Delhi is in festive mood for completing its 100 years as the Capital of India. To pay my tribute to such an achievement, here’s a self-compiled list of 100 Amazing but Little-known facts about Delhi… I hope you will be mused to read a few, but true. Most welcome to share my post with your friends 
1. Officially known as National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT), it is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai.
2. National Capital Region (NCR) is the world’s second largest urban agglomeration by population and the largest by area.
3. The very common view is that its eponym is Dhillu or Dilu, a king of the Mauryan dynasty, who built the city in 50 BC and named it after himself.
4. Delhi’s heritage has 2,000 years of history and includes more than 1,000 tombs, forts, havelis, baolis, and darwazas.
5. Seven cities that formed integrated Delhi -
- LAL KOT: By Anagpal Tomar of Tomara Rajput dynasty founded in AD 736. It is the first known regular defence work in Delhi. It was a thirteen-gated fort in Delhi.
- SIRI: By Ala-ud-din Khalji of Khalji dynasty (1296-1316). Today Siri is situated where the Siri Fort and the modern day Asiad Village Complex are located.
- TUGHLUQABAD: By Ghiyas-ud-din Tughlaq, the founder of Tughlaq dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate of India in 1321. It lends its name to the nearby Tughlaqabad residential-commercial area as well as the Tughlaqabad Institutional Area. Tughalaq also built Qutub-Badarpur Road, which connected the new city to the Grand Trunk Road. The road is now known as Mehrauli-Badarpur Road
- JAHANPANAH: Built between Lal Kot and Siri, established in 1326–1327 by Muhammad bin Tughlaq. The ruins of the city’s walls are even now discerned in the road between Siri to Qutub Minar and also in isolated patches behind the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), in Begumpur, Khirki Masjid near Khirki village, Satpula and other nearby locations.
- FIROZABAD: Sultan Firoz Shah built it in 1354 AD. Don’t confuse with the same name city present in Uttar Pradesh.
- DIN-PANAH: It was founded by second Mughal Emperor, Humayun in 1533 and completed five years later. Purana Quila (Old Fort) is the inner citadel of Dina-Panah or the Refuge of the Faithful. Later it was renovated and named Shergarh by first Afghan emperor of India, Sher Shah Suri.
- DELHI SHER SHAHI or then SHAHJAHANBAD: Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan built the walled city (Old Delhi) from 1638 to 1649, containing the Lal Qila, Jama Masjid and the Chandni Chowk.
6. First muslim ruler of Delhi: Qutb-ud-din-Aibak was the founder of the Slave or Mamulak dynasty, also known as Delhi Sultanate.
7. According to Sir Syed Ahmad Khan’s Aathaar al-Sanaadeed, the city had a total of 13 gates (darwazas) and 16 windows (khirkis). The gates were known as Dilli Darwaza (also known as Delhi Gate), Kabuli Darwaza, Raj Ghat Darwaza, Khizri Darwaza, Nigambodh Darwaza, Kela ke Ghat ka Darwaza, Lal Darwaza, Kashmiri Darwaza, Badar Darwaza, Patthar Khati Darwaza, Lahori Darwaza, Ajmeri Darwaza and Turkuman Darwaza.
8. The windows were known as Zeenatul Masajid Khirkee, Nawab Ahmad Bakhsh ki Khirkee, Nawab Ghaziuddin ki Khirkee, Musamman Burj ki Khirkee, Muslim Garh ki Khirkee, Naseer Ganj ki Khirkee, Nai Khirkee, Shah Ganj Khirkee, Ajmeri Darwaza ki Khirkee, Sayyad Bhole ki Khirkee, Buland Bagh ki Khirkee, Farash Khana ki Khirkee, Ameer Khan ki Khirkee, Khalil Khan ki Khirkee, Bahadur Ali Khan ki Khirkee and Nigambodh ki Khirkee.
9. Of the 13 gates only four survive now but not a single “window” exists today.
10. Kashmiri Gate was named so because from this gate there was a passage which went all the way to Kashmir.
11. Mori Gate was probably named so because of its dirty surroundings.
12. Kabuli Gate: The gate has now lost its name and existence. It was located inside the western wall where today ‘Mithai ka Pul’ stands. The gate and walls were razed by railways department for laying down railway-lines.
13. Ajmeri Gate was built in 1644. This gate exists even today though the old walls have been 
demolished and residential and commercial buildings have come up in the vicinity. It is famous because just outside the gate there was the madrasa of Nawab Ghaziuddin Bahadur. In 1824, Ghazi-ud-Din’s Madrasa came to be known as Anglo-Arabic School after the British introduced English in the syllabus of the Madrasa. The two-storey building still serves as a college. Earlier called the Delhi College, now it is the Zakir Hussain College, the oldest college of Delhi.
