History of Delhi

The main articles are:

• Delhi
• History of India

1977: Resumption of mass gathering of Muslims in Feroz Shah Kotla fortress for requests to genies for fulfillment of wishes

Most of those who come to Feroz Shah Kotla do not consider the site a fortress or a historical monument. Despite the information shields at its gate, despite being under the jurisdiction and control of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), they consider the site a darga, or shrine of Muslims.

Firoz Shah Kotla is a very unusual darga in the landscape of Delhi. Most dargahs are built around the sacred tomb of a Muslim saint. Most dargahs in Delhi and elsewhere are light rooms of marble and limestone, embodying the light of the saints buried in them. But Firoz Shah Kotla is a ruin, darkened from time to time the remains of the medieval palace of the Sultan. There are no venerated graves or mausoleums, at least those that can be seen. Among the parishioners of this darga, many of whom came here for more than two decades, there were often fierce statements that it was not graves that were important here, but the "jinnatke asarat," the action of the jinn.

In 2014, the Hindustan Times reported^[1], that every Thursday a huge crowd gathers in Feroz Shah Kotla fortress. The people believe that the genies go down to the fort from heaven and accept requests from people. Many wishes can be seen on the walls in the room, written on paper.

Jinn are invisible creatures in early pre-Islamic Arabia and later in Islamic culture and beliefs.

According to traditional theological ideas, human saints were tied to their graves (Baljon 1989:191), woven into a landscape that their presence made sacred. The stories of the genie saints in Firoz Shah Kotla focus on mobility rather than rootedness. Genie Saints gather here on Thursdays in the evening to read petitions. They leave when the ruins become too crowded, some of which can move between India and Pakistan every ten minutes.

When the ruins of the medieval palace are empty again, the genies return to read the petitions left by people.

"It was not until 1977, a few months after the end of the state of emergency (declared by Indira Gandhi) that we had the first records that people started coming to Firoz Shah Kotla en masse. This seems important given how devastating the state of emergency was for Delhi's Old City and how many poor and working people were relocated from the Old City to resettlement colonies across the river, "Anand Vivek Taneja, an assistant professor of religious studies and anthropology at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee (USA), wrote in his paper ^[2]

According to Taneji's research, the practice of addressing genies in the fortress resumed with renewed vigor in the late 1970s, when a wandering fakir named Laddu Shah settled in the ruins, who "discovered" them.

As an example of this practice in 2014, the publication cites Nurjahan, a mother of five young children, who came to Kotla with photocopies of letters in her hands. She wrote to the genies that she and her children were constantly sick. Her house was sold, and the children did not study. She walked the Cauldron, posting photos of her children and photocopies in different places and praying to the genies.

According to popular belief, Laat Vaale Baba, the lord of the jinn of Kotla, lives in Minar-i-Zarrin. Letters addressed to him are tied to the fence protecting the Ashoka pillar, transferred to the fortress in 1356. People rush behind the fence to touch the pillar, because they believe that the desire made when touching the pillar will be fulfilled.

In Islamic cosmology, jinn is a separate species of creature, different from humans and more ancient than them. "He [Allah] created man from dry clay, and jinn from fire that does not give smoke, and made them invisible to the eyes of people" (Ashur 1986:1).

They are thought to consist of a completely different substance than humans and are physically stronger than them, as well as having the ability to change appearance and travel vast distances very quickly. Like humans, unlike angels, genies have free will and can choose between good and evil. Jinn are mortal, as are humans, but live much longer; some of the living jinn are considered sahabs, associates of the prophet Muhammad, who saw him personally and heard him recite the Quran.

People's relationships with jinn based on fear or intimacy (and often both) are widespread in the Islamic world, but even in the case of jinn with names such as Aisha Kandisha of Morocco (see Krapanzano 1981), they are generally seen as something different from sanctuaries and veneration of holy people, albeit related to them. But in Firoz Shah Kotla, genies are considered saints; they are talked about and talked to, they are revered.

How to understand the popularity of jinn saints in a city full of human saints, perhaps the holiest city of Indian Islam known as "bais khwaya ki chauhat" - the threshold of twenty-two saints? Despite the fact that Dargajin saints and the traditions of their veneration are associated with the pre-colonial traditions of communication with jinn and spirits, they nevertheless represent an innovation in the theological landscape of Delhi. This transformation of the theological landscape is closely related to transformations of the spiritual and physical landscape of the city - large-scale movements that shape daily life in a post-colonial city.

Firoz Shah Kotla has long been associated with genies, and there is evidence that the site was revered almost a century ago, although for most people, including those who regularly go there now, it was a place of fear and witchcraft to be approached with caution.

In the archives of the colonial government office, there are copies of detailed correspondence reports with the colonial Office of Indian Affairs regarding Firoz Shah Kotla, when repair work and excavations began there in 1914. It follows from them that people constantly passed in Firoz Shah Kotlu, and also that then the practices of veneration (for example, attaching coins to a wall) were already widespread.

