Delhi: Biography of a City

This book is the study of human dealings with other human beings and the adjustment of working relationship between human groups. Delhi is a historical and ancient city. Its history and institutions form an unbroken chain by which its past is linked with the present. The battle-fields of Kurukshetra and Panipat have often decided the fate of Delhi and ultimately the whole of India. At various times the city was attacked and looted by the outside people and they brought their own religious beliefs, language, literature and social usages but they mingled in the main current of human dealings. From Indraprasth to New Delhi, the capital city had shifted and re-shifted many times and ruled by many rulers and dynasties. Every strong ruler tried to build his own capital city and buildings. Except for brief intervals, Delhi remained the capital of various rulers and attracted many soldiers, craftsmen, Sufis, religious persons, businessmen, intelligentia, artists and travellers. Every building, mohalla, street and stone has a history of its own. Apart from its forts and buildings, river Yamuna and the ridge have been in existence since millions of years and have played a great role in the development of the city. Against heavy odds, in the city the people had for a long period struggled for independence. The authors tried to present the important events since ancient times through the available accounts of the people in Delhi who lived through it or were involved in that as officials, religious persons, literary persons, commanders, invaders and rulers. The main purpose of writing this account is to sensitize the residents of Delhi and the visitors about the glorious past of the city.