Delhi's colourful history and its legacy of monuments inspired the British to build their new capital here. If India represented for the British that portion of their empire on which "the sun never sets" then for Edwin Lutyens, the world famous architect commissioned to design New Delhi, the finished city was the "Rome of Hindoostan". Thanks to his foresight Delhi is a city of space, of light and greenery, of wide avenues and garden vistas and fountains and plazas.
Today Delhi is a megalopolis, the Ring Road that once contained it having been breached, and the city has spread like a ripple into the neighbouring states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
Besides respecting and incorporating tradition in the new buildings, Lutyens preserved as landmarks and marks of identity the grand ruins of the seven cities that existed at different times on this historic site. So when the visitor drives through Delhi, he can glimpse them in the picturesque and well-preserved old monuments that dot the city.
For example, Purana Quila was Indraprastha mentioned in the epic Mahabharata. The ramparts of the old fort founded by the Pandavas in 1450 BC dwarf the ritzy area of Mathura Road.
Modern Delhi is cosmopolitan and offers the visitor a range of activities, from sightseeing and walks in the numerous gardens to shopping and entertainment. Delhi is a city where you can suit your pace and your purse. You have a choice of dining in dhabbas (cheap eateries meant for blue collar workers) or in glitzy (and ruinously expensive) 5-star restaurants.
Theatre, music and shows from all over the world provide choice entertainment through the year. Once Connaught Place was the commercial hub of the city but today nearly every suburban neighbourhood is self-contained, offering shops and eateries and entertainment.
Delhi is well connected by air, road and train to all the other cities of India. Major international carriers also service Delhi. It is especially convenient to use the city as a base for travel to Western and Northern India.
The epic Mahabharata refers to Delhi as Indraprastha, supposed to have been founded by the Pandavas in 1450 B.C. Indraprastha's remains have been excavated within the ramparts of the Old Fort (Purana Qila).
Around 320 AD when India was known as the Golden Bird, the Gupta and the Maurya dynasties, mesmerised by the elegant vistas of Delhi also ruled from Indraprastha till the Muslim invasion in the latter half of the 12th century. It was taken over by the Muslim slave kings. The Khaljis ruled for over a century and built a new capital Siri, in 1302 AD where today stands the imposing Siri Fort area and the Asian Games Village.
After the Khaljis, the Tughlaks in the early 15th century increased building activity in Indraprastha with the construction of the Tughlakabad Fort (built by Ghyias-ud-din Tughlak). In addition Ghyias-ud-din Tughlak's successors established two new cities - Jahanpanah (asylum of the world) and Ferozabad (Kotla Ferozeshah).
The first Mughal conqueror and emperor, Babar, chose Agra for his capital, although his son, Humayun, returned to Delhi and built the Purana Qila as his fort and seat of governance. Then came the Suri dynasty, with Sher Shah Suri choosing to remain in Delhi, which he rebuilt in 1542 A.D, with its centre also in Purana Qila.
This was roughly the time when the capital got its name Dilli, although some historians attribute it to Raja Dillu who was supposed to have ruled in this area as far back as 100 BC Although the next Mughal emperor, Akbar, preferred to shift back to Agra and Fathepur Sikri, his son, Jehangir preferred Delhi and began work on building the historic Red Fort (Lal Qila) in 1638 A.D.
But long before all this during the 11th century AD, a Hindu King, Anangpal is credited to have built the first city, Lal Kot and after them the Lodi dynasty is supposed to have set up of the sixth of the seven cities around the still-existing Lodi tombs.
The seven unique cities of Delhi were Lal Kot, Siri, Tughlakabad, (the ruined fortress east of the imposing Qutab Minar said to have become a ghost city 15 years after it was built following a supposed curse from the Sufi saint, Azam-ud-din) Jahanpanah, Ferozeshah Kotla, Lodi Tombs and the Purana Qila.