[jyotirmoy]

The city of Delhi had been destroyed many times in the past and like a phoenix it has always risen from the ash in new avtar. The Dervishes of Delhi believe that the city of Delhi is a city of Dijnns and every part of this city is haunted by the Djinns. The powerful Dijnns love Delhi so much that they have never allowed the city to be abandoned.


Qila Rai Pithora

Although  Delhi  had  been a thriving city for several centuries, the ' first city '  of  Delhi  dating  to  10th century gets its recognition  due  to  the availability  of  recorded  historical facts.  Qila Rai Pithora  was  created by Prithviraj Chauhan, also  known as Rai Pithora,  the popular  hero  of  the stories  of Hindu resistance  against  Muslim   invaders.   Prithviraj's ancestors  captured  Delhi  from  the  Tomar  Rajputs  who   have  been
credited  with founding Delhi. Anangpal,  a Tomar ruler possibly created the first known  regular  defense - work in Delhi called  Lal Kot  -  which Prithviraj  took  over  and  extended  for  his city  Qila  Rai Pithora.  The ruins  of   the   fort   ramparts  are  still  partly visible in the area around Qutab Minar. I have written about how blind Prithviraj shot an arrow which hit Ghori. More on Prithviraj here

Mehrauli

Prithviraj Chauhan  was  defeated  and  killed  in  battle by Mohammed Ghori in 1192,   who  left  his  slave  Qutubuddin Aibak as his viceroy in India. In 1193, Qutubuddin Aibak  captured  Delhi, which was still in the hands  of  the  Chauhans.  After the death of Mohammed Ghori in 1206, Qutubuddin  enthroned  himself  as  the  first sultan of Delhi - Delhi thus became the capital of Mamluk or the Slave dynasty, the first dynasty of  Muslim sultans  to  rule   over northern  India.  From  the date of its new captors, Delhi felt  the  impact of their culture and faith and continued to do  so  for  the next six  and  a  half  centuries.   Much  of  this  was  in architecture, as Qutubuddin set about to create Mehrauli, by destroying Hindu  temples  and  building  Islamic  structures  in their place. One of these  was  the  tower  of  victory  -  the 72.5 m tall Qutab Minar, finally
completed in 1220 AD,  which  still  stands.  Around  Qutab  Minar  are several ruins from the 11th and 12th c,including the mausoleum of Saint Qutubuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki,  Shamsi  Talab, a  mosque  and  tombs  of rulers. Qutubuddin's  heirs  reigned  until  1290; Razia Sultan, his grand daughter who ruled for a mere three years is a historic figure as the first woman empress of India. I had written about this exceptional lady earlier

More here...



Siri

  The  'Slave'  dynasty  of  Qutubuddin  was  followed by the line of Khilji rulers .  Among  the six rulers  of  the  Khilji  dynasty, Allauddin Khilji is the most well - known -who extended his dominion down southern India too, and created the third city of Delhi, Siri.The Saljuqian influences are the most remarkable feature in the buildings from this period.This came about as craftsmen from the  Saljuqian  dynasty  in  west  Asia  reeling
under Mongol  invasions  took  refuge in the Delhi court and contributed to  its  architecture.  A  large reservoir  called  Hauz Khas  was another accomplishment of  city of Siri. A madrasa  (college) was also  created here by later rulers. Hauz Khas today is a  complex  of  chic  boutiques against   the   ruins   of  an  ancient  fort  while  Siri  is  represented  by stretches of thick stone walls.

Tughlakabad
More on Tughlakabad

   In  the  1320s  Ghiasuddin Tughlak ,  a  Turk  governor who had his strong hold  in  the  western provinces  invaded  Delhi,  and won  it from Nasiruddin Mohammed(a Pawar Rajput who had adopted Islam and had gained  kinghood by slaining the last Khilji ruler). Tughlak, known  as  a headstrong mad tyrant, created the third city of  Tughlakabad.  He  created a fort here (the splendid ruins still remain ) with high battlements and   his descendant Mohammad Tughlak went on  to   capture   much  of  India. He also raised a city,   Jahanpanah,  which  largely comprised a walled enclosure between Qila Rai Pithora and Siri.   This is sometimes called the fourth city of Delhi. Tughlakabad, however, continued to be the main city.  There  were  eleven  rulers from the  Tughlak dynasty but only the first three generations were interested in architecture-raising  mosques, caravansarais, madrasas and laying canals.

Firozabad

One of the Tughlak rulers,Firoze Tughlak created the fourth city of Delhi , Firozabad or Kotla Firoze Shah next to the river Yamuna.  This  was a large  enclosure  of  high  walls ,  containing  palaces ,   pillared  halls , mosques,  a pigeon  tower and  a water tank.  On the top of his palace, Firoze planted  an  Ashokan  pillar  from  1500 years  ago. He also built several  hunting lodges in and around Delhi, as well as mosques, some of which still remain. Apart from raising new buildings, Firoze Shah also repaired old ones,such as Sultan Ghori's tomb,Qutub Minar,Suraj Kund and Hauz Khas. ( Firoze Shah's tomb, a  lofty  structure,  lies in Hauz - Khas. )  After  Firoze Shah's  death,  the  sultanate  became  politically unstable and in  1398, the Turk ruler of Samarkand Taimur invaded India
- creating havoc in the cities of Delhi, looting, killing and plundering.  He captured Firozabad,  prayed at the mosque and went back  to  Samar - kand with the goodies. Today, Kotla Firoze Shah is famous for its sports stadium - a common venue for cricket matches.  The Sayyid  and Lodhi dynasties that followed the Tughlak dynasty were  far  more  concerned with restoring stability than patronisation  of arts or architecture. Tombs
erected  in  the  honour  of  the  rulers are the only monuments of these times (most famous: the tombs at the Lodhi Garden).Architectural glory returned with the Mughals.

