Maitri is India's second permanent research station in Antarctica. It was built and finished in 1989, shortly before the first station Dakshin Gangotri was buried in ice and abandoned in 1990–91. Maitri is situated on the rocky mountainous region called Schirmacher Oasis.

The station has modern facilities to carry out research in various disciplines, such as biology, earth sciences, glaciology, atmospheric sciences, meteorology, cold region engineering, communication, human physiology and medicine. It has a capacity to accommodate 25 people for winter. Fresh water is provided through a fresh water lake named Lake Priyadarshini, in front of Maitri.

India's commitment to polar science can be summarized by the following milestones:

On 19 August 1983 India was admitted to the Antarctic Treaty and thereafter obtained Consultative Status. In the same year The permanent station Dakshin Gangotri was built, where the first Wintering was conducted. Soon on 1 October 1984 India was admitted as a member of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR). 2 years later India became a member of Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). Between 1988–1989 India built its second indigenous station ‘Maitri’. In 1997 India ratified the Environment Protocol to the Antarctic Treaty, thus upholding its commitment to preserve the pristine continent. India completed its first 25 years in Antarctica and launched an expedition in Dec 2005 called the Silver Jubilee Indian Antarctic Expedition. Later progressingly, India, in the year 2010: launched scientific expedition to South Pole – http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11670634India's new research station Bharathi will be scheduled to operational by mid 2012.