Online Encyclopedia
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital of India, and is part of the National capital territory of Delhi. It is the seat of governance of the world's largest liberal democracy. New Delhi is the third largest metropolis in India.
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History
The name originates from the Persian word 'Dilli', which was the original name of the city. Historical evidence suggests that the area has been settled for atleast 2,500 years. In the 12th century, the Chauhans took control of Dilli. In 1193, Qutab-ud-din Aibak took control of Dilli and ushered in six and a half centuries of Muslim rule. He built the Qutub Minar in 1199. The Delhi Sultanate lasted from 1206 to 1526 while the Moghuls ruled from 1526 to 1857. Lal Qila (Red Fort) and Jama Masjid were built during the rule of the Moghul emperor Shah Jahan (1628-1658). The British captured Dilli in 1803 since when it probably came to be known as Delhi. The city was planned and built as a capital city, and was so named when the then British rulers moved the capital of British India to it in 1911 from Calcutta. It was built to the south of the then-existing urban area (including Shahjahanabad , and sometimes today known as 'old Delhi' or the 'old city'), on a site among the ruins of ancient Delhis.
The plan of the city was developed by architect Edwin Lutyens. Most of the institutions of the central government of India are still located in this area, in grand buildings designed by Lutyens or Herbert Baker .
The visiting French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau, looking around at the half-built capital rising around him, is reported to have said, "this will be the greatest ruin of them all."
Geography
Culture
Tourist Attractions
Government
Transport
The New Delhi Metro was introduced on the Christmas Day of 2002, serving the urban area. The system is planned to be completed in 2022.