Delhi is a town in Delaware County, New York, United States. The population was 5,117 at the 2010 census. The town is in the east-central part of the county and contains the village of Delhi. The State University of New York at Delhi is located in the town.The town is named after the city of Delhi, the capital territory of India. The name was in honor of founder Ebenezer Foote, who was known as "The Great Mogul". Another founder, Erastus Root, a rival of Foote, is responsible for the pronunciation. Root preferred the name "Mapleton". When he learned the town was to be named Delhi, he exclaimed, "Delhi, Hell-high! Might as well call it Foote-high."The town is the setting for the classic 1959 novel My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George.