The History of Delhi

Delhi - the capital city. A city that has been occupied by different rulers time and again. In different periods. But what made Delhi a city so loved by everyone? Let us dig into it!

Photo of the Ashokan Pillar at the Firoz Shah Kotla Fort

What makes any place a city? And what makes a city liveable?

There are many ways to answer this question. And many might have already tried answering it by suggesting specific measures like population, occupation, etc., that make a place a city.

But in the simplest forms, Rana Safvi mentions in Where Stones Speak that a city needs three things: Dariya, Baadal, Haakim.

Only then can one become a city. Only then can one become liveable.

Dariya- River.

The city of Delhi was fortunate to have its own river Yamuna on one side and the forest Ridge on another. Both intersect at one point, giving the city plenty of fertile land for settlement.

Baadal- Clouds

Though Delhi had been a semi-arid zone, rain is not uncommon here. Many rainwater harvesting systems like baolis have been built here. Proving that rain was a common occurrence.

Haakim- Ruler willing and able

Delhi has been a place to prove one's power. Rulers, time and again, have fought to prove their capability to rule Delhi. Delhi has been a stepping stone for rulers to expand further. Thus mostly whenever Delhi had a new ruler, their abilities had already been proved in the battleground.

Now comes the question, how old is Delhi?

Delhi, some may suggest, is as old as Mahabharata.

According to some documents, Delhi has been built and rebuilt at least 14 times. In contrast, some records suggest that it has been built and rebuilt at least 8 times. Both sides agree that the last time Delhi was built under Sir Edwin Lutyens. Delhi was initially located on the foothills of Arawali. The Arawali range provided Delhi with a strategic position to defend itself from enemies. While the river Yamuna and the Ridge provided enough for lives to settle.

Qutubuddin Aibak also saw the benefit of such a strategic location when he made Delhi his capital.

As some suggest, the first traces of Delhi comes from the Mahabharata. While many argue that it is just a mythological reference, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) attempts have been made to find the relevance of this claim in history. The geographical location of Delhi is referred to as Indraprastha in Mahabharata. The city is named after its King Indra, who, as legends say, distributed pearls. The city is said to be built in the Purana Qila area by the Pandavas in 1450 BC.

Right after independence, when India lost many of the Harappan Sites to Pakistan, a group of archaeologists conducted excavations in Northern India to discover more heritage sites and recover the ones lost. In this attempt, sites like Kalibangan were found. One site that underwent excavation was the site of Purana Qila. BB Lal supervised the excavation in 1955-55 and was able to find Painted Grey Ware**(PGW)**pottery. However, the evidence was insufficient to conclude that the site dates as old as the time of Mahabharata.

The site was re-excavated in 2014. However, nothing was found to conclude that it had indeed been as old as Mahabharata.

Between 1969-70 and 1972-73, [the ASI], conducted large-scale excavations here revealing remains of eight periods, though neither the PGW nor anything associated with it was found. (ASI Website)

Till the last century, a village named Inderpat was found inside the Purana Qila complex, which ASI later evacuated.

Delhi is said to be named after King Dhillu of 50BC as per the legends. Not much is known about this period. However, it was under King Dhillu that Delhi was considered to be rebuilt for the second time.

The third reference to Delhi comes from the Lal Kot and Qila Rai Pithauraafter the name Prithvi Raj Chauhan who had renamed the city of Lal Kot founded by Raja Anangpal Tomar in 736AD. The city back then extended from Lado Sarai to Mehrauli. And this is the first time that proper documentation could be found.

Grandson of Balban- Sultan Kaikobad is said to build this city for the fourth time in 1288 near Maharani Bagh. It was known as Kilokari. The old city was said to be abandoned, while the new one was rebuilt much closer to the Yamuna. The city was again re-planned by Jalaluddin Khilji.

Under Sultan Alaudin Khilji in 1297, Delhi was known as Siri. The fifth city of Delhi thus extended from Shahpur Jat, Hauz Khas, Green Park to present-day Siri Fort. The new walled city was built to protect it from Mongol invasion. The name Siri comes from the word sir, which means head.

It is believed that at least 8,000 Mongols were defeated. And their heads were embedded in the city's wall or foundation.

