1.
India
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India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and it is bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast. It shares land borders with Pakistan to the west, China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the northeast, in the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Indias Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a border with Thailand. The Indian subcontinent was home to the urban Indus Valley Civilisation of the 3rd millennium BCE, in the following millennium, the oldest scriptures associated with Hinduism began to be composed. Social stratification, based on caste, emerged in the first millennium BCE, early political consolidations took place under the Maurya and Gupta empires, the later peninsular Middle Kingdoms influenced cultures as far as southeast Asia. In the medieval era, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam arrived, much of the north fell to the Delhi sultanate, the south was united under the Vijayanagara Empire. The economy expanded in the 17th century in the Mughal empire, in the mid-18th century, the subcontinent came under British East India Company rule, and in the mid-19th under British crown rule. A nationalist movement emerged in the late 19th century, which later, under Mahatma Gandhi, was noted for nonviolent resistance, in 2015, the Indian economy was the worlds seventh largest by nominal GDP and third largest by purchasing power parity. Following market-based economic reforms in 1991, India became one of the major economies and is considered a newly industrialised country. However, it continues to face the challenges of poverty, corruption, malnutrition, a nuclear weapons state and regional power, it has the third largest standing army in the world and ranks sixth in military expenditure among nations. India is a constitutional republic governed under a parliamentary system. It is a pluralistic, multilingual and multi-ethnic society and is home to a diversity of wildlife in a variety of protected habitats. The name India is derived from Indus, which originates from the Old Persian word Hindu, the latter term stems from the Sanskrit word Sindhu, which was the historical local appellation for the Indus River. The ancient Greeks referred to the Indians as Indoi, which translates as The people of the Indus, the geographical term Bharat, which is recognised by the Constitution of India as an official name for the country, is used by many Indian languages in its variations. Scholars believe it to be named after the Vedic tribe of Bharatas in the second millennium B. C. E and it is also traditionally associated with the rule of the legendary emperor Bharata. Gaṇarājya is the Sanskrit/Hindi term for republic dating back to the ancient times, hindustan is a Persian name for India dating back to the 3rd century B. C. E. It was introduced into India by the Mughals and widely used since then and its meaning varied, referring to a region that encompassed northern India and Pakistan or India in its entirety
2.
Delhi
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Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory of Delhi or NCT, is a city and a union territory of India. It is bordered by Haryana on three sides and by Uttar Pradesh to the east, the NCT covers an area of 1,484 square kilometres. According to 2011 census, Delhis city population was about 11 million, Delhis urban area is now considered to extend beyond the NCT boundary to include an estimated population of over 26 million people making it the worlds second largest urban area. As of 2016 recent estimates of the economy of its urban area have ranked Delhi either the top or second most productive metro area of India. Delhi is the second wealthiest city after Mumbai in India, with a wealth of $450 billion. Delhi has been inhabited since the 6th century BC. Through most of its history, Delhi has served as a capital of various kingdoms and it has been captured, ransacked and rebuilt several times, particularly during the medieval period, and modern Delhi is a cluster of a number of cities spread across the metropolitan region. New Delhi is jointly administered by the government of India and the local government of Delhi. Delhi is also the centre of the National Capital Region, which is a unique interstate regional planning area created by the National Capital Region Planning Board Act of 1985, Delhi ranks among the cities with the worst air pollution in the world. There are a number of myths and legends associated with the origin of the name Delhi, one of them is derived from Dhillu or Dilu, a king who built a city at this location in 50 BC and named it after himself. The coins in circulation in the region under the Tomaras were called dehliwal, according to the Bhavishya Purana, King Prithiviraja of Indraprastha built a new fort in the modern-day Purana Qila area for the convenience of all four castes in his kingdom. He ordered the construction of a gateway to the fort and later named the fort dehali, another theory suggests that the citys original name was Dhillika. The people of Delhi are referred to as Delhiites or Dilliwalas, the city is referenced in various idioms of the Northern Indo-Aryan languages. Dilli dilwalon ka shehr or Dilli Dilwalon ki meaning Delhi belongs to the large-hearted/daring, aas-paas barse, Dilli pani tarse, literally meaning it pours all around, while Delhi lies parched. An allusion to the sometimes semi-arid climate of Delhi, it refers to situations of deprivation when one is surrounded by plenty. The area around Delhi was probably inhabited before the second millennium BC, the city is believed to be the site of Indraprastha, the legendary capital of the Pandavas in the Indian epic Mahabharata. According to Mahabharata, this land was initially a huge mass of forests called Khandavaprastha which was burnt down to build the city of Indraprastha, the earliest architectural relics date back to the Maurya period, in 1966, an inscription of the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka was discovered near Srinivaspuri. Remains of eight cities have been discovered in Delhi
3.
