Your city through history
Delhi,
through time.
Delhi is a landscape of successive capitals rather than one unchanged city. Sultanate rule, the upheaval of 1857, and the imperial capital announcement of 1911 form three entry points into that urban history.
Delhi’s historical settlements occupied different sites. The present-day location marker represents the city area, not the boundaries of any Sultanate or Mughal capital.
A timeline of Delhi
- 1206
The Delhi Sultanate begins
The establishment of the Delhi Sultanate brought a new ruling centre to northern India. Its reach changed under successive dynasties.
Source: Delhi Tourism — History of Delhi
Explore 1206 CE on the map ↗ - 1857–1858
Uprising and colonial reconstruction
The uprising and its suppression were followed by extensive destruction and reconfiguration of the city. Company government then gave way to Crown rule.
Source: Delhi Tourism — New Delhi
Explore 1857 CE on the map ↗Atlas context: 1857 CE is a snapshot within this period, rather than a reconstruction of this exact event.
- 1911
The imperial capital move is announced
At the Delhi Durbar, George V announced that the imperial capital would move from Calcutta to Delhi. Building the planned New Delhi followed over subsequent years.
Source: Delhi Tourism — New Delhi
Explore 1911 CE on the map ↗
Another place, another story.
Hyderabad
Hyderabad’s history connects a Qutb Shahi urban foundation, the nearby fortress of Golconda, and the later reshaping of the Deccan. Its monuments offer a way into this layered regional story.
Kolkata
Kolkata grew around settlements and trading networks on the Hooghly. Company expansion and the later transfer of the imperial capital connect its local history with larger changes in Bengal and British India.
Related reading
The Delhi Sultanate
Follow changing ruling houses, urban capitals and the sources behind the Delhi Sultanate’s history.
From 1526 CEThe Mughal Empire
Explore Mughal political institutions, royal architecture and the changing relationship between court and region.
21 April 1526The First Battle of Panipat
Understand the 1526 battle between Babur and Ibrahim Lodi and why a victory did not instantly secure an empire.
1857–1858The Revolt of 1857
Follow the uprising from Meerut to Delhi, its varied participants and the shift from Company to Crown government.
August 1947Independence and Partition, 1947
Read independence and Partition together: the new dominions, boundary decisions and the human consequences of displacement.
Find your city
5 cities in our sourced pilot
Hyderabad
Hyderabad’s history connects a Qutb Shahi urban foundation, the nearby fortress of Golconda, and the later reshaping of the Deccan. Its monuments offer a way into this layered regional story.
Read the city’s history ↗Pune
Pune connects the early life of Shivaji Maharaj with the later political world of the Peshwas. Lal Mahal and Shaniwar Wada preserve different chapters of that history, while reconstructed buildings require care when reading the past.
Read the city’s history ↗Mumbai
Mumbai’s colonial history follows changes in control of its island settlement and the growth of transport connections. These moments help explain how a coastal place became linked to a wider commercial hinterland.
Read the city’s history ↗Delhi
Delhi is a landscape of successive capitals rather than one unchanged city. Sultanate rule, the upheaval of 1857, and the imperial capital announcement of 1911 form three entry points into that urban history.
Read the city’s history ↗Kolkata
Kolkata grew around settlements and trading networks on the Hooghly. Company expansion and the later transfer of the imperial capital connect its local history with larger changes in Bengal and British India.
Read the city’s history ↗