New Delhi: Delhi is the capital of India as we all know and since ancient times, it has served as an important political centre and was the capital of several empires. Delhi’s recorded history, as per reports, began in the 8th century with the Tomar Rajput dynasty. The city was destroyed and rebuilt several times as every invader who came to the Indian subcontinent plundered the existing capital city of Delhi. Many conquerors would make the city their capital due to its strategic location.
Delhi, which saw the emergence of several kingdoms, was ruled by the powerful Rajput dynasties from the ancient to the medieval era. The powerful Delhi Sultanate emerged in the city in the medieval period and it is the name given to a series of five successive dynasties. Later, the early Mughals made Agra their capital before Shah Jahan shifted the capital to Delhi and built the walled city of Shahjahanabad. After the British made India their colony, in 1911, the capital of British India was shifted from Calcutta to New Delhi. For a city with such a storied history, there has always been the question of who founded Delhi.
Anangpal Tomar: The king who founded Delhi
According to reports, Anangpal Tomar founded the city in 1052. An inscription in the Delhi Museum confirms the founding of the city by the Tomars. He built his capital at the Anangpur village in Haryana and built the Anangpur Dam during his reign.
Anangpal Tomar was an Indian ruler from the Tomara dynasty. He established the city of Delhi and his empire extended over various parts of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. During the course of 457 years during which the Tomars ruled over northern India, their capitals changed quite a bit. While their first capital was Anangpur, the last capital was Dhillikapuri (Delhi, Lal Kot).
Anangpal Tomar constructed the famous Lal Kot in Delhi and its construction finished in the year 1060. Notably, the Lal Kot is the original ‘red fort’ of Delhi. He founded Hansi for his guru ‘Hansakar’ and his son Drupad established a sword manufacturing factory in the fort, hence it is also called “Asigarh”. He constructed the Tahangarh Fort in Rajasthan’s Karauli district and also founded the Patan Fort as the capital of his Tanwarawati kingdom in Rajasthan. Also, he built the forts of Badalgarh, Mahendragarh and Ballabhgarh. Anangpal Tomar built the Yogmaya Temple to worship the Kuldevi of Tomars, Yogmaya. He also constructed the Anangtal Baoli in Mehrauli, Delhi’s oldest existing primitive form of Baoli.
Delhi, which saw the emergence of several kingdoms, was ruled by the powerful Rajput dynasties from the ancient to the medieval era. The powerful Delhi Sultanate emerged in the city in the medieval period. knowledge Knowledge News, Photos and Videos on General Knowledge
