India’s capital is moved from Calcutta to New Delhi.

In Led Zeppelin’s The Song Remains The Same, you might hear the words “sweet Calcutta rain.” Calcutta is the capital of West Bengal and is deemed a commercial and educational center of West India.  The city proper has 4.5 million residents, while its metropolitan area is estimated as having over 14 million people.

On this day December 12th, in 1911, India moves its capital from Calcutta to Delhi. One of the primary reasons for this move was because Calcutta had proven to be a breeding ground for revolution against the British Empire’s rule over India. Gandhi was part of these revolutions, though only through non-violence.

Besides the fact that Calcutta was proving to be bad business for the British, New Delhi was just more pragmatic. New Delhi is one of nine cities within Delhi.  There are over 16 million people in the area of Delhi, making it one of the most populous sectors in the world. The distinction between New Delhi and Delhi seems to be blurred, but originally there was an Old Delhi, a walled city, and when the British moved India’s capital, they built the new city of New Delhi.  New Delhi’s metro area has nearly 14 million people, and it is also the most expensive city in India.