New Delhi: While the British sealed it as the capital of modern India, Delhi has for centuries been the power and nerve centre of the regimes that ruled the country, each one of them leaving behind an imprint on the heritage of the historic city.
So, while the British brought back the capital to Delhi only 100 years ago, the city`s role as the political pivot dates right back to over 3000 years, much before the trace of recorded history can be found.
New Delhi celebrates 100 years of its existence on Monday.
From the Pandavas, who according to belief, set up their fort Indraprastha on the banks of river Yamuna around the present day Old Fort, to Mughal emperor Shah Jahan who made Shahjehanabad his seat, Delhi has traditionally been the capital city of the Indian empire. Having witnessed the rise and fall of many empires, the city also became the home of their remnants, with everyone from the Slave dynasty of the 13th century, Tughlaqs of the 14th century, Lodis of the 15th century and the British leaving their imprint on the city.
The several cities -- at least eight -- stand side by side in the present day megapolis, with the plethora of monuments bearing the imprints of their respective rulers and eras.
Largely recognised as the first city of Delhi is Qila Rai Pithora set up by Prithviraj Chauhan in the 10th century.
While the Tomar dynasty is believed to have operated from Lal Kot in Mehrauli in the eighth century, the same city became the centre of the Slave dynasty in the 12th century, when Qutubuddin Aibak and his successor Iltutmish built the magnificent Qutub Minar, one of the major attractions of the city and a UNESCO world heritage site. After the Slave dynasty, a succession of Turkish, Central Asian and Afghan dynasties, -- the Khiljis, the Tughlaqs, the Sayyids and the Lodis, held sway over Delhi and built a series of forts and townships.
Siri, the third city of Delhi emerged during the rule of the Khiljis, with the Turko-Afghan dynasty bringing with it Seljuq influences in architecture, a remarkable feature in the buildings of this period.
Not far away from Mehrauli stand the ruins of the Tughlaqabad fort, built in the 14th century by Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq, the founder of the city of Tughlaqabad in what is south Delhi on Saturday.
However, the fourth ruler of the Tughlaq dynasty chose to make Ferozshah Kotla his capital, establishing the Ferozshah Fort, whose magnificent ruins form the backdrop of the international cricket ground adjoining it.
While Mughal rule in Delhi stretched from the mid 16th century to roughly the mid 19th century, the small interruption that brought in Sher Shah Suri, resulted in the establishment of the Purana Qila, in what was then called Shergarh.
However, Delhi`s architecture was dominated by Mughal influence in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries who brought in a distinct amalgamation of Persian, Turkish and Indian styles, seen evidently in the monuments of that period -- the Jama Masjid and the Red Fort -- in the walled city area.
One of the longest inhabited cities of the world, Delhi packs in itself centuries of history wrapped up in layers, but it was the British empire that gave the city its modern day capital and seat of power -- New Delhi.
When the British shifted their capital from Kolkata in 1911, they brought Victorian era grandeur to the city, with the magnificence of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, and the Parliament House adding yet another dimension to the melting pot called Delhi. PTI