More Details – Delhi
Delhi is the capital of India. It is situated along the banks of the Yamuna river.
It is believed that the city of Delhi was first built by the pandava kings. It was called Indraprastha. Thousands of years later, Emperor Shahjahan rebuilt the city and called it Shahjahanabad. New Delhi, planned by architect Edward Lutyens, was built as the capital of India by the English.
The National Capital Territory of Delhi, as it is now called, is surrounded by Uttar Pradesh in the east and Haryana on the other three sides. The main offices of the Governement of India are located in New Delhi.
The President of India lives in Rashtrapati Bhavan. It has many gardens. The most beautiful one is called the Mughal Garden.
There are two office blocks of the Central Secretariat where ministers have their offices. The Prime Minister’s office is in the South Block. Other ministers and departments of the Indian Government work from buildings around the South Block. The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha hold their meetings in the Parliament House.
The governments of other countries also have offices in Delhi. Thes are known as Embassies or High Commissions.
Delhi today has the most modern Metro System in the world. Delhi is visited by tourists from all over the world. Old Delhi has many famous monuments. The Rred Fort and the Jama Masjid, ,made of red sandstone, were built by Shahjahan. On 15 August every year, the Prime Minister hoists the National Flag at the Red Fort. Jama Masjid is one of the biggest mosques in India.
Other interesting places to visit in Delhi are the Jantar Mantar, Qutub Minar, Humayun’s Tomb, Lodi Gardens, India Gate, Rajghat, Shanti Van, Nehru Planetarium, Shankar’s International Dolls Museum, the Zoo and Appu Ghar, Rajghat is the Samadhi of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation. The AMar Jawan Jyoti is a flame lit at India Gate. It burns all the time in memory of those Indians who sacrificed their lives for out country.
There are a large number of places of worship for all religions in Delhi. Some of these are Akshardham Temple, Birla Mandir, Lotus Temple, Gurudwara Sisganj, Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, Jama Masjid and St James Church.
Delhis is very hot in summer and very cold in winter. Hot and dry winds, called loo,blow in the months of may and June. It rains mostly between July and September.
All major Indian festivals are celebrated in Delhi-Diwali, Dussehra, Durga Puja, Holi, Id, Muharram, Christmas, Easter, Guruparv, Buddha Purnima, Mahavir Jayanti, Pongal, Onam, Chhat and Navroz. There is a grand parade on Republic Day.
Like most Indians living in other towns and cities, the men wear trousers and shirts and the women wear sarees and salwar suits. Many women and girls wear jeans and skirts too.
In Delhi you can meet people from all the states of our country. They live and work here. They speak different languages and celebrate their own festivals. Thus, we can call Delhi a Mini India.
The great east- west avenue is Rajpath culminating in Rashtrapati Bhavan (the president’s residence, originally built for the viceroy). The President’s official residence on Raisina Hill, is strictly private but its Mughal Gardens, laid out in 130 hectares, are thrown open to the public in February and March when the flowers are in bloom. Completed in 1929 the palace- like building is a blend of Mughal and Western architecture. Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and set in 330 acres of land this palace of 340 rooms is a comples of great courts, pillared porticos, marble- lined vestibules, magnificewnt state rooms, fountains and gardens. The magnificent Durbar hall, with its massive eight metre dome and marble wall is used for formal ceremonies.
Flanking rashtrapati Bhavan are the Secretariat buildings, which house a few of India’s army of bureaucrats. Nearby is the circular Sansad Bhavan the houses of Parliament; your embassy or high commission can provide a permit to visit. Parliament House is a circular colosseum with 144 pillars and measuring 570 ft. (174 metres) in diameter. The building contains two legislative chambers, the Lok Sabhab (Lower House) and Rajya Sabha (Upper House) and the Parliament Library. Permits to visit and sitin the public gallery are available from the reception office on Rajsina Road.
Along way down Rajpath is India Gate a 42m- high triumphal arch that is also a memorial to India’s dead of the First World War. On both sides of Rajpath are quiet and elegant residential areas where you could feel a million miles from Chandni Chowk. Built in honour of the 90,000 Indian soldiers who lost their lives in World War I, with their names inscribed all over it. Beneath it burns an eternal flame, the Amar Jawan Jyoti, as a tribute to these soldiers. Towards the end of the day, when the arch and the fountains at the India Gate lawns are illuminated with colourful lights it becomes a popular picnic spot providing a truly exhilarating experience. Not far from here, adjoining the Purana Qila, is the zoo, which is worth visiting to see the white tigers.
