155-522: The Hindi Belt , also known as the Hindi Heartland or the Hindi speaking states , is a linguistic region encompassing parts of northern , central , eastern , and western India where various Northern , Central , Eastern and Western Indo-Aryan languages are spoken, which in a broader sense is termed as Hindi languages , with Standard Hindi (based on Dehlavi ) serving as the lingua franca of
310-613: A bloody fight known as the Siege of Delhi . The city came under the direct control of the British Government in 1858. It was made a district province of the Punjab . In 1911, it was announced that the capital of British-held territories in India was to be transferred from Calcutta to Delhi. This formally transferred on 12 December 1911. The name "New Delhi" was given in 1927, and the new capital
465-568: A city on a knoll on the banks of the river Yamuna. According to art historian Catherine B. Asher, the topographical description of the Mahabharata matches the area of Purana Qila , a 14th-century CE fort of the Delhi sultanate , but the analogy does not go much further. Whereas the Mahabharata speaks of a beautifully decorated city with surrounding fortifications, the excavations have yielded "uneven findings of painted grey pottery characteristic of
620-538: A combination of elevated, at-grade, and underground lines, and uses both broad gauge and standard gauge rolling stock. Four types of rolling stock are used: Mitsubishi–ROTEM Broad gauge, Bombardier MOVIA, Mitsubishi–ROTEM Standard gauge, and CAF Beasain Standard gauge. The Phase-I of Delhi Metro was built for US$ 2.3 billion and the Phase-II was expected to cost an additional ₹ 216 billion (US$ 2.6 billion). Phase-II has
775-407: A diverse population, with various dialects of Hindi being spoken along with other Indian languages, and multi-religious population including Hindus , Muslims , Sikhs along with people from various castes and a significant tribal population. Over the years political development in some of these states has been dominated by caste -based politics, but this has changed somewhat in recent years with
930-775: A feudal safeguard against future unrest. In 1861, a supreme legislature for India was established — the Imperial Legislative Council of India . Further reforms also created a unified bank — the Imperial Bank of India , a police force — the Indian Imperial Police and a unified army — the Imperial Indian Army . In 1876, the Crown-ruled India and the numerous Indian states under the Crown's suzerainty formed
1085-596: A first-level administrative division, the National Capital Territory of Delhi has its own Legislative Assembly , Lieutenant Governor , the council of ministers, and Chief Minister . Members of the legislative assembly are directly elected from territorial constituencies in the NCT. The legislative assembly was abolished in 1956, after which direct federal control was implemented until it was re-established in 1993. The municipal corporation handles civic administration for
1240-481: A geographical dividing line in the country. Indian states that are entirely above the Tropic of Cancer are Himachal Pradesh , Punjab , Haryana , Delhi , Uttarakhand , Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and most of North East Indian states. However that definition would also include major parts of Rajasthan , Madhya Pradesh , Jharkhand and West Bengal and minor regions of Chhattisgarh and Gujarat . In Maharashtra ,
1395-471: A hierarchy of priests ( Brahmins ), warriors Kshatriyas , and commoners and peasants ( Vaishyas and Shudras ), and but which excluded certain peoples whose occupations were considered impure, arose during this period. On the Deccan Plateau , archaeological evidence from this period suggests the existence of a chiefdom stage of political organisation. In the late Vedic period, around the 6th century BCE,
1550-614: A large urban middle class, transformed India into one of the world's fastest-growing economies , and increased its geopolitical clout. Yet, India is also shaped by seemingly unyielding poverty, both rural and urban; by religious and caste-related violence ; by Maoist-inspired Naxalite insurgencies ; and by separatism in Jammu and Kashmir and in Northeast India . It has unresolved territorial disputes with China and with Pakistan . India's sustained democratic freedoms are unique among
1705-621: A loose political union called the Indian Empire , and Queen Victoria was crowned the Empress of India in 1877. In the decades following, public life gradually emerged all over India, leading eventually to the founding of the Indian National Congress in 1885. The rush of technology and the commercialisation of agriculture in the second half of the 19th century was marked by economic setbacks, and many small farmers became dependent on
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#17328519037831860-521: A model for later Indian kingdoms. Under the Guptas, a renewed Hinduism based on devotion, rather than the management of ritual, began to assert itself. This renewal was reflected in a flowering of sculpture and architecture , which found patrons among an urban elite. Classical Sanskrit literature flowered as well, and Indian science , astronomy , medicine , and mathematics made significant advances. The Indian early medieval age, from 600 to 1200 AD,
2015-663: A regional headquarters in Lucknow . The Hindu newspaper puts Bihar, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh related articles on its North pages. Articles in the Indian press have included the states of Bihar, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and West Bengal in North as well. The Tropic of Cancer , which divides the temperate zone from the tropical zone in the Northern Hemisphere , runs through India, and could theoretically be regarded as
2170-519: A sacred river in Hinduism , is the only major river flowing through Delhi. The Hindon River separates Ghaziabad from the eastern part of Delhi. The Delhi ridge originates from the Aravalli Range in the south and encircles the west, northeast, and northwest parts of the city. It reaches a height of 318 m (1,043 ft) and is a dominant feature of the region. In addition to the wetlands formed by
2325-566: A single language as considered by the Indian census. In a middle sense, Hindi is equated with the Central Indo-Aryan languages . Based on their linguistic features, these are divided into Western and Eastern Hindi languages. The narrowest definition of Hindi is that of the official language, Modern Standard Hindi , a standardised register a Western Hindi language spoken around Delhi and Western UP . Standardised Hindustani—including both Standard Hindi and Urdu—is historically based on
2480-707: A sixteen-year hiatus during the reigns of Sher Shah Suri and Hemu from 1540 to 1556. Shah Jahan built the seventh city of Delhi that bears his name Shahjahanabad , which served as the capital of the Mughal Empire from 1638 and is today known as the Old City or Old Delhi . After the death of Aurangzeb in 1707, the Mughal Empire's influence declined rapidly as the Hindu Maratha Empire from Deccan Plateau rose to prominence. In 1737, Maratha forces led by Baji Rao I sacked Delhi following their victory against
2635-508: A third of India's population and occupies about a quarter of its geographical area. The population is concentrated along the fertile Ganges plain in the states of Uttar Pradesh , Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh , Jharkhand and Bihar . Although the vast majority of the population is rural, significant urban cities include Chandigarh , Panchkula , Delhi , Lucknow , Kanpur , Raipur , Allahabad , Jaipur , Agra , Varanasi , Indore , Bhopal , Patna , Jamshedpur and Ranchi . The region hosts
2790-563: A total length of 348.12 kilometres (216.31 mi). The system has a mix of underground, at-grade, and elevated stations using both broad-gauge and standard-gauge . All stations have escalators, lifts, and tactile tiles to guide the visually impaired from station entrances to trains. There are 18 designated parking sites at the Metro stations. In March 2010, DMRC partnered with Google India (through Google Transit) to provide train schedule and route information to mobile devices with Google Maps. It has
2945-800: A wide variety of birds, including peafowl , parrots , and thousands of immigrant birds, such as the Siberian crane . Other birds include pheasants , geese , ducks , mynahs , parakeets , pigeons , cranes (including the celebrated sarus crane ), and hornbills . great pied hornbill , Pallas's fishing eagle , grey-headed fishing eagle , red-thighed falconet are found in the Himalayan areas. Other birds found here are tawny fish owl , scale-bellied woodpecker, red-breasted parakeet , Himalayan swiftlet , stork-billed kingfisher and Himalayan or white-tailed rubythroat . Important national parks and tiger reserves of North India include: Corbett National Park : It
