Work on the station was first started by the Indian Antarctic expedition which arrived the end of December 1984, with a team led by Dr. B. B.

The first huts were started by the IV Antarctica Expedition and completed in 1989, shortly before the first station, Dakshin Gangotri, was buried in ice and abandoned in 1990–91.

[2] Maitri is situated in the rocky mountainous region called Schirmacher Oasis.

[3] The station has modern facilities for research in various disciplines, such as biology, earth sciences, glaciology, atmospheric sciences, meteorology, cold region engineering, communication, human physiology, and medicine.

A blue ice runway, located 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) away, operated by Antarctic Logistics Centre International (ALCI) serves the station and Novolazarevskaya.