Delhi, the capital of India has a rich history, which narrates the saga of several dynasties that ruled India. The existence of the city dates back to several thousands of years, when it was known Indraprastha and finds its mention in the great Indian Epic Mahabharata. It is believed that the Pandavas founded Indraprastha and also resided here. The city has been destroyed and recreated 7 times and has served as the capital of several dynasties, which is apparent from the evidences found in the chronicles of history. The city of Delhi also served as the capital of India during the British Rule from 1911 until India’s Independence in 1947; however, it still continues to serve as the capital of the nation. Moreover, the presence of several historical monuments stands as an evidence of the glorious past and that the city had been the centre point of several dynasties. The historical facts about the city of Delhi are enumerated below. Delhi During the time of Mahabharata The city of Delhi finds its mention in the great Indian Epic Mahabharata. According to it, the city of Delhi was named as Hastinapur, which was first established by King Hasti. Later, Hastinapur became the capital of the Kaurava rulers and it was situated on the embankments of the holy River Ganga. However, when the relations between the Kauravas and the Pandavas were strained, the then King Dhritarashtra, gave away Khandavaprastha region, which was situated on the banks of River Yamuna to the Pandavas. Within the region of Khandavaprastha, they sculpted out a city, which was named as Indraprastha. This was the city where Arjun, one of the Pandava Kings resided with Lord Krishna after their victory over Kauravas in the battle Kurukshetra. The existence of the old city of Indraprastha can be cited in the Purana Quila of the present day Delhi. Delhi during the rule of Prithviraj Chauhan In 736 AD, The Tomar Dynasty came up after the Pandavas ceased to rule. This dynasty is a small clan of the Rajputs and ruled over Delhi for quite sometime. According to the chronicles of history, Anangapala Tomar I founded the city of Delhi and named it Lal Kot, which close to the Qutub Minar in present Delhi. However, the Tomar dynasty ruled over Delhi until the demise of Anangpal Tomar II. After his demise, his grandson Prithviraj Chauhan, who was just 13 years then, was crowned as the ruler of Delhi. Prithviraj Chauhan was the last Hindu ruler of Ancient Delhi. He named it as Quila Rai Pithora and his kingdom comprised some parts of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana. In 1911, during the first war of Tarain, Prithiviraj Chauhan defeated Mohammad Ghori but released him soon. He continued to rule until 1192 AD, when he was defeated by Mohammad Ghori in second and the final Tarain War, where he was captured and given death sentence. Slave Dynasty The Slave Dynasty marks the beginning of the Delhi or Dilli Sultanate. After the defeat of Prithviraj Chauhan, by the Turkish ruler Sultan Muhammad Ghori, he appointed Qutub-ud-din-Aibak as the governor of India and after the death of Muhammad Ghori, Qutub-ud-din-Aibak founded a dynasty, which came to be known as the Slave dynasty. The Slave Dynasty ruled over Delhi 1206-1290 and formed the South Western part of the present day Delhi. During his rule, several monuments were constructed among which Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque is the one. The construction of the famous monument of Delhi, Qutab Minar was started by Qutub-ud-din-Aibak but he died in 1210. After the death of Aibak, Iltutmish, who was a slave, follower of Aibak and later became his son-in-law, succeeded the throne. Iltutmish is known as the third and greatest sultan of the Slave Dynasty. During his reign he established a monarchical form of government and rule. He maintained an organized army and created a new form of currency, the Tanka coin (silver) and Jital (copper). He is also well known for completing construction of the Qutule Minar, a structure that represents victory, celebrating the rise of Muslim rule. During the rule of Iltutmish, from 1211 to 1236, the Slave Dynasty saw a great rise. Before his death, he passed on his rights to his daughter Rajiya Sultana, who was the first and the only woman ruler of Delhi. Raziyya's reign was marked as the beginning of the struggle for power between the monarchy and the Turkish Chief’s; she ruled the city