3100-563: A wide variety of fish, amphibians and reptiles in the region. Animal species in North India include elephant , bengal tiger , indian leopard , snow leopard , sambar (Asiatic stag) , chital (spotted deer) , hangul (red deer) , hog deer , chinkara (Indian gazelle) , blackbuck , nilgai (blue bull antelope) , porcupine , wild boar , Indian fox , Tibetan sand fox , rhesus monkey , langur , jungle cat , striped hyena , golden jackal , black bear , Himalayan brown bear , sloth bear , and
3255-500: Is 963 MGD. The shortfall is met by private and public tube wells and hand pumps . At 240 MGD, the Bhakra storage is DJB's largest water source, followed by the Yamuna and Ganges rivers. Delhi's groundwater level is falling and its population density is increasing, so residents often encounter acute water shortage. Research on Delhi suggests that up to half of the city's water use
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#17328519037833410-475: Is a major bus service provider which operates the world's largest fleet of CNG-fuelled buses. In addition, cluster scheme buses are operated by Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS) with the participation of private concessionaires and DTC. In December 2017, the DTC and cluster buses carried over 4.19 million passengers per day. Kashmiri Gate ISBT , Anand Vihar ISBT and Sarai Kale Khan ISBT are
3565-532: Is a major junction in the Indian railway network and is the headquarters of the Northern Railway . The main railway stations are New Delhi , Old Delhi , Hazrat Nizamuddin , Anand Vihar , Delhi Sarai Rohilla and Delhi Cantt . The Delhi Metro , a mass rapid transit system built and operated by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), serves many parts of Delhi and the neighbouring cities Ghaziabad , Faridabad , Gurgaon and Noida . As of December 2021 ,
3720-436: Is also a Hindu majority state but has a large aboriginal minority. The union territories of Jammu and Kashmir is a Muslim majority territories while Ladakh has a Muslim plurality with minority Hindus and Buddhists. The state of Punjab has a Sikh majority of 60% and is the homeland of Sikh religion. Linguistically, North India is dominated by Indo-Aryan languages . It is in this region, or its proximity, that Sanskrit and
3875-560: Is also notorious for heavy fog during the winters. Extreme temperatures among inhabited regions have ranged from −45 °C (−49 °F) in Dras , Ladakh to 50.6 °C (123 °F) in Alwar , Rajasthan. Dras is claimed to be the second-coldest inhabited place on the planet (after Siberia ), with a recorded low of −60 °C. The region receives heavy rain in plains and light snow on Himalayas precipitation through two primary weather patterns:
4030-429: Is bordered on its northern, western, and southern sides by the state of Haryana and to the east by that of Uttar Pradesh (UP). Two prominent features of the geography of Delhi are the Yamuna flood plains and the Delhi ridge . The Yamuna River was the historical boundary between Punjab and UP, and its flood plains provide fertile alluvial soil suitable for agriculture but, are prone to recurrent floods. The Yamuna,
4185-554: Is core reserve. This park is known not only for its rich and varied wildlife but also for its scenic beauty. Nanda Devi National Park and Valley of Flowers National Park : Located in West Himalaya, in the state of Uttarakhand, these two national parks constitute a biosphere reserve that is in the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves since 2004. The Valley of Flowers is known for its meadows of endemic alpine flowers and
4340-743: Is defined by regional kingdoms and cultural diversity. When Harsha of Kannauj , who ruled much of the Indo-Gangetic Plain from 606 to 647 CE , attempted to expand southwards, he was defeated by the Chalukya ruler of the Deccan. When his successor attempted to expand eastwards, he was defeated by the Pala king of Bengal . No ruler of this period was able to create an empire and consistently control lands much beyond their core region. During this time, pastoral peoples, whose land had been cleared to make way for
4495-571: Is generally moderate (101–200) level between January and September, and then it drastically deteriorates to Very Poor (301–400), Severe (401–500) or Hazardous (500+) levels in three months between October and December, due to various factors including stubble burning (a type of biomass burning ), fire crackers burning during Diwali and cold weather. During 2013–14, peak levels of fine particulate matter (PM) increased by about 44%, primarily due to high vehicular and industrial emissions, construction work and crop burning in adjoining states. It has
4650-640: Is included in India's seismic zone-IV , indicating its vulnerability to major earthquakes. Delhi features a dry winter humid subtropical climate ( Köppen Cwa ) bordering a hot semi-arid climate ( Köppen BSh ). The warm season lasts from 21 March to 15 June with an average daily high temperature above 39 °C (102 °F). The hottest day of the year is usually witnessed between 26 and 30 May, with an average high of 42 °C (108 °F) and low of 27 °C (81 °F). The cold season lasts from 26 November to 9 February with an average daily high temperature below 20 °C (68 °F). The coldest day of
4805-550: Is lobbying "against the report" because it is "inconvenient" to the automobile industry. Environmentalists have also criticised the Delhi government for not doing enough to curb air pollution and to inform people about air quality issues. In 2014, an environmental panel appealed to India's Supreme Court to impose a 30% cess on diesel cars, but till date no action has been taken to penalise the automobile industry. Most of Delhi's residents are unaware of alarming levels of air pollution in
Hindi Belt - Misplaced Pages Continue
4960-470: Is mutually intelligible with Hindi. The numbers are also not directly comparable to the table above; for example, while independent estimates in 2001 counted 37 million speakers of Awadhi, in the 2001 census only 2½ million of these identified their language as "Awadhi" rather than as "Hindi". There have been demands to include Awadhi , Bhojpuri , Kumaoni , Bundeli , Chhattisgarhi , Garhwali , Kudmali/Kurmali , Magahi , Nagpuri , and Rajasthani in
5115-410: Is predominantly Tropical evergreen and Montane . Of the evergreen trees sal , teak , Mahogany, sheesham (Indian rosewood) and poplar are some which are important commercially. The Western Himalayan region abounds in chir , pine , deodar (Himalayan cedar), blue pine , spruce , various firs , birch and junipers . The birch, especially, has historical significance in Indian culture due to
5270-509: Is the highest in the Delhi before Supreme Court. The High Court of Delhi just like the apex court and other High Courts in India is the Court of record. Delhi is also home to various District Court according to jurisdictions. Delhi have Currently seven District Courts namely Tis Hazari Court Complex, Karkardooma Court Complex, Patiala House Court Complex, Rohini Court Complex, Dwarka Courts Complex, Saket Court Complex, and Rouse Avenue Court Apart from
5425-613: Is the original name for the city while others believe the name could be a corruption of the Hindustani words dehleez or dehali —both terms meaning "threshold" or "gateway"—and symbolic of the city as a gateway to the Gangetic Plain . The people of Delhi are referred to as Delhiites or Dilliwalas . The city is referenced in various idioms of the Northern Indo-Aryan languages . Examples include: The form Delhi , spelled in
5580-402: Is unofficial groundwater. In Delhi, daily domestic solid waste production is 8000 tonnes which is dumped at three landfill locations by MCD. The daily domestic waste water production is 470 MGD and industrial waste water is 70 MGD. A large portion of the sewage flows untreated into the Yamuna river. The city's electricity consumption is about 1,265 kWh per capita but
5735-543: The Chief Commissioner's Province of Delhi . The Constitution (Sixty-ninth Amendment) Act, 1991 declared the Union Territory of Delhi to be formally known as the National Capital Territory of Delhi. The Act gave Delhi its legislative assembly along Civil lines, though with limited powers. Delhi was the primary site in the nationwide anti-Sikh pogroms of 1984, which resulted in the death of around 2,800 people in
5890-662: The Hindi–Urdu Belt or Hindustani Belt . Hindi is part of the Indo-Aryan dialect continuum that lies within the cultural Hindi Belt in the northern plains of India. Hindi in this broad sense is a sociolinguistic rather than an ethnic concept. This definition of Hindi is one of the ones used in the Indian census , and results in more than forty per cent of Indians being reported to be speakers of Hindi, though Hindi-area respondents vary as to whether they call their language Hindi or