Once a part of the Aravalies, today Delhi has only the Ridge area to tell the story of the greenery this place once had. Delhi is actually a land locked area with the Himalayas to the North, Haryana on two sides and to the east, across the river Yamuna lies Uttar Pradesh. The river Yamuna runs through the centre of Delhi.
Both Old and New Delhi exert a beguiling charm on visitors. Lose yourself unwinding the secrets of the city's Mughal past in the labyrinthine streets of Old Delhi before emerging into the wide open spaces of imperial New Delhi, with its ordered governmental vistas and generous leafy avenues.
Delhi is the capital of India and the most important arrival point for foreign visitors. At the time of independence Delhi was a quiet British and Muslim city with a population of a around 500,000. As a result of Partition many Muslims left, and there was a huge influx of Punjabis, mostly Sikhs, who had been forced to leave their homes and wealth in what became Pakistan. Naturally enterprising and very hard working, they have made Delhi their city. The population is now over 10 million. It’s a bit brash and raucous. Happily, again under Punjab influence, it has a lively and welcoming air. Certainly a better place to arrive in India than Mumbai, which can be a bit of a culture shock.
Delightful Delhi, the capital city of India, has traditionally been the seat of administrative power of India. It is a bustling metropolis which is known to be devastanted and rebuilt many a times in written history. Here several dynasties rose and fell, leaving monument gifts to posterity. The Qila Rai Pithora, bequeathed by a Rajput king; the Qutb Minar, grand gesture of an Afghan King; the Red Fort that shah Jahan, the great Mughal built; the ruined old Fort where once the wise king sher shah lived; the glorious Jama Masjid, eloquent reminder of Mughal religious fervour; the tombs and mausolea in remembrance of ruling nobles and kings. It is all here to see, this slow march of history, carved in stone.
The old ‘dilli’ is not one but the seven cities Hindu and Moghul emperors gave India. In its great buildings, standing or in ruins, may be seen the glories of the empires of ages past. The New Delhi, the eight Delhi, Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker gave India. This is the Delhi, of a world which plans its every move. and Lutyens planned New Delhi, in all its geometrical symmetry, when city planning was still in its infancy. But despite all the planning that has gone into it, Delhi still has a majestic beauty and an old world charm. Far, away from New Delhi, a garden city that is one of the world’s most elegant capitals, old Delhi is ever present. Today’s Delhi blends its historic past with a virbrant present. Great monuments old and not so old lie side by side besides crisp nes office and residential buildings, harmonising the past with the present. Thus the city is a real delight for the tourist who wish to learn about the past and present of India and Indian people. Mirza ghalib the world renowned poet and son of Delhi, has rightly described this amazing city as "the soul in the body of the world".
Area : 1483 sq km
Population : 13,782,976 (2001 Census)
STD Code : 011
State: Delhi
Literacy: 81.82%
Welcome to New Delhi, the capital of India, the third largest city in the country. The sprawling city divided into Old Delhi and New Delhi, gives the feel of the old and the new, with its ancient historical monuments interspersed with soaring skyscrapers, embassies and bustling commercial complexes. In addition to its fascinating history and role as the government center, the city, is a major travel gate way. The city has extreme climates, immense heat waves during summer and chilly coldness during winter.
Given its central location and easy accessibility to several neighbouring states and sights (the Taj Mahal in Agra is a stone's throw away), the phrase 'Dilli door nahi hai' (Delhi is not too far away) takes on a whole new meaning. Geography apart, politics and history have never co-habited in such close proximity as they do in this National Capital Territory. The old and the new, the past and the present, the historical and political, live simultaneously as imposing Mughal structures provide the background for the great Indian political arena. Old Delhi flaunts its Mughal past with the Qutub Minar, the Red Fort, the Jami Masjid, the mausoleums of Humayun's tomb alongside the parliamentary buildings of New Delhi - Sansad Bhavan, Rashtrapati Bhavan, Rajpath. With a maze of bazaars that rival its historical and present day political intrigues, Delhi is a living paradox. Infamous for its crimes of passion, feudal Delhi stands for the brash and boisterous on one hand and for art and culture, on the other. The city has an active art and literary community, chic restaurants and nightclubs, haute couture, is not quite women-friendly, loves to eat well and live life kingsize. Love it or hate it, you can't ignore it. Time Zone:GMT +0530 (Indian Standard Time)
Latitude:28.37N
Longitude:77.13E
STD Code:11
Area:1,483 sq km / 573 sq miles
Population:13,850,507
Delhi is strategically located at the crossroads of northern India and, despite official moves to other places, has always been at the centre of events. Lacking any natural defences it has long been the target of invaders from the north- west. The Muslims, in the shape of the Pathans, first took it in 1192, it was raided by Tamurlane (or Timur) the Mongol in 1398, Sher Shah (an Afghan) deposed Humayun for a time, and the Persian Nadir Shah despoiled it in 1739. From then until the British took it from the Marathas in 1803, it was a story of constant decline and destruction. Despite heavy fighting during the Muntiny and the deposing of the last Mughal emperor in 1857, the British made little mark on Delhi until they decided to establish New Delhi as their capital. With independence this proved a fortuitous move as it would have been unthinkable for Indians to govern the country from one of the coastal cities.