Delhi Metro
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The Delhi Metro is a metro system serving Delhi and its satellite cities of Faridabad, Gurgaon, Noida and Ghaziabad in National Capital Region in India. Delhi Metro is the worlds 12th largest metro system in terms of length and number of stations. A member of Nova Group of Metros, the network consists of five colour-coded regular lines, the system has a mix of underground, at-grade, and elevated stations using both broad-gauge and standard-gauge. The metro has a daily ridership of 2.661 million passengers. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited, a company with equal equity participation from Government of India and Government of Delhi, built. DMRC operates around 2000 trips daily between 05,30 till 00,00 running with a headway varying between 1–2 minutes and 4–10 minutes, the trains are usually of six and eight-coach. The power output is supplied by 25-kilovolt, 50-hertz alternating current through overhead catenary, planning for the metro started in 1984, when the Delhi Development Authority and the Urban Arts Commission came up with a proposal for developing a multi-modal transport system for the city. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation was incorporated in May 1995, construction started in 1998, the development of network was divided into phases, Phase I containing 3 lines was completed by 2006, and Phase II in 2011. Phase III is scheduled for completion by 2017, rapid MetroRail Gurgaon which opened in 2013, whilst linked to Delhi Metro by the Yellow Line is a separate metro system, although tokens from the Delhi Metro can be used in its network. The concept of a rapid transit for New Delhi first emerged from a traffic. Over the next years, many official committees by a variety of government departments were commissioned to examine issues related to technology, route alignment. Consequently, traffic congestion and pollution soared, as a number of commuters took to private vehicles with the existing bus system unable to bear the load. Dr. E. Sreedharan handed over the charge as MD, physical construction work on the Delhi Metro started on 1 October 1998. DMRC was given powers to hire people, decide on tenders. The DMRC then consulted the Hong Kong MTRC on rapid transit operation and construction techniques, the first phase of the project was completed in 2006, on budget and almost three years ahead of schedule, an achievement described by Business Week as nothing short of a miracle. On 19 October 2008, a launcher and a part of the overhead Blue Line extension under construction in Laxmi Nagar, East Delhi collapsed. On 12 July 2009, a section of bridge collapsed while it was being erected at Zamrudpur, near East of Kailash, six people died and 15 were injured. The following day, on 13 July 2009, a crane that was removing the debris collapsed, on 22 July 2009, worker at Ashok Park Metro station was killed when a steel beam fell on him
4.
Punjabis
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The Punjabis, or Punjabi people, are an ethno-linguistic group associated with the Punjab, who speak Punjabi, an Indo-Aryan language. Punjab literally means the land of five waters (Persian, panj āb, Punjab is often referred to as the breadbasket in both Pakistan and India. The coalescence of the tribes, castes and the inhabitants of the Punjab into a broader common Punjabi identity initiated from the onset of the 18th century CE. Traditionally, Punjabi identity is primarily linguistic, geographical and cultural, integration and assimilation are important parts of Punjabi culture, since Punjabi identity is not based solely on tribal connections. More or less all Punjabis share the cultural background. Historically, the Punjabi people were a group and were subdivided into a number of clans called biradari or tribes. However, Punjabi identity also included those who did not belong to any of the historical tribes, the 1947 independence of India and Pakistan, and the subsequent partition of Punjab, is considered by historians to be the beginning of the end of the British Empire. The UNHCR estimates 14 million Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims were displaced during the partition, to date, this is considered the largest mass migration in human history. Until 1947, the province of Punjab was ruled by a coalition comprising the Indian National Congress, the Sikh-led Shiromani Akali Dal, however, the growth of Muslim nationalism led to the All India Muslim League becoming the dominant party in the 1946 elections. As Muslim separatism increased, the opposition from Punjabi Hindus and Sikhs increased substantially, communal violence on the eve of Indian independence led to the dismissal of the coalition government, although the succeeding League ministry was unable to form a majority. Partition was accompanied by violence on both sides, claiming the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. West Punjab was virtually cleansed of its Hindu and Sikh populations, by the 1960s, Indian Punjab underwent reorganisation as demands for a linguistic Punjabi state increased. The Hindi-speaking areas were formed into the states of Himachal Pradesh and Haryana respectively, in the 1980s, Sikh separatism combined with popular anger against the Indian Armys counter-insurgency operations led to violence and disorder in Indian Punjab, which only subsided in the 1990s. Political power in Indian Punjab is contested between the secular Congress Party and the Sikh religious party Akali Dal and its allies, the Bharatiya Janata Party, Indian Punjab remains one of the most prosperous of Indias states and is considered the breadbasket of India. Subsequent to partition, West Punjabis made up a majority of the Pakistani population, today, Punjabis continue to be the largest ethnic group in Pakistan, accounting for half of the countrys population. They reside predominantly in the province of Punjab, neighbouring Azad Kashmir in the region of Jammu and Kashmir, Punjabis are also found in large communities in the largest city of Pakistan, Karachi, located in the Sindh province. Punjabis in India can be found in the states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, large communities of Punjabis are also found in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir and in Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. In Delhi, Punjabis make up half of the population of Pakistan
5.