6045-520: The Aravalli Range , beyond which lies the state of Gujarat . The Vindhya mountains are, in some interpretations, taken to be the southern boundary of North India. The predominant geographical features of North India are: The states of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Jammu and Kashmir also have a large forest coverage. North India lies mainly in the north temperate zone of the Earth . Though cool or cold winters, hot summers, and moderate monsoons are
6200-662: The BJP national victory in 2014 and state victory in Uttar Pradesh in 2017 . In 2019 election , 226 members from the Hindi belt states had been elected to the Lok Sabha. North India North India , also called Northern India , is a geographical and broad cultural region comprising the northern part of India (or historically, the Indian subcontinent ) wherein Indo-Aryans form
6355-603: The Bactria-Margiana Culture into this region between 2000 BC and 1500 BC after the collapse of the Indus Valley Civilisation . There was a slow migration of Indo-Iranian peoples through the northwest leading to the development of the Indo-Aryan languages from Proto-Indo-Iranian and minor vocal synthesis with the Dravidian languages. North India was the historical centre of the ancient Vedic culture ,
Hindi Belt - Misplaced Pages Continue
6510-609: The Bihari languages except Maithili , all the Rajasthani languages , and the Central Pahari languages . This is an area bounded on the west by Punjabi and Sindhi ; on the south by Gujarati , Marathi , and Odia ; on the east by Maithili and Bengali ; and on the north by Nepali , Dogri , Kashmiri , Western Pahari and Tibetic languages . The varieties of this belt are usually considered separate languages, as opposed to dialects of
6665-618: The Delhi Transport Corporation , the highest in India and the third highest in the world after Shenzhen and Santiago . Personal vehicles, especially cars also form a major chunk of vehicles plying on Delhi roads. As of 2007 , private vehicles account for 30% of the total demand for transport. Delhi has the highest number of registered cars compared to any other metropolitan city in India. Taxis, auto rickshaws, and cycle rickshaws also ply on Delhi roads in large numbers. As of 2008 ,
6820-635: The Eighth Schedule ; these are otherwise regarded as dialects of Hindi by the government, although they have varying levels of mutual intelligibility with standard Hindi. Some academics oppose inclusion of Hindi dialects in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution as full-fledged Indian languages. According to them recognition of Hindi dialects as separate languages would deprive Hindi of millions of its speakers and eventually no Hindi will be left. Much of
6975-522: The House of Maurya . The Magadhan Mauryan emperors are known as much for their empire-building and determined management of public life as for Ashoka 's renunciation of militarism and far-flung advocacy of the Buddhist dhamma . In North India, by the 4th and 5th centuries, the House of Gupta of Magadha had created a complex system of administration and taxation in the greater Ganges Plain; this system became
7130-956: The Indo-Gangetic Plain within this broader expanse, stretching from the Ganga-Yamuna Doab to the Thar Desert . Several major rivers flow through the region including the Indus, the Ganges , the Yamuna and the Narmada rivers. North India includes the states of Himachal Pradesh , Uttarakhand , Punjab and Haryana , Rajasthan , Uttar Pradesh , Madhya Pradesh , Chhattisgarh , Goa , Gujarat , Maharashtra , Bihar , Jharkhand , and West Bengal and union territories of Chandigarh , Delhi , Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh . In its narrower administrative sense,
7285-539: The Indus Valley Civilisation , the first urban culture in South Asia, which flourished during 2500–1900 BC north-western Indian subcontinent. Centred around cities such as Mohenjo-daro , Harappa , Dholavira , and Kalibangan , and relying on varied forms of subsistence, the civilisation engaged robustly in crafts production and wide-ranging trade. Between 2000 BC and 1500 BC, several waves of Indo-Aryan migrations from Central Asia occurred and these migrants settled in
7440-536: The Khariboli of 17th-century Delhi . Population data from 2011 Indian Census is as follows: According to the 2001 Indian census, 258 million people in India (25% of the population) regarded their native language to be "Hindi", however, including other languages considered by the census as Hindi, this figure becomes 422 million Hindi speakers (41% of the population). These figures do not count 52 million Indians who considered their mother tongue to be "Urdu", which
7595-626: The Lal Kot and several temples in 1052 CE. The Chauhan Rajputs under Vigraharaja IV conquered Lal Kot in the mid-12th century and renamed it Qila Rai Pithora . Prithviraj Chauhan was defeated in 1192 by Muhammad Ghori in the second battle of Tarain . Qutb-ud-din Aibak , was given the responsibility of governing the conquered territories of India after Ghori returned to his capital, Ghor . When Ghori died without an heir in 1206 CE, Qutb-ud-din assumed control of Ghori's Indian possessions and laid
7750-586: The Latin script with the h following the l , originated under colonial rule and is an alternation of the spelling based on the Urdu name of the city ( دہلی , Dehli ). Traditionally seven cities have been associated with the region of Delhi. The earliest, Indraprastha , is part of a literary description in the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata (composed c. 400 BCE to 300 CE but describing an earlier time ) which situates
7905-666: The Mahajanapadas , and Magadha Empire, the medieval Delhi Sultanate and the modern Mughal India and the Indian Empire , among many others. It has a diverse culture, and includes the Hindu pilgrimage centres of Char Dham , Haridwar , Varanasi , Ayodhya , Mathura , Prayagraj , Vaishno Devi and Pushkar , the Buddhist pilgrimage centres of Sarnath and Kushinagar , the Sikh Golden Temple as well as world heritage sites such as
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#17328519037838060-526: The Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve , Khajuraho temples , Hill Forts of Rajasthan , Jantar Mantar (Jaipur) , Qutb Minar , Red Fort , Agra Fort , Fatehpur Sikri and the Taj Mahal . North India's culture developed as a result of interaction between these Hindu and Muslim religious traditions. The terms 'North Zone,' 'North Region,' or 'Northern Cultural Zone' are used by various ministries of
8215-425: The Sultanate of Delhi in 1206. The sultanate was to control much of North India and to make many forays into South India. Although at first disruptive for the Indian elites, the sultanate largely left its vast non-Muslim subject population to its own laws and customs. By repeatedly repulsing Mongol raiders in the 13th century, the sultanate saved India from the devastation visited on West and Central Asia, setting
8370-443: The World Health Organization (WHO), Delhi was the most polluted city in the world in 2014. In 2016, WHO downgraded Delhi to eleventh-worst in the urban air quality database. However, as recently as 2022, data from the WHO and IQAir, alongside comprehensive research, ranked Delhi as the fourth most polluted city globally. According to one estimate, air pollution causes the death of about 10,500 people every year. Air quality index
8525-405: The largest metropolitan area in India and the second-largest in the world (after Tokyo ). The topography of the medieval fort Purana Qila on the banks of the river Yamuna matches the literary description of the citadel Indraprastha in the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata ; however, excavations in the area have revealed no signs of an ancient built environment. From the early 13th century until
8680-465: The partition of India into two states: India and Pakistan. Vital to India's self-image as an independent nation was its constitution, completed in 1950, which put in place a secular and democratic republic. Per the London Declaration , India retained its membership of the Commonwealth , becoming the first republic within it. Economic liberalisation, which began in the 1980s and the collaboration with Soviet Union for technical know-how, has created
8835-423: The second-highest GDP per capita in India (after Goa ). Although a union territory , the political administration of the NCT of Delhi today more closely resembles that of a state of India , with its own legislature, high court and an executive council of ministers headed by a chief minister . New Delhi is jointly administered by the union government of India and the local government of Delhi , and serves as
8990-451: The seven cities of Delhi . Delhi was a major centre of Sufism during this period. The Mamluk Sultanate (Delhi) was overthrown in 1290 by Jalal ud din Firuz Khalji (1290–1320). Under the second Khalji ruler, Ala-ud-din Khalji , the Delhi sultanate extended its control south of the Narmada River in the Deccan . The Delhi sultanate reached its greatest extent during the reign of Muhammad bin Tughluq (1325–1351). In an attempt to bring
