Delhi chief minister releases a book on Shajahanabad, the Delhi which was the capital of Mughal India

New Delhi, Dec 13 (PTI) The capital of India may have been shifted back to Delhi on December 12 hundred years ago but by then it had already been the political capital of many erstwhile empires, manifesting the grandeur, style and graciousness of times past, of diverse cultures. As the city celebrates 100 years of its re-emergence as modern India's capital, a book with pictorial references and articles about the city by eminent persons like India's Law Minister Salman Khurshid and Malvika Singh chronicling its culturally diverse heritage since the Mughal era was launched here on Monday night by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. The book -- Delhi: Red Fort to Raisina traces the journey of Shahjahan's new capital of the Mughal empire Shajahanabad (present Old Delhi) built on the banks of river Yamuna in 1638 to New Delhi, the new capital of British-ruled India. "Happy birthday to all Delhiites. Of the 100 years of shifting of the capital to Delhi, I have spent 73 years here. It is a sentimental journey for me," Dikshit said launcing the book which features some of the rare pictures and paintings charting the historical progression of Delhi. Dikshit said Delhi is a microcosm of the entire nation and that she was proud to be a Delhiite. The function was attended by among others India's Home Minister P Chidambaram, HRD and Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal and Minister of State for Defence M Pallam Raju among others. Khurshid, who wrote an essay on Shahjahanabad in the book, said, "Delhi is a remarkable city. Delhi means so much to all of us." The book launch came on a day when Delhi added yet another chapter to its glorious history. It was on this day in 1911 that Delhi was proclaimed as the capital of British Raj. Describing Delhi as "little India", Khurshid said a lot can be done to enhance beauty of the national capital as there is a Delhi which is hidden. "Delhi is convergence of India. It is a little India." The book contains some of the rare pictures and paintings which were sourced from across the world including from British Museum in London, British Library in London. From a view of Chandni Chowk in 1815, panorama of Delhi from Lahore Gate of the Red Fort in 1846 to farewell party to Lord Mountbatten post independence, the book features some rare paintings and photographs. For example, the painting The "Jama Masjid From The North" is the first drawing that can be associated with topographical artist Mazhar Ali Khan whose studio dominated the production of such views of Delhi in the mid-19th Century. Similarly the map of Shahjahanabad by a Delhi Cartographer in 1846-47 shows little vignettes of important buildings seen in elevation and plan. As Delhi completes a century as the national capital, the Delhi government and other cultural agencies like the Indian Council for Cultural Relations have lined up a series of celebrations to mark the occasion. An exhibition featuring pictures and paintings in the book will also be launched later this week, organisers said. PTI