Delhi

Delhi City

Delhi, has seen the rise and fall of many empires which have left behind a plethora of monuments that the grandeur and glory of bygone ages . A city which traces its history to Mahabharata, the great epic tale of wars fought between estranged cousins , the Kauravas and the Pandavas for the city of Indraprastha.

Mughals ruled Delhi in succession starting from Qutab-ub-din to Khiljis, Tughlaqs . The city of Delhi passed on to the hands of the British in 1803 AD. It was only in 1911, when the capital of British empire was shifted from Calcutta to Delhi, that Delhi got its present prestige. After independence also, a kind of autonomy was conferred on the capital but it largely remained a chief commissioners regime. In 1956 Delhi was converted into a Union territory and gradually the chief commissioner was replaced by a Lt. Governor. In 1991, the national capital territory Act was passed by the parliament and a system of diarchy was introduced under which, the elected Government was given wide powers; except law and order which remained with the central Government. The actual enforcement of the legislation came in 1993.

New Delhi, the capital of India, sprawled over the west bank of the river Yamuna is one of the fastest growing cities in India. It is surrounded on three sides by Haryana and to the east, across the river Yamuna by Uttar Pradesh. Historically, the city has long since been the foremost in political importance with successive dynasties choosing it as their seat of power, between the 13th and the 17th centuries. Remnants of the glorious past survive as important monuments in different parts of the city.

The myriad faces of the city are simply fascinating. In some places it remains a garden city, tree lined and with beautiful parks, but in some places it can also be crowded with heavy traffic.

Turbaned Sikhs, colourfully dressed Rajasthani and Gujarati women working in offices, Muslim shopkeepers along Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi, Tibetans and Ladakhis in the street stalls along Janpath and Kashmiris in the handicraft emporia around Connaught Place, all add to the cosmopolitan feel of the city.

Soaring skyscrapers, posh residential colonies and bustling commercial complexes can be seen along with the ancient historical monuments.

Its boutiques and shopping arcades offer access to a wealth of traditional and contemporary crafts, from all over the country. Old Delhi which looks entirely different from New Delhi area, is about 6 Km north of the city center.

Mumbai [ Maharashtra ]

Mumbai City

Mumbai is India´s finance centre, the economic powerhouse of the nation, heart of the Hindi film industry and the industrial hub of everything from textiles to petrochemicals.Mumbai is the glamour of Bollywood cinema, cricket on the maidans(open grassed areas), bhelpuri (a spicy sweet Mumbai snack) on the beach of Chowpatty, outstanding colonial architecture and red double-decker buses.

Mumbai was Bombay and this vast port and metropolis grew over three centuries from a collection of seven small, swampy islands into a giant magnet that each year still draws thousands of hopeful migrants seeking their fortune.

The islands, originally inhabited by Koli fishermen, remained as they were for several centuries in the pre-Christian era. It was only in the following centuries, the development of important townships and ports took place on the mainland surrounding the islands.

The place did witness some growth during the rule of several Hindu and Muslim dynasties, but a physical metamorphosis of the islands began only after the Portuguese takeover from the Muslim rulers of Gujarat in 1534.

Bombay and the freedom struggle

The Freedom Struggle received a tremendous impetus with Bombay taking the lead in almost every major political movement. Independence came in 1947, with refugees from Pakistan further adding to the population.

In the latter half of the 20th century, Bombay quickly grew upwards in the form of high rises and outwards too, rapidly expanding into the northern suburbs and the mainland. Today the city's population is estimated at around 14 million.