Firoz Shah Kotla became a popular (rather than marginal) pilgrimage site in 1977, a few months after the end of the 1975-1977 state of emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi.

In the 2010s, in Firoz Shah Kotla, the mosque's imam insisted that genies had nothing to do with the site's sanctity. The insistence on the presence, sanctity, and power of the jinn I witnessed was usually made in opposition to the imam.

Most places of worship scattered throughout Firoz Shah Kotla are unregulated and do not have an officially appointed head of ritual activities. However, the mosque has an imam, or prayer leader, appointed by the Delhi Waqf Council. Imam studied at the Deobandi madrasah and actively condemned and ridiculed the practice of jinn worship in Firoz Shah Kotla, considering it superstition. Conflict with those who insist on the existence and sanctity of the Jinn seems to be a classic conflict between those belonging to the Deobandi and Barelvi Madhhabs of Sunni Islam. However, those who insist on the existence of jinn see the difference between Delhi locals and visitors (the imam hails from Bihar).

The people who come to Firoz Shah Kotla are mostly working class and come from very specific geographical areas: Old Delhi/Shahjahanabad and its old suburbs like Paharganj, as well as Jamna Par (on the other side of the river) in East Delhi. Those coming from East Delhi often have family ties to the Old Town. In the 1960s or 1970s, they were either forcibly relocated to slums on the other side of the river, or they moved from the Old City, where they were becoming more and more crowded, to closer areas of East Delhi.

Fear and overcoming fear are an integral part of the impressions of Firoz Shah Kotla, especially in the dark underground rooms under the mosque, which are unlike any other famous place of worship. Unlike other dargas, spaces filled with light, the spaces of Firoz Shah Kotla are often smoked, dark and underground. On Thursday afternoon, these underground rooms, lit only by the flame of small candles, barely visible through the thick smoke of incense, seem to be otherworldly spaces, where you lose orientation in space and even feel horror.

People passing through this haze become ghosts themselves, their voices echo strangely in the gloom and bat wings buzzing overhead.

1947

A sharp decline in the Muslim population after India gained independence and divided the country. Some killed, some left

At least eight cities previously existed within the borders of modern Delhi, and the old saying that whoever created a new city in Delhi would lose it came true each time - the last time it happened to the British, who lasted only 16 years.

In 1947, after India gained independence from the British yoke, the country was divided into India proper and Muslim Pakistan. By the time the direct violence had stopped, roughly two-thirds of Delhi's Muslim population had either died, moved to refugee camps, or left for Pakistan and other countries.

From a city that had nearly the same number of Hindus and Muslims, Delhi evolved into a city where Muslims made up about 10% of the population, as the influx of Hindu and Sikh refugees increased the city's population by almost double that of ^[3]

Muslim sanctuary lagerea at Purana Kila fortress and nearby Humayun tomb

During the partition of India, in August 1947, the Purana Kila fortress, along with the neighboring Humayun tomb, became the location of refuge camps for Muslims migrating to the newly founded Pakistan. This included more than 12,000 civil servants choosing to serve in Pakistan and between 150,000 and 200,000 Muslim refugees who had amassed in Purana Kiel by September 1947, when the Indian government took over the two camps. Purana Kila camp functioned until early 1948 as trains to Pakistan departed until October 1947.

Destruction of many Muslim cult sites

The violence was unprecedented, never seen before in Delhi. This did not stop at killing Muslims, looting and destroying Muslim personal property. Muslim dargahs and tombs were brutally attacked, including the four oldest and most revered dargahs of Delhi -

• Kadam Sharif in Paharganj,
• dargah Kutub-Sahib in Mehrauli,
• dargah Chirag-Delhi and
• dargah Sultan Ghari in Malakpur Kohi,

as well as smaller dargahs, many of which were objects of local veneration. In almost all cases, violence was directed against the grave - many reports on the damage caused refer to the destruction of the tombstone and decorative jalis surrounding the grave. Some of these tombs and darga were also monuments protected by ASI (Archaeological Survey of India) ^[4]

As part of the British Empire

1942:2115 Japanese internees in Purana Kila fortress. Most are from Singapore

Main article: World War II

By December 1942, there were 2,115 Japanese internees in Purana Kila's camp in Delhi, the vast majority from Singapore. They were housed in tents.

1857: Centre for Resistance during the rebellion against the British yoke

During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, Delhi became the center of resistance to them.

1803: British take over Delhi

The British captured Delhi in 1803.

Moguls

1739: Invasion of Persian ruler Nadir Shah

Many invaded Delhi for centuries, including the Persian ruler Nadir Shah, who sacked the city in 1739 and took the Kohinur diamond (later part of the jewels of the British royal family) and the famous Peacock throne to Iran.

1556: Humayun's death after falling down stairs at Sher Mandal in Purana Kila fortress

The roles played by Sher Shah Suri and Humayun in the construction of the Sher Mandal building (and Purana Kila fort) are disputed. It is also mentioned that the original builder of the building was Babur, who commissioned the construction of this building as an observatory and library for his son Humayun.

