Delhi

Delhi

IN
Population16,787,941
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its right bank, Delhi shares borders with the state of Uttar Pradesh in the east and with the state of Haryana in the remaining directions. Delhi became a union territory on 1 November 1956 and the NCT in 1995. The NCT covers an area of 1,484 square kilometres (573 sq mi). According to the 2011 census, Delhi's city proper population was over 11 million, while the NCT's population was about 16.8 million. The topography of the medieval fort Purana Qila on the banks of the river Yamuna matches the literary description of the citadel Indraprastha in the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata; however, excavations in the area have revealed no signs of an ancient built environment. From the early 13th century until the mid-19th century, Delhi was the capital of two major empires, the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire, which covered large parts of South Asia. All three UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the city, the Qutub Minar, Humayun's Tomb, and the Red Fort, belong to this period. Delhi was the early centre of Sufism and Qawwali music. The names of Nizamuddin Auliya and Amir Khusrau are prominently associated with it. The Khariboli dialect of Delhi was part of a linguistic development that gave rise to the literature of Urdu and later Modern Standard Hindi. Major Urdu poets from Delhi include Mir Taqi Mir and Mirza Ghalib. Delhi was a notable centre of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. In 1911, New Delhi, a southern region within Delhi, became the capital of the British Indian Empire. During the Partition of India in 1947, Delhi was transformed from a Mughal city to a Punjabi one, losing two-thirds of its Muslim residents, in part due to the pressure brought to bear by arriving Hindu and Sikh refugees from western Punjab. After independence in 1947, New Delhi continued as the capital of the Dominion of India, and after 1950 of the Republic of India. Delhi's urban agglomeration, which includes the satellite cities Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Gurgaon, Noida, Greater Noida and YEIDA city located in an area known as the National Capital Region (NCR), has an estimated population of over 28 million, making it the largest metropolitan area in India and the second-largest in the world (after Tokyo). Delhi ranks fifth among the Indian states and union territories in human development index, and has the second-highest GDP per capita in India (after Goa). Although a union territory, the political administration of the NCT of Delhi today more closely resembles that of a state of India, with its own legislature, high court and an executive council of ministers headed by a chief minister. New Delhi is jointly administered by the federal government of India and the local government of Delhi, and serves as the capital of the nation as well as the NCT of Delhi. Delhi is also the centre of the National Capital Region, which is an "interstate regional planning" area created in 1985. Delhi hosted the inaugural 1951 Asian Games, the 1982 Asian Games, the 1983 Non-Aligned Movement summit, the 2010 Men's Hockey World Cup, the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the 2012 BRICS summit, the 2023 G20 summit, and was one of the major host cities of the 2011 and 2023 Cricket World Cups.

Places to Explore

Curated experiences in Delhi

National Science Center

National Science Center

The National Science Centre established in 1992, is a science museum in Delhi, India. It is part of the National …

दिल्ली गेट

दिल्ली गेट

Delhi Gate is the southern gate in the historic walled city of Delhi, or Shahjahanabad in 1638 AD. The gate …

National Handicrafts Museum

National Handicrafts Museum

The National Handicrafts and Handlooms Museum (NHHM) commonly known as National Crafts Museum in New Delhi is one of the …

National Charkha Museum

National Charkha Museum

The National Charkha Museum is a spinning wheel museum located in Connaught Place, New Delhi. This has been built on …

Khooni Darwaza

Khooni Darwaza

Khooni Darwaza (Hindi: खूनी दरवाज़ा, Urdu: خونی دروازہ literally Bloody Gate), also referred to as Lal Darwaza (Hindi:लाल दरवाज़ा, Red …

Kashmere Gate

Kashmere Gate

Kashmiri Gate, also spelled Kashmere Gate, is a historic gate located in Old Delhi, Delhi, India. It served as the …

Moth Ki Masjid

Moth Ki Masjid

Moth ki Mosque (Urdu: موتھ کی مسجد, romanized: Moth-ki Masjid, lit. 'Lentil Mosque'; [moʈʰ kiː masdʒɪd]) is a 16th-century mosque …

Arab Sarai

Arab Sarai

Arab Serai is a 16th century caravanserai within the Humayun's tomb complex at Delhi, India. It is said to have …

Kotla Firoz Shah Ruins

Kotla Firoz Shah Ruins

The Feroz Shah Kotla or Kotla ("fortress", "citadel") was a fortress built circa 1354 by Feroz Shah Tughlaq to house …

Salimgarh Fort

Salimgarh Fort

Salimgarh Fort (also known as Salim's Fort) was built in 1546 CE in Delhi, on what was then an island …

Delhi Haat

Delhi Haat

Dilli Haat is a paid-entrance open-air market, food plaza, and craft bazaar located in Delhi. The area is run by …

Partition Museum

Partition Museum

The Partition Museum is a public museum located in the Dara Shukoh Library Building at Dr. B. R. Ambedkar University …

Chandni Chowk

Chandni Chowk

The Chandni Chowk (meaning Moonlight Square) is one of the oldest and busiest markets in Old Delhi, India. There is …

Diwan-e-Aam

Diwan-e-Aam

The Diwan-i-Am, or Hall of Audience, is a building in the Red Fort of Delhi where the Mughal emperor Shah …

Jantar Mantar

Jantar Mantar

Jantar Mantar in New Delhi is an observatory, designed to be used with the naked eye. It is one of …

Siri Fort Auditorium

Siri Fort Auditorium

Siri Fort Auditorium is premier multi-auditorium complex of Government of India. Situated in the Siri Fort in New Delhi, it …

Shanker's International Doll Museum

Shanker's International Doll Museum

The International Dolls Museum is a large collection of dolls in Delhi, India. It was set up by K. Shankar …

National Zoological Park

National Zoological Park

The National Zoological Park (originally Delhi Zoo) is a 176-acre (71 ha) zoo in New Delhi, India.

Safdarjung's Tomb

Safdarjung's Tomb

Safdarjung's tomb is a sandstone and marble mausoleum in Delhi, India. It was built in 1754 in the late Mughal …

Agrasen ki Baoli

Agrasen ki Baoli

Agrasen Ki Baoli (also known as behens Ki Baoli; transl. Baoli of Agrasen) is a 60-meter long and 15-meter wide …

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