Delhi goes back to the time of the epics and it is felt that Indraprastha, the city of the Pandavas was located at the spot where the Purana Qila presently stands. Excavation shave unearthed painted grey ware pottery dating back to 1000 BC. The fact that similar pottery has been found at other important sites of the Mahabharata and that there was a village named Indrapat within the fort till 1913, gives credence to this theory.

Delhi’s strategic location has made it a centre of power for the last thousand years and successive dynasties built their capitals in the vicinity. The Tomars and Chauhans built their fortification Lal Kot on the southern ridge in the 11^th century AD and Siri was established by Allaudin Khalji not far away. The Tughlaqs contributed the cities of Tughlaqabad and Ferozabad followed by the city of the Lodis and then Shahjahanabad which was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan.

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