Seven Cities of Delhi: A journey through time

Delhi is not one city, but many. Across centuries, rulers built and rebuilt their capitals here, leaving behind forts, domes, ruins, and boulevards, each layer a story in stone.

In this video, we travel through the legendary Seven Cities of Delhi, from Prithviraj Chauhan’s Qila Rai Pithora to Shah Jahan’s Shahjahanabad, and then beyond, to British New Delhi and the modern glass towers of Gurgaon and NCR.
Each city is brought to life in enchanting Studio Ghibli–style visuals, blending history with timeless imagination.

Historical Cities :
Qila Rai Pithora – Prithviraj Chauhan’s fort
Siri – Alauddin Khalji’s city of elephants
Tughlaqabad – Ghiyasuddin’s massive fortress
Jahanpanah – Muhammad bin Tughlaq’s refuge of the world
Firozabad – Firoz Shah Tughlaq’s city of pillars
Dinpanah & Shergarh – Humayun’s dream, Sher Shah’s power
Shahjahanabad – The Red Fort and Chandni Chowk
British New Delhi – Imperial avenues and Rashtrapati Bhavan
Delhi NCR (Gurgaon/Noida) – The modern cyber-city

1. Seven Cities of Delhi: A Journey Through Time Siva Prasad Bose

2. Introduction

3. Qila Rai Pithora (12th century) – The First City The Rajput king Prithviraj Chauhan built Qila Rai Pithora, a citadel of red sandstone. Its walls still whisper of forgotten battles

4. Siri (13th century) – The City of War Elephants Sultan Alauddin Khalji raised Siri, where legend says a thousand elephant heads once lined the gates to warn his foes

5. Tughlaqabad (14th century) – The Impenetrable Fort Ghiyasuddin Tughlaq dreamed of an impregnable city. Today, Tughlaqabad lies abandoned — a monument to ambition and curse

6. Jahanpanah (14th century) – The Refuge of the World Jahanpanah was meant to unite the earlier cities. Its walls crumbled, but its name still means ‘Refuge of the World’

7. Firozabad (14th century) – City of Pillars Firoz Shah Tughlaq loved to build. He raised Firozabad, and even carried ancient pillars of Ashoka into his new capital.

8. Dinpanah & Shergarh (16th century) – Dreams of Kings Humayun’s Dinpanah was soon seized by Sher Shah Suri, who built his own Shergarh. Dreams of two kings, layered in stone

9. Shahjahanabad (17th century) – The City Eternal Shah Jahan’s Shahjahanabad, with the Red Fort and Jama Masjid, still pulses with life — the last of the great seven

10. British New Delhi (20th century – 1931) The British carved out New Delhi — wide avenues, grand domes, and imperial pride in stone. A city planned to rule, yet destined to be inherited by the free

11. Delhi NCR / Gurgaon / Noida (21st century) And today, the story sprawls far beyond. Gurgaon, Noida, and the NCR — malls, metros, start-ups, and skyscrapers rising where once lay farmland.

12. Conclusion From Chauhan’s fort to cyber hubs, Delhi has been many cities, yet one soul. Always dying, always reborn.