Next up is the city of Tughlaqabad. As the name suggests, built by Sultan Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq in 1321. Legend has it that Hazarat Nizamuddin Auliya had cursed the city because his baoli construction was stopped, and as a result, Ghiyasuddin shifted out of his capital to a new city of Tughalaqabad.

Ye rahe ujar, ya basse gujjar (tr. May it remain desolate and unoccupied, or inhabited only by herdsmen).

The curse given to the city ironically turned out to be somewhat true. What remained from the city of Tughlaqabad was just the tomb of Sultan.

Further, Muhammed Bin Tughlaq, in 1326-7, built a new capital known as Jahapanah, which meant refuge of the world. The city expanded from Mehrauli to Siri. It was later abandoned as the capital was shifted out to Daulatabad.

When the city was built the eighth time, it was under Firoz Shah Tughlaq. The city was named after him as Firozabad, present-day Firoz Shah Kotla complex. Back then, the river Yamuna was much closer to the Firoz Shah Kotla Complex. The great Tughlaq King from the 14th Century was keen on grand buildings. Thus, he built a new palace named Firoz Shah Kotla along with three existing palaces. The palace served as a place of recreation with lush green leaves, baoli that remains closed today, and large halls for gathering. Next to Firoz Shah’s Jama Masjid stands tall the Asokan Pillar that Firoz Shah had found in one of his hunting spheres. The Pillar was initially erected in 250 BC, Ambala, engraved in the Buddhist Dhamma in Pali. Thus the palace in today's time also serves as the existing proof of harmony.

The ninth city was known as Khizrabad, built by the founder of the Sayyed Dynasty- Sultan Khizr Khan. The tenth city was constructed by Sultan Mubarak Shah, known as the Mubarakbad. This extended from Kotla to Mubarakpur. Humayun built the eleventh city in 1534. The city was known as Dinpanah, which meant refuge of faithful. The name comes from Humayun's struggle to come to the throne after constantly fighting with Sher Shah Suri. However, he was again ousted by him, and the city was renamed Shergah by Suri. The newly found Shergah further extended from Purana Qila to Humayun's Tomb.

The thirteenth city and one of the most well-documented cities is Shahjahanabad. It was built by Shah Jahan in 1639. Located in present-day Old Delhi or Purani Dilli. The city very well covers Chandni Chowk, Chawri Bazar, Daryaganj, Jama Masjid, and Dilli Gate. The city of Shahjahanabad is known for its markets like Meena Bazar and the vibrant culture it offered, which also included tawaifs. The city was also planned by Jahanara, daughter of the Emperor. The locality of Old Delhi is today known to be a treat for heritage enthusiasts. Almost all existing buildings are a hundred years old, and most are heritage buildings. The galis (lanes) though now occupied by motor-rickshaws, give a glimpse of history. It is true that history breathes through the lanes of Purani Dilli.

However, back then, Purani Dilli was not what we know of today. Purani Dilli, back then, was the Delhi occupied by the Sultans. The city that extended from Mehrauli to Siri was called Purani Dilli- the main Delhi. Many grand gates are built in Shahjahanabad, and one of them is the Delhi Gate (or Dilli Gate) which leads to Mehrauli- the actual Purani Dilli.

Lastly, the fourteenth city is Lutyen's Delhi*,* what we today know as New Delhi. The city was named after Sir Edward Lutyens, who re-built this city from 1912-31. In this period, the documents on Delhi were finally compiled, and the information about Delhi's origin came to being. The New Delhi area consists of great buildings and a planned city under the British Reign. Though the documentation done under this period suggests an origin in the city of Delhi, there are still many ongoing debates that counter theories.

However, what cannot be disagreed upon is that Delhi had been and still exists to be one of the most liveable cities that no one wants to leave once they come here.

As Zauq correctly says,

Humne maana ki dakkan mein hai bahut qadre sukhan; Kaun jaaye Zauq par Dilli ki galiyan chhod kar (tr. We hear that poetry is greatly valued in Deccan these days but, Zauq, who could bear to leave behind the alleyways of Delhi)

photo source: Ishita Roy