New Delhi is the capital city of India and the seat of the Government of India. It lies within the larger National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT) in northern India, on the western bank of the Yamuna river. New Delhi serves as the administrative centre of the Republic, hosting the offices of the President, the Parliament, the Supreme Court, the Cabinet Secretariat and the principal ministries of the Union Government.
| Country | India |
|---|---|
| Union Territory | National Capital Territory of Delhi |
| Status | Capital of India |
| Foundation stone laid | 1911 (by King George V at the Delhi Durbar) |
| Inaugurated | 13 February 1931 |
| Principal architects | Edwin Lutyens, Herbert Baker |
| Local body | New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) |
| Official languages | Hindi, English |
| Time zone | Indian Standard Time (UTC+5:30) |
| Wikidata ID | Q987 |
The decision to shift the capital of British India from Calcutta to Delhi was announced by King George V at the Delhi Durbar of 1911. A new planned city was laid out south of the older Mughal-era city of Shahjahanabad (Old Delhi). The design was led by the British architects Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker, and the area built under their plan is often referred to as Lutyens' Delhi. New Delhi was formally inaugurated as the capital on 13 February 1931.
After Indian independence in 1947, New Delhi continued as the capital of the Dominion of India and, from 26 January 1950, of the Republic of India. Under the Constitution (Sixty-ninth Amendment) Act, 1991, Delhi was reconstituted as the National Capital Territory, with its own Legislative Assembly and Council of Ministers, while New Delhi remained the seat of the Union Government.
New Delhi occupies a portion of the NCT in the central and southern part of the territory. The plan is characterised by wide tree-lined avenues, roundabouts, low-rise bungalows and large government precincts. The ceremonial axis known as Kartavya Path (formerly Rajpath) runs from Rashtrapati Bhavan on Raisina Hill, past the North and South Block secretariats and India Gate, towards the National Stadium.
The city has a humid subtropical climate with hot summers, a monsoon season from late June to September, and cool winters. The Yamuna river forms its eastern boundary, while the Aravalli ridge runs through parts of the city.
New Delhi is administered by the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), a statutory body distinct from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), which administers most of the surrounding urban area. The wider National Capital Territory has a Lieutenant Governor appointed by the President and a Chief Minister heading the elected government.
Major institutions located in New Delhi include:
New Delhi's economy is dominated by government services, but the wider NCT and surrounding National Capital Region (NCR) are major centres for finance, information technology, telecommunications, media, tourism and retail. Connaught Place, designed by Robert Tor Russell, is the principal central business district within New Delhi.
The city is a major transport hub. Indira Gandhi International Airport at Palam, in the south-west of the NCT, is the busiest airport in India. New Delhi railway station is one of the largest railway stations in the country and a key node on Indian Railways. Urban transport is supported by the Delhi Metro, operated by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, along with bus services run by the Delhi Transport Corporation. Several national highways radiate from the city.
Notable landmarks within or near New Delhi include India Gate, Rashtrapati Bhavan, Connaught Place, Jantar Mantar, the Lotus Temple, Akshardham, Humayun's Tomb and the Lodi Gardens. Major cultural institutions include the National Museum, the National Gallery of Modern Art, the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, and several national academies for literature, music and fine arts.
As the political capital of the world's most populous country, New Delhi is the venue for state ceremonies including the Republic Day parade on Kartavya Path and the Independence Day address from the ramparts of the Red Fort in adjoining Old Delhi. It hosts foreign embassies and high commissions in the Chanakyapuri diplomatic enclave and serves as the headquarters of numerous national institutions, public sector undertakings and central armed forces.