Delhi – the land of ‘Seven’ Cities, which existed at one time or other in the small area between the Ridge and the Yamuna river, became the capital of British India in 1911. In 1912, Delhi province was created consisting mainly of two  Cities – Old Delhi and New Delhi, and the rest of the Province (rural Delhi – rural villages). The divisions were also made on urban and rural basis, urban areas included Delhi City (Old Delhi) and New Delhi City. Delhi City included Delhi Municipality, the Civil Lines and the Fort; and the New Delhi City included New Delhi Municipality and New Cantonment. The rural Delhi included ‘the rest of the Province’ viz. the province minus the two Cities or rural villages of Delhi (Census of India, 1931). 

By the 1950’s, the economic aspirations of Independent India coupled with the arrival of lakhs of refugees led to large scale land acquisitions by the government. Parts of rural Delhi were the sacrifice zones of these developments. With the loss of agricultural land, rural residents turned to wage work, small scale commercial activities and other livelihoods, even as the villages saw largely haphazard and substandard urban development.

Why study villages of Delhi?

Studying the villages of Delhi is crucial to understanding the city’s historical and contemporary transformations. Many of Delhi’s villages existed long before the Delhi Sultanate and continued to thrive through its rule, yet their history remains overshadowed by dominant narratives that frame Delhi’s past through the lens of imperial power, whether the Sultanate or the ‘Seven Cities of Delhi’ and the British colonial capital. 

According to the Delhi District Gazetteer (1883–1884), the 360 villages of Delhi were historically inhabited by native agrarian communities, chiefly the Jaats and Gujjars, who occupied this region long before its transformation into the nation’s capital. Delhi’s expansion was built on the colonization of their farmlands, as successive governments acquired agricultural land for urban development, displacing traditional landowners and altering socio-economic structures. 

For too long, history has been told from the perspective of rulers, but what about those who tilled the land, built communities, and carried forward traditions? Delhi is not just a city of emperors, monuments, and colonial architecture, rather it is a city of villages, of people whose histories have been erased, whose voices have been silenced. In the contemporary times, while dominant narratives focus on Delhi as a migrant city, its villages reveal a deeper history of dispossession, adaptation, and resistance. The role of these villages in shaping Delhi’s landscape, economy, and culture has been largely unrecognized. Instead of viewing Delhi merely as a product of dynastic rule and colonial urban planning, there is an urgent need to acknowledge it as a city of villages, where the real essence of Delhi lies in its indigenous people, their traditions, and their resilience amid centuries of urban transformation. 

At Delhi360_Urban Dehat, our mission is to bring to light the forgotten realities of Delhi’s indigenous people and the land they nurtured for centuries. Understanding these villages is essential to reclaiming Delhi’s true history and addressing the marginalization of its original inhabitants.

The 360 villages of Delhi are not relics of the past; they are the essence of the city itself.

We invite you to join us, not just as observers, but as participants in restoring Delhi’s lost narrative—a story that belongs to all of us. Let’s rewrite history, together. Delhi is not just a capital; it is a living, breathing village. Let’s bring it back to life.