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New Delhi

New Delhi

The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed. | 2011 | Copyright

New Delhi , city (1991 pop. 294,149), capital of India and of Delhi state, N central India, on the right bank of the Yamuna River. Predominantly an administrative center, it was constructed between 1912 and 1929 to replace Calcutta (now Kolkata ) as capital of British India; New Delhi was officially inaugurated in 1931. The city is also a transportation hub and trade center with manufactures in electronics, automobile parts, engineering products, and electrical appliances.

Designed by architects Sir Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker, New Delhi has broad, symmetrically aligned streets that provide vistas of historic monuments. Between the main government buildings a broad boulevard leads east to west from India Gate, a massive war memorial arch (built 1921), through a great court to the resplendent sandstone and marble Government House (formerly the viceroy's palace; now the residence of India's president). In the southern section of the city is the prayer ground where Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated (1948). In the west are Balmiki and Lakshminarayan temples, which Gandhi frequented; the Swaminarayan Akshardham temple (2005) is is East Delhi across the Yamuna. The city has many sports stadiums and medical institutes. In recent years metropolitan New Delhi, including Old Delhi , has experienced overcrowding and severe air pollution. The city opened its subway system, the second in India, in 2002.

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"New Delhi." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2011. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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New Delhi

The Oxford Companion to British History | 2002 | | Copyright

New Delhi displaced Calcutta as the capital of British India in 1912. It was selected to stand adjacent to Old Delhi, an erstwhile capital of the Mughal empire, to emphasize continuity between the two imperial traditions. Many of its public buildings were designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens to provide a sense of grandeur, suggestive of power and permanence. But the impression was illusory—within 35 years the British had gone. New Delhi remains the capital and seat of government of the Republic of India and contains the diplomatic enclaves of all foreign governments.

David Anthony Washbrook
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JOHN CANNON. "New Delhi." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN CANNON. "New Delhi." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-NewDelhi.html

JOHN CANNON. "New Delhi." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-NewDelhi.html

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New Delhi

World Encyclopedia | 2005 | Copyright

New Delhi Capital of India, in the n of the country, on the River Yamuna in Delhi Union Territory. Planned by the British architects Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker, it was constructed in 1912–29 to replace Calcutta as the capital of British India. Whereas Old Delhi is primarily a commercial centre, New Delhi has an administrative function. Industries: textile production, chemicals, machine tools, plastics, electrical appliances, traditional crafts. Pop. (2001) 294,783.
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New Delhi

Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names | 2005 | | Copyright

New Delhi, India At a magnificent durbar ‘assembly’ held in Delhi in 1911 the King Emperor, George V†, announced that the capital of British India would be transferred from Calcutta to a new site outside Delhi. This happened the following year, although construction of the site was not completed until 1931. The new city was given the name New Delhi and it remains the capital of the Republic of India. See Delhi.
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JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "New Delhi." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "New Delhi." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-NewDelhi.html

JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "New Delhi." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-NewDelhi.html

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New Delhi

A Dictionary of British History | 2004 | | Copyright

New Delhi displaced Calcutta as the capital of British India in 1912. It was selected to stand adjacent to Old Delhi, erstwhile capital of the Mughal empire, to emphasize continuity between the two imperial traditions. Many of its public buildings were designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens to provide a sense of majesty, yet within 35 years the British had gone.
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JOHN CANNON. "New Delhi." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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JOHN CANNON. "New Delhi." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-NewDelhi.html

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New Delhi. (Image by Shashwat Nagpal, CC)

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