Page:Burke, W.S. - Cycling in Bengal (1898).djvu/49

 Arriving at Delhi by the mail train from Howrah early in the afternoon, we have a few hours of daylight in which to "do" some of this old Mahomedan city and its numerous monuments of bygone days. Formerly the capital of India, it is now the civil head-quarters of the district and division of Delhi under the Punjab Government. The original city called Dilli or Dillipur, is believed to have been founded by Raja Dillu, 5 miles below the present city, about 50 B. C., but the site of the town has been so frequently changed by its Hindu and Mahomedan rulers, that the ruins of former cities in the neighbourhood of Delhi cover an area to the south and southeast of 45 square miles. The existing comparatively modern city was built in 1640 by Shah Jahan and was called Shahjahanabad after that Emperor. The walls, which are between five and six miles in extent, enclose the palace or fort, the Juma Musjid, the railway station, the Military Cantonments and the famous Chandni Chauk. The palace is on the east of the city and is in the form of a parallelogram, 1,600 feet east and west, and 3200 feet north and south. The Diwan-i-Khas or Private Hall of Audience, sometimes called the Privy Council Chamber, is an oblong hall supported by exquisitely decorated pillars. It stands on the east of the fort overhanging the river, and is unique in the perception of its rich and artistic design, which renders it the most elegant hall in the world. The splendid tomb of the Emperor Humayun, the father of Akbar, which is two miles from the town, the stately Juma Musjid, opposite the fort, the Kutab mosque ten miles south of the city, with its graceful colonnade