A map of Delhi’s dynasties lets users trace the city one monument at a time

Kaustubh Misra’s map of Delhi begins with a red pin in Mehrauli: the Iron Pillar, filtered under the Gupta Empire, dated 375-415 CE.

The website lets users sort pinned heritage locations by the dynasties and eras that shaped the capital. It has 18 historical “layers”, running from the Maurya Empire to British colonial rule. Choosing the Maurya period, dated 250 BCE on the map, brings up three sites: Ashoka’s Rock Edict in Srinivaspuri and Ashoka pillars at Feroz Shah Kotla and the Northern Ridge.

Misra, originally from Lucknow, developed the project after living in Malviya Nagar while working in Delhi. Nearby, he found monuments from both the Tughlaq and Khilji eras. Individual sites carried Archaeological Survey of India boards, he said, but he wanted a way to connect them.

Users can select every layer at once to see the concentration of monuments across the city, particularly around Mehrauli, where structures from widely separated periods can appear within a short walk.

Misra sourced information on empires from Wikipedia and used coordinates from the ASI website. He said the map may also offer classrooms a more visual way to approach Delhi’s history.