Interesting facts about New Delhi

new delhi

New Delhi is the capital of India.

It is situated in the north-central part of the country on the west bank of the Yamuna River, adjacent to and just south of Delhi city (Old Delhi) and within the Delhi National Capital Territory.

Although colloquially Delhi and New Delhi are used interchangeably to refer to the National Capital Territory of Delhi, these are two distinct entities, with New Delhi forming a small part of the city of Delhi.

As of August 2020, the population of New Delhi is about 270,000 people.

The city covers a total area of 43 square kilometers (16.5 square miles).

The average altitude is 216 metres (709 feet) above sea level.

new-delhi-2

In December 1911 King George V of Britain decreed that the capital of British India would be moved from Calcutta (now Kolkata) to Delhi.

It was designed by British architects Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker. The New Delhi town plan, like its architecture, was chosen with one single chief consideration: to be a symbol of British power and supremacy.

Construction began in 1912 at a site about 5 kilometers (3 miles) south of the Delhi city centre and the new capital was inaugurated on 13 February 1931, by Viceroy and Governor-General of India Lord Irwin.

new delhi history

The straight and diagonal pattern of the broad tree-lined avenues in New Delhi, with extensive green spaces and wide vistas, contrasts sharply with the crowded, narrow, and winding streets characteristic of Old Delhi.

After India’s Independence from the British in 1947, New Delhi became the capital of the newly formed Republic of India.

The India Gate is a war memorial located astride the Rajpath, on the eastern edge of the “ceremonial axis” of New Delhi, formerly called Kingsway. It stands as a memorial to 70,000 soldiers of the British Indian Army who died in between 1914–1921 in the First World War. 13,300 servicemen’s names, including some soldiers and officers from the United Kingdom, are inscribed on the gate. Designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens, the gate evokes the architectural style of the triumphal arch such as the Arch of Constantine, in Rome, and is often compared to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, and the Gateway of India in Mumbai.

india gate

The Qutb Minar, is a victory tower” that forms part of the Qutb complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Mehrauli area of New Delhi, India. The height of Qutub Minar is 72.5 meters, making it the tallest minaret in the world built of bricks. The tower tapers, and has a 14.3 metres (47 feet) base diameter, reducing to 2.7 metres (9 feet) at the top of the peak. It contains a spiral staircase of 379 steps.

qutb minar

The Masjid-i Jehan Numa commonly known as the Jama Masjid of Delhi, is one of the largest mosques in India. It was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan between 1650 and 1656 at a cost of one million rupees, and was inaugurated by Imam Syed Abdul Ghafoor Shah Bukhari from Bukhara, present-day Uzbekistan. The mosque was completed in 1656 AD with three great gates and two 40 metres high minarets constructed with strips of red sandstone and white marble. The courtyard can accommodate more than 25000 people.

jama masjid

Swaminarayan Akshardham is a Hindu temple, and a spiritual-cultural campus in New Delhi. Also referred to as Akshardham Temple or Delhi Akshardham, the complex displays millennia of traditional Hindu and Indian culture, spirituality, and architecture. Inspired by Yogiji Maharaj and created by Pramukh Swami Maharaj, it was constructed by BAPS.

swaminarayan akshardham

The Rashtrapati Bhavan is the official residence of the President of India located at the Western end of Rajpath in New Delhi. Rashtrapati Bhavan may refer to only the 340-room main building that has the president’s official residence, including reception halls, guest rooms and offices, also called the mansion – it may also refer to the entire 130-hectare (320-acre) Presidential Estate that additionally includes huge presidential gardens (Mughal Gardens), large open spaces, residences of bodyguards and staff, stables, other offices and utilities within its perimeter walls. In terms of area, it is the largest residence of any head of state in the world.

rashtrapati bhavan

Jantar Mantar is an astronomical observatory. It consists of 13 architectural astronomy instruments. The site is one of five built by Maharaja Jai Singh II of Jaipur, from 1723 onwards,revising the calendar and astronomical tables. There is a plaque fixed on one of the structures in the Jantar Mantar observatory in New Delhi that was placed there in 1910 mistakenly dating the construction of the complex to the year 1710. Later research, though, suggests 1724 as the actual year of construction. Its height is 220 meters (723 feet).

jantar mantar

Agrasen ki Baoli is a 60-meter long and 15-meter wide historical step well on Hailey Road, near Connaught Place, Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. Although there are no known historical records to prove who built Agrasen ki Baoli, it is believed that it was originally built by the legendary king Agrasen, and the present architecture hints at it being rebuilt in the 14th century during the Tughlag period of Delhi Sultanate.

agrasen ki baoli

St. Mary’s Orthodox Cathedral, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, is a parish under the Delhi Diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church. It is the first place of worship, owned by the Orthodox Christians in the National capital of Delhi. The beginning of the parish was in 1942 by forming a congregation by father Mathews, later Baselios Mar Thoma Mathews II. The parish celebrated the Golden Jubilee of the setting up of the Delhi parish recently.

St. Mary's Orthodox Cathedral

Lodi Gardens or Lodhi Gardens is a city park situated in New Delhi. Spread over 36 hectares (90 acres), it contains, Mohammed Shah’s Tomb, Tomb of Sikandar Lodi, Shisha Gumbad and Bara Gumbad, architectural works of the 15th century by Lodis – who ruled parts of northern India and Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of modern-day Pakistan, from 1451 to 1526. The site is now protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

lodi gardens

The National Zoological Park is a 71-hectare (176-acre) zoo in New Delhi. A 16th-century citadel, a sprawling green island and a motley collection of animals and birds, all in the middle of a burgeoning urban Delhi. The zoo is home to about 1350 animals representing almost 130 species of animals and birds from around the world. The zoo can be seen on foot or using a battery-operated vehicle which can be rented at the zoo.

national zoological park

New Delhi is particularly renowned for its beautifully landscaped gardens that can look quite stunning in spring.

Airtel Delhi Half Marathon is an annual half marathon foot-race held in New Delhi. Established in 2005, it is both an elite runner and mass participation event.

While New Delhi lies on the floodplains of the Yamuna River, it is essentially a landlocked city.

New Delhi lies on several fault lines and thus experiences frequent earthquakes, most of them of mild intensity.