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Delhi Is Announced as India's New Capital

At the Delhi Durbar on December 12, 1911, the British imperial government announced the transfer of India's capital from Calcutta to Delhi.

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The Event

At the Delhi Durbar on December 12, 1911, the British imperial government announced the transfer of India's capital from Calcutta to Delhi.

The Wider Story

The ceremony displayed colonial authority on an enormous scale. Planning and construction of the new administrative city followed afterward.

Putting the Event in Perspective

The announcement did not mean New Delhi was already built or inaugurated.

Reading the Historical Record

A 1911 scene must not show the completed government buildings of later decades.

About the Historical Recreation

The accompanying visual is an illustrative reconstruction: a distant 1911 Delhi ceremonial gathering with temporary pavilions, no completed New Delhi government complex. It is not authentic archival footage, an eyewitness record or additional evidence for the event.

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