History of Mediaeval Hindu India (being a History of India from 600 to 1200 A.D.) v3.c35.s22.20

v3.c35.s22.20

The name of the new city and the fort appears to be really Dhillikā, a new name given by the Tomaras so far as we can see. The name in this form is used in two inscriptions already quoted, viz., the Bijolia inscription dated St. 1226 or 1169 A. D. and the well inscription of 1336 A. D. which distinctly states that the city was founded by the Tomaras and subsequently ruled by the Chāhamānas. Thus the name Delhi goes back to about 1050 A. D. What the name means is not clear as the original form Dhillikā is difficult to be converted into its Sanskrit equivalent. It is a Prakrit word meaning loose as the modern vernacular word means, and there may be some truth in the legend usually mentioned about the city's name.