Shergarh

What is known as the Purana Qila today,was the creation of Sher Shah when he wrested Delhi from Humayun in 1540,the second Mughal king. It  was  originally being built by Humayun as his capital Dinpanah. Sher Shah razed Dinpanah to the ground and started building his own capital introducing  ornate  elements  in  architecture.  Delhi  was won back by Humayun not very many years later in 1555 and  he completed parts of the Purana  Qila  left  unfinished  by  Sher Shah.The ruins of  Humayun and Sher Shah's creations are  today  a  big tourist attraction - a sound and light show is held here in the evenings and the well-laid parks are a delight to walk on.


Shahjehanabad

  Humayun's  son   Akbar  is  known  as  one  of  the  greatest  Mughal emperors . However, he concentrated his construction feats in Agra and the later abandoned city Fatehpur Sikri. It was his grandson Shahjehan,  who created  the  city of  Shahjehanabad,   the  seventh  city of  Delhi - in the area that is now known  as  Old  Delhi.  The  Jama  Masjid  and  the  Red  Fort  are  two excellent examples of the  architectural  splendour  of  the  17th c.  The intricate  lanes  of the 'walled city', its bazaars and  way  of  living seem to exist  in  a  time  warp.  Indeed, the remains of Shahjehanabad are a must-do for tourists.

[Shilpaks]

wowow jyotida this is very insightful, thank you

[Shashank]

Dada has not yet touched on Mythical Indraprastha OR Lutyens Delhi OR our own New Delhi...

There is something about this city that it lives on, most of the cities in the world (or maybe all) which date back to the same Era as Delhi are no longer on the maps..but it lives own, growing and thriving metropolis..

[jyotirmoy]

Bhai Shashank that Mythical Indraprastha is a much disputed thing. Excavations at places mentioned in the Mahabharata has only shown one similiarity, the use of painted grey pottery. Going by that the civilisation that existed comes no where to the grandeurs mentioned in the epic.
I have written only about the tiimes when Delhi was rebuilt. Lutyen's Delhi started from the drawing boards in Shahajahanabad, and our New Delhi grew out of Lutyen's Delhi

[Shashank]

I know Dada..that is the reason I used the work 'Mythical'..

Btw..Shahajahanabad is what we call Old Delhi, so how can we relate Lutyens and Old Delhi

PS : Thats another story that Lutyen had very little to do with Lutyen's Delhi...however we will touch on it later..

[jyotirmoy]

Lutyen lived in Old Delhi and worked from there to plan & build the new city.

[iwanttogoback]

[quote]PS : Thats another story that Lutyen had very little to do with Lutyen's Delhi...however we will touch on it later.. /quote]

i'm looking forward to that one shashank, don't forget!

[Shashank]

Dada...kaisi kaise Baatein karte ho...

If anyone has to make a new city then he has to live someplace...the people who designed and worked on Shahjehanabad must have lived and worked from Shergarh...people who made Shergarh must have worked from Firozabad...

[jyotirmoy]

Shashank, on Nov 29 2007, 11:37 AM, said:

Dada...kaisi kaise Baatein karte ho...

If anyone has to make a new city then he has to live someplace...the people who designed and worked on Shahjehanabad must have lived and worked from Shergarh...people who made Shergarh must have worked from Firozabad...

Absolutely pure logic

[jyotirmoy]

It was in 1922 that New Delhi was coming up, most Brits were then living in the old Delhi civil lines. Offices were functioning from tin huts altho the officer's were living in beautiful bungalows.
Lutyen had a big dislike of the Mughal architecture and called it  ill-constructed building and tiresome to the Western intelligence. The same person did the woderful fusion of East & West in his design of the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

[Shashank]

Rashtrapati Bhawan, however majestic it is, has never been popular among purists...

Infact Lutyen (pronounced as Lutchen) was a pure businessman from England, who through unscrupulous means was able to bag the contract for his architectural firm...

In the entire area known as Lutyen's Delhi, he designed only one or 2 buildings. He was against building Rashtrapati Bhawan on Raisina Hill, he didn't want the roads to be lined up with the trees (the very hallmark of the area)..and there were numerous other such things...

Edited by Shashank, 30 November 2007 - 11:45 AM.

[jyotirmoy]

Why Bhai Shashank it had not been popular among purists?

[Shashank]

because of the mixed Architecture. It might look good to our untrained eye, but professionals feel that it has not been done properly..

But again, all this information cannot be first hand, these are the details which I can recall from an Article I read in Outlook few months back..

Edited by Shashank, 01 December 2007 - 09:23 AM.

[Aishah]

A really interesting and fascinating Topic, Jyotirmoy. And Shashank your comments on 'modern' Delhi also thought provoking.This is wonderful for an understanding of the history of Delhi and her buildings. I'm saving this to read again later off-line at leisure.