Fazl wrote that on January 20, 1556 (other sources point to January 24) Humayun was on the roof of a newly equipped library (Sher Mandal) to bless his subjects. He was expected to announce the promotion of various officials in connection with the rise of Venus, for which he called his astronomers.

In the evening, he began his descent and only reached the second step when he heard Azaan (Muslim call to prayer). Humayun allegedly sat on the steps to pray and, as he stood up, one of his legs became entangled in a robe, causing him to fall down the stairs. He suffered a temple injury and died one to three days later.

According to another version, Humayun slipped, rushing to evening prayer, after contemplating the stars at the top of his observatory.

He was buried in the Humayun-ka-makbara mausoleum in Delhi.

1555: Humayun, assisted by Iranian forces, regains control of Agra and Delhi

With the help of Iranian troops, Humayun captured Kabul for a short time, in 1555, regained Agra and Delhi.

Surids

1541: Kila-i-Kuna mosque built in Purana Kila fortress

It is believed that the Kila-i-Kuna mosque was built in 1541. Its construction could have been started by Humayun and was probably completed by Sher Shah.

1540: Sher Shah expels Humayun from India and establishes last dynasty of Delhi Sultanate - Surids

In 1538, while Mughal emperor Humayun participated in military campaigns, the ruler of Bihar of Pashtun origin Sher Shah captured the Bengal Sultanate.

In 1540, Sher Shah defeated the Mughals and expelled them from India, establishing himself emperor in Delhi, founding the last dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate - the Surids.

Moguls

1538: Humayun completes Purana Kila as fortress of sixth city of Delhi - Dinapanah

Mughal Emperor Humayun inherited North India from his father Babur in 1530. Purana Kila fortress was built by him as a stronghold of the city of Dinapanah, laid down in 1533 and completed five years later. In the XVI century, the fortress survived a number of battles.

In 1540, Humayuna defeated Cher shah Suri, who renamed the city and fortress Shergarh and significantly expanded it.

1526: Babur captures Delhi to become first Mughal ruler

Babur, a descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan, was the first Mughal Emperor. He captured Delhi in 1526.

Delhi Sultanate

Tughlakids

1398: Tamerlan takes over Delhi

Firoz Shah Tughlakid built Firozabad centered on Firoz Shah Kotle (1354). Timur (Tamerlane) broke into the city in 1398, opening the door to the Sayyid and Lodhi dynasties, the last of the Delhi sultanates whose tombs are scattered throughout Lodhi Garden.

Agrasen Ki Baoli Step Well Rebuild

It is believed that initially Agrasen Ki Baoli was built by members of the Aggarwal (caste) community Banya with a dedication to their ancestor Agrasen, and the current architecture indicates that it was rebuilt in the 14th century during the reign of the Tughlak or Lodi dynasties in the Delhi Sultanate.

1368: Replacing the top two floors of the Qutb Minaret after being struck by lightning

When the Qutb minaret was struck by lightning in 1368, bringing down its upper levels, it replaced them with existing two storeys lined with red sandstone and white marble.

1356: Feroz Shah Tughlaq moves two pillars with Ashoka edicts to Firozabad

Delhi has two Ashoka pillars - one in Feroz Shah fortress (cauldron) and the other on Delhi Ridge, opposite Bar Hindu Rao Hospital. The pillars were transferred from their original places in Meerut and Ambal during the reign of Sultan Feroz Shah Tughlaq in the XIV century BC. e.

The pillar in the ruins of the Sultan's fortress (cauldron) is also called the Delhi Topra Pillar because it was discovered in the village of Topra, near Ambala (Haryana) in the upper reaches of the Yamuna River, about 90 kilometers from Delhi.

Initially, the pillar was installed by order of the ruler of Mauryev Ashoka in 273-236 BC. e. and has a height of 13 meters. The Topra column was moved and installed by the Sultan in 1356 near the Friday Mosque in his new city of Feruzabad, which later became part of modern Delhi.

The building, on the upper terrace of which there is a pillar, is a pyramidal three-story structure built of rubble masonry. It has a large number of small rooms with domed ceilings on the first and second floors, which have access to the roof. Rooms on each floor have arched entrances.

It is assumed that initially the pillar had a capital in the form of a lion, similar to the emblem of Ashoka, which nowadays is the national coat of arms of India. It is suggested that Feroz Shah decorated the top of the pillar with carvings of black and white stone, crowned with a gilded copper dome. But a smooth polished pillar surface and elephant-like carving is currently visible, added much later.

Although all Ashoka columns have a set of six edicts, the Topra column in the Cauldron is the only one on which there are seven. The Seventh Edict is a retrospective statement in which Ashoka sums up the work he has done and imposes moral restrictions on people. For this reason, this pillar is the only one of its kind.

