Indraprastha College for Women holds the distinction of being the oldest women’s college of the University of Delhi. Its origins are deeply tied to the reformist movements of the late 19th and early 20th centuries in India, when education for women was still a rarity and often met with social resistance. The College traces its beginnings to 20 May 1904, when Indraprastha Putri Pathshala opened in a rented house in Chandni Chowk with just a handful of girls.

Later that year, it was renamed Indraprastha Hindu Kanya Shikshalaya and shifted to havelis donated by philanthropists, including Lala Jagan Nath and Rai Balkrishan Das. The founders of the Indraprastha Educational Society, drawn from the city’s professional and mercantile classes, were committed to women’s holistic education while remaining sensitive to prevailing social norms. The school grew into a high school by 1917, around the time the University of Delhi was established (1922).

In 1924, the institution expanded into Indraprastha Girls’ Intermediate College with only three students. Among them, Kalavati Gupta later became Principal (1934–42), while Raj Dulari Sharma earned the Makhanlal Gold Medal in Mathematics in 1926. Key benefactors like Lala Jugal Kishore and Lala Pearey Lal supported the institution with land and funds, paving the way for its eventual shift to Civil Lines. By 1928, the Government of India granted the Alipore House property for college use, strengthening its foundation.

The 1930s brought rapid growth: in 1937, the University of Delhi recognized the college for degree courses in humanities and sciences. By 1938, the college had acquired Alipore House, formally inaugurated in 1939. Renamed Indraprastha College in 1944, it soon became a hub of nationalist activity. Students actively participated in the Quit India Movement, boycotts of foreign goods, and underground resistance.

Post-independence, the college expanded its infrastructure with hostels, a swimming pool, staff quarters, and new academic programs. Over the decades, courses in commerce, computer science, and mass communication were added. In 2002, the Alipore House campus was declared a heritage building, and in 2006, a museum and archives were inaugurated to preserve its legacy.

From a modest pathshala with three students, Indraprastha College has grown into a premier institution symbolizing women’s empowerment and academic excellence.