9145-431: The snow leopard , the Himalayan brown bear and the musk deer . Desert National Park : Located in Rajasthan, this national reserve features extensive sand dunes and dry salt lakes. Wildlife unique to the region includes the desert fox and the great Indian bustard . Delhi Delhi , officially the National Capital Territory ( NCT ) of Delhi , is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi ,
9300-526: The 17th century was a factor in India's economic expansion, resulting in greater patronage of painting , literary forms, textiles, and architecture . Newly coherent social groups in northern and western India, such as the Marathas , the Rajputs , and the Sikhs , gained military and governing ambitions during Mughal rule, which, through collaboration or adversity, gave them both recognition and military experience. Expanding commerce during Mughal rule gave rise to new Indian commercial and political elites along
9455-406: The 2011 census, Delhi's city proper population was over 11 million, while the NCT's population was about 16.8 million. Delhi's urban agglomeration, which includes the satellite cities Ghaziabad , Faridabad , Gurgaon , Noida , Greater Noida and YEIDA city located in an area known as the National Capital Region (NCR), has an estimated population of over 28 million, making it
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#17328519037839610-401: The Congress. However, that government was short-lived, collapsing only after 49 days. Delhi was then under President's rule until February 2015, after which AAP returned to power after a landslide victory, winning 67 out of the 70 seats in the Delhi Legislative Assembly . AAP holds power ever since. Delhi is the largest commercial center in northern India. As of 2016 recent estimates of
9765-426: The Delhi Metro, a suburban railway, the Delhi Suburban Railway exists. The Delhi Metro is a rapid transit system serving Delhi, Ghaziabad , Faridabad , Gurgaon and Noida in the National Capital Region of India. It is the world's tenth-largest metro system by length of lines. It was India's second modern public transportation system. The network consists of 10 colour-coded lines serving 255 stations with
9920-418: The District Courts Delhi also have Consumer Courts, CBI Courts, Labour Courts, Revenue Courts, Army tribunals, electricity tribunals, Railway Tribunals, and other various tribunals situated according to appropriate jurisdictions. For policing purposes Delhi is divided into fifteen police districts which are further subdivided into 95 local police station zones. Delhi currently has 180 police stations. As
10075-418: The Government of India to refer to the northernmost administrative division of the country, whether one of four or six. These terms are distinct from 'North India,' which refers to a much larger geo-cultural region. The Northern Zonal Council is one of the advisory councils, created in 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act to foster interstate co-operation under the Ministry of Home Affairs , which included
10230-759: The Himalayan region like Kinnauri , Ladakhi , Balti , and Lahuli–Spiti languages . The composite culture of North India is known as Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb , a result of the amicable interaction of Hindus and Muslims there. Dance of North India too has diverse folk and classical forms. Among the well-known folk dances are the bhangra of the Punjab , Ghoomar of Rajasthan, Nati of Himachal Pradesh and rouf and bhand pather of Kashmir. Main dance forms, many with narrative forms and mythological elements, have been accorded classical dance status by India's National Academy of Music, Dance, and Drama such as Kathak . Each state of North India has its own regional forms of clothing: North Indian vegetation
10385-414: The Hindi spoken outside of the subcontinent is distinct from the Indian standard language. Fiji Hindi is a derived form of Awadhi, Bhojpuri, and including some English and very few native Fijian words. It is spoken by majority of Indo-Fijians . In Mauritius, Bhojpuri is the most commonly spoken Hindi dialect. Once widely spoken as a mother tongue at 31.7% in 1972, it has become less commonly spoken over
10540-410: The Indian Monsoon and the Western Disturbances . The Monsoon carries moisture northwards from the Indian Ocean , occurs in late summer and is important to the Kharif or autumn harvest . Western Disturbances, on the other hand, are an extratropical weather phenomenon that carry moisture eastwards from the Mediterranean Sea , the Caspian Sea and the Atlantic Ocean . They primarily occur during
10695-419: The Indo-Gangetic Plain. The Vedas , the oldest scriptures associated with Hinduism , were composed during this period, and historians have analysed these to posit a Vedic culture in the Punjab region and the upper Gangetic Plain . During the period 2000–500 BCE , many regions of the subcontinent transitioned from the Chalcolithic cultures to the Iron Age ones. The caste system , which created
10850-508: The Mughals in the First Battle of Delhi. In 1739, the Mughal Empire lost the huge Battle of Karnal in less than three hours against the numerically outnumbered but militarily superior Persian army led by Nader Shah of Persia. After his invasion , he completely sacked and looted Delhi , carrying away immense wealth including the Peacock Throne , the Daria-i-Noor , and Koh-i-Noor . The Mughals, severely further weakened, could never overcome this crushing defeat and humiliation which also left
11005-401: The Mughals united their far-flung realms through loyalty, expressed through a Persianised culture, to an emperor who had near-divine status. The State's economic policies, deriving most revenues from agriculture and mandating that taxes be paid in the well-regulated silver currency, caused peasants and artisans to enter larger markets. The relative peace maintained by the empire during much of
11160-493: The NCT of Delhi is made up of one division , 11 districts , 33 subdivisions , 59 census towns, and 300 villages. On the other way, the NCT of Delhi is divided into three municipalities. The boundaries of municipalities may be different from district boundaries: Between 13 January 2011 and 22 May 2022, MCD was divided into three municipal corporations: Delhi is home to the High Court of Delhi . The High Court of Delhi
11315-606: The Public Works Department (PWD) which is under the jurisdiction of the Government of Delhi while some are maintained by Delhi Development Authority and New Delhi Municipal Council which are under the jurisdiction of the Government of India . Roads and streets less than 60 ft (18 m) wide are maintained by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi . Roads and streets in unauthorised colonies are maintained by
11470-505: The Yamuna River, Delhi continues to retain over 500 ponds (wetlands < 5 ha (12 acres)), that in turn support a considerable number of bird species. Delhi's ponds, despite experiencing ecological deterioration due to garbage dumping and concretisation, support the largest number of bird species known to be using ponds anywhere in the world. Existing policy in Delhi prevents the conversion of wetlands and, quite inadvertently, has led to
11625-565: The actual demand is higher. In Delhi power distribution is managed by TPDDL and BSES Yamuna & BSES Rajdhani since 2002, transmission of power is done by Delhi Transco Limited and Powergrid , while generation of power is by IPGCL and PPCL . The city also imports a significant quantum of power from other states. The Delhi Fire Service runs 43 fire stations that attend about 15,000 fire and rescue calls per year. The state-owned MTNL and private enterprises such as Airtel , Vi , Jio , and provide telephone and cell phone services to
11780-421: The actual name of their language. As defined in the 1991 census, Hindi has a broad and a narrow sense. The term "Hindi" is thus ambiguous. Before being identified as a separate language, Maithili was identified by the census as a Hindi dialect. Many such languages still struggle for recognition. The broad sense covers a number of Central , East-Central , Eastern , and Northern Indo-Aryan languages, including
11935-587: The attack, which caused a major diplomatic crisis between the two countries. There were further terrorist attacks in Delhi in 2005 and 2008 , resulting in a total of 92 deaths. In 2020, Delhi witnessed worst communal violence in decades. The riots, caused mainly by Hindu mobs attacking Muslims, 53 people were killed, two-thirds were Muslims, and the rest Hindus . Delhi is located in Northern India , at 28°37′N 77°14′E / 28.61°N 77.23°E / 28.61; 77.23 . The city
12090-539: The average maximum temperature during winters has declined notably since 1998 due to rising air pollution. India's Ministry of Earth Sciences published a research paper in October 2018 attributing almost 41% of PM2.5 air pollution in Delhi to vehicular emissions, 21.5% to dust/fire and 18% to industries. The director of Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) alleged that the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM)
