The City of Delhi
The city of Delhi, or Old Delhi, on the Yamuna River, adjoins New Delhi
in the east central part of the state and is a commercial center. It was
enclosed by high stone walls erected in 1638 by Shah Jahan. Within the
walls he built the famous Red Fort—so called for its walls and
gateways of red sandstone—that contained the imperial Mughal
palace. The fort remained a military garrison until 2003. In the palace
is a public audience hall (Diwan-i-Am), where the splendid Peacock
Throne stood, and a private audience hall (Diwan-i-Khas), built entirely
of white marble and bearing the apt inscription “If there is a
heaven on earth, it is this!” Shah Jahan also built the Jama
Masjid [great mosque], one of the finest in Islam. Just south of the
fort, on the Yamuna's bank, is Rajghat, where the bodies of Mohandas
Gandhi and of
India's prime ministers have been cremated; it is now one of the most
revered shrines in India. In the northwest, beyond the old walls, is the
Univ. of Delhi.
The present city of Old Delhi did not become important until Shah Jahan (for whom it was sometimes called Shahjahanabad) made it the capital of the Mughal empire in 1638. It was sacked (1739) by the Persian Nadir Shah, who carried off the Peacock Throne. The city was held by the Marathas from 1771 until 1803, when the British took it. During the Indian Mutiny of 1857 it was held for five months by the rebel soldiers. Delhi Cantonment was (1912–31) interim capital of India until New Delhi was officially inaugurated.
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