The original obelisk inscription is made mainly in Brahmi in Prakrit. Later, inscriptions in Pali and Sanskrit were added. At the time of the reinstallation of the obelisk in Delhi in 1356, no one knew the meaning of the inscriptions engraved on the stone. The Brahmi font was deciphered only in 1837.

The inscriptions on the column describe the politics of Ashoka, speaking under the name of Devanampia Piyadasi, and tells the people and future generations about issues of dharma (fair, virtuous life) and moral commandments. Some excerpts from James Prinsep's translation are as follows:

• Along the big roads, I ordered fig trees to be planted to serve as a shadow for animals and people...

• ... And may these and others, most adept at sacred ministries, use their most compelling efforts quietly and respectfully, acting on the hearts and eyes of children to instill enthusiasm and instruction in dharma.

• And whatever acts of goodness are done by me, the same shall be prescribed as duties to men, which will follow me, and thus their influence and growth will be manifested - in the service of father and mother, in the service of spiritual shepherds, in respectful behavior towards the elderly, in kindness to learning, to orphans and the destitute, servants and the minstrel tribe.

• And religion is growing among people through two separate processes - through the performance of religious rites and through protection from persecution. (...) And that religion can be free from persecution of people, that it can increase by an absolute prohibition to put to death (any) living beings or to sacrifice anything that breathes. For such a purpose, all this is done so that it can continue for my sons and sons of sons - as long as the sun and moon exist.

• May stone pillars be prepared and may this edict of dharma be engraved on them so that it can be preserved until the most distant centuries.

This pillar also mentions issues related to taxation.

Apart from the Ashoka decrees, the column has another set of texts inscribed in Sanskrit in Nagari script under and around Ashoka inscriptions. Three 12th-century inscriptions account for the conquests of Visala the Virgin Vigraharaja IV of the Chauhan dynasty, which still ruled Delhi during the Gurid conquests of the 1190s, and his victories over the enemy Mlechha (presumably Ghaznavid or Gurid).

There are also two 16th-century inscriptions: short in Sanskrit, written by a writer named Ama, and longer in a mixture of Sanskrit and Persian, which mentions Ibrahim Lodhi, who reigned in 1517-1526.

In 2016, the Topra pillar showed clear signs of destruction. Most of the inscriptions were peeled^[5].

The second column of Ashoka, transported by the Sultan to Delhi, was divided into five parts as a result of the explosion. The column was neglected for a century. After the 1857 uprising, Raja Hindu Rao took it upon himself to hand over the wreckage of the column to the Asian Society of Calcutta. During the year, the structure was assembled and installed.

1354: Sultan Feroz Shah Tughlaq establishes new capital Firozabad in present-day Delhi

In 1354, Sultan Feroz Shah Tughlak (1351-1388), founded the new fortified city of Firozabad in modern Delhi and made it the new capital of the Delhi Sultanate.

1335: Delhi Sultanate Controls Maximum Territory

An inscription dated 1328, during the reign of Muhammad Tughluq (1324-1351), still refers to the city of Dhilika in the country of Hariyana. A lesser known inscription dated 1316 found in Ladna in Didwana County also mentions the town of Dhilli in Haritan country.

1321: Construction of Tughlakabad Fortress

The Hiljahs were defeated by the Tughlakid sultans, who built Tughlakabad Fortress (1321), although it was abandoned only six years later.

Hilji Dynasty

1311: Ala al-Din al-Hilji builds the gate of Alai Darwaz in Mehrauli and begins the construction of the Alai minaret

Ala al-Din al-Hilji ordered the construction of Alai Darwaz, which was completed in 1311 and serves as the southern gate leading to the Kuvwat-ul-Islam mosque. Of the five gates, only one has survived. This is a compact square-plan building with four through arched openings of a gracefully curved keel-shaped outline, covered in the center by a false dome. The outer and inner walls are covered with a continuous ornamental pattern. Complex and contrasting in color, the geometric pattern is intertwined with calligraphic inscriptions.

Ala al-Din al-Hilji also began the construction of Alai Minar, which was supposed to be twice as high as Qutb Minar, but the project was abandoned, probably after the death of the Sultan.

1303: Relocation of capital from Mehrauli to Siri

The Hilji dynasty founded the second Delhi Sultanate and built a new capital around the Siri fortress (1303) to protect it from the Mongols, supplying it with water from Hauz Khas.

Mamelukes

1266: Balban declares himself Sultan and takes power from Corps of Forty

Since Sultan Nasiruddin had no male heir, after his death Balban declared himself Sultan of Delhi. He ascended the throne in 1266 at the age of fifty with the title Sultan Ghiyas-ud-din-Balban.

It took such a cruel man as Balban, one of Iltutmysh's slaves and a former member of his government (Corps of Forty) to break the power of the emirs and restore the Sultan's power and authority.

Members of Turkan-e-Chahalgani were defeated, fled and settled in different villages of the Katehr region.