12245-565: The capital city's population. The states of Rajasthan , Haryana , Himachal Pradesh , Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh are overwhelmingly Hindu-majority. Maharashtra, Uttarakhand , Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal are also Hindu majority states, but have a large Muslim minority (12% in Maharashtra, 14% In Uttarakhand, 18% in Bihar, 19% in Uttar Pradesh and 27% in West Bengal). Jharkhand
12400-399: The capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its right bank , Delhi shares borders with the state of Uttar Pradesh in the east and with the state of Haryana in the remaining directions. Delhi became a union territory on 1 November 1956 and the NCT in 1995. The NCT covers an area of 1,484 square kilometres (573 sq mi). According to
12555-473: The capital of the nation as well as the NCT of Delhi. Delhi is also the centre of the National Capital Region, which is an "interstate regional planning" area created in 1985. Delhi hosted the inaugural 1951 Asian Games , the 1982 Asian Games , the 1983 Non-Aligned Movement summit, the 2010 Men's Hockey World Cup , the 2010 Commonwealth Games , the 2012 BRICS summit , the 2023 G20 summit , and
12710-604: The city according to government figures, though independent estimates of the number of people killed tend to be higher. The riots were set off by the assassination of Indira Gandhi —the Prime Minister of India at the time—by her Sikh bodyguards. In 2001, the Parliament of India building in New Delhi was attacked by armed militants, killing six security personnel. India suspected Pakistan-based Jihadist militant groups were behind
12865-554: The city and the health risks associated with it. In 2020, annual average PM2.5 in the city stood at 107.6 μg/m , which is almost 21.5 times the WHO's PM2.5 Guideline (5 μg/m ; set in September 2021). These pollution levels are estimated to reduce the life expectancy of an average person living in Delhi by almost 10.1 years. However, as of 2015 , awareness, particularly among the foreign diplomatic community and high-income Indians,
13020-724: The city as part of the Panchayati Raj Act . The Government of India and the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi jointly administer New Delhi, where both bodies are located. The Parliament of India , the Rashtrapati Bhavan (Presidential Palace), Cabinet Secretariat , and the Supreme Court of India are located in the municipal district of New Delhi. There are 70 assembly constituencies and seven Lok Sabha (Indian Parliament's lower house) constituencies in Delhi. The Indian National Congress (Congress) formed all
13175-437: The city migrated to Pakistan. Ethnic Punjabis are believed to account for at least 40% of Delhi's total population and are predominantly Hindi -speaking Punjabi Hindus . Migration to Delhi from the rest of India continues (as of 2013 ), contributing more to the rise of Delhi's population than the birth rate, which is declining. The States Reorganisation Act, 1956 created the Union Territory of Delhi from its predecessor,
13330-430: The city's ponds becoming invaluable refugia for birds. The National Capital Territory of Delhi covers an area of 1,483 km (573 sq mi), of which 783 km (302 sq mi) is designated rural, and 700 km (270 sq mi) urban therefore making it the largest city in terms of area in the country. It has a length of 51.9 km (32 mi) and a width of 48.48 km (30 mi). Delhi
13485-617: The city. However, according to several authors, most of these gains have been lost, especially due to stubble burning , a rise in the market share of diesel cars and a considerable decline in bus ridership. According to CSE and System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), burning of agricultural waste in nearby Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh regions results in severe intensification of smog over Delhi. Delhi has been ranked 7th best "National Clean Air City" (under Category 1 >10L Population cities) in India according to 'Swachh Vayu Survekshan 2024 Results' Currently,
13640-584: The city. Cellular coverage is available in GSM , 3G , 4G , 4G+ and 5G . Indira Gandhi International Airport , situated to the south-west of Delhi, is the main gateway for the city's domestic and international civilian air traffic. In 2015–16, the airport handled more than 48 million passengers, making it the busiest airport in India and South Asia. Terminal 3, which cost ₹ 96.8 billion (US$ 1.2 billion) to construct between 2007 and 2010, handles an additional 37 million passengers annually. In 2010, IGIA
13795-476: The city. Delhi's large consumer market and the availability of skilled labour has also attracted foreign investment. In 2001, the manufacturing sector employed 1,440,000 workers and the city had 129,000 industrial units. Delhi's municipal water supply is managed by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB). As of June 2005 , it supplied 650 million gallons per day (MGD), whereas the estimated consumption requirement
13950-485: The coasts of southern and eastern India. As the empire disintegrated, many among these elites were able to seek and control their own affairs. By the early 18th century, with the lines between commercial and political dominance being increasingly blurred, a number of European trading companies, including the English East India Company , had established coastal outposts. The East India Company's control of
14105-511: 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 . Some historians believe that Dhilli or Dhillika
14260-639: The consolidation and demarcation of sovereignty, the surveillance of the population, and the education of citizens. Technological changes—among them, railways, canals, and the telegraph—were introduced not long after their introduction in Europe . However, disaffection with the company also grew during this time and set off the Indian Rebellion of 1857 . Fed by diverse resentments and perceptions, including invasive British-style social reforms, harsh land taxes, and summary treatment of some rich landowners and princes,
14415-521: The conversion of Delhi's fleet of buses and taxis to run on CNG and banned the use of leaded petrol in 1998. In 2003, Delhi won the United States Department of Energy 's first 'Clean Cities International Partner of the Year' award for its "bold efforts to curb air pollution and support alternative fuel initiatives". The Delhi Metro has also been credited for significantly reducing air pollutants in
14570-651: The cost of moving goods, and helped nascent Indian-owned industry. After World War I, in which approximately one million Indians served in the Indian Army , a new period began. It was marked by the enactment of the Montagu–Chelmsford Reforms as the Government of India Act 1919 but also repressive legislation , by more strident Indian calls for self-rule, and by the beginnings of a nonviolent movement of non-co-operation, of which Mahatma Gandhi would become
14725-426: The economy of the Delhi urban area have ranged from $ 370 billion to $ 400 billion ( PPP metro GDP ) ranking it either the most or second-most productive metro area of India. The nominal GSDP of the NCT of Delhi for 2016–17 was estimated at ₹ 6,224 billion (US$ 75 billion), 13% higher than in 2015–16. Oxford Economics Global Cities index 2024 ranked Delhi as best city in India and 108th best city in
14880-577: The eleventh century BCE; no signs of a built environment, much fewer fortifications, have been revealed." The earliest architectural relics date back to the Maurya period (c. 300 BCE); in 1966, an inscription of the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka (273–235 BCE) was discovered near Srinivaspuri. Remains of several major cities can be found in Delhi. The first of these was in the southern part of present-day Delhi. Tomara Rajput King Anang Pal built
15035-429: The endangered caracal . Reptiles are represented by a large number of snake and lizard species, as well as the ghariyal and crocodiles . Venomous snakes found in the region include king cobra and krait . Various scorpion , spider and insect species include the commercially useful honeybees , silkworms and lac insects. The strikingly coloured bir bahuti is also found in this region. The region has
15190-559: The extensive use of birch paper ( Sanskrit : bhurja patra ) as parchment for many ancient Indian texts. The Eastern Himalayan region consists of oaks , laurels , maples , rhododendrons , alder , birch and dwarf willows . Reflecting the diverse climatic zones and terrain contained in the region, the floral variety is extensive and ranges from Alpine to Cloud forests, coniferous to evergreen, and thick tropical rainforests to cool temperate woods. There are around 500 varieties of mammals, 2000 species of birds, 30,000 types of insects and
