History of Delhi

Delhi has not always been the capital of India but it has played an important role in Indian history. The settlement of Indraprastha, which featured in the epic Mahabharata over 3000 years ago, was located approximately on the site of present -day Delhi. Over 200 years ago, Pataliputra (near modernday Patna) was the capital of Emperor Ashoka, kingdom More recently the Mughal emperors made Agra the capital through the 16th and 17 centuries. Under the British, Calcutta was the capital until the construction of New Delhi in 1911. Of course, it is only comparatively recently the India as we know it has been unified as one country. Even at the height of their power the Mughals did not control the sough of India, for example. But Delhi has always been an important city or a capital of the northern region of the subcontinent.

The have been at least eight cities around modern Delhi. The first four were to the sough around the area where the Qutab Minar stands. The earliest known Delhi was called Indraprastha and was centered newer present-day Purana Qila. At the beginning of the 12th century the last Hindu kingdom of Delhi was ruled by the Tomara and chauthan dynasties and was also near the Qutab Minar and Suran Kund, now in Haryana.

The  city was followed by Siri, constructed by Ala-ud-din near present-day Haunz Khas in the 12th century. The third Delhi was Tughlaqabad, now entirely in ruins,. which stood 10 km sough-east of the Qutub Minar. The fourth Delhi dates from the 14th century and was also a creation of the Tughlaqs. Known as Jahanpanah, it also stood near the Qutab Minar.

The fifth Delhi, Ferozabad, was sited at Feroz Shah Kotla in present-day New Delhi Its ruins contain al Ashoka pillar, moved here from elsewhere, and traces of a mosque in which Tamer lance prayed during his attack on India.

Delhi has seen many invaders through the ages. Tamer lane plundered in the 14th century; the Afghan Babur occupied it in the 14th century; the Afghan Babur occupied it in the 16th century, and in 1739 the Persian emperor, Nadir Shah, sacked the city and carted the Kohinoor Diamond and the famous peacock Throne off to Iran. The British captured Delhi in 1803 but during the Indian Mutiny of 1857 it was a centre of resistance against the British.

Now Hindu Punjabis have replaced many of the Muslims,. and Hindi predominates.