It is believed that Delhi was the site of the city of Indraprastha, home to the Pandavas, over 3000 years ago. This early settlement is believed to have been close to the river Yamuna and existed on the spot where the Purana Quila stands today. There is evidence that Delhi lay on an important trunk route in the Mauryan period and was mentioned by Ptolemy as 'Dilli' after his visit in the second century AD. However, modern Delhi came into being under the Tomara Rajputs in the 12th century, and then flourished after they lost it to their rival clan, the Chauhans. Later, when Qutab-ud-din Aibak (who built the Qutub Minar) occupied the city in 1193, he ushered in six and a half centuries of Muslim rule. The Delhi Sultanate lasted from 1206 to 1526, despite its inconsistent rule, and was followed by the Mughals from 1526 to 1857. Old Delhi, as it is known today, was built during the reign of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (1628-1658). In 1803, the British captured Delhi, vesting power from the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar and installed a British administrator in his place. Delhi was not the capital of India at the time, but it was an important commercial centre and had a population of 150,000 by the start of the 20th century.
HOIST pull up a flag on a flagpole.
Delhi is the capital of India. The main offices of the Central Government are located here.
Delhi has many interesting places to visit.
Delhi is very hot in summer and very cold in winter.
All major Indian festivals are celebrated in Delhi.
It is believed that the city of Delhi was first built by the pandava kings. It was called Indraprastha. Thousands of years later, Emperor Shahjahan rebuilt the city and called it Shahjahanabad. New Delhi, planned by architect Edward Lutyens, was built as the capital of India by the English.
The National Capital Territory of Delhi, as it is now called, is surrounded by Uttar Pradesh in the east and Haryana on the other three sides. The main offices of the Governement of India are located in New Delhi.
The President of India lives in Rashtrapati Bhavan. It has many gardens. The most beautiful one is called the Mughal Garden.
There are two office blocks of the Central Secretariat where ministers have their offices. The Prime Minister’s office is in the South Block. Other ministers and departments of the Indian Government work from buildings around the South Block. The Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha hold their meetings in the Parliament House.
The governments of other countries also have offices in Delhi. Thes are known as Embassies or High Commissions.
Delhi today has the most modern Metro System in the world. Delhi is visited by tourists from all over the world. Old Delhi has many famous monuments. The Rred Fort and the Jama Masjid, ,made of red sandstone, were built by Shahjahan. On 15 August every year, the Prime Minister hoists the National Flag at the Red Fort. Jama Masjid is one of the biggest mosques in India.
Other interesting places to visit in Delhi are the Jantar Mantar, Qutub Minar, Humayun’s Tomb, Lodi Gardens, India Gate, Rajghat, Shanti Van, Nehru Planetarium, Shankar’s International Dolls Museum, the Zoo and Appu Ghar, Rajghat is the Samadhi of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of the Nation. The AMar Jawan Jyoti is a flame lit at India Gate. It burns all the time in memory of those Indians who sacrificed their lives for out country.
There are a large number of places of worship for all religions in Delhi. Some of these are Akshardham Temple, Birla Mandir, Lotus Temple, Gurudwara Sisganj, Gurudwara Bangla Sahib, Jama Masjid and St James Church.
Delhis is very hot in summer and very cold in winter. Hot and dry winds, called loo,blow in the months of may and June. It rains mostly between July and September.
All major Indian festivals are celebrated in Delhi-Diwali, Dussehra, Durga Puja, Holi, Id, Muharram, Christmas, Easter, Guruparv, Buddha Purnima, Mahavir Jayanti, Pongal, Onam, Chhat and Navroz. There is a grand parade on Republic Day.
Like most Indians living in other towns and cities, the men wear trousers and shirts and the women wear sarees and salwar suits. Many women and girls wear jeans and skirts too.
In Delhi you can meet people from all the states of our country. They live and work here. They speak different languages and celebrate their own festivals. Thus, we can call Delhi a Mini India.