The Palam Baoli inscription dated 1276, written during the reign of Ghiyatu al-Din Balban, names the city of Dhilli and the country in which it is located, Haryanka.

The destruction of the Corps turned out to be a double-edged sword. The absence of the Chahalgani, who supported a Turkic monopoly of power, made the ruler vulnerable to the Khalji faction, which came to power in a series of assassinations, and eventually overthrew the Turks in the Khalji Revolution.

1250: Mamluk Dynasty in Delhi

1236: Death of Iltutmysh, real power passes to the emirs of the Corps of Forty

Iltutmysh died in April 1236. He declared his successor a daughter named Razzia, who was the first woman on the throne in the history of medieval India.

After the death of Iltutmish, the balance of power changed, and the sultan became a puppet of the emirs who were part of the government - Corps of Forty. They enthroned and deposed Iltutmysh's children and grandchildren, often killing them when they were causing trouble.

The tomb of Iltutmysh is next to Qutb Minar and is a striking architectural monument. The central chamber has an area of ​ ​ 9 m ² and narrows, which indicates the presence of a dome, which subsequently collapsed.

The main white marble cenotaph is located on a rise in the center of the room. The facade is known for its rich carving at both the entrance and the interior walls. The inner western wall has a prayer niche (mihrab) decorated with marble. Inside is a rich mix of Hindu motifs with Islamic architecture, such as bells and chains, tassels, lotuses, diamonds.

In 1914, during excavations carried out by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) Gordon Sanderson, a burial chamber was discovered. On the north side of the tomb, 20 steps lead down to the burial crypt itself.

1235: Death of Sufi Saint Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki, for whom Iltutmysh built a well Gandhak ki Baoli and named after him minaret Qutb

Iltutmysh built several Sufi lodges and tombs for Sufi saints. He built Gandhak ki Baoli, a step well for the Sufi saint Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki, who moved to Delhi from Osh (Karakite Khanate, modern Kyrgyzstan) during his reign.

It is alleged that the minaret Qutb Minar, completed by Iltutmysh, was so named after this saint, who was his personal friend and his main spiritual mentor.

On 27 November 1235, Qutbuddin Bakhtiyar Kaki attended the Mehfil-i-Sama (meetings for [spiritual] hearing) ceremony, where the poet Sheikh Ahmad-i-Jami sang the following poems:

Those killed by the dagger of the cessation of resistance;

Every moment gets a new life from the invisible.

Khwaja Bakhtiyar Kaki was so shocked by these verses that he lost consciousness. He died four days later, still in a state of ecstasy. Its darga (mausoleum) is near Zafar Mahal, near the Qutb Minar complex, in Mehrauli, Delhi.

1231: Iltutmysh is being built by Sultan Ghari - the first Islamic mausoleum in Delhi for his dead son

In 1231, Iltutmysh built a tomb (Sultan Ghari) - to his eldest son Nasiruddin Mahmud, who had died two years earlier.

It was the first Islamic mausoleum in Delhi, located in a fortified area that also houses the graves of other relatives of Iltutmysh.

Iltutmysh expands the Kuvvat-ul-Islam mosque and brings an iron column to it from his campaign in central India

Sultan Iltutmysh of Delhi greatly expanded the Kuvvat-ul-Islam mosque.

According to King Chandra's inscription on an iron column set up in Delhi today, it was erected at Vishnupadagiri (Vishnupada).

Based on paleographic similarities with dated inscriptions from Udayagiri, Gupta-era iconography, metallurgy analysis and other evidence, Mira Dass and R. Balasubramaniam (2004) suggested that the iron pillar was originally installed in Udayagiri. A column with a wheel or disc on top was originally in Udayagiri caves, they said. This conclusion was partly based on the fact that the inscription mentions Vishnupada-giri ("hill with traces of Vishnu's feet"). This conclusion was confirmed and developed by Michael D. Willis in his work "Archaeology of Hindu Ritual," published in 2009.

A key argument that the iron pillar was in Udayagiri is that the site was closely associated with Chandragupta and Vishnu worship during the Guptas period.

In addition, in central India, there were established traditions of iron mining and processing, as evidenced, in particular, by the iron pillar in Dhara and local place names such as Lohapura and Lohangi Pir (see Vidisha - a city in Madhya Pradesh).

It is known that Sultan Iltutmysh in the 13th century attacked Vidisha and plundered it, which gave him the opportunity to take the convoy to Delhi as a trophy.

Iltutmysh completed the Qutb minaret. It also commissioned the Hauz-i-Shamsi reservoir south of Qutb Minara and a madrasah next to it.

1211: Polovtsian Iltutmysh becomes Sultan of Delhi and creates a government of slave emirs - Corps of Forty

Polovets (kypchak) Shams ad-din Iltutmysh came from the Olberlik Polovtsian clan and was obviously captured during the next war between the Khorezmians and the Kypchaks.