Chandni Chowk
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The Chandni Chowk is one of the oldest and busiest markets in Old Delhi, India. Chandni Chowk is located close to Old Delhi Railway Station, the Red Fort monument is located within the market. It was built in the 17th century by Mughal Emperor of India Shah Jahan, the market was once divided by canals to reflect moonlight and remains one of Indias largest wholesale markets. The markets history dates to the founding of the city of Shahjahanabad when Emperor Shah Jahan established the Red Fort on the banks of the Yamuna River beside his new capital. Chandni Chowk, or the Moonlight Square, was designed and established by Princess Jahanara Begum, Shah Jahan’s favourite daughter, originally containing 1,560 shops, the bazaar was 40 yards wide by 1,520 yards long. The bazaar was shaped as a square was given elegance by the presence of a pool in the centre of the complex, the pool shimmered in the moonlight, a feature which was perhaps responsible for its name. Shops were originally built in a half-moon shaped pattern, now lost, the bazaar was famous for its silver merchants, which also have contributed to the name as silver is referred to as Chandi in Hindi, a slight variation of which forms Chandni. The pool in the chowk was replaced by a tower until the 1950s. The center of the market is referred to as Ghantaghar. Chandni Chowk was once the grandest Indian market, Mughal imperial processions passed through Chandni Chowk. The tradition was continued when Delhi Durbar was held in 1903, Delhi Town Hall was built in 1863 by the British. Chandni Chowk runs through the middle of the city, from the Lahori Gate of the Red Fort to Fatehpuri Masjid. Originally, a canal ran through the middle of the street and it was initially divided into three sections, Lahori Gate to Chowk Kotwali, This section, closest to the imperial residence, was called Urdu Bazar, i. e. the encampment market. The Urdu language got its name from this encampment, ghalib noted the destruction of this market during the disturbances of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and its aftermath. Chowk Kotwali to Chandni Chowk, The term Chandni Chowk originally referred to the square that had a reflecting pool and this section was originally called Johri Bazar. Chandni Chowk to Fatehpuri Masjid, this was called the Fatehpuri Bazar, later choked with congestion, the market retains its historical character. The following terms are used to describe the buildings and the streets, Haveli. A normal haveli has a big courtyard surrounded on four sides by spacious rooms, one of the largest preserved havelis in the area is the Chunnamal haveli
6.
Connaught Place, New Delhi
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Connaught Place is one of the largest financial, commercial and business centres in New Delhi, India. It is often abbreviated to CP and houses the headquarters of several noted Indian firms. The main commercial area of the new city, New Delhi, during the erstwhile British Raj and it was developed as a showpiece of Lutyens Delhi with a prominent Central Business District. Named after Prince Arthur, 1st Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, a metro railway station built under it is named Rajiv Chowk. Prior to the construction of Connaught Place, the area was a ridge, covered with trees and populated with jackals. Residents of the Kashmere Gate, Civil Lines area visited during the weekends for partridge hunting, the Hanuman Temple attracted many visitors from the old walled city, who came only on Tuesdays and Saturdays and before sunset, as the return trip was considered dangerous. Residents of villages including Madhoganj, Jaisingh Pura and Raja ka Bazaar were evicted to clear the area for the construction of Connaught Place and the development of its nearby areas. The villages were situated along the historic Qutb Road, the main road connecting Shahjahanabad. The displaced people were relocated in Karol Bagh to the west, however, three structures were spared demolition. These were Hanuman temple, a Jain temple in Jaisinghpura and the Jantar Mantar, plans to have a central business district were developed as the construction of the new capital of Imperial India began to take shape. Headed by W. H. Nicholls, the architect to the Government of India. Connaught Places Georgian architecture is modelled after the Royal Crescent in Bath, the circle was eventually designed with two concentric circles, creating an Inner Circle, Middle Circle and the Outer Circle with seven roads radiating from a circular central park. As per the plan, the different blocks of Connaught Place were to be joined from above, employing archways. However, the circle was broken up to give it a grander scale, even the blocks were originally planned to be 172 metres in height, but later reduced to the present two-storied structure with an open colonnade. Government plans to have New Delhi Railway Station built inside Central Park were rejected by authorities as they found the idea impractical. Early commercial establishments belonged to traders from the Kashmere Gate area, Kaventers, Galgotia, most of the rulers of the Indian princely states had their local homes in the nearby areas around Kings way, and would frequent shops for designer clothes, artefacts, shoes, and pianos. Wengers, the confectioners, was one of the first shops in Connaught Place, davicos across Connaught Plaza, and the Standard restaurant were popular for decades before fading away. Another old timer, the Embassy Restaurant, opened in 1948, the Imperial, New Delhi’s first luxury hotel opened in 1931 on Queens Way, and eventually became a haunt for the royalty and a place for political discussions
7.
