New Delhi << DEHL ee >> (pop. 257,803) is the capital of India. It lies on the west bank of the Yamuna River in northern India, near the Thar, or Great Indian, Desert. New Delhi is about 3 miles (5 kilometers) south of Delhi, the former capital.
New Delhi is an attractive, spacious city. It contrasts sharply with the crowded, older city of Delhi. The design of New Delhi and some of its buildings reflects the influence of the British, who ruled India from 1858 to 1947. New Delhi was built in the early 1900’s to replace Delhi as India’s capital. It became the capital in 1931.
The city.
New Delhi is a carefully planned city. It has wide, treelined avenues, and many gardens and open areas. Huge government buildings, including the Parliament building and a government office building called the Secretariat, dominate the center of the city. Large houses, originally built for government officials, and smaller houses for servants are nearby.
Rashtrapati Bhavan (Presidential House), the official residence of the president of India, stands west of the Secretariat. This majestic, copper-domed palace has 340 rooms. Several blocks east are white palaces that once served as the winter homes of Indian princes. The government turned most of the palaces into offices or museums after India became independent in 1947. The Dhyan Chand National Stadium, for field hockey, is east of the palaces.
The southern part of the city includes the Diplomatic Enclave, an area set aside for foreign embassies and fine residences. High government officials of other countries have offices on a street called Shanti Path (Peace Boulevard). A temple of the Baha’i Faith stands south of the capital. The temple, built in the shape of a lotus blossom, was completed in 1986.
New Delhi has many small neighborhoods and suburbs with distinctive bazaars. Many of these neighborhoods were settled by refugees from the section of India that became part of Pakistan in 1947. New Delhi also has several beautiful gardens, of which the Mughal Gardens at Rashtrapati Bhavan are the best known. 
Connaught Place, the business center of New Delhi, lies north of the Secretariat and the Parliament building. It is surrounded by a fashionable shopping area. A subway and elevated rail system serves the Delhi metropolitan area, which includes New Delhi.
Economy.
The government of India is the main employer in New Delhi. The city has no factories. Craftworkers sell products in the Central Cottage Industries Emporium, a building near Connaught Place.
History.
In 1912, the capital of India was moved from Calcutta (now Kolkata) to Delhi. Plans were also made to build a new capital just outside Delhi, away from that crowded city. The English architects Sir Herbert Baker and Sir Edwin L. Lutyens planned the layout and designed buildings for the new city. Construction began in 1912 but was delayed during World War I (1914-1918). In 1931, New Delhi was completed and became the capital of India. The city remained the capital after India gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1947. India’s constitution went into effect on Jan. 26, 1950. Since then, January 26 has been a national holiday called Republic Day. New Delhi has an annual Republic Day celebration, which features a huge parade.
In 2023, a new Parliament building was completed in New Delhi. Its construction was part of the government’s Central Vista project, which includes plans for additional new government buildings.
See also Delhi.