There are several stories of Iltutmysh's interest in religious mysticism as a child. The writings of Isami and some other sources say that Iltutmysh also spent some time in Baghdad, where he met with famous Sufi mystics such as Shahab al-Din Abu Hafs Umar Suhrawardi and Auhaduddin Kermani.

Subsequently, Iltutmysh was sold to a merchant named Jamaluddin Muhammad Chust Kaba, who brought him to Ghazni. The arrival of a beautiful and intelligent slave in the city was reported to Muhammad Guri, who offered 1,000 gold coins for Iltutmysh and another slave named Tamgaj Aibak. When Jamaluddin refused the offer, the king forbade the sale of these slaves in Ghazni. A year later, Jamaluddin went to Bukhara and remained there for three years with the slaves.

As a result, Iltutmysh was sold to Qutb al-Din Aybak. In 1211, he became the third ruler of the Mamluk dynasty.

Initially, the Magpie Corps (Dal Chalisa or Turkan-i-Chahalgani) was formed by Iltutmysh.

The Magpie Corps was a council of 40 mostly Turkic slave emirs who ruled the Delhi Sultanate in accordance with the wishes of the Sultan. However, their number was not always 40, Barani clearly mentions that Turkan-i-Chahalgani also numbered 25 people.

It was the usual ministerial body in the Muslim history of the Indian subcontinent. Although all power belonged to the sultan, as the head of state, the head of government, the commander of the armies of the sultanate and the person making final decisions in the judicial system, he needed help in effectively managing his principality.

1206: After the assassination of Muhammad Guri, Qutb-ud-din Aybak becomes the ruler of the Delhi Sultanate and establishes the Mamluk dynasty

In 1206, on the way back to Ghazni, the Mohammed Guri caravan stopped at Dhamiyak near Sohava (near the city of Jhelum in the Punjab province in modern Pakistan). He was killed on 15 March 1206 during an evening prayer. His killers are not reliably known. These may have been Khokhars or Ismailis, with one source claiming he was killed by Assassins.

Qutb al-Din ruled initially from Lahore, but then moved the capital to Delhi, so he can be considered the first Turkic Muslim ruler of South Asia.

He became ruler of the Delhi Sultanate and founded the Mamluk (slave) dynasty.

Gurids

1193: Qutb-ud-din Aibak destroys Indian and Jain temples and begins to build from their stones the city of Mehrauli and the Kuvwat-ul-Islam mosque with Qutb minaret

Qutb-ud-din Aibak, a slave of Muhammad Guri and his viceroy in India, destroyed the Hindu city and used its stones to build the city of Mehrauli in the area of present-day Delhi.

The Arabic terms gulam and mamluk were used to refer to Turkic military slaves.

At birth, Qutb-ud-din Aybak was not a Muslim, because only pagans could become ghouls, since Sharia forbade Muslim slavery.

Corps of gulam existed in Abbasids, Buids, Seljukids, Gaznavids. After 1118, the Mamluk commanders began to take power into their own hands.

The Kuvwat-ul-Islam (Power of Islam) Mosque, also known as Qutb Mosque, or Great Mosque of Delhi, was built by Qutb-ud-Din Aibak. Its construction began in 1193. The building materials for the mosque were twenty-seven destroyed Hindu and Jaini temples (as stated by the inscription on the walls of the mosque).

One of the destroyed temples is considered the temple of the goddess Yogmaya on the territory of the Lal Kot fortress, after which the entire settlement of modern Delhi was previously named (see below).

Kuvwat-ul-Islam is the first mosque built in Delhi after the Islamic conquest and belongs to the type of mosque that has become the most common in the country. It is characterized by a rectangular hall covered with one or more domes, and an open courtyard adjacent to it, surrounded on three sides by arches of low galleries.

1 - Alai Minar; 2 - mausoleum of Iltutmysh, 1235; 3 - iron pillar, 415, in the courtyard of the mosque; 4 - arcade of the mosque; 5 - mosque hall; 6 - minaret of Kutb-Minar, about 1200-1220; 7 - Gate of Alai Darvaz 1311]]

Kuvvat-ul-Islam was built on the site of a Jain temple. For the mosque, a multi-column temple hall was used, in which a wall with a mihrab was built, the swimming pool necessary for Muslims remained unchanged, the courtyard was significantly expanded, three entrance gates were built and multi-storey pavilions were installed at the corners. In order to give the temple hall the appearance of a mosque, a through arcade with five keeled arched openings was built from red sandstone in front of the main facade, which has become traditional.

In 1193, Qutb began the construction of Qutb Minara, the world's largest brick minaret 72 meters high, still preserved in the Mehrauli area. Under Kutba, only the foundation of the minaret was completed.

Also in Delhi, the fortress of Lal Kot was rebuilt.

1192: Muhammad Guri Defeats Prithviraj Chauhan In Second Battle Of Tarain And Includes Delhi In His Domain

In 1192, after losing to Arizviraj at the first battle of Tarain (modern Haryana), Muhammad Guri gathered a well-equipped army of 120,000 selected Afghan, Tajik and Turkic horsemen.