14. Delhi Gate: Built in 1638, this is in the southern part of the wall. Because of its enormous size, it was named Dilli Gate.
15. The Khooni Darwaza (Bloody Gate) earned its name after the three princes of the Mughal dynasty – Bahadur Shah Zafar’s sons Mirza Mughal and Kizr Sultan and grandson Abu Bakr, were shot by William Hodson on September 22, 1857 during the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
16. Hauz Khas is the historical battleground where Timur defeated Mohammed Shah Tughlaq in 1398.
17. Red Fort (built in 1647 by Mughal Emperor Shahjahan) was the last fort built in Delhi.
18. It has two main entrances – Delhi Gate and Lahore Gate. The latter got its name from the fact that it faces Lahore in Pakistan.
19. The largest mosque in Asia, Jama Masjid (Masjid-i-Jahan Numa) was commissioned by the Mughal 
Emperor Shah Jahan in the city of Shahjahanabad (presently Old Delhi).
20. The mosque also houses curious collection of several relics in a closet in the north gateway, including an antique copy of the Quran written on deer skin.
21. Humayun’s Tomb has two domes, one below the other. This is yet another example of the engineering brilliancy of the Mughals.
22. Restoration work on Isa Khan’s tomb in New Delhi led to the discovery of the country’s oldest sunken garden.
23. Iron Pillar was erected in memory of King Chandragupta Vikramamditya who ruled from 375 to 413 AD.
24. Iron Pillar continues to stand, even today, rust-free. Besides the metallurgic excellence, it is believed that hugging the pillar will make all of one’s wishes come true.
25. Sultan Ghari’s Tomb is the first Islamic tomb built in India. It was built by emperor Iltumush in 1231 as a tomb for his son and heir Nasiruddin Muhammad after he was slain in battle.
26. Tughlaqabad fort was destined to be abandoned. Legend has it that Nizamuddin Auliya, a Sufi saint, cursed
Ghiyasuddin that Tughlaqabad would never prosper after the emperor quarreled with the saint.
27. Prithvi Raj III, commonly known as Prithviraj Chauhan was the last independent Hindu king to sit upon the throne of Delhi.
28. Razia Sultan was known as the first Muslim woman ruler of Delhi
29. First true dome: Alai Darwaza, Qutb complex, Delhi, built in 1311 CE, by first Khilji Sultan of Delhi, Ala-ud-din Khilji.
30. First true arch: Balban’s tomb, Mehrauli Archeological Park, Delhi, built c. 1287 CE, by Ghiyas ud din Balban of Mamluk dynasty.
31. First garden-tomb on the Indian subcontinent, also the first with Persian double-dome: Humayun’s Tomb, Delhi, built 1562-1571 CE.
32. Rajpath that overlooks the magnificent Rashtrapati Bhavan was once called Kingsway.
33. Janpath was originally called as Queen’s Way.
34. Jamali Kamali Tomb located in the Archeological Village complex in Mehrauli, Delhi, is the tomb of two
persons with the names Jamali and Kamali. The tomb is first of the historical monuments that has been restored in the capital.
35. Jamali was the pseudo name given to Shaikh Fazlu’llah, also known as Shaikh Jamali Kamboh or Jalal Khan, a renowned Sufi Saint who lived during the pre-Mughal dynasty rule of the Lodi’s. However, Kamali was an unknown person but associated with Jamali and his antecedents have not been established.
36. Qutub Minar in Delhi is the India’s tallest brick minaret with a height of 72.5 meters (237.8 ft), contains 379 stairs to reach the top, and the diameter of base is 14.3 meters where as the last store is of 2.7 meters. The Construction was commenced by Qutb-ud-din Aibak in 1199 A.D and completed by Iltutmish.
37. The Jantar Mantar in Delhi is one of the five observatories that Jai Singh built in Jaipur, Varanasi, Ujjain
and Mathura.
38. It has been inferred that the Barakhamba (twelve pillared square monument) may have been a tomb chamber with arcades around it, originally intended as Chausath Khamba.
39. Chandni Chowk was built in 17th century by Shah Jahan and designed by his daughter Jahan Ara, the market was once divided by canals to reflect moonlight, now closed.
