Maitri, also known as the Friendship Research Centre, is India's second permanent research station in Antarctica. It serves as a key facility within the Indian Antarctic Programme and was named by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The site is located in the rocky mountainous region of Schirmacher Oasis, situated approximately 5 kilometres away from the Russian Novolazarevskaya Station.
Construction on the station began in late December 1984 with an expedition led by Dr. B. B. Bhattacharya, where Squadron Leader D. P. Joshi served as the first camp commander of the initial tentage. While the first huts were established by the IV Antarctica Expedition and completed in 1989, the station was developed to provide a permanent presence after India's first station, Dakshin Gangotri, was abandoned due to being buried in ice.