Dakshin Gangotri was the first scientific base station of India situated in Antarctica, part of the Indian Antarctica Programme. It is located at a distance of 2,500 kilometres from the South Pole. It is currently being used as a supply base and transit camp. The base is named after Dakshin Gangotri Glacier. It was established during the third Indian expedition to Antarctica in 1983−84. This was the first time an Indian team spent a winter in Antarctica to carry out scientific works. It was abandoned in 1988−1989 after it was submerged in ice. It was succeeded by the Maitri research station, which was set up in a moderate climatic zone at a distance of 90km and made operational in 1990. Dakshin Gangotri was finally decommissioned on 25 February 1990 and subsequently turned into a supply base.