Delhi

Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT), is a city and union territory of India that contains the national capital, New Delhi. Located in northern India on the banks of the Yamuna river, Delhi is one of the most populous urban agglomerations in the world and has historically served as the capital of several empires on the Indian subcontinent.

Geography

Delhi lies between the Yamuna river to the east and the Aravalli range to the south. The territory borders the states of Haryana on three sides and Uttar Pradesh across the Yamuna to the east. It forms the core of the National Capital Region (NCR), a planning region that also includes adjoining districts of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.

The territory experiences an extreme climate, with very hot summers, a monsoon season from late June to September, and cool winters often marked by dense fog and severe air pollution. The Ridge, an extension of the Aravalli hills, is a major green belt that runs through the city.

History

Ancient and medieval period

The Delhi area has been continuously inhabited since at least the 6th century BCE. Tradition associates the site with Indraprastha, the legendary capital from the Mahabharata. Over the centuries, a series of seven cities are commonly identified within the territory, the earliest being the Tomara and Chauhan stronghold of Lal Kot and Qila Rai Pithora.

From 1206, Delhi became the seat of the Delhi Sultanate, ruled successively by the Mamluk, Khalji, Tughlaq, Sayyid and Lodi dynasties. The Qutub Minar, begun by Qutb-ud-din Aibak, dates from this period. In 1526, Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi at the First Battle of Panipat, founding the Mughal Empire. Shah Jahan shifted the Mughal capital from Agra to Shahjahanabad (Old Delhi) in 1648, building the Red Fort and the Jama Masjid.

Colonial period

Delhi was sacked by Nadir Shah in 1739. Following the Revolt of 1857, the British exiled the last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, and brought the city under direct Crown rule. In 1911, King George V announced at the Delhi Durbar that the capital of British India would be transferred from Calcutta to Delhi. The new imperial capital, New Delhi, was designed by architects Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker and inaugurated in 1931.

Post-independence

After independence in 1947, Delhi witnessed large-scale migration during the Partition. It was administered as a Part C state until 1956, when it became a union territory under the States Reorganisation Act. The Constitution (Sixty-ninth Amendment) Act, 1991 gave Delhi its present status as the National Capital Territory with an elected Legislative Assembly and a Council of Ministers, while keeping land, police and public order under the Union government.

Government and administration

Delhi has a unique administrative structure. The Lieutenant Governor is the constitutional head appointed by the President of India. The elected government is led by the Chief Minister, who heads a Council of Ministers responsible to the 70-member Legislative Assembly. Municipal services are largely provided by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (unified in 2022 from the earlier trifurcated bodies), the New Delhi Municipal Council, and the Delhi Cantonment Board. The Delhi Police reports to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.