Kenneth Erickson Jr., age 17, of Albuquerque, N.M., for his question:
WHEN WAS NEW DELHI BUILT?
New Delhi is the capital of India. It lies close to the northern boundary of India and is about five miles south and west of Delhi, the old capital. Government officials decided in 1912 to erect new public buildings away from the crowded conditions of the old city of Delhi.
The seat of the Indian government was moved from Calcutta to Delhi early in 1912 because Delhi had been the capital of the Mogul Empire and it seemed wise to take advantage of the traditional feeling Indians had for Delhi. Also, Calcutta was the center of the Bengal terrorist movement, which was giving the Indian government much trouble.
Work on the new city of New Delhi continued until 1914, but was suspended during World War I. Then, after the war, construction was completed and New Delhi was formally opened in 1931, at which time it became the capital of British India.
New Delhi remained the nation's capital after India gained its independence from Great Britain in 1947.
During World War II, New Delhi was headquarters of the Allied forces in southeastern Asia. The city is the center of celebration of India's Republic Day, held on January 26 every year since 1950.
New Delhi is an excellent example of good city planning. Flowering trees line its flat, broad streets. The city is an administrative center. Its important structures include Goverment House, the Parliament Building, the All India War Memorial in Princes Park and the great Raisins Court, which is 1,100 feet long and 400 feet wide.
The Indian Supreme Court Building and the National Archives Building are also located in New Delhi.
An open air observatory built by the astronomer prince Jai Singh of Jaipur, in the 1700s, still stands in New Delhi. It is one of the new city's old treasures.
Also located in New Delhi is the National Sports Stadium, which can hold up to 30,000 spectators, and also the studios of the All India Radio Station.
The National Museum of India lies near the president's residence in New Delhi. Built in 1957, the National Museum houses art treasures of India.
The new city also contains many temples, historic monuments and national institutes.
New Delhi has a population of more than 300,000 while the population of Delhi is close to 4 million. The new city stands on the west bank of the Jumna River and it is near the edge of the 74,000 square mile Thar Desert. The government began to irrigate the desert for farming in 1958.
The United States Embassy in New Delhi was designed by the famous American architect Edward Durell Stone. The modern building is designed to harmonize with the culture and the tradition of India.