After winning the first Battle of Taraina, Prithviraj III hardly prepared for another clash with Muhammad Guri. According to the "Prithviraj Raso," in the period preceding his final confrontation with the Gurids, he neglected state affairs and spent time idled.

Prithviraj was left without allies as a result of his wars against neighboring Indian princes. However, he managed to assemble a large army of over 100 Rajput rulers with war elephants, horsemen and infantry. The capital of the Chaukhan ruler at this time was not Delhi, but Ajmer.

Prithviraj wrote a letter to Muhammad Guri promising him not to harm him if he decided to return to his country. Muhammad insisted that he needed time to consult his brother, Guillas al-Din, who ruled from his capital, Firuzkuh. According to Firishta, he agreed to a truce until he received an answer from his brother. However, he was planning an attack.

According to the Jawami ul-Hikayat, Muhammad ordered several soldiers to maintain fire in his camp at night, and himself with the rest of the army moved in a different direction. This gave the Chaukhans the impression that the Gurid army was still camped, observing the truce. After several miles, Muhammad formed four troops of 10,000 archers each. He left the rest of the army in reserve and ordered the four divisions to attack the Chaukhanov camp, and then simulate a retreat.

At dawn, four detachments of the Gurid army attacked the Chaukhanov camp while Prithviraj was still sleeping. After a short battle, the Ghurid units pretended to retreat in accordance with Muhammad's strategy. Prithviraj was thus lured in pursuit, and by noon his army was exhausted by this pursuit. At that moment, Muhammad led his reserve of 10,000 horse archers to attack Chaukhanov and inflicted a crushing defeat on them.

This treacherous behavior of the enemy was completely contrary to the rules that the Rajputs traditionally tried to adhere to in waging wars. The Rajputs had a tradition of fighting from sunrise to sunset. Although they were able to form formations quickly, they suffered losses due to a surprise attack before sunrise.

Prithviraj himself tried to escape on a horse, but he was pursued and caught and eventually killed.

The throne at Ajmer was given to Prithviraj's son with the stipulation that he would regularly send tribute to the Gurids.

Muhammad Guri left his huge army in India in the care of a capable military leader, a former slave and faithful man Qutb - hell - Din Aibak. He was entrusted with the conquest of the remaining North Indian lands and the delivery of captured treasures to Ghazni.

Qutb al-Din Aibak in 1193 took the city of Ajmer, the capital of the Chauhan principality and soon established control of the Gurid dynasty in North and Central India.

In eulogies, Prithviraj is called the "last Hindu emperor." This is not exactly an exact definition, since after him several more powerful Hindu rulers ruled in South India, and even some modern Hindu rulers in North India were at least as powerful as him. Nevertheless, 19th-century British officer James Tod repeatedly used the term to describe Prithviraj in his "Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan." Tod was influenced by medieval Muslim narratives in Persian, which represent Prithviraj as a major ruler and portray his defeat as an important milestone in the Islamic conquest of India. After Tod, in several narratives, Prithviraj continued to be described as the "last Hindu emperor." For example, the inscriptions on the Prithviraj memorial in Ajmer also venerate him as the "last Hindu emperor."

Chauhan Dynasty

1180: Prithviraj III begins to rule Delhi from Ajmer

Someshwara (half-brother of Vigraharaja IV) apparently died in 1177 and was succeeded by his eldest son Prithviraj III. He continued the Chauhan dynasty and became the Maharaja of Ajmer. The last inscription made during the reign of Someshwara and the first inscription made during the reign of Prithviraja III date from this year. Prithviraja, who at that time was about 11 years old, ascended the throne with his mother, who acted as regent.

In 1180, Lal Kot came under the control of Prithviraj III.

Lal Kot is mentioned in the future under the name Qila Rai Pithora. Cynthia Talbot (2015) notes that the term "Keela Rai Pithora" first appears in the 16th-century text "Ain-i-Akbari," and earlier texts use the term "Delhi" to describe the place. Later, the founder of the Mamluk dynasty, Qutb al-Din Aibak and his successors did not expand or change the structure of the fort.

1170: First mention of town name as Dhilli

The current name of Delhi comes from Dilli, a variant of Dhilli or Dhillik, which is first found in the new era inscription of Bijolia (Udaipur district) of 1170, where the capture of Delhi by the Chauhans is mentioned.

1152: Lal Kot conquered by Vigraharaja IV of Chauhan dynasty

In 1152, Vigraharaja IV, the most powerful ruler of the Chauhan dynasty, captured Delhi from the ruler of the Tomar dynasty.

An inscription on the Delhi-Shivalik column in 1164 C.E. states that Vigraharaja conquered the region between the Himalayas and the Vindhyas. The Himalayas and Vindhyas form the traditional border of Aryavarta (the land of the ancient Arias), and Vigraharaja claimed to have restored the rule of the Arias on this land.

