ABSTRACT
It is generally assumed that the word Delhi has come from either Dhilli or Dhillika. The word has been found in the Biholia inscription of Ad 1170. From later inscriptions it has been seen that Delhi was a part of Haryana. The legends of course put Delhi to bygone ages. These legends are printed in the Gazetteer of Delhi and in the writings of Hearn, which one may summarize here. Both these writings are similar except that Horn had given the reason for the departure of Yudhisthir from Delhi. At the time of the writing of the Gazetteer, the current view was that the Aryans had come to India. The Gazetteer suggests that around 1145 bc the Aryans had come to the river Yamuna and constructed the city of Indraprastha. In the account of the Mahabharata, it is stated that Yudhisthir and his brothers drove away the Naga Rajas, cleared the forests and constructed the city. But no evidence has been found so far as to where that city was located. It is assumed that it was located somewhere near Delhi. Following the legend it is assumed that this was the village Inderpat near Delhi where a fort was constructed later. Most of the old scholars accepted that Nigambodh Ghat was part of this city of Indraprastha.
