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Delhi is Capital of India and second-largest
city in India.
Located on the banks of river Yamuna in northern
India, Delhi has been continuously inhabited
since at least the 6th century BC, according
to archaeological evidence. After the rise of
the Delhi Sultanate, Delhi emerged as a major
political, cultural and commercial city along
the trade routes between northwest India and
the Indo-Gangetic plains.
History of Delhi City
Human habitation was probably present in
and around Delhi during the second millennium
BC and before, as evidenced by archeological
relics. The city is believed to be the site
of Indraprastha, legendary capital of the Pandavas
in the Indian epic Mahabharata. Settlements
grew from the time of the Mauryan Empire (c.
300 BC). Remains of seven major cities have
been discovered in Delhi. The Tomara dynasty
founded the city of Lal Kot in 736 AD. The Chauhan
Rajputs of Ajmer conquered Lal Kot in 1180 AD
and renamed it Qila Rai Pithora. The Chauhan
king Prithviraj III was defeated in 1192 by
the Afghan Muhammad Ghori. In 1206, Qutb-ud-din
Aybak, the first ruler of the Slave Dynasty
established the Delhi Sultanate. Qutb-ud-din
started the construction the Qutub Minar and
Quwwat-al-Islam (might of Islam), the earliest
extant mosque in India. After the fall of the
Slave dynasty, a succession of Turkic and Central
Asian dynasties, the Khilji dynasty, the Tughluq
dynasty, the Sayyid dynasty and the Lodhi dynasty
held power in the late medieval period, and
built a sequence of forts and townships that
are part of the seven cities of Delhi. In 1398,
Timur Lenk invaded India on the pretext that
the Muslim sultans of Delhi were too much tolerant
to their Hindu subjects. Timur entered Delhi
and the city was sacked, destroyed, and left
in ruins. Delhi was a major center of Sufism
during the Sultanate period. In 1526, Zahiruddin
Babur defeated the last Lodhi sultan in the
First Battle of Panipat and founded the Mughal
Empire that ruled from Delhi, Agra and Lahore.
Transport in Delhi City
Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) is
situated in the southwestern corner of Delhi
and serves as the main gateway for the city's
domestic and international civilian air traffic.
Public transport in Delhi is provided by buses,
auto rickshaws and a rapid transit system. Buses
are the most popular means of transport catering
to about 60% of the total demand. The Delhi
Metro, a mass rapid transit system built and
operated by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC),
serves many parts of Delhi.
Culture Delhi city
Delhi's culture has been influenced by its
lengthy history and historic association as
the capital of India. This is exemplified by
the many monuments of significance found in
the city; the Archaeological Survey of India
recognises 175 monuments in Delhi as national
heritage sites.
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