About the city
Although Delhi was a popular capital for land invaders, the British were a sea- faring race and preferred to rule India from the three centers of Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata. However it was announced in 1911 that a move was to be made to Delhi, and Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker laid out a new city in the space between Shahjahanabad and the older cities to the south. New Delhi is a planned city on a grand scale with the main avenue 350m wide and more than 3km long. The new streets were aligned with exiting features so you will find a view of the Jama Masjid or Purana Qil along a modern road. Construction was delayed by the First World War, and it was 1931 when the government officially moved in.The great east- west avenue is Rajpath culminating in Rashtrapati Bhavan
Flanking rashtrapati Bhavan are the Secretariat buildings, which house a few of India’s army of bureaucrats. Nearby is the circular Sansad Bhavan
Along way down Rajpath is India Gate
Once a part of the Aravalies, today Delhi has only the Ridge area to tell the story of the greenery this place once had. Delhi is actually a land locked area with the Himalayas to the North, Haryana on two sides and to the east, across the river Yamuna lies Uttar Pradesh. The river Yamuna runs through the centre of Delhi.
Both Old and New Delhi exert a beguiling charm on visitors. Lose yourself unwinding the secrets of the city's Mughal past in the labyrinthine streets of Old Delhi before emerging into the wide open spaces of imperial New Delhi, with its ordered governmental vistas and generous leafy avenues.
Delhi is the capital of India and the most important arrival point for foreign visitors. At the time of independence Delhi was a quiet British and Muslim city with a population of a around 500,000. As a result of Partition many Muslims left, and there was a huge influx of Punjabis, mostly Sikhs, who had been forced to leave their homes and wealth in what became Pakistan. Naturally enterprising and very hard working, they have made Delhi their city. The population is now over 10 million. It’s a bit brash and raucous. Happily, again under Punjab influence, it has a lively and welcoming air. Certainly a better place to arrive in India than Mumbai, which can be a bit of a culture shock.
Delightful Delhi, the capital city of India, has traditionally been the seat of administrative power of India. It is a bustling metropolis which is known to be devastanted and rebuilt many a times in written history. Here several dynasties rose and fell, leaving monument gifts to posterity. The Qila Rai Pithora, bequeathed by a Rajput king; the Qutb Minar, grand gesture of an Afghan King; the Red Fort that shah Jahan, the great Mughal built; the ruined old Fort where once the wise king sher shah lived; the glorious Jama Masjid, eloquent reminder of Mughal religious fervour; the tombs and mausolea in remembrance of ruling nobles and kings. It is all here to see, this slow march of history, carved in stone.
The old ‘dilli’ is not one but the seven cities Hindu and Moghul emperors gave India. In its great buildings, standing or in ruins, may be seen the glories of the empires of ages past. The New Delhi, the eight Delhi, Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker gave India. This is the Delhi, of a world which plans its every move. and Lutyens planned New Delhi, in all its geometrical symmetry, when city planning was still in its infancy. But despite all the planning that has gone into it, Delhi still has a majestic beauty and an old world charm. Far, away from New Delhi, a garden city that is one of the world’s most elegant capitals, old Delhi is ever present. Today’s Delhi blends its historic past with a virbrant present. Great monuments old and not so old lie side by side besides crisp nes office and residential buildings, harmonising the past with the present. Thus the city is a real delight for the tourist who wish to learn about the past and present of India and Indian people. Mirza ghalib the world renowned poet and son of Delhi, has rightly described this amazing city as "the soul in the body of the world".
Location
Delhi is located in the northern part of the India and extends between 28.380 N latitude and longitude 77.120 E. It is encircled by the North Indian state of Utta Pradesh in the east and by the state of Haryana in the other three sides.Demography
Delhi’s population has more than doubled between 1970 (3.53 million) and 1990 (8.62 million), and has increased to about 12.77 million by the year 2000 (UN, 1989). In 1981, the city covered an area of nearly 591.9 sq.km. With a population density of about 9,647 persons per sq.km.Welcome to New Delhi, the capital of India, the third largest city in the country. The sprawling city divided into Old Delhi and New Delhi, gives the feel of the old and the new, with its ancient historical monuments interspersed with soaring skyscrapers, embassies and bustling commercial complexes. In addition to its fascinating history and role as the government center, the city, is a major travel gate way. The city has extreme climates, immense heat waves during summer and chilly coldness during winter.
