# Sarai Kale Khan

Sarai Kale Khan is an urban village in the South East Delhi district of Delhi. The suburb offers convenient transportation options, with the Delhi Metro’s Pink Line and the nearby Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT) providing easy access to the rest of Delhi and neighbouring states. Sarai Kale Khan is situated next to Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station, one of Delhi's five major railway hubs, which serves as both the originating and terminating point for 60 trains. The ISBT functions as a terminus for most buses heading to cities and towns south of Delhi and includes a DTC bus depot, supporting the Mudrika Seva and various other bus routes.

## History

The name Sarai originates from the era of Afghan ruler Sher Shah Suri, who established a network of paved roads, with roadside inns known as serais placed every twelve miles to accommodate travellers. The area around Sarai Kale Khan hosted a caravanserai for travellers and caravans along the royal route connecting the Mughal imperial courts and Chandni Chowk in Shahjahanabad (now referred to as Old Delhi) to their retreat in Mehrauli, about 32 km (20 mi) away.
This sarai was named after Kale Khan, a Sufi saint from the 14th–15th century, whose resting place, along with that of another prominent Sufi saint from Delhi, is now located within the Delhi Airport complex, marking it as a historical site for travellers' respite.
Another theory speculating the origin of the suburb's name stems from Kale Khan's Gumbad, a structure from the Lodi era located in the Kotla Mubarakpur Complex in South Delhi. According to an inscription on the mihrab (prayer niche) inside the tomb, it dates back to 1481 AD. This other Kale Khan was a courtier during the reign of Sultan Bahlol Lodi (r. 1451–1589).
Nawab Faizullah Beg, son of Nawab Qasim Jan—a courtier during the reign of Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II (r. 1728–1806)—was also a courtier during the reign of the last Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar. He built a complex that later became known as Ahata Kaley Sahab, christened after a saint called Kaley Khan who resided there for a time and after whom the area was subsequently named. The complex was later acquired by Bunyadi Begum, poet Mirza Ghalib's sister-in-law, and housed the poet after he was released from debtors' prison.
On 15 November 2024, the major intersection outside Sarai Kale Khan was renamed Birsa Munda Chowk in honour of the tribal freedom fighter Birsa Munda, commemorating his 150th birth anniversary. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, under the BJP-led central government, renamed the intersection to Birsa Munda Chowk ahead of the 2024 state elections in Jharkhand, a state in eastern India approximately 750 kilometers southeast of Delhi, where Birsa Munda's legacy enjoys significant popularity.
AAP, the ruling party of Delhi, criticised the central government for unilaterally proceeding with the renaming, arguing that the decision bypassed established protocols that typically involve consultation with the state-level road naming authority. They contended that the central government acted without coordination with Delhi's Public Works Department (PWD), which oversees this jurisdiction. By taking this step independently, the AAP suggested that the BJP-led central government had disregarded the procedural norms and the authority of the Delhi government, raising concerns about the legality and transparency of the decision.

## Sarai Kale Khan Inter-State Bus Terminal

Sarai Kale Khan Inter-State Bus Terminal is a major bus terminus complex in Delhi, India, catering to short and long-haul bus services to the neighbouring states of Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh.