahan came to pray there was a spectacular sight.
Jantar Mantar – the astronomical observatory of Sawai Maharaja Jai Singh of Amber and later Jaipur. This is the first of a series of five observatories built by the founder of Jaipur City. There is some confusion about its date of construction. According to some chroniclers it was built in 1710 while others believe that it was constructed in 1724. The Maharaja was very interested in astronomy and was not satisfied with the accuracy of astronomical tables available at that time. For calculating a more precise table he invited the scholars from all over India and even abroad. He studied the astrological instruments used in the Arab, central Asian and European countries. Later he built similar observatories in Varanasi, Mathura, Ujjain and Jaipur to confirm the table he made on the basis of this first astronomical observatory. The one in Jaipur has the maximum number of instruments.
Apart from the monuments listed above there are hundreds of very interesting medieval monuments in new and old Delhi. Among the many new constructions in the ever expending national capital, three buildings are worthy of mention: The Lakshmi Narayan Temple (also called Birla Mandir), The Lotus Bahai Temple and the Akshardham Swami Narayan Temple. The Lakshmi Narayan Temple was frequented by the father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi.
5-star hotels:
Taj Mahal Hotel – 296 rooms
Oberoi Intercontinental – 300 rooms
Nikko Metropolitan Hotel – 178 rooms
The Imperial Hotel – 274 rooms
Claridges Hotel – 162 rooms
The Grand Hotel (Vasantkunj) - 390 rooms
The Grand Intercontinental Hotel – 444 rooms
Taj Palace Hotel – 462 rooms
Le Meridien Hotel – 355 rooms
Radisson Hotel – 256 rooms and suites
Hyatt Regency Hotel 518 rooms
ITC Maurya Sheraton & Towers – 440 rooms
Intercontinental Nehru Place Hotel – 218 rooms
The Park Hotel – 220 rooms
Shangri-La Hotel – 362 rooms
New Delhi Marriott – 220 rooms
Crown Plaza Surya Hotel – 220 rooms
Sheraton New Delhi (Saket) – 220 rooms
The Qutub Hotel – 122 rooms
The Taj Ambassador Hotel – 88 rooms
Uppal’s Orchid An Ecotel Hotel – 84 rooms
4-star hotels:
Oberoi Maidens Hotel – 56 rooms
The Connaught Hotel – 80 rooms
Hotel City Park – 58 rooms
The Hans Plaza Hotel – 70 rooms
Hotel Diplomat – 25 rooms
Hotel Marina – 94 rooms
Jaypee Vasant Continental – 119 rooms
3-star hotels:
Ashok Country Resort – 82 rooms
Hotel Southern – 71 rooms
Manor (Friends Colony) – 16 rooms
Megha Sheraton – 21 rooms
Grand Godwin Hotel – 39 rooms
Hotel Clark International 32 rooms
Hotel Jewel Palace – 40 rooms
Hotel Conclave – 28 rooms
Hotel Regent Continental – 103 rooms
Hotel West End Inn – 30 rooms
Hotel Asian International – 38 rooms
Jaypee Sidhartha Hotel – 98 rooms
2-star hotels:
Hotel Rama Inn -
Hotel Sun City – 24 rooms
Hotel Ajanta – 70 rooms
Vivek Hotel – 50 rooms
Hotel Alka Annexe – 16 rooms
Jukasso Inn – 39 rooms
Jukasso Inn Down Town – 38 rooms
Welcome Palace – 24 rooms
Hotel Corus – 31 rooms
1-star hotels:
Hotel Neeru – 24 rooms
Hotel Gold Regency – 34 rooms
Hotel Fifty-Five – 15 rooms
Punjab Hotel – 73 rooms
Hotel Flora – 24 rooms
Sodhi Lodge – 18 rooms
Hotel Swati Delux – 44 rooms
Hotel Natraj – 62 rooms
Distance from New Delhi:
City Kilometers Miles
Agra 203 126
Mathura 145 90
Jaipur 258 160
Ajmer 389 242
Chandigarh 238 148
Dehradun 235 146
Haridwar 214 132
Bikaner 460 286
Mandawa 242 150
Amritsar 447 278 |
