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 is one of the oldest cities in the world. It was built and destroyed five times.

History

Capital of the Raj

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"

Independent India and autonomy

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.

Government

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.

Tourist attractions

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; the Purana Quila, built by Humayun, with later-day modifications by Sher Shah Suri; Tughlaqabad, Delhi's most colossal and awesome fort; Qutab Minar, built by Qutb-ud-din Aybak of the Slave Dynasty; and the lotus-shaped Bahá'í House of Worship.

Sister cities

Chicago, Illinois, USA Washington D.C., USA Flag of Belgrade.pngBelgrade, Serbia

Personalities associated with Delhi

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.

External links

New Delhi | Capitals in Asia

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