Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium , New delhi , Hockey Ground

 

Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium is a field hockey arena in New Delhi, India. It was formerly called as National Stadium. Former Indian field hockey player Dhyan Chand is honored with a stadium bearing his name.[Reference needed] The first Asian Games were held there in 1951.

The stadium, previously known as the Irwin Amphitheatre, was built in 1933 as a gift for Delhi by the Maharaja of Bhavnagar. Anthony S. DeMillo created the design, and Lord Willingdon inaugurated it. Edwin Lutyens, the architect of New Delhi, had originally intended for the location to have a garden with a view of the Purana Quila (Old Fort) in the distance because it was perpendicular to the axis running from the Rashtrapati Bhavan (President's House) through Rajpath and ending at the India Gate. His plans, however, were abandoned. Before the Asian Games in 1951, it was renamed National Stadium; Dhyan Chand's name was added in 2002.

The 2010 Men's Hockey World Cup was held at the Dhyan Chand Stadium. The 2010 Commonwealth Games field hockey competition took place there as well. Prior to the 2010 Hockey World Cup, the stadium had a significant reconstruction project.[Reference needed]

It was officially unveiled as the 2010 Commonwealth Games' first site on January 24, 2010.[5] The stadium's renovation cost Rs 262 crore, which was an increase of Rs 50 crore from the initial budget. The earthen embankments that served as the stands were destroyed, and a new rectangular seating bowl was built in their stead.

The fourth iteration of Jashn-e-Rekhta, the Rajiv Saraf-led Rekhta Foundation's Urdu festival in India, took place there from December 8–10, 2017