My Beloved City of Delhi

Delhi is the city which mesmerizes each time one dwells upon its history. Its coexistence of historicity with modernity is what makes it unique. It has an incredible, splendid and composite heritage. Historically speaking, Delhi is an amalgamation of 8 cities including the modern city of New Delhi. 

Apart from the city of New Delhi, the other 7 historical cities of Delhi are:

  • Qila Rai Pithora – First city of Delhi dating to 10th Century AD. Anangpal, a Tomar Ruler is credited to have founded Delhi with its first city designed around Lal Kot.
  • Mehrauli
  • Siri
  • Tughlaqabad
  • Firozabad
  • Shergarh (City around Purana Qila)
  • Shahjehanabad

India Gate: The Memorial for Indian Soldiers

The historical city of Delhi was devastated a few centuries ago due to excesses of its rulers. Urdu poet Mir Taqi Mir penned for his beloved city of Delhi while yearning for it-

"दिल्ली जो इक शहर था आलम में इन्तख़ाब,
रहते थे मुंतखिब ही जहां रोज़गार के,
जिस को फ़लक ने लूट के वीरान कर दिया;
हम रहने वाले हैं उसी उजड़े दयार के।"

(Delhi was the best city in the universe, where once dwelled the most distinguished men.
I am a denizen of that ravaged realm, which was devastated by fate's excesses.)

With the modern infrastructural developments all around the city since the time of British and post-independence, city of Delhi has been significantly modernized. The imperial city of Delhi was designed by Edward Lutyens and Herbert Baker. The city of New Delhi is a blend of two dominant themes of the City Beautiful (vistas) and the Garden City (verdure).  A tour in and around Delhi gives a pride-infusing experience. As the capital of India, it is well connected with the rest of India through all the major modes of transport. 


It's age old architecture and its history encompassing more than a millennium are captivating. This has always attracted the attention of the great rulers of India towards making this as their capital. While some succeeded in their endeavors, some just fell in love and had to depart with a broken heart. But in either of the cases, they gave the future generations many more reasons to be truly amazed by its beautiful architecture. These events reinforced the correspondence between the history of Delhi and history of India. This is what drives people to come and experience the city of Delhi.

 The city of Delhi is loved by one and all alike. It belongs to everyone. It's art & cultural heritage is a melting pot of cultural experience from all over the India. It's architectural beauty is splendid. It has many structures which exemplify Mughal and British architecture. Delhi is home to 3 of the 32 World Heritage Sites in India- Qutub Minar, Humayun’s Tomb and Red Fort. 

Humayun's Tomb: A masterpiece of Mughal Architecture
Delhi has everything that a city can boast of. It is located strategically on an important ancient Silk trade route with river Yamuna and northern range of Aravalli Hills serving as its boundaries. Archaeologically, it is one of the richest city off India with vast surviving historical landscape. History of Delhi relates us and gives us a sense of connectivity while the overwhelming aesthetic of the city of New Delhi redefines the architecture and urbanism of Delhi. It is, without doubt, a city of international significance. It is a living city while it accommodates remains of its history in different states of preservation. City Planning and the urban fabric of Delhi has been influenced by Islamic, Persian and Hindu principles. All of this make the city outstanding and unique. 

As the capital of India, it is well connected with the rest of India through all the major modes of transport. It has an ever increasing demand of transportation and infrastructure which needs to be built and re-built to cater to its needs. Delhi Metro and eco-friendly CNG buses have responded well to the state of affairs. Delhi Metro has well connected different parts of Delhi. It has further added to the design quotient of Delhi and increased the mobility and drive of the city of Delhi. But there are still many concerns related to the city including the increasing environmental pollution. These concerns significantly affect the drive and connect of the city with its people. Hopefully Delhi will come up with the solutions well in time. 

To sum it all up, I would like to quote poet Mir once again-

"दिल्ली के न थे कूचे, औराक़-ए-मुसव्वर थे;
जो शकल नज़र आई, तस्वीर नज़र आई।"

(Charming were the streets of Delhi, like a work of art.
Every figure I met was a masterpiece. )

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is an entry to the #madeofgreat Zonal War. 

Picture Credits: These beautiful pictures have been clicked by my dear friend Kanchan Dixit. She blogs at Kataaksh. 

Comments

  1. Kanchan Dixit12:01 AM, December 14, 2015

    Brilliant!! Well composed content in a systematic way. This certainly gives glimpses of Delhi from time to time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aditya Kumar Tiwari12:05 AM, December 14, 2015

      Thanks. :)

      Well, the glimpses have been awesomely clicked by you!

      Delete

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