New Delhi - The Capital City of India

New Delhi is the Capital city of India.  It is also the center of the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi.  

Prior to the year 2011,  Kolkata or Calcutta was the Capital city of India during the British regime.  But Delhi served as the political and financial center of several empires of ancient India.    In the early 1900s, a proposal was made to the British Government to shift the capital of the British Indian Empire ( India  was called like this at that time ) from Calcutta to New Delhi.  The British India Government also felt that it was easy to administer India from Delhi rather than from Calcutta which was on eastern India.

 George V who was the Emperor of India along with Queen Mary made an announcement on 12th December, 1911 that the Capital of British Indian Empire will be shifted from Calcutta to Delhi.  The foundation stone for New Delhi was laid by King George V and Queen Mary on 15th December, 1911.  

Many parts of New Delhi were planned by Sir Edwin Lutyns and Sir Herbert Baker.  Both of them were 20th century British architects.   The new Capital of India, New Delhi was named in 1927 and subsequently inaugurated on 13th February, 1931 by British India Viceroy Lord Irwin.

More Information about New Delhi

New Delhi situated along the Yamuna River, it is the youngest of several historic cities in northern India.  The New Delhi stands on west banks of Yamuna river and bounded by Uttar Pradesh on north, west and south by Haryana.  The name Delhi originated from Persian word Dahleez ( threshold or frontier ) or from the name of Mauryan king, Dhillu.   Here is some information about Delhi.

• Area :  1483 Square Kilometers
• Population : Around 14 millions
• Height above sea level :  216 meters
• 5th most populated urban area in the world
• Languages spoken : Hindi, English, and Punjabi
• Religions : Hindu, Sikhs, and Islam
• Best time to visit : October to March
• STD Code : 011
• New Delhi is considered as cultural center of India.  The city has many historic buildings, festivals to go along with holidays as well as many religious festivals.
• Average Temperature during Summer : 25 to 46 deg celcius
• Temperature during Winter :  5 deg celcius to 22 deg celcius

Agra - The former capital of Hindustan

Agra is a city in Uttar Pradesh State of India is the former capital city of Hindustan.  Agra city is on the banks of Yamuna River.  Agra is around 200 Kms. from the national capital of New Delhi. Agra is the most populous city in Uttar Pradesh.


The world famous Taj Mahal - one of the seven wonders of the world is in Agra city.  Thousands of tourists visit Taj Mahal every day.  

Apart from being a major tourist destination of India, Agra is also an industrial city and can be easily reached by Train from Delhi.



As per the 2011 census, Agra has a population of 17,75,000.  Males are 53% of the population and females ar 47%/  The literacy rate of Agra is 81% which is much higher than the national average of 59.5%.  

The major religions in Agra are Hinduism, Islam, and Jainism with 81.6%, 15.5% and 1.4% of population following them respectively.   About 10% of population of Agra is below 6 years of age.  Here is some more information about Agra.

More Information about Agra

• Area :  188.4 Sq. Kms.
• Population :  17,75,000 as per 2011 census
• Altitude : 167 meters above sea level
• Languages spoken : HIndi, Urdu and English
• STD Code : 0562
• Local transport : Buses, taxis, Auto rickshaws, and Tempos 
• Average daily Agra January temperature: 21°C / 70°F
• Average daily Agra July temperature: 34°C / 93°F

 Agra city was Mughal Capital in the year 1526 and is famous for the famous market place ( Chowk), endless auto rickshaw touts, historic temples and many more great ancient monuments and tombs.

 Please try to avoid unofficial tourist guides in Agra.  There is UP tourism Office at Agra Cantonment Railway Station where you can get genuine information about Agra.

Agra Tourist Attractions and Site Seeing

 Normally a tourist planning a visit to Agra plans a day trip to Agra from New Delhi but there is really much more to see Agra which is impossible to see in one day.  The most popular places to see in Agra are the exciting 6-D Adlabs Cinema Complex, The Moti Maszid, Bageshwarnath Temple and of course  the world famous Taj Mahal.

For more details please read about Agra Tourist Attractions

Some interesting and funny facts about India

We have already seen some facts about India.  Now let us read about some Amazing Facts about India.

Amazing Facts about India

Here are some of the interesting and funny facts about India.  

• Do you know that  Plastic Bags were never used in India before the year 1985?
• Do you know that it is llegal to take Indian currency out of India?
• About 5 billion passengers are transported by Indian Railways every year
• Indian Railways employes about 1.6 Million people and is the largest employer in the world.
• The number of births that take place in India each year is more than the population of Australia
• Indians go to movie about 3 billion times a year
• India is the largest democracy in the world...
• The shortest names of railway stations in India are Ib which is near Jharsuguda in Orissa and Od near Anand in Gujarat.
• The longest name of a railway station in India is  Venkatanarasimharajuvaripeta which lies on the Arakkonnam - Renigunta section near Chennai.
•  Do you know that Kolkata is the only place in India where you can still traavel by Rickshaws pulled by humans?
• India has largest postal network in the world with more than 1,50,000 post offices.
• Do you know that more than 1000 elephants were used for construction of Taj Mahal?
• India is the largest producer of Mangoes in the world. 
• Do you know that India never invaded any country during the last 1,00,000 years.
• Do you know that India was the only source of diamonds till 1896.

Some facts about India

India is one of the best travel destinations in Asia with lot of hill stations, beaches, remote natural spots, and many more places to see.   The first time traveller to India will be thrilled to see so many places here.   There are many religious places to see in India.  Let us see some thing about India before exploring India.  Here are some facts about India.  Here are some of the facts about India so that you can plan your trip to India easier without any difficulty.

Facts about India

Some of the important facts about India are listed below.

• Capital City of India : New Delhi
• Time Zone in India : GMT + 5.30 hrs
• Currency of India : Indian Rupee
• Electricity :  230 Volts - 240 Volts
• Population of India : 1,203,710,000  as per year 2001 census
• Official Language of India : Hindi
• Area of India :  32,87,263 sq.km 
• Stretch of India : 
• Approx.  3,200 Kilometers from North to South
• 2,900 Kilometers from East to West
• Coast line of India : 7,500 Kilometers
• Independence day :  15th August, 1947
• India's Railway network is the largest network in the world - The total distance travelled by 14,300 trains daily equals to 3.5 times distance to moon
• Telephone code of India : +91
• Number of states in India : 28
• Number of Union Territories :  7
• National tree of India : Banyan Tree
• National flower of India : Lotus
• National fruit of India : Mango
• National Bird of India : Peacock
• National Animal of India : Tiger

India  is the World's second most densely inhabited country.  There are four major religions being practiced by the people of India - Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism.  The other religions like Christianity and Islam arrived to India in first millennium.  India is the 7th largest country in the world as far as area is concerned.