Delhi is a daunting city, especially for the first-time visitor. It sprawls uncontrollably over a vast tract of the Jamuna plain, its population is a seething mass of humanity and its poverty and pollution can challenge even the most hardened travellers.
However those who look beyond the chaos that envelops much of the city, the thundering traffic, the irksome fumes and the constant demands of the commission hustlers will discover delights at every turn (historical, architectural, artistic and culinary) quite apart from the vivid colour, subcontinental eccentricity and restless vibrancy that give Delhi its multi-faceted spirit.
As well as being a starting-point for visiting Agra, the home of the world-renowned Taj Mahal, or the cities and forts of Rajasthan, Delhi itself has much to offer. The architectural legacy of the Islamic conquerors is rich and varied, the colonial centre is imposingly impressive; there are some brilliant museums and the city’s bazaars and shops offer a bewildering array of goods, from spices and silks to car spare parts. The city’s impressive restaurants tempt the visitor with a wide variety of delicious food, ranging from traditional Indian curries to global offerings that include Mediterranean, Italian, Japanese and Thai.
Delhi has been the capital of India since independence in 1947, but even before that, the British moved their capital here from Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1911. For much of its history, Delhi was the centre of power of the various Muslim dynasties that ruled swathes of the subcontinent from the 12th century.
Modern Delhi is really two cities: Old Delhi, packed into a tangle of narrow, crowded streets beneath the Red Fort’s imposing walls, and New Delhi, which is its polar opposite, complete with the grandiose imperial citadel, broad, leafy boulevards and well-spaced bungalows, as laid out by Lutyens and Baker in the 1920s.
Old Delhi, built by Emperor Shah Jahan in the 17th century, is only the latest of eight known cities that have existed in this location since the Muslims first arrived. Around New Delhi, particularly in the area known as Transjamuna, across the river from the Old City, are the suburbs and slums that have sprung up to accommodate a population that has increased, more by migration than by natural increment, by 46% between 1991 and 2001 (latest census figure available).
This population explosion has brought greater poverty and more wretched degradation in its wake - an estimated 45% of Delhi’s inhabitants live in slum accommodation and there are beggars on almost every street corner. Throughout India, literacy rates are improving sharply, but in Delhi, illiteracy continues, marginally, to grow (the 2001 census indicates a 6.5% increase in literacy in Delhi since 1991, but there has reportedly been a slower growth rate since 2001).
Despite its long history, Delhi as a capital city is in fact very young. At partition in 1947, Delhi was radically and permanently changed, more or less overnight. With the creation of a predominately Hindu India and a Muslim Pakistan, there was a mass migration of peoples in both directions and sectarian bloodletting on a horrifying scale. Having been largely Muslim, before 1947, at partition Delhi became a Hindu and Sikh majority city. At the same time, the population virtually doubled, despite the mass exodus of Muslims.
Summer in Delhi is best avoided. From mid April, the temperature rises inexorably. For much of May, June and July the thermometer is stuck at around 45°C (113°F), before the monsoon brings some relief. The best time to visit is November to March.