ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses the conflicts over places of worship in Delhi and the fate of the city's Muslim communities during and after the partition of British India in August 1947. Places of worship in Delhi were part of an urban landscape that changed rapidly during the initial years after independence as a consequence of migration and violence. For secularism studies, the contemporary history of the city of Delhi is an extraordinarily rich source. Urban development affairs in Delhi became paradigmatic for India's progress into the future as a sovereign nation and thus required the utmost political attention by the national as well as the city administration. The urban policies implemented since 1947 are best understood as the outcome of a negotiation process during which local and national power holders and bureaucrats vied for influence on Delhi's affairs. For India as a secular state 'in-the-making', physical places and representational urban spaces were decisive political arenas.