40. Shri Digambar Jain Lal Mandir is the oldest and best-known Jain temple in Delhi.
41. Daryaganj had the original cantonment of Delhi, after 1803, where a native regiment of Delhi garrison was stationed, which was later shifted to Ridge area.
42. First wholesale market of Old Delhi opened as the hardware market in Chawri Bazar in 1840.
43. Khari Baoli is the Asia’s largest wholesale dry fruits, spices and herbs market opened in 1850.
44. The New Subzi Mandi, the wholesale market at Azadpur, Delhi, is Asia’s largest fruit and vegetable market. Nearly 3,000 trucks bring in fruits and vegetables here daily for over 30,000 retail vendors.
45. Thandi Sarak received such a title because it was the coolest road of the city at that time.
46. The history of G.B. Road can be dated back to Mughal era. It is said that there were total five red light areas or kothas in Delhi at that time. Then came the British Raj, when a British collector consolidated all the five kothas to one area and christened it on his own name, Garstin Bastion Road or simply G. B. Road.
47. People were displaced from erstwhile villages like Madhoganj, Jaisingh Pura and Raja ka Bazaar to build 
Connaught Place and nearby areas were relocated in Karol Bagh, then a rocky area populated by trees and wild, thorny bushes.
48. Paharganj came up as one of the earliest extensions of walled Shahjahanabad (Old Delhi) city, in early 17th century, became an important wholesale grain market in 18th century.
49. Salai Kale Khan in past was known as Moocho waali Sarai (Inn of Moustaches) because every male have had long moustaches.
50. Paranthe Wali Gali was known only for its silverware shops, before the Parantha shops moved in, first in the 1870s.
51. British had captured Delhi by 1857 and King George V shifted the capital of British controlled parts of India to Delhi on 12-Dec-1911.
52. It was at the Coronation Durbar (Situated in the north of Old Delhi) that King George V was declared the emperor of India in 1911.
53. The Old Secretariat Building was designed by E. Montague Thomas and its construction was completed in 1912. The first sitting of the Legislative Council was held at the Chamber at Old Secretariat on 27th January, 1913.
54. The opening ceremony of Parliament House building was performed on 18th January, 1927 by Lord Irwin,
the then Governor-General of India.
55. Safdarjung airport was established during the British Raj, as Willingdon Airfield, it started operations as an airport in 1929, when it was the India’s second airport and Delhi’s only airport.
56. The Delhi Flying Club was established here in 1928 with two de Havilland Moth aircraft named ‘Delhi’ and ‘Roshanara’.
57. The southwest corner of the Willingdon airport served as the site where the Air Landing School (ALS) of the Royal Indian Air Force was located and started operations. It was here the first paratroopers in India were trained, which included the first Indian paratrooper, Lt (later Col) AG Ranjara.
58. In 1918, the first London-Delhi-Cairo flight landed in Delhi.
59. The original name of India Gate was the All India War Memorial, which was designed by Edwin Lutyens to commemorate the soldiers of the erstwhile British Indian Army, who had lost their lives while fighting in World War I and the Afghan Wars.
60. It houses Amar Jawan Jyoti that was unveiled on January 26, 1972. The flame of jyoti burns all the time in respect of soldiers who sacrficied their lives during Indo-Pakistan War of December 1971.
61. The present day Rashtrapati Bhavan was at that time designed as the residence of the British Viceroy. It was
constructed to affirm the permanence of British rule in India.
62. Rashtrapati Bhawan was designed by Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker on Raisina Hill in between 1921 and 1929.
63. Rashtrapati Bhawan has a huge copper dome, which stands out from the rest of the building, due to its height.
64. The Teen Murti Bhavan housed the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru. The Bhavan was originally the residence of the Commander-in-Chief of the British Forces in India.
65. It was designed by Robert Tor Russel, the architect of Connaught Place, and the Eastern and Western Courts on Janpath.
66. The house gets its name after the Teen Murti (three statues) Memorial, which stands on its extensive grounds. The memorial was built in memory of the Indian soldiers who perished in World War I.
67. The inauguration of Supreme Court of India took place in the Chamber of Princes in the Parliament building. The Chamber of Princes had earlier been the seat of the Federal Court of India for 12 years, between 1937 and 1950, and was the seat of the Supreme Court until the Supreme Court acquired its present premises in 1958.
68. Supreme Court was designed by chief architect Ganesh Bhikaji Deolalikar, who was the first Indian to head CPWD.
69. It should be noted that only two Union Territories–Delhi and Pondicherry–have representation in the Rajya Sabha and other UTs have no representation in this House.
