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    New Delhi celebrates 100 years

    
      
   New Delhi celebrates 100 years of its existence on December 12, 2011.Before 100 years on December 12, 1911,  the British shifted the Indian capital to Delhi from Calcutta On this day the announcement made by King George V at Coronation Durbar restored the lost glory of Delhi as the traditional seat of power and capital of the subcontinent before the arrival of British on the political landscape of the country.

    
  The imperial durbar of 1911 was a grand affair symbolising the pinnacle of British Raj. Around 20,000 people worked for almost a year for the event, turning Delhi into a fortress. Hundreds of tents spread over 40 sq km came up to shelter the royal entourage, officers of the army and the civil services, and other dignitaries, and of course, the 562 Indian princes.
   Delhi has been the capital  of the Indian empire
   The Pandavas in Mahabharat period  set up their fort Indraprastha on the banks of river Yamuna, the   Mughal emperor Shah Jahan who made Shahjehanabad his seat, Delhi has traditionally been the capital city of the Indian empire. Having witnessed the rise and fall of many empires, the city also became the home of their remnants, with everyone from the Slave dynasty of the 13th century, Tughlaqs of the 14th century, Lodis of the 15th century and the British selected Delhi as the capital of India on December 12, 1911. In 1947 New Delhi became the capital of Independent India.
  Delhi has been ruled by various emperors and dynasties with each of them bestowing the city with grand forts and palaces. Old Delhi, the walled city, was founded as Shahjahanabad by the Mughal Emperor, Shahjahan in 1639. Jama Masjid (India’s largest mosque), the Red Fort, Chandni Chowk,
Daryaganj are the main highlights of Old Delhi.       

   After the collapse of Mughal Empire post 1857 revolt, the British rule shifted the capital of India from less volatile Calcutta to Delhi in 1911. The then Viceroy of India, Lord Hardinge, wanted new and old Delhi to look the same but Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens, the greatest British Architect, opposed his idea. Converting Delhi into an imperial capital for British Raj was a challenging affair. The British Raj in India took 20 years to unveil  New Delhi in 1931 with its imposing buildings, which continue to be epicenter of power in independent India. 
   Now, the city has a population of 1.68 crore as compared to 24 lakh a century ago. Today the sprawling and swanky malls, hotels, improved infrastructure, fantastic roads, flyovers have surely made Delhi a world class city. Beside the capital of India and the Indian Parliament, Delhi has world heritage sites like Qutab Minar, Red Fort, Humayun’s Tomb, Jantar Mantar, and Purana Quila. When it comes to awakening your spiritual side, Delhi is full of some spectacular temples which also exhibit its beautiful architecture, like Akshardham temple, Lotus temple, ISKON temple, Swami Lakshminarayan temple, Jhandewalan and Chattarpur temple.