15345-539: The far north, languages of Dardic (such as Kashmiri) and Pahari (such as Dogri, Kumaoni and Garhwali) groups are spoken in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal and Uttarakhand. Punjabi is spoken in Punjab . Bengali is spoken in West Bengal. Languages of Bihari group, such as Maithili, Magahi and Bhojpuri are spoken in Bihar and Jharkhand. A number of aboriginal languages of Austroasiatic and Dravidian origin are spoken in some regions. Several Sino-Tibetan languages are spoken in
15500-557: The foundation of the Delhi Sultanate and the Mamluk dynasty . He began construction of the Qutb Minar and Quwwat-al-Islam (Might of Islam) mosque, the earliest extant mosque in India. It was his successor, Iltutmish (1211–1236), who consolidated the conquest of northern India. At 72.5 m (238 ft), the Qutb Minar , a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Delhi, was completed during
15655-659: The general patterns, North India is one of the most climatically diverse regions on Earth. During summer, temperatures often rise above 35°C across much of the Indo-Gangetic plain, reaching as high as 50°C in the Thar Desert, Rajasthan, and up to 49°C in Delhi. During winter, the lowest temperatures on the plains dip below 5°C and drop below freezing in some states. Heavy to moderate snowfall occurs in Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, and Uttarakhand. Much of North India
15810-548: The governments in Delhi until the 1990s, when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Madan Lal Khurana , came to power. In 1998, the Congress returned to power under the leadership of Sheila Dikshit , who was subsequently re-elected for 3 consecutive terms. But in 2013 , the Congress was ousted from power by the newly formed Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led by Arvind Kejriwal forming the government with outside support from
15965-456: The growing agricultural economy, were accommodated within caste society, as were new non-traditional ruling classes. The caste system consequently began to show regional differences. In the 6th and 7th centuries, the first devotional hymns were created in the Tamil language. They were imitated all over India and led to both the resurgence of Hinduism and the development of all modern languages of
16120-410: The highest level of the airborne particulate matter, PM2.5 considered most harmful to health, with 153 micrograms. Rising air pollution level has significantly increased lung-related ailments (especially asthma and lung cancer) among Delhi's children and women. The dense smog and haze during winter results in major air and rail traffic disruptions every year. According to Indian meteorologists,
16275-404: The initiative as well, with many sojourning in Indian seminaries and translating Buddhist and Hindu texts into their languages. After the 10th century, Muslim Central Asian nomadic clans, using swift-horse cavalry and raising vast armies united by ethnicity and religion, repeatedly overran South Asia's north-western plains. A general Qutub-ud-din Aibak declared his independence and established
16430-526: The leader and enduring symbol. During the 1930s, slow legislative reform was enacted; the Indian National Congress won victories in the resulting elections. The next decade was beset with crises: Indian participation in World War ;II , the Congress's final push for non-co-operation, and an upsurge of Muslim nationalism . All were capped by the advent of independence in 1947, but tempered by
16585-500: The local Member of the Legislative Assembly . Buses are the most popular means of road transport, catering to about 60% of Delhi's total demand. Delhi has one of India's largest bus transport systems. In 1998, the Supreme Court of India ruled that all public transport vehicles in Delhi must be fuelled by compressed natural gas (CNG) to tackle increasing vehicular pollution. The state-owned Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC)
16740-645: The main bus terminals for outstation buses plying to neighbouring states. Delhi's rapid rate of economic development and population growth has resulted in an increasing demand for transport, creating excessive pressure on the city's transport infrastructure. To meet the transport demand, the State and Union government constructed a mass rapid transit system, including the Delhi Metro. Delhi Bus Rapid Transit System runs between Ambedkar Nagar and Delhi Gate . As per February 2024, Delhi has around 1,650 electric buses managed by
16895-533: The metro consists of ten operational lines with a total length of 348.12 km (216.31 mi) and 254 stations , and several other lines are under construction. The Phase-I was built at a cost of US$ 2.3 billion and the Phase-II was expected to cost an additional ₹ 216 billion (US$ 2.6 billion). Phase-II has a total length of 128 km (80 mi) and was completed by 2010. Delhi Metro completed 10 years of operation on 25 December 2012. It carries millions of passengers every day. In addition to
17050-676: The mid-19th century, Delhi was the capital of two major empires, the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire , which covered large parts of South Asia . All three UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the city, the Qutub Minar , Humayun's Tomb , and the Red Fort , belong to this period. Delhi was the early centre of Sufism and Qawwali music. The names of Nizamuddin Auliya and Amir Khusrau are prominently associated with it. The Khariboli dialect of Delhi
17205-555: The middle class; chronicling the life of the Buddha was central to the beginnings of recorded history in India. In an age of increasing urban wealth, both religions held up renunciation as an ideal, and both established long-lasting monastic traditions. Politically, by the 3rd century BCE, the Kingdom of Magadha had annexed or reduced other states and evolved into the Magadha Empire under
17360-407: The number of vehicles in the metropolitan region, Delhi NCR, was 11.2 million (11.2 million). In 2008, there were 85 cars in Delhi for every 1,000 of its residents. In 2017, the number of vehicles in Delhi city alone crossed the ten million mark with the transport department of Delhi Government putting the total number of registered vehicles at 10,567,712 until 25 May of the year. Delhi
17515-803: The perception of the westerners." The Government of Bihar official site places the state in the eastern part of India. Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are largely considered as being a part of north India, however. By 55,000 years ago, the first modern humans, or Homo sapiens , had arrived on the Indian subcontinent from Africa, where they had earlier evolved. The earliest known modern human remains in South Asia date to about 30,000 years ago. After 6500 BC, evidence for domestication of food crops and animals, construction of permanent structures, and storage of agricultural surplus appeared in Mehrgarh and other sites in Balochistan, Pakistan . These gradually developed into
17670-485: The president and the prime minister. Delhi has the highest road density of 2103 km/100 km in India . It is connected to other parts of India by five National Highways : NH 1 , NH 2 , NH 8 , NH 10 and NH 24 . The Delhi–Mumbai and Delhi–Kolkata prongs of the Golden Quadrilateral start from the city. The majority of the city's roads which are 60 ft (18 m) wide or above are maintained by
17825-673: The prominent majority population. It extends from the Himalayan mountain range in the north to the Indo-Gangetic plains , the Thar Desert , the Central Highlands and the northwestern part of the Deccan plateau . It occupies nearly three-quarters of the area and population of India and includes all of the three mega cities of India : Mumbai , Delhi and Kolkata . In a more specific and administrative sense, North India can also be used to denote
17980-562: The rebellion rocked many regions of northern and central India and shook the foundations of Company rule. Although the rebellion was suppressed by 1858, it led to the dissolution of the East India Company and the direct administration of British territories in India by the British Crown . Proclaiming a unitary state and a gradual but limited British-style parliamentary system, the new rulers also protected princes and landed gentry as
18135-648: The region uses references to these six seasons quite extensively and has done so since ancient times when Sanskrit was prevalent. In the mountainous areas, sometimes the winter is further divided into "big winter" (e.g. Kashmiri chillai kalaan ) and "little winter" ( chillai khurd ). The people of North India mostly belong to the Indo-Aryan ethno linguistic branch, and include various social groups such as Brahmins , Rajputs , Kayasthas , Banias , Jats , Rors , Gurjars , Kolis , Yadavs , Khatris and Kambojs . Other minority aboriginal ethnic communities such as Dravidians and Austroasiatics exist throughout
