History

During the course of history, Delhi has been ruled by several dynasties. It was destroyed by so many invaders during their raids, but every time, the city rose again. Delhi served as the capital of several empires, although with different names. Delhi has now progressed to modernism and given the people enough strength to rebuild their lives and move on.

Delhi Timeline
Delhi has been mentioned in the ancient text ‘Mahabharata’ as Indraprastha, the capital city of the Pandavas. Since then it has seen seven dynasties and one colonial power. Phases of Delhi timeline are Tomaras-Chauhans (736-1192 AD), Mamluks (1206-90 AD), Khilji (1290-1320 AD), Tughlaqs (1320-1413 AD), Sayyids (1414-51 AD), Lodhis (1451-1526 AD), Mughals (1526–1857 AD) and the British (1857-1947 AD).

The Naming Ceremony
The name Delhi is thought to be derived from the ancient name ‘Dhillika’ but another version says that it was inspired by the name of King Dihlu who founded the ancient Delhi in 800 BC. It had eight cities within its periphery, four of which are located around the present day South Delhi. The cities were called Indraprastha, Lal Kot or Quila Rai Pithora, Siri, Jahanpanah, Tughluqabad, Ferozabad, Dinapanah, Delhi Sher Shahi or then Shahjahanabad and the current New Delhi.

Recent History
In early 19th century, the British were gaining power in India and after the 1857 rebellion, they decided to shift their capital to Delhi, but could do so only in mid-1920s. The last Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, was exiled to Myanmar (erstwhile Rangoon) and died there. The British restructured the infrastructure here and built the guidelines of a modern democracy. Though they were the first ones to introduce then contemporary things like trains and education for females, they also left a few scars. India gained independence on the midnight of 15th August 1947.

Post Independence
Post independence, Delhi has become a potboiler of sorts for people of the entire country and truly lives up to the name of the capital city with some of the brightest brains in the country.