New Delhi, city, northern India. The
country’s capital city, New Delhi is located in the state of Delhi, on
the Yamuna River. New Delhi was built between 1912 and 1929 on a site
adjacent to Delhi, or Old Delhi, which had been chosen to replace Calcutta
as the capital of India in 1911; New Delhi was inaugurated as the new
capital in 1931. Predominantly an administrative center, the city also has
textile mills, printing plants, and small manufacturing establishments.
The
streets of New Delhi are laid out symmetrically, according to the city plan
drawn by the English architect Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens. Lutyens also
designed the majestic red sandstone and marble Rashtrapati Bhawan, formerly
the palace of the viceroy and now the residence of the president, which is
in the center of the city, as are parliament and other important government
buildings. The architecture of these buildings is mainly European, with
details of indigenous Indian styles. Another building that combines Indian
and Western styles is the United States embassy designed by the American
architect Edward Durell Stone. The Raj Path, a wide boulevard bordered by
trees and canals, runs east from the palace to a war memorial arch. The
streets of the commercial center, Connaught Place, northeast of the palace,
are laid out in a radial pattern.
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