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About Delhi
Home of politicians and poets, Delhi is a city
where past
and present co-exist. For ages Delhi has been the
seat of
political power in India and the rulers of the past
have
left their footprints. The city seems to live and
exist in
the glory of its past on the one hand, and struggle
with
modernization on the other.
Delhi's (metropolitan area—also called National
Capital Region (NCR)—encompasses the entire NCT as
well as
the neighbouring satellite towns of Faridabad and
Gurgaon
in Haryana, and Noida and Ghaziabad in Uttar
Pradesh) is
the 5th most populous megalopolis in the world with
about
19.5 million people.
 Delhi has
the most vibrant history among prominent cities
or towns of India. It was the "capital of seven
empires" in
Indian history and has over 60,000 recognized
monuments built
over several millennia, as per the Archaeological
Survey
of India. It is believed to be the site of
Indraprastha,
founded by the Pandavas of the Mahabharata around
5000 BC.
The name Delhi may have originated from the Persian
word
Dahleez (threshold or frontier) or from the
name of
a Mauryan king, Raja Dhillu. Another possible
etymology is
the city's original name Dhillika. The people
of Delhi
are known as
Delhi-ites.
Delhi is a very cosmopolitan city due to the
multi-ethnic
and multi-cultural presence of the vast Indian
bureaucracy
and political system, and now expanding economy.
There are
more than 160 embassies and an ever-growing
expatriate population.
 Delhi
derives its historic importance from its position
in Northern India between the Aravalli Hills to the
southwest
and the Yamuna river on whose western banks it
stands. This
enabled it to dominate the old trade routes from
northwest
India to the plains of the Ganges. As a result, it
has always
been an important cultural and intellectual centre.
For tourists, Delhi can be a city of great
interest. There
are the bazaars and malls that offer great diversity
of shopping
experience and at the same time there are the
historic monuments,
art galleries and the gardens.
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