How was Delhi born? History revised!

1. Greek geographer Ptolemy mentions a city called Daidala, which some like to believe was a reference to Delhi. There’s no archaeological evidence to support this claim though
2. Many foreign travellers to ancient India don’t mention Delhi. Scholars infer from this that Delhi wasn’t a major town
3. Delhi was a trading outpost of the Mauryan Empire. An Asokan rock edict found in south Delhi in 1960s points to the fact that it was part of the empire, important enough for the emperor to install a marker
4. Delhi Gained prominence after Rajput king Anangpal Tomarset up his capital here in the 11th century in the form of Lal Kot (Red Citadel). He is considered to be the first ruler of Delhi
5. The earliest epigraphic reference to Delhi is a 12th-century inscription from Bijolia, Rajasthan that refers to Chauhan king Vigraharaja conquering Dhillika
6. Chand Bardai’s ballad, Prithviraj Raso, a 12th century text on Prithviraj Chauhan, mentions Dhilli
7. No exact period is known when Dhillika or Dhilli became Dehli or Delhi

Seven epitome

• There were seven cities of Delhi raised in different times by different rulers and dynasties until New Delhi became the eighth
• Prithviraj Chauhan expanded Lal Kot and his city came to be known as Qila Rai Pithora – the first city of Delhi
• Alauddin Khilji raised the citadel of Siri, which withstood the invasion and long siege by Mongol forces led by their famous general Targhi Beg
• Tughlaqabad was the third city of Delhi which was established by Sultan Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq
• His nephew and successor Muhammad Bin Tughlaq raised another city called Jahapanah (but because its ruins are now hard to spot, it’s no longer recognized as a ‘city’)
• Ferozabad was raised by Ferozeshah Tughlaq. It’s identified with Kotla Ferozeshah today
• Mughal Emperor Humayun raised the fifth city of Delhi and called it Dinpanah. It was raised by Sher Shah Suri who built Purana Qila or Shergarh in its place. When Humayun returned, he altered the fort a bit
• Emperor Shahjahan established a completely new and well-planned city and called it Shahjahanbad
• British decided to rebuild Delhi after the transfer of capital. As the story goes, the initial plan was to call the new city Georgabad, after King George V. But eventually, it was decided to call it New Delhi