A short tour to my city DELHI, INDIA
I welcome you to a short tour to my city Delhi, It is a historic city. It's name in earlier times was not Delhi but it was Indraprastha. Indraprastha was built in 1400 B.C (it is that old...). Here are few words about the city before I take you to the tour.
Delhi is the third largest city in India, surpassed in population only by Calcutta and Bombay. New Delhi, the capital of India, lies immediately to the the south of what is considered old Delhi (often referred as just "Delhi"). The present day area of New and Old Delhi is located on the west bank of the Yamuna River, a tributary of the Ganges, and is landlocked by Haryana to the North, South, and West and Uttar Pradash to the East.
The earliest recorded mention of a settlement at Delhi is found in the Hindu epic Mahabharata, which mentions a city called Indraprastha. Indraprastha was built in 1400 B.C. under the direction of Yudhisthira, a Pandava king, on a huge mound somewhere between the sites where the historic Old Fort (Purana Qilah) and Humayun's Tomb were later to be located. The first reference to the name Delhi seems to have been made in the 1st century BC when Raja Dhilu built the first city of Delhi near the site of the future Qutab Minar. Delhi went through many ups and downs and did not reemerge into prominence until the 12th century A.D., when it was made the capital of the ruler Prthviraja III. After his defeat later that century, the city passed into Muslim hands. Qutub-ud-Din Aybak, builder of the famous tower Qutab Minar (completed in the early 13th century), also chose Delhi as his capital.
The second city of Delhi was built by Ala-ud-Din Khalji at Siri, three miles northeast of the Qutab Minar (near what is today Hauz Khaus and the Asian Games Village).
The third city of Delhi was built by Ghiyas-ud-Din Tughluq (1320-25) at Tughlakabad but had to be abandoned in favor of the old site near Qutab Minar because of a scarcity of water. The ruins of Tughlakabad are located on the present-day Delhi-Haryana border towards Faridabad.
His successor, Muhammad ibn Tughluq, extended the city farther northeast and built new forticications around it. It then became the fourth city of Delhi, under the name Jahanpanah. The new settlements were located between the old cities near the Qutab Minar and Siri Fort.
Muhammad ibn Tughluq's successor, Firuz Shah Tughluq, abandoned this site altogether and in 1354 moved his capital farther north near the ancient site of Indraprastha. Thus, the fifth city of Delhi, Firuzabad, was founded on what is now the Firoz Shah Kotla area. Delhi was invaded and partially destroyed by Timur at the end of the 14th century, and the last of the sultan kings moved the capital to Agra. Babur, the first Mughal ruler, reestablished Delhi as the seat of his empire in 1526. His son and successor, Humayun, built a new city on the site of the previously demolished Firuzabad and called in Din Panah.
Sher Shah, who overthrew Humayun in 1540, razed Din Panah and built his capital, the Sher Shahi (the Old Fort or Purana Qilah), as the sixth city of Delhi.
Delhi once again lost importance when the Mughal emperors Akbar (1556-1605) and Jahangir (1605-1627) moved their headquarters to Fatehpur Sikri (near Agra) and Agra, respectively. The city was restored to its glory in 1638 when the son of Jahangir, Shah Jahan, laid the foundations of the seventh city of Delhi, Shahjahanabad. What was Shahjahanabad has come to be known as Old Delhi. The greater part of the city is still confined within the space of Shah Jahan's walls and several gates built during his rule -- the Kashmiri Gate, the Delhi Gate, the Turkman Gate, and the Ajmeri Gate -- still stand.
With the fall of the Mughal empire during the mid-18th century, the city of Delhi witnessed many invasions and power changes. The arrival of the British in 1803 marked the beginning of a new period in Delhi's history. Under British rule, Delhi grew to become a large city. In 1912 the British moved the capital of British India from Calcutta in West Bengal to the partially completed New Delhi. Construction of New Delhi was completed by 1931.
The
largest of Old Delhi's monuments is Lal Quila or Red Fort whose thick red
sandstone walls, bulging with turrets and bastions, have withstood the
vagaries of time and nature. The Lal Quila rises above a wide dry moat
in the northeast corner of the original city of Shahjahanabad. Its walls
extend from two kilometers and vary in height from 18 metres on the river
side to 33 metres on the city side.
Mughal Emperor Shahjahan started construction of the massive fort in 1638 and work was completed in 1648. The fort contains all the expected trappings of the centre of Mughal government: halls of public and private audience, domed and arched marble palaces, plush private apartments, a mosque and elaborately designed gardens. Even today, the fort remains an impressive testimony to Mughal grandeur, despite being attacked by the Persian Emperor Nadir Shah in 1739 and by the British soldiers during the war of independence in 1857.
Entrance to the fort is through the imposing Lahore Gate, which takes its name from the fact that it faces Lahore, now in Pakistan. This gate has a special significance for India since the first war of independence and important speeches have been made here by freedom fighters and national leaders of India.
The main entrance opens on to the Chatta Chowk, a covered street flanked with arched cells that used to house Delhi's most talented jewelers, carpet makers, weavers and goldsmiths. This arcade was also known as the Meena Bazaar, the shopping centre for the ladies of the court. Just beyond the Chhata Chowk is the heart of the fort called Naubat Khana or the Drum House. The musicians used to play for the emperor from the Naubat Khana and the arrival of princes and royalty was heralded from here.
