Shahjahan made Delhi his capital and established a new city from scratch.
Whenever we talk about the history of India, the Mughal period is definitely mentioned. The Mughal period in India is known for its grandeur and grandeur. When the Mughal rule started in the country, they made Agra their capital. Then Akbar shifted it to Fatehpur Sikri and for some time to Lahore. Finally Shahjahan made Delhi the capital and from there the Mughal rule ended. Let us try to know the five reasons due to which the Mughals shifted their capital from Agra to Delhi.
This is the year 1526. Babar reached India on the call of the Governor of Punjab and the first battle of Panipat took place. In this, Delhi’s ruler Ibrahim Lodi was killed and Babar laid the foundation of the Mughal Empire in India. Along with this, Babar made Agra his capital, because one, it was situated in the middle of the plains of Ganga. Secondly, this city was considered the gateway to Central India and Rajasthan at that time. Then Agra, which was settled by Sikandar Lodi in the year 1504, already had fortifications. It was also an important city for revenue and treasury.
Akbar made Fatehpur Sikri his capital in the year 1571. Akbar had received the prophecy of having a son at the Dargah of Sheikh Salim Chishti near Sikri village. That is why he made Sikri the capital. However, after some time, due to lack of water in Sikri, he made Lahore his capital in the year 1585. Lahore remained the capital of the Mughals for some time and Agra was again made the capital of the Mughals. After this, Mughal emperor Shahjahan shifted his capital from Agra in the year 1638 and made Delhi his capital.
Red Fort.
1- Crowd increased in Agra, streets narrowed
One of the main reasons why Mughal emperor Shah Jahan decided to shift the capital from Agra was overcrowding. It is said that due to the splendor of the Mughal period, the crowd in Agra was continuously increasing. Due to continuous settlement, the streets of Agra had become narrow. The width of the roads had started decreasing. In such a situation, there were problems in royal processions etc. Due to this, Shahjahan decided to move the capital to a place where wide roads were available or could be built. There should be open space.
2- Desire for a new city
Shahjahan wanted to establish a new city on his own terms. There was no space left for this in and around Agra. Seeing this, Shahjahan searched for a place where he could establish a new city as per his wish. His search ended in Delhi. Then he made Delhi his capital and established a new city. The construction of the capital started in the year 1638 and was completed in the year 1648. It was given the new name Shahjahanabad, which is today known as Old Delhi.
Shahjahan wanted to establish a new city on his own terms.
3- Love of architecture
Shahjahan had great love for architecture. Therefore, he wanted to implement his vision of architecture in the city he wanted to settle in. Since there was no space to do anything like this in Agra, he built a new city, where even today one can see the unique view of the architecture of the Mughal period in the buildings. Be it Chandni Chowk market or Jama Masjid or Red Fort, all the buildings are unique examples of Mughal architecture.
4- Political and strategic importance
With time, Delhi started being considered strategically important in place of Agra. Then the need for a new level of fortification in Agra was felt, so that security could be achieved. Due to continuous expansion the need for fortification was also increasing. That is why Shahjahan needed a capital in which fortifications could be built for fresh security. So he shifted his capital and built a new fort in Shahjahanabad, Qila-e-Mubarak, which is today known as the Red Fort. Then politically also Delhi had its own importance. It had previously been the capital of many empires. It was also possible to establish a new city near Delhi.
The real name of Red Fort is Qila-e-Mubarak.
5- City built in the center
During the Mughal period, Agra did not fall in the center according to the extent of expansion of the country over time. It was only the gateway to Rajasthan and Central India but was not suitable for keeping an eye on the far-flung empire. In such a situation, the need was felt for a city from where the entire Mughal Empire could be monitored. That is why Shahjahan made Delhi his capital. Being located in the center of the country, it was convenient to rule the entire North and South India from Delhi.
Later, the same situation was faced by the British and being in the center of the country, they also shifted their capital from Calcutta (now Kolkata) to Delhi.
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