70. The Parliament house originally known as ‘Council House’ was planned at the introductory stage to be a part of the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
71. The foundation stone of the council House was laid on February 12, 1921 by the Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught, third son of Queen Victoria. The building was inaugurated on January 18, 1927 by then Governor-General of India, Lord Irwin.
72. Named after the Duke of Connaught, the construction work of Connaught Place was started in 1929 and completed in 1933. It was renamed as the Rajiv Chowk after the late Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
73. Prior to the construction of CP, the area was a ridge, covered with kikar trees inhabited by jackals and wild pigs, where residents of Kashmere Gate, Civil Lines area visited during the weekends for partridge hunting.
74. New Delhi became the seat of national government, formally inaugurated in 1931.
75. First Lieutenant Governor of Delhi was Aditya Nath Jha, who took office on 1-Nov-1966.
76. Built in 1938, the famous Birla Mandir in Delhi was patronized by the “Father of the Nation” Mahatma Gandhi on condition that people of all caste including untouchables would not be restricted.
77. In 1922, when Delhi University (DU) was established, only three colleges existed — St Stephen’s College (1881), Hindu College (1899) and Ramjas College (1917). The university had a modest beginning with two faculties, Arts and Science, and about 750 students.
78. The first pictorial stamps appeared in 1931. The set of six, showing the fortress of Purana Qila, Delhi and government edifices, was issued to mark the government’s move from Calcutta to New Delhi.
79. Mughal garden is famous as the ‘Butterfly Garden’ for the numerous butterflies that visit the varied flowers.
80. St. James Church (near Kashmiri Gate) built in 1836, Delhi’s oldest church, built by Col. James Skinner
81. On August 1, 1864, first train ran between Delhi and Calcutta; coaches were ferried on boats across the river at Allahabad.
82. The first train to be hauled by an electric locomotive from Delhi Jn. was the Assam Mail.
83. Computerised reservation system started at Delhi in 1986.
84. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has been certified by the United Nations as the first metro rail and rail-based system in the world to get “carbon credits for reducing greenhouse gas emissions” and helping in reducing pollution levels in the city by 6.3 lakh tonne every year.
85. The first experimental television telecast was attempted on Sept.15, 1959, at Delhi. The transmission was done with the help of a small transmitter in a makeshift studio.
86. DLF developed residential colonies in Delhi such as Shivaji Park (their first development), Punjabi Bagh, Rajouri Garden, Krishna Nagar, South Extension, Greater Kailash 1 & 2, Kailash Colony, Hauz Khas, and Panchsheel.
87. The oldest book in the Old Delhi library is ‘Relation of Some Years’ by Travaile Begvenne, written in 1634.
88. Delhi is set to get the country’s first commercial waste-to-power plant of 16 Mw capacity, which will convert one-third of the capital’s garbage into the much-needed electricity for 6,00,000 homes.
89. First mobile telephone service started on non-commercial basis on 15 August 1995 in Delhi.
90. STD (Subscriber trunk dialling) was first commissioned between Delhi and Kanpur in 1960.
91. The Ashok is the first and foremost five star hotel New Delhi.
92. A Bengali Settlement, Chittaranjan Park in south Delhi is the Mini Calcutta of Delhi
93. Internet first came to India in 1995 when the National Informatics Centre (NIC), Delhi, first provided users access to the World Wide Web service through the C-Web. The C-Web allows users to browse, search and publish documents on the Net.
94. Akshardham Temple on the banks of River Yamuna in East Delhi is declared as the world’s largest Hindu
temple by Guinness World Record.
95. No structural steel was used in the construction of the temple and completed within five years by 11,000 artisans and volunteers.
96. The hall features the world’s smallest animatronic robot in the form of Ghansyham Maharaj.
97. It has the world’s largest step well – Yagna Kund (Sacrificial Fire).
98. Changed roads’ names:
- York Road ==> Motilal Nehru Marg
- Roberts Road ==> Teen Murti Marg
- Old Mill Road ==> Rafi Marg
- Albukerd Marg ==> Tees January Marg
- Canning Road ==> Madhavrao Scindia Marg
- G B Road ==> Swami Shradhananda Road
- However, the Connaught Place, the centre of the British capital, retains the original names of its roads, with Chelmsford Road, Minto Road, and Hailey Road yet to be renamed
99. Delhi has a Sulabh International Toilet Museum at Mahavir Enclave, Palam Dabri Road in New Delhi, established by Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak.
100. Fun Fact – Every Delhite is alwas ready to help you out with directions. They will direct you even when they do not know what you are talking about. So check, crosscheck. And check again.
