making of new Delhi of history class 8
Answers
The Making of New Delhi The British gained control of Delhi in 1803; after defeating the Marathas. At that time, Calcutta was the capital of British India. Hence, the Mughal emperor was allowed to live in the palace complex in the Re Fort. The British shifted their capital from Calcutta to Delhi in 1911. The modern city of Delhi developed only after that. Demolishing a Past: Before 1857, Delhi did not hold much importance from the British perspective. Hence, it developed in somewhat different way than other colonial cities. In the Presidency Cities, the living spaces of Indians and the British were sharply separated. While the Indians lived in the “black” areas, the British lived in well-laid out “white” areas. During the first half of the nineteenth century, the British lived along with the wealthier Indians in the Walled City. They learned to enjoy Urdu/Persian culture and poetry and participated in local festivals. All this changed after 1857. The British wanted Delhi to forget its Mughal past. During the revolt of 1857, they recognized the importance of the Mughal rule and the symbolic importance of Delhi. The area around the Fort was completely cleared of gardens, pavilions and mosques. The British wanted a clear ground for security reasons. Mosques were either destroyed, or put to other uses. No worship was allowed in the Jama Masjid for five years. One-third of the city was demolished, and its canals were filled up. In the 1870s, the western walls of Shahjahanabad were broken to establish the railway and to allow the city to expand beyond the walls. The British now began living in the sprawling Civil Lines area that came up in the north, away from the Indians in the Walled City.
In the late eighteenth century, Calcutta, Bombay and Madras rose in importance as Presidency cities. They became the centres of British power.
Many towns manufacturing specialised goods declined due to a drop in the demand for what they produced. Old trading centres and ports could not survive when the flow of trade moved to new centres.
Similarly, earlier centres of regional power collapsed when local rulers were defeated by the British and new centres of administration emerged. This process is often described as de-urbanisation.
Cities such as Machlipatnam, Surat and Seringapatam were deurbanised during the nineteenth century.
By the early twentieth century, only 11 per cent of Indians were living in cities.
The historic imperial city of Delhi became a dusty provincial town in the nineteenth century before it was rebuilt as the capital of British India after 1912.
Delhi has been a capital for more than a 1,000 years. As many as 14 capital cities were founded in a small area of about 60 square miles on the left bank of the river Jamuna.
Of these, the most important are the capital cities built between the twelfth and seventeenth centuries.
The most splendid capital of all was built by Shah Jahan. Shahjahanabad was begun in 1639 and consisted of a fort-palace complex and the city adjoining it.
Lal Qila or the Red Fort contained the palace complex. To its west lay the Walled City with 14 gates.
The main streets of Chandni Chowk and Faiz Bazaar were broad enough for royal processions to pass.
The Jama Masjid was among the largest and grandest mosques in India. There was no place higher than this mosque within the city then.
Delhi during Shah Jahan’s time was also an important centre of Sufi culture. It had several dargahs, khanqahs and idgahs. Open squares, winding lanes, quiet cul-desacs and water channels were the pride of Delhi’s residents.
In 1803, the British gained control of Delhi after defeating the Marathas. Since the capital of British India was Calcutta, the Mughal emperor was allowed to continue living in the palace complex in the Red Fort.
The modern city as we know it today developed only after 1911 when Delhi became the capital of British India.
In Madras, Bombay or Calcutta, the living spaces of Indians and the British were sharply separated. Indians lived in the “black” areas, while the British lived in well-laidout “white” areas.
Within the houses, space was divided according to new rules of privacy.