New Delhi

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Capital of India, situated in the north of the country on the Yamuna River in the Union Territory of Delhi; population (2001 est) 294,800. It lies near the old city of Delhi, some 5 km/3 mi south of the Red Fort. Predominantly an administrative centre, it also produces chemicals, textiles, machine tools, electrical goods, and footwear.

History
Largely designed by British architect Edwin Lutyens, New Delhi was chosen to replace Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) as the seat of government in 1912. It was completed in 1929 and officially inaugurated in 1931.

Features
The city contains parliament buildings and government offices built of local red sandstone in imitation Mogul style. Lutyens also designed the presidential residence Rashtrapati Bhawan, formerly the British viceroy's palace. Near the Yamuna River there is a memorial area to Mahatma Gandhi, Indira, Sanjay, and Rajiv Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Lal Bahadur Shastri. The Gandhi memorial has been built where Gandhi was cremated, close to the place where he was assassinated.

Known as ‘white sun in blue sky’, the flag of Chinese revolutionary leader Sun Zhong Shan appears in the canton. The rays of the sun represent 12 traditional Chinese hours (each equalling two hours) symbolizing progress. Red is a traditional Chinese colour. Effective date: 8 October 1928. >>