| Seven major previous capital cities make up today’s Delhi, the sight that has ruled India off and on for the last 1400 years. |
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The most famous rulers of India who have used Delhi as their seat of influence and power over India have included the Guptas in the 7th Century who’s expertise in metallurgy constructed the finest mixed metal pillar in the ancient world (located at the Qutub Minar complex) and whose gold coinage gave the world the first real avant-garde style. The Tomaras in the 8th to mid-12th Century and the Chouhans from the mid to latter 12th Century who gave Northern India its first formalized Sanskrit Colleges and Libraries and formed the basis of the Rajput architectural ideal. |
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| Muhammed Ghori briefly at the end of the 12th to beginning of the 13th Century, The Slave Dynasty that established the Delhi Sultanate constructed the awe inspiring Qutab Minar and fused Islamic art principals with the Rajput aesthetic to create a new architectural style that is still present in India today. The Khilji Dynasty, Tughluq Dynasty and Lodhi Dynasty all briefly ruled Northern India from Delhi and by the mid-16th Century the Mughals took control and established the Mughal Empire here. |
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| Emperor Shah Jahan established Delhi as an official capital in 1638 by building Shahjahanabad (presently Old Delhi). It remained the capital of Imperial Mughal India until 1857. |
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| The Red Fort and Jama Masjid |
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| Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned such architectural jewels as the Red Fort and Jama Masjid (Friday Mosque). |
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| Construction on the Red Fort began in 1638 and took 10 years to build. It was named the Qila-i-Mubarak or blessed fort as it became a royal residence. The building became one of Emperor Shah Jahan’s finest building achievements with mesmerizingly large walls and ramparts as the façade and inlayed gemstones in marble and sandstone covering the walls in intricate patterns in the interior. Fine fountains and cooling systems incorporated through the floors for hot summer days and an overall opulence and size to intimidate and influence subjects and visiting dignitaries. |
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| The sandstone carved Jama Masjid was originally called the Masjid-i Jahan-Numa and was commissioned by Emperor Shah Jahan and completed in 1650. A one million rupee price tag and Five-thousand artisans and labourers working for seven years completed it making the largest mosque at the time in the world. Twenty-five thousand persons can pray here at a time under its 41 meter high minarets and eight domes decorated in purple and white marbles. |
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| Present day Shahjahanabad (the Old City of Delhi) |
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To wander the old city of Delhi is a highlight of a visit to India’s capital. The sprawling Chandi Chowk bazaar has some of the finest Mughal cuisine in the country. Sweets, meats, and pastries are along a myriad group of lanes by restaurateurs who’s families have produced delicacies here for centuries. |
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| The Dariba Kalan or Jewellers street has the atmosphere of the Imperial era and the publishers street has book copies on almost any South Asian subject from the last 2 millennium, directly from the publishers who printed them. Piles of spices, tea, textiles and bottled perfumes are sold by hundreds of small shops throughout the bazaar. |