Tomars

Tomars is known from some inscriptions and coins. However, much of the information about the dynasty comes from medieval bard legends that are not historically reliable. Because of this, reconstruction of the history of Tomarov is difficult.

1052: Rajput ruler Anangpal II erects Lal Kot fortress and settles abandoned Dhillikapuri settlement

Anangapal II, better known as Anangapal Tomar, belonged to the Tomar dynasty, which ruled in present-day Delhi and Haryana from the 8th to 12th centuries.

According to bardic tradition, the Tuars (Tomars), one of the thirty-six Rajput clans who ruled the country of Hariyana, founded the city of Dili in 736 C.E.

The capital of Tomars changed its location many times: first it was in Anangapur (near Faridabad) during the reign of Anangapal I (who founded the Tomar dynasty in the VIII century), and then in Dhillikapuri (Delhi) during the reign of Anangapal II.

The rule of the Tomars in this region is confirmed by numerous inscriptions and coins, and their ancestry can be traced back to the Pandavas (from the "Mahabharata"), "said B. R. Mani, former deputy director general of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), who led the excavations at Lal-Kot Kot and Anang Thal (in south Delhi) in 1992-1995. Archaeologists have determined that they were built by Anangpal II.

During his reign in the 11th century, Anangpal II founded and settled Delhi. Mani says: "Anangpal II played an important role in the settlement of Indraprastha and gave it its current name, Delhi. When he ascended the throne in the 11th century, the region was in ruins, and it was he who built the fort of Lal Kot and Anangtal Baoli (rainwater collection pool, 1060. As of 2018, it is in the forest 100 meters from Yogmaya Mandir in an abandoned state). "

Tarun Vijay, chairman of the NMA, adds: "During one of our expeditions in 2020, we discovered that Anangpal II was the founder of Dhillikapuri, which later became Delhi."

Tomars and their connection with Delhi are also mentioned in the book of the famous historian of the Middle Ages, Professor K. A. Nizami "Ehd-e-Wusta ki Dilli" in Urdu, translated into English as "Delhi in Historical Prospects," tells about Delhi for six centuries (from 1300 to 1800). Describing Delhi's predecessors, Nizami refers to Persian chronicles in which he is referred to as "Inderpath." Nevertheless, according to his book, Delhi officially became a city only in the 11th century, when the Rajputs of Tomar captured the mountainous region of Aravalli.

The ruins of Lal Kota can be seen on the territory of the Mehrauli Archaeological Park (Mehrauli Archaeological Park, metro Qutub Minar).

In 2021, the authorities decided to proclaim Anangapal II the founder of Delhi. Proposals put forward during the discussion include the installation of a statue of Anangapal II at Delhi Airport and the creation of a museum dedicated to his legacy in Delhi.

Yoginipur - settlement around Yogini temple

In later Jain Pattavali and early medieval inscriptions instead of Indraprastha, we find mention of Yoginipur.

The name Yoginipura is found in the Palam Baoli inscription, which also mentions the village of Palamba, apparently modern Palam. A king named Madanapala is mentioned as the ruler of Dhilli or Yoginipura in Samwat 1223 (1166 AD). It is believed that the name Yoginipura owes its origin to the Yogini temple, which no longer exists, but whose memory is preserved in the Yogamaya temple near Mehrauli, originating from Mihirapuri. It is assumed that a temple of the Sun could also exist there.

It is said that the Yogini temple, today located in the Lal Kot fortress, was built by pandavas at the end of the war described in the "Mahabharata."

Jain writings from the twelfth century mention that the ancient city of Mehrauli was once called Yoginipur after this temple.

The temple was destroyed by Qutb-ud-din Aibak for the use of his stones in the construction of the first mosque in Delhi (see above).

The new building of the Yogmaya Temple was built in the 19th century. This is the only surviving temple of the pre-Sultan period, which is still in use.

Yogmaya serves as the personification of the power of illusion in Shaktism and Vaishnavism. For details, see Religion in India.

Indraprastha

Main article: Indraprastha

Indraprastha is the first known settlement on the territory of modern. Delhi According to the epic "Mahabharata," it was founded by the Pandavas.

Ocher Painted Ceramics Culture

According to carbon dating, in the area of ​ ​ the Red Fort in Delhi there was a culture of ocher painted ceramics - a Bronze Age culture in the Indo-Gangetic Plain, "usually dating from 2000-1500 BC. e., "stretching from eastern Punjab to northeastern Rajasthan and western Uttar Pradesh. See History of India for details.

Paleolith

100 thousand hp: Tools and drawings in Mangar Bani forest

Mangar Bani Forest is the largest prehistoric site and Stone Age tool manufacturing workshop in the Indian subcontinent, as well as the first site discovered on Aravalli Ridge with rock paintings.

Stone tools and cave paintings date back 100,000 years, other rock paintings were created 20,000-40,000 years ago. It is also the oldest human settlement discovered in Haryana and Delhi.

The drawings were discovered by archaeologists in 2021 and are deep in caves where only bats live^[6]

Notes