New Delhi
About New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital of India and an administrative district of NCT Delhi. New Delhi is also the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House, and the Supreme Court of India.
The foundation stone of modern day New Delhi was laid by Emperor George V during the Delhi Durbar of 1911. It was designed by British architects Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker. The new capital was inaugurated on 13 February 1931, by Viceroy and Governor-General of India Lord Irwin.
Although colloquially Delhi and New Delhi are used interchangeably to refer to the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT), these are two distinct entities, with New Delhi forming a small part of the city of Delhi. The National Capital Region is a much larger entity comprising the entire NCT along with adjoining districts in neighbouring states.
In ancient times, Delhi was known Indraprastha or "City of Indra", and it is mentioned in ancient Indian literature as a city of the Kuru Kingdom. It was the capital of the kingdom led by the Pandavas in the Mahabharata epic. Under the Pali form of its name, Indapatta, it is also mentioned in Buddhist texts as the capital of the Kuru mahajanapada. Modern historical research pin its location in the region of present-day New Delhi, particularly the Old Fort (Purana Qila). The city is sometimes also known as Khandavaprastha or Khandava Forest, the name of a forest region on the banks of Yamuna river which (according to the Mahabharata) had been cleared by Krishna and Arjun to build the city.