Delhi, city in northern India, capital of the National
Capital Territory of Delhi. It is situated on the Yamuna River (a tributary ofthe Ganges River), also called the Jumna River, and is bordered on the south by New Delhi, the national capital. Delhi is surrounded by a high stone wall, erected in 1638, and is approached through seven arched gateways, including the Delhi Gate in the south, the Ajmer Gate in the east, and the Kashmir Gate in the north. Within the walls is a maze of congested narrow streets, alleys, busy bazaars, and some of the nation's most spectacular Indo-Muslim architectural features. Along the Chandni Chowk (Silver Street), once considered the most lavish street in the world, is a major commercial area of the city.

Delhi is a major transportation, commercial, and industrial center. Manufactures include electronic and electrical equipment, textiles, jewelry, chemicals, precision instruments, and motor-vehicle parts. The University of Delhi (1922) is in the city.

A major landmark in Delhi is the imposing Jama Masjid (Great Mosque); its tapering ujminarets and bulbous domes dominate the city's skyline.


Nearby is the spectacular Red Fort (completed 1648), a complex of buildings enclosed by a high, red sandstone wall that once served as the imperial palace of India's Mughal emperors. The two most famous buildings of the Red Fort are the Diwan-i-am (Hall of Public Audience), where the grand Mughal presided from a royal alcove with jewel-encrusted marble walls, and the smaller Diwan-i-khas (Hall of Private Audience). The decorated white-marble walls of the latter, considered a masterpiece of Mughal architecture, are inscribed with a couplet in Persian, which has been translated in English as “If there is a heaven on earth, it is this—it is this.” Other features in the Red Fort are the Rang Mahal (Painted Palace) and the Moti Masjid (Pearl Mosque). Notable historical landmarks just outside Delhi include the Qutb (Kutb) Minar, a tall, decorated tower (13th century); the royal tomb (16th century) of Humayun; and Raj Ghat, where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated.

The name Delhi, first recorded in the 1st century BC, was applied to a succession of cities built on this site before the present city was founded in 1638 by the Mughal ruler Shah Jahan. The first was built in the 12th century AD by the Cahaman ruler Prithviraja. It was captured by Muslims in 1193 and became capital of a Muslim empire in India under Qutubuddin Aybak, builder of the Qutb Minar tower. Muslim control ended with the capture and destruction of Delhi in the late 14th century by the Turkic conqueror Tamerlane. Babur, founder of the Mughal dynasty in India, restored Delhi to capital status in 1526, and his son Humayun built a new city here. In 1540 it was seized and destroyed by the Afghan invader Sher Shah, and it was replaced by another new city. Akbar, the son of Humayun, recaptured Delhi but moved his capital to Agra and allowed Delhi to fall into ruins. It was rebuilt in its present form and restored as the Mughal capital by Akbar's grandson Shah Jahan in the 1600s. Delhi remained the Mughal capital until 1739, when it was conquered and looted of its treasures, including the famous Peacock Throne, by the Persian ruler Nadir Shah. About 1771, the Marathas gained control and remained in power until British forces seized the city in 1803. Delhi was the temporary capital of British India from 1912 to 1931, when New Delhi was officially inaugurated as the capital. Delhi has grown rapidly, in both industry and population, since India gained independence from Great Britain in 1947. Today Delhi ranks as the third largest city in India, after Mumbai (formerly Bombay) and Kolkata (formerly Calcutta). Population (1991) 7,206,704.