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

The Garden of Five Senses

The Garden of Five Senses

The Garden of Five Senses is a park in Delhi, India. Spread over 20 acres, the park is located in …

पुराना किला

पुराना किला

Purana Qila (lit. 'Old Fort') is one of the oldest forts in Delhi, India. It was built by the second …

National Rail Museum

National Rail Museum

The National Rail Museum in Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, displays exhibits on the history of rail transport in India. The museum …

Rashtrapati Bhavan

Rashtrapati Bhavan

The Rashtrapati Bhavan (, ISO: Rāṣṭrapati Bhavana; lit. 'Presidential Palace'; formerly Viceroy's House (1931–1947) and Government House (1947–1950)) is the …

Gandhi Smriti

Gandhi Smriti

Gandhi Smriti, formerly known as Birla House or Birla Bhavan, is a museum dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi, situated on Tees …

Raj Ghat

Raj Ghat

Raj Ghat is a memorial complex in Delhi, India. The first memorial was dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi where a black …

Lodhi Gardens

Lodhi Gardens

Lodi Gardens is a city park situated in New Delhi. Spread over 90 acres (360,000 m2), it contains Muhammad Shah's …

National Museum

National Museum

The National Museum in New Delhi, also known as the National Museum of India, is one of the largest museums …

Jama Masjid

Jama Masjid

The Masjid-i-Jehan-Numa, commonly known as the Jama Masjid (Urdu: جامع مسجد, romanized: jāme masjid) of Delhi, is one of the …

Swaminarayan's Akshardham Temple

Swaminarayan's Akshardham Temple

Swaminarayan Akshardham is a Hindu temple and campus in Delhi, India. The temple is close to the border with Noida. …

Lotus Temple

Lotus Temple

The Lotus Temple is a Baháʼí House of Worship in Kalkaji, New Delhi, Delhi, India. It was completed in December …

India Gate

India Gate

The India Gate (formerly known as All India War Memorial) is a war memorial located near the Rajpath (officially called …

Qutb Minar

Qutb Minar

The Qutb Minar, also spelled Qutub Minar and Qutab Minar, is a minaret and victory tower comprising the Qutb complex, …

Red Fort

Red Fort

The Red Fort, also known as Lal Qila (Hindustani: [laːl 'qɪlaː]) is a historic Mughal fort located in Delhi, India, …

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