18290-414: The region. Hinduism is the dominant religion in North India. Other religions practiced by various ethnic communities include Islam , Sikhism , Jainism , Zoroastrianism , Judaism , Baháʼí , Christianity , and Buddhism . Hindus constitutes more than 80 percent of the North India's population. National capital of India ( New Delhi ) is overwhelming Hindu-majority with Hindus constituting nearly 90% of
18445-432: The region. The term "Hindi belt" is sometimes also used to refer to the nine Indian states whose official language is Modern Standard Hindi , namely Bihar , Chhattisgarh , Haryana , Himachal Pradesh , Jharkhand , Madhya Pradesh , Rajasthan , Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand , as well as to the union territory of Chandigarh and the National Capital Territory of Delhi . It is also sometimes broadly referred to as
18600-627: The reign of Sultan Illtutmish in the 13th century. Although its style has some similarities with the Jarkurgan minaret , it is more closely related to the Ghaznavid and Ghurid minarets of Central Asia Razia , daughter of Iltutmish, became the Sultana of Delhi upon the former's death. For the next three hundred years, Delhi was ruled by a succession of Turkic , Indian and an Afghan , Lodi dynasty . They built several forts and townships that are part of
18755-446: The scene for centuries of migration of fleeing soldiers, learned men, mystics, traders, artists, and artisans from that region into the subcontinent, thereby creating a syncretic Indo-Islamic culture in the north. The sultanate's raiding and weakening of the regional kingdoms of South India paved the way for the indigenous Vijayanagara Empire . In the early 16th century, northern India, then under mainly Muslim rulers, fell again to
18910-455: The seas, greater resources, and more advanced military training and technology led it to increasingly assert its military strength and caused it to become attractive to a portion of the Indian elite; these factors were crucial in allowing the company to gain powerful influence over the Bengal province in 1757 and sideline the other European companies. Its further access to the riches of Bengal and
19065-537: The small states and chiefdoms of the Ganges Plain and the north-western regions had consolidated into 16 major oligarchies and monarchies that were known as the mahajanapadas . The emerging urbanisation gave rise to non-Vedic religious movements, two of which became independent religions. Jainism came into prominence during the life of its exemplar, Mahavira . Buddhism , based on the teachings of Gautama Buddha , attracted followers from all social classes excepting
19220-477: The southern boundary and the hills and dense forests of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh lie in the east. The region has a predominantly subtropical climate, with cool winters, hot summers and moderate monsoons. The climate does vary with latitude somewhat, with winters getting cooler and rainfall decreasing. It can vary significantly with altitude, especially in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. The Hindi Heartland supports about
19375-736: The states of Chandigarh , Delhi , Haryana , Himachal Pradesh , Jammu and Kashmir , Ladakh , Punjab and Rajasthan . The Ministry of Culture established the North Culture Zone in Patiala , Punjab on 23 March 1985. It differs from the North Zonal Council in its inclusion of Uttarakhand and the omission of Delhi . The Geological Survey of India (part of the Ministry of Mines ) in its Northern Region, included Uttar Pradesh and Delhi , but excluded Rajasthan and Chandigarh , with
19530-719: The subcontinent . Indian royalty, big and small, and the temples they patronised drew citizens in great numbers to the capital cities, which became economic hubs as well. Temple towns of various sizes began to appear everywhere as India underwent another urbanisation. By the 8th and 9th centuries, the effects were felt in South-East Asia, as South Indian culture and political systems were exported to lands that became part of modern-day Myanmar , Thailand , Laos , Brunei , Cambodia , Vietnam , Philippines , Malaysia , and Indonesia . Indian merchants, scholars, and sometimes armies were involved in this transmission; South-East Asians took
19685-588: The subsequent increased strength and size of its army enabled it to annex or subdue most of India by the 1820s. India was then no longer exporting manufactured goods as it long had, but was instead supplying Britain with raw materials. By this time, with its economic power severely curtailed by the British Parliament and having effectively been made an arm of British administration, the East India Company began more consciously to enter non-economic arenas, including education, social reform, and culture. In 1833,
19840-837: The superior mobility and firepower of a new generation of Central Asian warriors. A Turco-Mongol emir, Zahir-ud-din Mohammad "Babur", after defeating the Delhi Sultanate, upgraded himself from Emir and proclaimed himself as the Padishah of Hindustan . His successors were called Mughals or Moguls by European historians owing to the dynasty's Mongol origins. They did not stamp out the local societies it came to rule. Instead, it balanced and pacified them through new administrative practices and diverse and inclusive ruling elites, leading to more systematic, centralised, and uniform rule. Eschewing tribal bonds and Islamic identity, especially under Akbar ,
19995-470: The term "North Indian" is sometimes used to describe migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, often using the term bhaiya (which literally means 'elder brother') along with it in a derogatory sense. However within Uttar Pradesh (literally meaning "North Province" in Hindi) itself, "the cultural divide between the east and the west is considerable, with the purabiyas (easterners) often being clubbed with Biharis in
20150-474: The term has varying implications ( see below ) with different states included being Haryana , Himachal Pradesh , Punjab , Uttarakhand , Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan and union territories of Chandigarh , Delhi , Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh . Indo-Aryans , who today form a majority in North India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, are descendents of the Indo-Iranians who migrated from Central Asia via
20305-471: The three presidencies of Bengal , Bombay and Madras were unified into a unitary state, headed by the Governor-General of India and the creation of the Government of India . Historians consider India's modern age to have begun sometime between 1848 and 1885. The appointment in 1848 of Lord Dalhousie as Governor General of India set the stage for changes essential to a modern state. These included
20460-547: The total workforce in national and state governments and the quasi-government sector was 594,000, and the private sector employed 273,000. Key service industries are information technology, telecommunications, hotels, banking, media and tourism. Construction, power, health and community services and real estate are also important to the city's economy. Delhi has one of India's largest and fastest growing retail industries. Manufacturing also grew considerably as consumer goods companies established manufacturing units and headquarters in
20615-544: The variety of flora, this richly diverse area is also home to rare and endangered animals. Dachigam National Park : Dachigam is a higher altitude national reserve in the state of Jammu and Kashmir that ranges from 5,500 to 14,000 feet above sea level. It is home to the hangul (a red deer species, also called the Kashmir stag). Great Himalayan National Park : This park is located in Himachal Pradesh and ranges in altitude from 5,000 to 17,500 feet. Wildlife resident here includes
20770-760: The various Prakrits are thought to have evolved. Hindi is spoken in Western Uttar Pradesh and Delhi and by a large number of people in many urban centres across North India. Many other languages of the Central Indo-Aryan languages such as Awadhi, Braj, Haryanvi, Chhattisgarhi, Bundeli and Bagheli are spoken in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Marwari, Harauti, Malvi, Gujarati, Khandeshi, Marathi and Konkani are spoken in Rajasthan, extreme eastern Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa. Towards
20925-535: The way open for more invaders to come, including eventually the British . Nader eventually agreed to leave the city and India after forcing the Mughal emperor Muhammad Shah I to beg him for mercy and granting him the keys of the city and the royal treasury. A treaty signed in 1752 made Marathas the protectors of the Mughal throne in Delhi. The city was sacked again in 1757 by the forces of Ahmad Shah Durrani , although it
