Delhi Subah | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1580–1857 | |||||||||||
 Elaborately illustrated map of the Delhi Subah of the Mughal Empire commissioned by Jean Baptiste Joseph Gentil, ca.1770 | |||||||||||
| Capital | Delhi | ||||||||||
| Government | Subdivision | ||||||||||
| Subedar | |||||||||||
| Historical era | Early modern period | ||||||||||
• Established | 1580 | ||||||||||
| 21 September 1857 | |||||||||||
| Area | |||||||||||
• 1601 | 66,797[1] sq mi (173,000 km2) | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Today part of | |||||||||||
Delhi Subah, also known as theShahjahanabad Subah,[2] was one of thesubahs (provincial-leveladministrative division) of theMughal Empire. During the Mughal Empire, thePunjab region consisted of three subahs:Lahore andMultan subahs, and parts of Delhi Subah.[3][4][5][6]
Delhi remained an important place for the Mughals, who built palaces and forts. Most importantly,Shah Jahan ordered his famous chief architect,Ustad Ahmad Lahori to build the walled city between 1638 and 1649, containing theLal Qila and theChandni Chowk.[7] Delhi was one of the original twelvesubahs (imperial Mughal provinces), renamed Shahjahanabad in 1648, borderingAwadh, Agra,Ajmer,Multan, andLahore subahs.Daryaganj had the originalcantonment of Delhi, after 1803, where a native regiment of Delhigarrison was stationed, which was later shifted to the Ridge area. East of Daryaganj was Raj ghat Gate of the walled city, opening atRaj Ghat onYamuna River.[8] The first wholesale market of Old Delhi opened as the hardware market inChawri Bazaar in 1840, the next wholesale market was that of dry fruits, spices, and herbs atKhari Baoli, opening in 1850. ThePhool Mandi (Flower Market) of Daryaganj was established in 1869, and even today, despite serving a small geographical area, it is of great importance due to dense population.[9]
The early modern period in Indian history is marked with the rise of theMughal Empire between the 16th and 18th centuries. After the fall of the Delhi Sultanate, the Mughals ruled fromAgra,Sikri andLahore, but the city once became the capital in 1648 during the rule ofShah Jahan, and remained the capital until the fall of the empire. During this time, Delhi became a center for culture, and poets such asGhalib,Dard,Dagh andZauq lived in the city and sought patronage of the emperor. The Mughals also built several monuments in the city includingHumayun's Tomb,Red Fort, andJama Masjid.
The first Mughal EmperorsBabur (1526–1530) andHumayun (1530–1540, restored 1556–57) ruled from Agra, unlike the preceding Delhi Sultans.
In the mid-16th century there was an interruption in the Mughal rule of India asSher Shah Suri defeatedHumayun and forced him to flee toPersia. Sher Shah Suri built the sixth city of Delhi, as well as the old fort known asPurana Qila, even though this city was settled since the ancient era. After Sher Shah Suri's death in 1545, his sonIslam Shah took the reins of north India from Delhi. Islam Shah ruled from Delhi. Then Humayun was briefly restored; but meanwhile in 1553 the HinduHemu became the Prime Minister and Chief of Army of Adil Shah.
Hemu fought and won 22 battles in all against rebels and (twice) against the Mughal Akbar's army in Agra and Delhi, without losing any. After defeating Akbar's army on 7 October 1556 at Tughlaqabad fort area inBattle of Delhi, Hemu acceded to Delhi throne and established Hindu Raj in North India for a brief period, taking the title 'Vikramaditya' at his coronation inPurana Quila, Delhi. Hemu was defeated at thesecond battle of Panipat by Mughal forces led byAkbar's regentBairam Khan, thus reinstating Mughal rule in the region.
The third and greatest Mughal emperor,Akbar (1556–1605), continued to rule fromAgra, resulting in a decline in the fortunes of Delhi.
In the mid-17th century, the Mughal EmperorShah Jahan (1628–1658) built the city that sometimes bears his nameShahjahanabad, the seventh city of Delhi that is now commonly known as the old city or old Delhi.[10][5] This city contains a number of significant architectural features, including theRed Fort (Lal Qila) and theJama Masjid.[4] The city served as the capital of the later Mughal Empire from 1638 onward, when Shah Jahan transferred the capital back from Agra.
Aurangzeb (1658–1707) crowned himself as emperor in Delhi in 1658 at theShalimar garden ('Aizzabad-Bagh) with a second coronation in 1659.
After 1680, the Mughal Empire's influence declined rapidly as theHinduMaratha Empire rose to prominence.[11]
TheMughal Empire suffered several blows due to invasions fromMarathas,Jats,Afghans andSikhs. In 1737,Bajirao I marched towards Delhi with a huge army. The Marathas defeated the Mughals in the First Battle of Delhi.[12][13] TheMaratha forces sacked Delhi following their victory against the Mughals.[citation needed] In 1739, the Mughal Empire lost the hugeBattle of Karnal in less than three hours against the numerically outnumbered but military superior Persian army led byNader Shah during hisinvasion after which hecompletely sacked and looted Delhi, the Mughal capital, followed by massacre for 2 days, killing over 30,000 civilians and carrying away immense wealth including thePeacock Throne, theDaria-i-Noor, andKoh-i-Noor. Nader eventually agreed to leave the city and India after forcing the Mughal emperorMuhammad Shah I to beg him for mercy and granting him the keys of the city and the royal treasury.[14]
The Delhi Subah was divided intosarkars (equivalent todistricts), with them being as follows as per theAin-i-Akbari:[15]
| No. | Name | Area (sq. mi.) | Revenue (dams) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Delhi Sarkar | 7,962 mi2 | 123,012,596 |
| 2. | Badaun Sarkar | 5,628 mi2 | 34,817,063 |
| 3. | Kumaun Sarkar | 18,846 mi2 | 45,437,700 |
| 4. | Sambhal Sarkar | 5,585 mi2 | 66,941,431 |
| 5. | Saharanpur Sarkar | 3,480 mi2 | 87,839,859 |
| 6. | Rewari Sarkar | 1,201 mi2 | 28,807,718 |
| 7. | Hissar Firuza Sarkar | 12,445 mi2 | 52,554,905 |
| 8. | Sirhind Sarkar | 11,650 mi2 | 160,790,549 |
| Total for the subah: | 66,797 mi2 | 600,201,821 | |
The sarkars were subdivided intopargannahs (equivalent tosub-districts ortehsils). For example, the Sirhind Sarkar was further subdivided into twenty-eight pargannahs spread across theYamuna-Sutlej Doab.[16][15]