Daryaganj
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Daryaganj is a neighbourhood of Delhi inside the walled city of Shahjahanabad. The darya refers to the river Yamuna which was just outside the walled city, Daryaganj is one of the three subdivisions of Central Delhi District, it started at Delhi Gate, at the edge of Netaji Subash Road, which goes towards Red Fort. Daryaganj had the original cantonment of Delhi, after 1803, where a regiment of Delhi garrison was stationed. Now known as New Darya Ganj, it formed part of the British Darya Ganj Cantonment. The New Darya Ganj market was known as Faiz Bazaar until the partition. East of Daryaganj was Raj ghat Gate of the walled city, the Phool Mandi of Daryaganj was established around 1869, and even today despite serving a small geographical area, it is of great importance, due to dense population. Daryaganj continues to be a commercial hub of modern Old Delhi. Netaji Subhash Road that begin from Delhi Gate and goes towards the historic Red Fort, Jama Masjid and Chandni Chowk, passes through middle of the area, which are short walk away. The area also has a number of eye hospitals and clinics, including the Dr. Shroffs Charity Eye Hospital, the district bustles with shoppers from Monday to Saturday, and on Sunday is home to Indias largest platform market for magazines and second hand books. Daryaganj is also famous for its all time favourite markets like the Sunday Book Market or the Kitab Bazaar that is held every Sunday on street pavements. The market established around 1964, today stretches almost for 2 kilometers, books of all streams, genres are available in this Sunday Book Market. The former President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf was born and used to live at Nehar Wali Haveli in Daryaganj before migrating to Pakistan after the Partition of India in 1947. Darya Ganj today is well known all over the country. Ranging from S. Chand & Co. to Prentice Hall India, to Oxford University Press, mostly on Ansari Road, an inner road on the eastern side Daryaganj and is neighbouring areas. Daryaganj is also home the Hans, a Hindi literary magazine, restarted by writer Rajendra Yadav in 1986, founded by Premchand, Darya Ganj has one major cinema hall called Golcha, which opened in 1954, one of oldest cinemas of Delhi. Darya Ganj has the first co-education school of Delhi, Happy School, another notable modern restaurant is Chor Bizarre near Delite cinema, which serves Kashmiri cuisine. In addition to this, Darya Ganj is known to all Delhiites for the food you can get here, from the Baniyaan of Gupta ji, to Devi ke Kulche, to Pindi ka Dahi, these are a must try for anyone going to Darya Ganj. Of course, you could also hop over to the areas around Jama Masjid, for some delicious Kababs, whether from the roadside stalls, media related to Daryaganj at Wikimedia Commons Lefroy, George Alfred
8.
