New books tell india delhi has past and present stories

The capital of India has past and present stories to tell the tourists who come across the world. The capital of nearly 33 million people, red sandstone forts, medieval forts, medieval step-wells, sprawling forests, shining malls, and urban sprawl--stories lie everywhere. Three new books highlight Delhi via neighbourhood guides, maps, and a field manual for the city's feathered denizens. 

Humayun’s Tomb, Sunder Nursery and Nizamuddin (Dorling Kindersley India) dives into the 300-acre ensemble of UNESCO World Heritage monuments dating back to the 14th century. On the one hand, a walk through this area is a cultural experience through markets, food stops, and living heritage; but it is also an oasis of garden tombs and nurseries with great biodiversity. This guide offers a host of itineraries—from nature trails to food walks, tours of architectural marvels and soulful qawwali sessions at Nizamuddin Dargah. With snippets of history and mini-guides to flowers, trees, building design, and beautiful 3D illustrations of the notable monuments—this is a collector’s edition as well as a handbook for any visitor to Delhi.

Sudhir Vyas’s The Birds of the Delhi Area (Juggernaut Books) provides insight into Delhi’s birds—their habitat, distribution, and evolving status over the past decades. With over 470 bird species, Delhi is one of the most bird-rich national capitals in the world and Vyas’s book (with photographs by Amit Sharma) is a superb resource for bird watchers, ornithologists, and anyone interested in the diverse avian species of the city across seasons.

In Shahjahanabad: Mapping a Mughal City by Swapna Liddle, Pramod Kapoor, and Sneha Pamneja (Roli Books), a beautifully drawn 19th-century map of Shahjahan’s erstwhile capital is an entry point into the medieval city. The aftermath of the Revolt of 1857 transformed Delhi, with many of its neighbourhoods destroyed and an exodus of residents, including the last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar. The map’s analysis studies the city, tells us about Mughal city planning and provides context to the background of political and social structures of Shahjahanabad, tracing what was and what still remains.