Delli (Dehli), an imperial city of Northern India, and the chief commercial and industrial centre of the Punjab, on the right bank of the Jumna, 13 miles from the railway junction of Ghazabad, 113 NNW. of Agra, and 954 NW. of Calcutta. It is walled on three sides, has ten gates, and stands on high ground, the grand series of buildings forming the famous palace of Shah Jehan, now the Fort, looking out over the river and a wide stretch of wooded and cultivated country. To the north, about a mile distant, rises the historic 'ridge,' crowned with memorials of the Muntiny, and commanding a fine view of the city, the domes and minarets of which overtop the encircling groves. The gardens in the city, the suburbs, and the neighbouring country, are all richly wooded. Delhi is the terminus of the East Indian and Rajputana railways, the former crossing the Jumna by a fine iron bridge. Fergusson describes in detail the palace buildings, which are the splendid heritage of Mogul sovereignty. Briefly, they comprise the cathedral-like entrance hall, the diwan-i-klas, or audience hall, the diwan-i-am, the rang mahal (now a mess-room), and several lesser pavilions, covering in all an area of 1600 feet by 3200, exclusive of gateways. The beautiful inlaid work and carving of these buildings are the admiration of the world, and the diwan-i-khas is worthy of its famous inscription: 'If there is a heaven on earth, it is this—it is this!' In the heart of the city stands the Jama Masjid ('great mosque'), one of the largest and finest structures of the kind in India, which also owes its origin to Shah Jehan. Among the notable monuments in the neighbourhood are the imperial tombs, including that of Hamayun, second of the Mogul dynasty; the old Kala Masjid, or black mosque; and the famous Kutab Minar, 10 miles to the south. The Minar, erected by Kutab-ud-din, founder of a dynasty, early in the 13th century, is 238 feet high, and tapers gracefully from a diameter of 47 feet at the base to 9 feet at the summit. It incloses a winding staircase, and is garlanded with inscriptions from the Koran. Modern Delhi is noted for its broad main streets, the chief being the Chandni Chauk, or Silver Street, with its high clock-tower, and the institute and museum. The Delhi College, once a famous oriental school, has been abolished, government having withdrawn the collegiate staff of teachers to concentrate the grant upon the central institution at Lahore. Delhi has a large trade in wheat and other produce, and its bazaars are noted for gold and silver work, precious stones, shawls, and costly fabrics. It is a great native banking centre. Across the river is the ruined fort of Salimgarh, and traces of an ancient city. Pop. (1891) 192,579, more than half Hindus.
The name Dilli or Dillipur first appears in 1st century B.C., and is connected with the famous iron pillar of Raja Dhava, a solid shaft of metal, set up in the 3d or 4th century, which is 16 inches in diameter, and 50 feet long, and which is so firmly planted that only half of it is above ground. This indisputable relic bears a Sanskrit inscription, in which the name of the city is mentioned. Delhi was the capital of the Afghan or Pathan, and afterwards of the Mogul, empire. It was taken by a British army under Lord Lake, September 8, 1803, and has ever since—if we except the brief period when it was held by the mutineers in 1857—continued under British rule. In our own time, Delhi has been rendered memorable by the events of 1857. The march on the city of the mutineers from Meerut; the terrible 11th of May; the explosion of the powder-magazine by Willoughby and his heroic band; the assault, when the city was won (September 20) gate by gate and quarter by quarter—a success saddened by the death of the gallant Nicholson; the subsequent daring capture of the king of Delhi by Hodson of Hodson's Horse; and the capture and shooting of his miscreant sons by the same officer, are memorable events in Indian history. A memorial to Willoughby was erected by government in 1888. In 1877 Delhi was the scene of the famous Durbar at which the Queen was proclaimed Empress of India. Delhi is now the most Europeanised of all the cities in the interior of India, and the removal of some of the old gates was among the improvements contemplated in 1888.—The district has an area of 1277 sq. m., and a pop. of 643,515. The trade and manufactures of the district centre in the town of Delhi. There is a branch of the East Indian Railway, and the Rajputana State Railway traverses the district for about 13 miles. Of about 820 sq. m. under cultivation, over a sixth are irrigated from government canals, and a smaller part by private enterprise. To the south, the district is rocky and barren. The soil along the alluvial margin of the Jumna is fertile, but better crops are produced in the tract artificially irrigated by the Western Jumna Canal.—The division of Delhi comprises the three districts of Delhi, Gurgaon, and Karnal, with an area of 5610 sq. m., and a pop. of over two millions, nearly 75 per cent. of whom are Hindus.