Dwarka, Delhi
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Dwarka is a neighbourhood of Delhi and is located in the district of South West Delhi in India. Dwarka is organised into Cooperative Group Housing Societies and it is one of the most sought-after residential areas in the city. It has the largest rooftop solar plant in Union Territory of Delhi, in January 2017, Cabinet of India approved Dwarka to be second Diplomatic Enclave for 39 countries on 34 hectares, after Chanakyapuri. In 2016, Cabinet of India chaired by PM Narendra Modi has approved 89.72 hectares of land for Exhibition-cum Convention centre, Dwarka is being developed as a smart city under Delhi Development Authoritys ‘smart sub-city’ project. It is named after the legendary Dwaraka Kingdom and it is a short distance away from Gurugram which is a major hub for large corporations in the country and about 10 km away from Indira Gandhi International Airport. With the opening up of the Airport Express Line, the time from the Dwarka Sector 21 Metro station to Airport is expected to be about 3 minutes. Some parts of modern-day Dwarka historically came under the colony of Pappan Kalan, a small baoli, discovered five years ago in Dwarka, has been restored and could become a tourist attraction. An elaborate conservation project by the India National Trust for Art, Dwarka Baoli is a historical stepwell recently discovered in Dwarka Sub City, in south west New Delhi, India. It was constructed for the residents of Loharehri village by the Sultans of the Lodi Dynasty in the early 16th century, Dwarka now stands where the Loharehri village once stood. Delhi Development Authority is currently planning to establish a theme-based park, the sub-city is located in South-West Delhi in the vicinity of Gurgaon and international airport. It is bounded by NH-8, Outer Ring Road, Najafgarh Road, Pankha Road Near Dabri Mor, and it is at a short distance from Gurgaon. Dwarka is the largest residential suburb in Asia, with a total of 1718 residential enclaves, currently Dwarka Sub-City is divided into 5 MCD Wards, 135- Kakraula, 136- Matiala, 141- Bijwasan, 145- Palam, and 147- Mahavir Enclave. Dwarka is divided into three Assembly Constituencies i. e. AC-34 Matiala, AC-36 Bijwasan, AC-37 Palam, also, Dwarka is divided into two Parliamentary constituencies i. e. West Delhi and South Delhi. The area of Dwarka Sub-city as per DDA record is 5648 Hectares, the density of population is around 160-200 per H A. Road length in Dwarka is 396 km, the irregularity in transportation of garbage and the South Delhi Municipal Corporation failing to clean Dwarka, has recently caused the city to face a severe sanitation crisis. The Delhi High Court has been looking into the issue of lack of sanitation, civic agencies such as DDA and the municipal corporation have blamed Dwarka filth on ‘lack of civic sense’. Due to lack of streetlights and police patrolling, empty roads and absence of security guards in most colonies, Dwarka has a robust and well connected road network built to modern specifications to each of its sectors and adjoining areas. The sub city is connected by metro rail with the city centre
9.
Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh
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Ghaziabad is a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is sometimes referred to as the Gateway of UP because it is close to New Delhi and it is a part of the National Capital Region of Delhi. It is a large and planned city, with a population of 2,381,452. Recent construction works have led to the city being described by a City Mayors Foundation survey as the second fastest-growing in the world. Situated in the Upper Gangetic Plains, the city has two divisions separated by the Hindon River, namely, Trans-Hindon on the west and Cis-Hindon on the east side. Excavations carried out at the mound of Kaseri, at the banks of river Hindon, according to the Gazetteer, the fort, Loni is named after Lavanasura. The city and its region have historically witnessed major wars. In AD1313, the region including present day Ghaziabad became a huge battlefield. During the Anglo- Maratha War, Sir General Lake and the Royal Maratha army fought here circa, altama Religion was started from Ghaziabad in 1803. The name Ghaziuddinnagar was shortened to its present form, i. e. Ghaziabad with the opening of the Railways in 1864, establishment of the Scientific Society here, during the same period is considered as a milestone of the educational movement launched by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan. The Ghaziabad Municipality came into existence in 1868, the Sind, Punjab and Delhi Railway, connecting Delhi and Lahore, up till Ambala through Ghaziabad was opened in the same year. The city of Ghaziabad was founded in AD1740 by Wazir Ghazi-ud-din, during the Mughal period, Ghaziabad and especially the banks of the Hindon in Ghaziabad, remained a picnic spot for the Mughal royal family. Ghaziabad, along with Meerut and Bulandshahr, remained one of the three Munsifis of the District, under the Meerut Civil Judgeship during most periods of the British Raj, Ghaziabad was associated with the Indian independence movement from the Indian Rebellion of 1857. During that rebellion, there were clashes between the British forces and Indian rebel sepoys on the banks of the Hindon, and the rebels checked the advancing British forces coming from Meerut. Although connected by railway since 1865, it was not until 1940 that the first modern industry appeared in Ghaziabad, however, it was in the post-independence period that industry really expanded, with a further 22 factories opening in the four years after 1947. This development can be attributed to the influx of people from the newly formed Pakistan, subsequently, the Mohan Meakin breweries were also set up in the year 1949. This period also saw the development of Ghaziabad as one of Indias most famous centres of the Oil Engines industry, in 1967, the municipal limits were extended up to the Delhi-UP border. Starting early 1970s, a number of steel manufacturing units also came up in the city making it one of the primary industries of the city
India
