New Delhi
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Commercial buildings in New Delhi |
This article is about the urban region which is the capital of India. For the metropolis see Delhi. New Delhi (, , ), an urban area within the
metropolis of
Delhi, is the
capital of
India and the seat of the
Government of India. It is one of the three municipal corporations of the
National Capital Territory of Delhi. It was built and destroyed five times.
Calcutta was the historic centre of the
British presence in India, and effectively the capital of the
British East India Company. However, Delhi had been the historic capital of much of the subcontinent for long historic periods. In particular, it had been the most recent capital of the
Mughals. There remained an association with Imperial grandeur that the British
Raj tried to use by holding several
durbars for the
Viceroy and visiting Royalty. In
1911, at the King-Emperor George V's Coronation Durbar, the announcement was made that the capital of the
Raj was to be shifted from
Calcutta to Delhi.
New Delhi was laid out to the south of the older city constructed by
Shah Jahan, which is now often referred to as Old Delhi. However, New Delhi overlays many of the previous cities constructed there; hence it includes many monuments of previous cities, and constructions.
Much of New Delhi was planned by
Sir Edwin Lutyens, who laid out a grandiose central administrative area as a testament to British imperial pretensions.
Rajpath - then Kingsway - stretched from the War Memorial - now
India Gate to the Viceroy's House -
Rashtrapati Bhavan atop Raisina Hill. The scale, extravagance and magnificence of New Delhi was not unlike Washington, or
Haussmann and his patron
Napoleon III's Paris, both cities designed to awe the newcomer with the power of the central State. The
Mughal garden of
Rashtrapati Bhavan was designed with more regard to India's climate and design tradition, following a conversation with
Constance Villiers-Stuart.
Tucked away are other clues to the worldview of the designers;
Herbert Baker's
Parliament House is barely visible from
Rajpath, as deliberative democracy was not a central part of Britain's plans for India; in fact, the main entrance to the Central Secretariat
North Block declares
"Liberty will not descend to a people; a people must raise themselves to liberty. It is a blessing which must be earned before it can be enjoyed"
After Independence a limited autonomy was conferred on the capital but it largely remained a chief commissioner's regime. In
1956 Delhi was converted into a Union territory and gradually the chief commissioner was replaced by a Lieutenant Governor. In
1991, the National Capital Territory Act was passed by the parliament and a system of diarchy was introduced under which, the elected Government was given wide powers; except law and order which remained with the Central Government. The actual enforcement of the legislation came in
1993.
As of 2005, the government structure of the
New Delhi Municipal Council includes a chairperson, three members of New Delhi's
Legislative Assembly, two members nominated by the
Chief Minister of New Delhi and five members nominated by the central government. The current Chief Minister is
Sheila Dikshit.
Delhi is a spacious, open city that houses many government buildings and embassies, apart from places of historical interest. Notable attractions in New Delhi include the
Rashtrapati Bhawan, the one-time imperial residence of the British Viceroys; the
India Gate, a memorial raised in honour of the Indian soldiers martyred during the
Afghan and subsequent wars; the
Laxminarayan Temple, built by the
Birlas, one of India's leading industrial families; The Swaminarayan
Akshardham temple ;
Humayun's Tomb [
1]; the
Purana Quila, built by
Humayun, with later-day modifications by
Sher Shah Suri;
Tughlaqabad, Delhi's most colossal and awesome fort;
2],_built_by_[[qutb-ud-din_aybak.htm">Qutab Minar] ][
3], built by [[Qutb-ud-din Aybak of the
Slave Dynasty; and the lotus-shaped
Bahá'í House of Worship [
4].
*
Delhi for more information on the city's history, demographics, economy and education
*
Tourist attractions in Delhi*
Markets in Delhi*
National capital territory*Law and Order in Delhi:
Jessica Lal Priyadarshini Mattoo 1984 Anti-Sikh riots*
29 October 2005 Delhi bombings*
Chicago,
Illinois,
USA*
Washington D.C.,
USA*
Belgrade,
Serbia*
Pervez Musharraf - President of
Pakistan was born in New Delhi but moved to Pakistan after its inception and later became President.
*
Sandeep Marwah - President of the
Asian Academy of Film & Television and
Marwah Studios.
*
New Delhi Municipal Council*
InteractiveMap of Delhi*
New Delhi Weather*
New Delhi Hotels*
Website on Delhi
