Palam

History

Palam finds reference in the Persian Sarcastic verse, Sultanat-e-Shah-e-Alam, Az Dilli ta Palam, meaning 'The dominion of Emperor Shah Alam, begins from Delhi and ends at Palam'. This indicates that Palam existed during the rule of Mughal Empire in India.

Geography

Palam is Situated 20 km Southwest to the New Delhi City Center. It is Surrounded by Dwarka, Janakpuri and Delhi Cantt. Palam comes in the Dwarka Sub-division of South West Delhi District.

Demographics

Today members of almost every Indian Community live here. Shri Dada Dev Mandir, a temple complex spread over eight acres, is to be found in Palam, along with the Shri Dada Dev Mother And Child Hospital.

Government and politics

Palam lies in the South Delhi Lok Sabha constituency from where Ramesh Bidhuri from BJP is the MP. In Delhi Legislative Assembly Bhavna Gaur from AAP is the MLA from Palam. The complete Palam area consisting of wards Mahavir Enclave (147), Mangla puri (130), Palam (145), Rajnagar (142) and Saad Nagar (146) comes in the Najafgarh zone of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation.

Climate

Palam features an atypical version of the humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa). The warm season lasts from 9 April to 8 July, with an average daily high temperature above 36 °C (97 °F). The hottest day of the year is 22 May, with an average high of 38 °C (100 °F) and low of 25 °C (77 °F). The cold season lasts from 11 December to 11 February with an average daily high temperature below 18 °C (64 °F). The coldest day of the year is 4 January, with an average low of 2 °C (36 °F) and high of 15 °C (59 °F). In early March, the wind direction changes from north-westerly to south-westerly. From April to October the weather is hot. The monsoon arrives at the end of June, along with an increase in humidity. The brief, mild winter starts in late November, peaks in January and heavy fog often occurs.

Temperatures in Palam usually range from 5 to 40 °C (41.0 to 104.0 °F), with the lowest and highest temperatures ever recorded being −2.2 and 48.4 °C (28.0 and 119.1 °F) respectively. The annual mean temperature is 25 °C (77 °F); monthly mean temperatures range from 13 to 32 °C (55 to 90 °F). The highest temperature recorded in July was 45 °C (113 °F) in 1931. The average annual rainfall is approximately 714 mm (28.1 in), most of which falls during the monsoon in July and August. The average date of the advent of monsoon winds in Palam is 29 June.

Economy

Ram Chowk is one of the primary markets in Palam, with over 1,000 shops. Many shops are on the main road, including Dada Chattri Wala Marg, Shere Punjab Dhaba, Ghar Jaisa, Footland and Swastik Creations.

Palam is divided into Rajnagar and Sadhnagar. Ram chowk, Pradhan chowk, Maharaja Agrasen chowk, Bhagwan Parshuram chowk are the major attractions of Sadh nagar. And on the other side Pandit Chowk, Jhanda wala Chowk and DDA park are major landmarks of Rajnagar-II . The market area is also very expanded. Many types of shops are situated in the area. Any type of product including food, clothes, footwear, electronic items like mobiles, laptops and other accessories, cosmetics and many other types of products can easily available in Palam. There are also a large variety of food snacks with many cuisines are also available. Birbal chaat bhandar catches the major mob of people for it's fabulous and tastier snacks like Gol gappa, Bhalle papdi, Aloo tikki. There are also two famous Omelette shops Mukesh omelette and Rajiv omelette . Here different types of omelette are available. These shops are also surrounded with many people always.

Culture

Palam's culture is diverse and includes many temples, the biggest and oldest of which is Dada Dev Mandir, worshiped as the gram devta (village god) of the 12 villages of Palam, Shahbad, Bagdola, Nasirpur, Bindapur, Dabri, Asalatpur, Untkala, Matiala, Baprola, Poothkala and Nangalrai. Established in Vikram Samvant 781 or 838 AD, after a dream made Saints Dada Dev and Jaidev transport a stone north from Tonk in Rajasthan, the temple complex is huge and is spread over eight acres. Devotees believe in seeking the blessings of Dada Dev before starting any new venture. All the year around pilgrims come to the temple to offer prayers and to seek fulfillment of their wishes. Many festivals are celebrated here in great joy, particularly Janmastmi (Krishnastmi).

The Palam Mosque is the only surviving building of Babur's reign in Delhi. It is recognized for its Sanskrit inscription and for having been visited by Ibn Battuta. According to an inscription in mixed Arabic and Persian prose on the northern arch of its central compartment, it was built by one Ghazanfar in 935 AH (1528-29).

Palam also boasts a Toilet Museum and an Air Force Museum.

Transport

Palam has a well-established transportation infrastructure. It is well connected to other parts of Delhi by Roads. Palam is connected to other States by air, rail and road.

Road

Buses are primarily operated by the DTC and DIMTS; although private operators assist in connecting Delhi and the North Capital Region (NCR). A privately operated network of chartered buses connects Palam areas to corporate offices nearby and in the National Capital Territory.

The Ministry of Transport took over the local bus services of Delhi in May 1948 and renamed it Delhi Transport. Delhi Road Transport Authority was constituted under the Road Transport Corporation Act, 1950. This Authority became the undertaking of Municipal Corporation of Delhi in April, 1958.

Delhi Metro

Palam Metro Station will be served by Magenta Line of Delhi Metro that will directly connect it to Janakpuri and Botanical Garden. Palam's underground Metro station near the Palam Police Station is in its third building phase. It is expected to be completed in 2017.

Rail Network

Palam railway station has connections to Rewari, Delhi Cantonment and New Delhi. Porbandar, Motihari & Delhi Sarai Rohilla trains pass through Palam Railway Station.

Airways

Indira Gandhi International Airport, formerly known as Palam Airport, is situated in Palam.

Education

Palam has a large number of Schools and Educational Centers. Most of the Private and Government schools are affiliated to CBSE.

Schools:

Coaching Centers:

Health care

Palam's public health services network includes Bhagat Chandra, Divya Prastha, Singhal (Multispecialty) hospitals, the Gagan Child Care Centre, Maharaja Agrasen Hospital, Mangla Puri Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) dispensary, a Primary Health Centre (PHC), pathology labs and the Sanjay Nursing Home.