from 1236 to 1240. She was killed and in 1266 Balban succeeded the throne and was the last ruler of Slave Dynasty. Known for his cruelties and unbiased conduct, Balban established a centralized government system in Delhi during his rule. In the year 1287 Balban died and the Slave Dynasty came to an end. Khilji Dynasty Khilji Dynasty was established in the year 1290 AD by Jalaluddin Khilji and it was the second Muslim Dynasty to rule over Delhi. However, in the year 1296 AD, he was murdered by his nephew Alauddin Khilji, who then succeeded the throne and until 1320 he dominated over the Delhi Sultanate, which flourished during his reign. His reign is considered as the golden period of the Khilji Dynasty and was marked by revenue reforms, market control regulations and modern administrative. After his competent rule, he was succeeded by his son Shahab-ud-din Umar but he was soon removed from the crown by his brother Qutub-ud-din Mubarik who declared himself as the new Sultan of the dynasty. After a short rule of thirty years, the Khilji Dynasty declined. Tughlaq Dynasty With the decline of the Khilji Dynasty, a Hindu slave, who was given the name Khusrav Khan. However, soon he was killed by the Muslims as he started replacing Muslim officers with Hindu officers, which aggravated them and his death gave rise to the Tughlaq Dynasty. This dynasty was founded by Ghias-ud-din Tughlaq, who ruled until 1325 AD. He was succeeded by Jaun Khan, popularly known as Muhammad-bin Tughlaq. Jaun Khan was a proficient ruler who shifted the capital city from Delhi to Devgiri during his reign. He was then succeeded by Firoz Shah Tughlaq, who rule for about 37 years and is well-known for carrying out reformative activities. However, after his death this dynasty started declining and finally came to an end in 1414 AD. Sayyid Dynasty Khizar Khan was the founder of the Sayyid Dynasty, which ruled over Delhi for about 37 years. Under his reign, several provinces that came under the rule of Delhi Sultanate was declared as Independent state and its boundaries were restricted only to western Punjab, Sind and western Uttar Pradesh. After the demise of Khizar Khan, the throne was taken over by Mubarak Shah, whose rule was marked by several insurgencies both internal and external and owing to this, in the year 1451, Babul Lodhi conquered the city of Delhi and established the Lodhi Dynasty. Lodhi Dynasty The last dynasty of Delhi Sulatanate, Lodhi Dynasty was founded by Babul Lodhi in 1451. It was mainly a Pashtun Dynasty, which ruled over Delhi until 1526. Nizam Khan, also known as Sikandar Shah, succeeded his father as the second ruler of the Lodi Sultanate. After his death, a war for succession took place between his two sons, Jalal Lodi and Ibrahim Lodi, which undermined the roots of the empire. However, finally Ibrahim Lodi became the ruler of Delhi Sultanate but soon lost his empire in the first battle of Panipat, during the year 1526 on the hands of Babur, founder of the Mughal Dynasty. His defeat marked an end to the 320 year rule of the Delhi Sultanate in India and the beginning of the Mughal Rule. Mughal Dynasty The Mughals ruled over India for about 300 years and Delhi had always been the centre point of this dynasty. The rule of this dynasty has contributed towards the various aspects of the city, making it a significant city in Indian History. They contributed immensely towards the art and architecture of the city and the monuments that are present in Delhi narrates the saga of the glorious past. The city had always been the headquarters of each of the Mughal rulers but during the rule of Saha Jahan, i.e. during the year 1627- 1658 is regarded as the “Golden Period”. During his reign, several monuments like the Red Fort, Jama Masjid, etc. were built and one of the most significant things was that Delhi was given the name of Shahejahanabad in 1639. Delhi during British Rule Until 1911, Delhi was not under the British rule and Calcutta served as the capital during that time. However, Delhi served as the capital since 1911 to 1947 and during this time, the modern Delhi emerged, which was designed and architected by Edwin Lutyens, a British Architect and the name New Delhi was given to the city. SEVEN NAMES OF DELHI The name of delhi has been changed seven times , which are : Hastinapur , Indraprastha , Lal Kot , Quila Rai Pithora , Dilli Saltanate , Shahejahanabad and Delhi.
