History Of Delhi/New Delhi

The city of Delhi survived for very long and saw a succession of empires in the luscious and fertile land on the west bank of river Yamuna. Delhi has always been the centre of all political and economical ups and downs. And history has proven this fact that every empire with their capital in Delhi has flourished immensely in their reign. Various historical monuments and forts have long seen the golden era of these empires in Delhi.

The history of Delhi dates back to vedic history of India, when Pandavas and the Kauravas lived in this region and which was then called Indraprastha. It was latter referred to as "Dilli" in various Sanskrit texts and was ruled by the Tomar dynasty, a fierce warrior class that ruled the Haryana/Indraprastha region.

Then, there came the rise of the Slavs, Khiljis, Tughlaqs, Sayyid and the Lodhis. In fact, anybody that captured Dhilli essentially got the access to the Indian subcontinent and the word "Dehli" is now synonymous with the phrase "doorstep". The most famous ruler from the Khilji dynasty was Alauddin Khilji. The Tughlaqs came into the power in India after the Khiljis. And the most prominent ruler of this dynasty is Mohammed bin Tughlaq. Down the history Delhi has seen many citadels like Lal Kot, Quila Rai Pithora, Tughlaqabad,  Siri, Jahanpanah, Ferozabad, Dinpanah, and Shahjahanabad.  The "raids" or "sacks" from Delhi sultanates were a source of terror for many Hindu rulers and people south of Delhi.

Mughals were the most powerful among all the emperors of Delhi. The Sultanate of Delhi was first conquered by Babur who invaded India in the beginning of the sixteenth century and was the first ruler of the Mughal dynasty. The Mughal Empire came to a halt after the defeat of Humayun. But as little Jalaluddin was placed on the throne of Delhi at a tender age of fourteen by his general Bairam Khan, he became the mightiest of ruler in the whole of India. His reign is said to be one of the most significant era in the history of Delhi as well as India. Jalaluddin or Akbar as he was fondly called by his courtiers united the whole of India under one sultanate. This was the golden era of the Mughal reign. Many forts and monuments were built during this time.  

Akbar built the beautiful Fatehpur Sikri. During Akbar�s reign he shifted his capital to Agra from Delhi. But after him, during Shah Jahan�s reign Delhi once again became the capital. After Shah Jahan, Aurangzeb crowned himself as the emperor of Delhi. But he could not retain the glory of the Mughals and Nadir Shah defeated the Mughals in the Battle of Karnal.

As the administrative capital of India now, New Delhi holds a position of vast importance. The distinction between Delhi and New Delhi is mostly administrative in nature, with New Delhi having more areas related to the political and national apparatus. Major industries and resorts are set around the Delhi area and provide a good source of income to residents of neighboring states like Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.