New Delhi the capital of India: Today everyone knows the country’s capital Delhi, people from all the states across the country live here and settle here. Very few people know that Delhi was not the capital of India earlier, Delhi got this status 113 years ago on 12 December 1911. Before this, Kolkata was the capital of the country. The then Governor General of that time, Lord Hardinge, had said in 1911 that the new capital would be Delhi. Let us tell you today what was so special about Delhi that Delhi was chosen as the capital.
Why is Delhi the capital?
The British had a well thought out strategy behind choosing Delhi as the capital. During the Revolution of 1857, the British rule was secured in Delhi only. The rebellion of that time was suppressed here. Delhi was one of the safest and important cities from the security point of view for the British. Apart from this, the Viceroy of that time was living here in the Ridge. The office of the Vice Chancellor of Delhi University at present was the residence of the then Viceroy.
Apart from this, Delhi was in the center of the country, from where the entire country could be easily accessed, Kolkata was located on the western end of the country, due to which there was difficulty in reaching and monitoring the rest of the parts.
Also thinking of weakening the partition of Bengal
Bengal had become one of the most important centers of independence in the country at that time, apart from this, after the partition of Bengal in the year 1905, the Swadeshi movement and protest got a new momentum. For this reason also the British government wanted to suppress this movement by removing it from Kolkata.
On whose advice was Delhi capital built?
On August 25, 1911, a letter from Shimla from Viceroy Lord Hardinge goes to the British Government in which it is written that ‘It would be a better option for Britain to rule by making Delhi the capital than Calcutta’. Apart from this, the weather of Delhi was also mentioned in this letter which was suitable for the British.
New Delhi was inaugurated on 13 February 1931, 20 years after becoming the capital of India. This was inaugurated by Lord Irwin. During this period, the Postal Telegraph Department had also issued six postage stamps. The Old Secretariat was built as the first building of this new capital of the British. Its designer was E. Montague Thomas. After that the map of Delhi kept changing continuously. It became a union territory in 1956 and was given the status of national capital in the 69th amendment of 1991.
Read this also- What is the maximum period for which parole can be granted? Know the answer