21080-457: The whims of far-away markets. There was an increase in the number of large-scale famines , and, despite the risks of infrastructure development borne by Indian taxpayers, little industrial employment was generated for Indians. There were also salutary effects: commercial cropping, especially in the newly canalled Punjab, led to increased food production for internal consumption. The railway network provided critical famine relief, notably reduced
21235-420: The whole of the Deccan under control, he moved his capital to Daulatabad, Maharashtra in central India. However, by moving away from Delhi he lost control of the north and was forced to return to Delhi to restore order. The southern provinces then broke away. In the years following the reign of Firoz Shah Tughlaq (1351–1388), the Delhi Sultanate rapidly began to lose its hold over its northern provinces. Delhi
21390-817: The winter season and are critically important for the Rabi or spring harvest , which includes the main staple over much of North India, wheat . The states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand receive some snowfall in winter months. Northern Indian tradition recognises six distinct seasons in the region: summer ( grishma or garmi (jyesth- ashadh), May–June), rainy ( varsha (shravan-bhadra), July–August), cool ( sharad (ashivan-kartik), September–October, sometimes thought of as 'early autumn'), autumn ( hemant (margh-paush), November–December, also called patjhar , lit. leaf-fall ), winter ( shishir or sardi (magh-phagun),January–February) and spring ( vasant (chaitra-baishakh), March–April). The literature, poetry and folklore of
21545-653: The world in Economics Category. As per the Economic survey of Delhi (2005–2006), the tertiary sector contributes 70.95% of Delhi's gross SDP followed by secondary and primary sectors with 25.20% and 3.85% contributions, respectively. Delhi's workforce constitutes 32.82% of the population, and increased by 52.52% between 1991 and 2001. Delhi's unemployment rate decreased from 12.57% in 1999–2000 to 4.63% in 2003. In December 2004, 636,000 people were registered with various employment exchange programmes in Delhi. In 2018
21700-591: The world's newer nations; however, in spite of its recent economic successes, freedom from want for its disadvantaged population remains a goal yet to be achieved. North India lies mainly on continental India, north of peninsular India. Towards its north are the Himalayas which define the boundary between the Indian subcontinent and the Tibetan plateau . To its west is the Thar desert , shared between North India and Pakistan and
21855-589: The year is usually witnessed between 1 and 10 January, with an average low of 6.9 °C (44.4 °F) and high of 19.3 °C (66.7 °F). In early March, the wind direction changes from north-westerly to south-westerly. From April to October the weather is hot. The monsoon arrives at the end of June, along with an increase in humidity. The brief, mild winter starts in late November, peaks in January and heavy fog often occurs. Delhi receives an average annual precipitation of 774.4 mm (30.49 in). According to
22010-641: The years. According to the 2022 census, Bhojpuri was the most commonly spoken language at home for only 5.1% of the population, though the per cent of the population fluent in the language is likely still around 36.7%, according to Anjani Murdan of the Mauritius Times. The highly fertile, flat, alluvial Gangetic plain occupies the northern portion of the Hindi Heartland, the Vindhyas in Madhya Pradesh demarcate
22165-484: Was based at Safdarjung Airport which started operations in 1929, when it was the Delhi's only airport and the second in India. The airport functioned until 2001; however, in January 2002 the government closed the airport for flying activities because of security concerns following the New York attacks in September 2001 . Since then, the club only carries out aircraft maintenance courses and is used for helicopter rides to Indira Gandhi International Airport for VIP including
22320-401: Was captured and sacked by Timur in 1398, who massacred 100,000 captive civilians. Delhi's decline continued under the Sayyid dynasty (1414–1451), until the sultanate was reduced to Delhi and its hinterland. Under the Afghan Lodi dynasty (1451–1526), the sultanate recovered control of Punjab and the Gangetic plain to once again achieve domination over Northern India. However, the recovery
22475-460: Was conferred the 4th best airport award in the world in the 15–25 million category, by Airports Council International . The airport was rated as the Best airport in the world in the 25–40 million passengers category in 2015, by Airports Council International. Delhi Airport was awarded The Best Airport in Central Asia and Best Airport Staff in Central Asia at the Skytrax World Airport Awards 2015. Hindon Domestic Airport in Ghaziabad
22630-419: Was established in 1936 as Hailey National Park along the banks of the Ramganga River. It is India's first National Park, and was designated a Project Tiger Reserve in 1973. Situated in Nainital district of Uttarakhand, the park acts as a protected area for the critically endangered Bengal tiger of India. Cradled in the foothills of the Himalayas, it comprises a total area of 500 km out of which 350 km
22785-505: Was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the second airport for the Delhi-NCR Region on 8 March 2019. A second international airport open for commercial flights has been suggested either by expansion of Meerut Airport or construction of a new airport in Greater Noida . The Taj International Airport project in Jewar has been approved by the Uttar Pradesh government. The Delhi Flying Club , established in 1928 with two de Havilland Moth aircraft named Delhi and Roshanara ,
22940-502: Was inaugurated on 13 February 1931. New Delhi was officially declared as the capital of the Union of India after the country gained independence on 15 August 1947. It has expanded since; the small part of it that was constructed during the British period has come to be informally known as Lutyens' Delhi . During the partition of India , around five hundred thousand Hindu and Sikh refugees, mainly from West Punjab fled to Delhi, while around three hundred thousand Muslim residents of
23095-403: Was not annexed by the Afghan Empire and being its vassal state under the Mughal emperor. Then the Marathas battled and won control of Delhi from the Afghans. In 1803, during the Second Anglo-Maratha War , the forces of British East India Company defeated the Maratha forces in the Battle of Delhi . During the Indian Rebellion of 1857 , Delhi fell to the forces of East India Company after
23250-405: Was noticeably increasing. Since the mid-1990s, Delhi has undertaken some measures to curb air pollution—it has the third-highest quantity of trees among Indian cities; the Delhi Transport Corporation operates the world's largest fleet of environmentally friendly compressed natural gas (CNG) buses. In 1996, the CSE started a public interest litigation in the Supreme Court of India that ordered
23405-413: Was one of the major host cities of the 2011 and 2023 Cricket World Cups . 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 BCE and named it after himself. Another legend holds that the name of the city is based on the Prakrit word dhili ( loose ) and that it
23560-399: Was part of a linguistic development that gave rise to the literature of Urdu and later Modern Standard Hindi . Major Urdu poets from Delhi include Mir Taqi Mir and Mirza Ghalib . Delhi was a notable centre of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 . In 1911, New Delhi , a southern region within Delhi, became the capital of the British Indian Empire . During the Partition of India in 1947, Delhi
23715-434: Was short-lived and the sultanate was destroyed in 1526 by Babur , founder of the Mughal dynasty . In 1526, Babur , a descendant of Genghis Khan and Timur from the Fergana Valley in modern-day Uzbekistan , invaded India and defeated the last Lodhi sultan in the First Battle of Panipat and founded the Mughal Empire that ruled from Delhi and Agra . The Mughal dynasty ruled Delhi for more than three centuries, with
23870-438: Was transformed from a Mughal city to a Punjabi one, losing two-thirds of its Muslim residents, in part due to the pressure brought to bear by arriving Hindu and Sikh refugees from western Punjab. After independence in 1947, New Delhi continued as the capital of the Dominion of India , and after 1950 of the Republic of India . Delhi ranks fifth among the Indian states and union territories in human development index , and has
24025-495: Was used by the Tomaras to refer to the city because the iron pillar of Delhi had a weak foundation and had to be moved. According to Panjab Notes and Queries, the name of the city at the time of King Prithviraj was dilpat , and that dilpat and dilli are probably derived from the old Hindi word dil meaning "eminence". The former director of the Archaeological Survey of India, Alexander Cunningham, mentioned that dilli later became dihli/dehli . Some suggest
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