The Fort also houses the Diwan-i-Am or the Hall of Public Audiences where the Emperor would sit and hear complaints of the common folks. His alcove in the wall was marble-paneled and was set with precious stones, many of which were looted after the mutiny of 1857. The Diwan-i-Khas is the hall of private audiences where the Emperor held private meetings. This hall is made of marble and its centre-piece used to be the Peacock Throne, which was carried away to Iran by Nadir Shah in 1739. Today, the Diwan-i-Khas is only a pale shadow of its original glory, yet the famous Persian couplet inscribed on its wall remind us of its former magnificence: "If on Earth be an Eden on bliss, it is this, it is this, none but this."
The other attractions within this monument are the Royal Baths or hammams, the Shahi Burj, which used to be Shahjahan's private working area and the Moti Masjid or the Pearl Mosque, built by Aurangzeb for his personal use. The Rang Mahal or the "Palace of Colors" housed the Emperor's wives and mistresses. This palace was crowned with gilded turrets, delicately painted and decorated with an intricate mosaic of mirrors, and a ceiling overlaid with gold and silver that was reflected in a central pool in the marble floor.
Even today, the Lal Quila is an eloquent reminder of the glory of the Mughal era and its magnificence leaves many wonder-struck and breathless. It is still a calm haven of peace which helps one to break away from the frantic pace of life outside the walls of the Fort and transports the visitor to another era of time.
This 288 foot tower located near present day Delhi, India was built by Qutb-ud-Din Aybak, the first Muslim ruler to choose Delhi as his capital. The tower was completed in the early 13th century A.D.
...[The Qutab Minar] was designed `to cast the shadow of God over the east and over the west.' Its 72.5 metres certainly casts a long and impressive shadow at sunrise and sunset. The first three storieys are made of red sandstone; the fourth and fifth have bands of white marble round them.
...At one time people were allowed to climb on top of the Qutab Minar. You got a spectacular view of the countryside below: on the northern horizon you could see New Delhi and beyond it the old Mughal city with its Toyal Mosque and the Red Fort; on the eastern side you could see Tughlakabad, the tomb of its builder, Ghiasuddin Tughlak and beyond them the silver streak of the river Yamuna; on the other two sides were low ranges of the Aravali hills dotted with innumerable ruins. Unfortunately, the Qutab Minar became a favourite with people who wanted to kill themselves. Ultimately, on the pretext that the Minar could not take the strain of too many visitors climbing up and down its stairs, the authorities restricted access to only the first floor.
Situated
in the ancient town of Old Delhi, the Jama or Jami Masjid is the final
architectural extravaganza of the Mughal Emperor, Shahjahan. This monument
was built between 1644 and 1658 by five thousand artisans. Originally called
the Masjid-i-Jahanuma, or "mosque commanding view of the world",
this magnificent structure stands on the Bho Jhala, one of the two hills
of the old Mughal capital city of Shahjahanabad. On the east, this monument
faces the Lal Quila (Red Fort) and has three gateways, four towers and
two minarets. Constructed of alternating vertical strips of red sandstone
and white marble, the Jama Masjid is the largest and perhaps the most magnificent
mosque in India.
Broad flights of steps lead up to the imposing gateways in the north and the south. The main eastern entrance, probably used by the emperors, remains closed on most days of the week. The main prayer hall on the west side, fronted by a series of high cusped arches and topped with marble domes, houses a niche in a wall that shelters the prayer leader. Worshippers use this hall on most days but on Fridays and other holy days, the courtyard is full of devotees offering namaaz.
Near the north gate of the mosque stands a cupboard containing a collection of Muhammad's relics - Korans written on deerskin, a red beard-hair of the prophet, his sandals and his footprint, embedded in a marble slab.
Humayun's
Tomb This tomb, which was built by emperor Humayun's wife, took eight years
to complete and is regarded as an example of the early Mughat archetecture.
The emperor's wife, Begai Begum, was buried in the tomb and the structure
is the first of its kind built in the centre of a well-planned garden.
The combination of white marble and red sandstone was a great influence
on later Mughal architecure. It is generally regarded as a prototype of
the famed Taj Mahal of Agra.
Jantar
Mantar Within the Connaught Place area is the Jantar Mantar observatory
built by the Rajput king of Jaipur, Sawai Jai Singh in 1724. It was velieved
to have been built with masonary instruments for obeserving the movements
fo the stars and the planets. The samrat of the uantra supreme instrument,
the largest structure in the comples which is in the shape of a right-angled
triangle, is actually a huge sun-dial.
The
garden tomb was built in 1753-54 soon after Safdarjang died. It is a red
and brown sandstone with double storeyed towers in the corners and is one
of the last examples of Mughal architecture.
Lotus
Temple, New Delhi, India
Is
a very recent architectural marvel of the Bahai faith and is visible from
several spots in south Delhi. Located in Kalkaji in the south of Delhi,
it is lotus shaped and has rightly been given the name. It is made of marble,
cement, dolomite and sand. It is open to all faiths and is an ideal place
for meditation and obtaining peace and tranqillity.
I am still in the process of adding places in my this site, after completing Delhi I would offer you a tour to the other historic or prominent places in my country. So I request you to please keep visiting the site. In the last I thank you for the time you have spent with me. Please let me know how do you like the tour or any suggestion of you.
NAMASKAR