Given its central location and easy accessibility to several neighbouring states and sights (the Taj Mahal in Agra is a stone's throw away), the phrase 'Dilli door nahi hai' (Delhi is not too far away) takes on a whole new meaning. Geography apart, politics and history have never co-habited in such close proximity as they do in this National Capital Territory. The old and the new, the past and the present, the historical and political, live simultaneously as imposing Mughal structures provide the background for the great Indian political arena. Old Delhi flaunts its Mughal past with the Qutub Minar, the Red Fort, the Jami Masjid, the mausoleums of Humayun's tomb alongside the parliamentary buildings of New Delhi - Sansad Bhavan, Rashtrapati Bhavan, Rajpath. With a maze of bazaars that rival its historical and present day political intrigues, Delhi is a living paradox. Infamous for its crimes of passion, feudal Delhi stands for the brash and boisterous on one hand and for art and culture, on the other. The city has an active art and literary community, chic restaurants and nightclubs, haute couture, is not quite women-friendly, loves to eat well and live life kingsize. Love it or hate it, you can't ignore it.
Fast Facts
Orientation
Delhi is located in Northern India and is bordered by the states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. It may be divided into two parts --Old Delhi and New Delhi. The former is the 17th century walled city sprinkled with remnants of the past --city gates and labyrinths, the Red Fort, Jami Masjid, temples, mosques, bazaars and the legendary Chandni Chowk. New Delhi, in contrast, is starkly modern and is characterised by the circular Connaught Place whose connecting streets are filled with offices and hotels. New Delhi may be further divided into business and residential areas around Connaught Place and government areas around Rajpath to the south with the India Gate at one end and the Indian parliament building at the other.History
Delhi, the capital of India before and after independence has perhaps seen, more of history than any other city in India. It was first created as the capital of an independent kingdom by the Tomars in 736 AD. Delhi changed hands at the end of the 12th century and passed on to the Muslim conquerors. The city of Delhi went under the British in 1803 Ad. In 1956, Delhi was converted into a union territory. However, in 1991, the national capital territory Act was passed by the parliament, and the actual enforcement of the legislation came in 1993.Delhi is strategically located at the crossroads of northern India and, despite official moves to other places, has always been at the centre of events. Lacking any natural defences it has long been the target of invaders from the north- west. The Muslims, in the shape of the Pathans, first took it in 1192, it was raided by Tamurlane (or Timur) the Mongol in 1398, Sher Shah (an Afghan) deposed Humayun for a time, and the Persian Nadir Shah despoiled it in 1739. From then until the British took it from the Marathas in 1803, it was a story of constant decline and destruction. Despite heavy fighting during the Muntiny and the deposing of the last Mughal emperor in 1857, the British made little mark on Delhi until they decided to establish New Delhi as their capital. With independence this proved a fortuitous move as it would have been unthinkable for Indians to govern the country from one of the coastal cities.
It is believed that Delhi was the site of the city of Indraprastha, home to the Pandavas, over 3000 years ago. This early settlement is believed to have been close to the river Yamuna and existed on the spot where the Purana Quila stands today. There is evidence that Delhi lay on an important trunk route in the Mauryan period and was mentioned by Ptolemy as 'Dilli' after his visit in the second century AD. However, modern Delhi came into being under the Tomara Rajputs in the 12th century, and then flourished after they lost it to their rival clan, the Chauhans. Later, when Qutab-ud-din Aibak (who built the Qutub Minar) occupied the city in 1193, he ushered in six and a half centuries of Muslim rule. The Delhi Sultanate lasted from 1206 to 1526, despite its inconsistent rule, and was followed by the Mughals from 1526 to 1857. Old Delhi, as it is known today, was built during the reign of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan (1628-1658). In 1803, the British captured Delhi, vesting power from the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar and installed a British administrator in his place. Delhi was not the capital of India at the time, but it was an important commercial centre and had a population of 150,000 by the start of the 20th century.
Modern History
When King George V came to India for his coronation in 1911, Delhi was made capital and New Delhi, with its grand houses, parliamentary buildings and public offices was built amid great fanfare. In 1931, Delhi was officially inaugurated as the capital of Britain's largest colony only to be relinquished 16 years later to the new government of India, during Independence, and to be devastated by the Partition. Delhi was transformed from a predominantly Muslim city of less than a million inhabitants to a largely Hindu city of almost two million.Recent History
Today, Delhi continues to be the capital and India's seat of power. Delhi has had its share of communal tension well after Partition, during the anti-Sikh riots that ripped through the city after the assassination of Indira Gandhi in 1984. Today, Delhi has expanded to include the newly established and rapidly growing satellite cities of Noida and Gurgaon that are made up of new offices, snazzy malls and luxury apartments.New Words
ARCHITECT one who designs buildingsHOIST pull up a flag on a flagpole.
