Palam, Delhi
Palam (phonetically Pālam) is a Village, Major Suburb and Residential Colony in South West Delhi. The Indira Gandhi International Airport, formerly known as "Palam Airport", the main airport of National Capital Region is situated here. It is one of 70 Vidhan Sabha constituencies of the Delhi National Capital Territory in northern India. History. Palam is listed in the Ain-i-Akbari as a pargana under Delhi sarkar, producing a revenue of 5,726,787 dams for the imperial treasury and supplying a force of 1000 infantry and 70 cavalry. Palam is referenced in a sarcastic Persian verse commenting on the  weakness of the Mughal Empire in its Late Period: "Sultanat-e-Shah-e-Alam, Az Dilli ta Palam", which means "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 of the New Delhi City Centre. It is surrounded by Dwarka, Janakpuri and Delhi Cantt. Palam is part of the Dwarka Sub-division of South West Delhi District. Demographics. According to the 2011 census, the OBC community is the largest single demographic group residing in the Palam  area. The census estimated that the ethnoreligious composition of the area was as follows: 31.9% Other Backwards Castes, 26.3% Muslims, 15.4% Scheduled Castes, 10.8% General category, 9.7% Scheduled Tribes, 4.4% Christian, 0.7% Jain, 0.5% Buddhist, 0.3% Sikh. 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 Sadh 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 . The hottest day of the year is 22 May, with an average high of and low of . The cold season lasts from 11 December to 11 February with an average daily high temperature below . The coldest day of the year is 4 January, with an average low of and high of . 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 , with the lowest and highest temperatures ever recorded being respectively. The annual mean temperature is ; monthly mean temperatures range from . The highest temperature recorded in July was in 1931. The average annual rainfall is approximately , 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, Mor Mukut Restaurant, Food Junction, Domino's under Palam-Dwarka Flyover as well as in Mahavir Enclave, Hans Namkeen, Pizza Hut in Mahavir Enclave, Jab We Met, Mukesh Ande Wala, Rajeev Famous Omelette, Badi Dukaan Waale, Patanjali, Da Pizza Corner, Al Nawab Restaurant, Footland and Swastik Creation, Garg garments, Goyal Traders, Mittal medicos, New Mittal medicos, etc. Palam is divided into Rajnagar and Sadhnagar. Ram chowk, Pradhan chowk, Maharaja  Agrasen chowk, Bhagwan Parshuram chowk earlier Jain chowk converted into parshuram chowk are the major attractions of Sadhnagar. And on the other side Pandit Chowk, Jhanda wala Chowk and DDA park are major landmarks of Rajnagar. Old Mehrauli road contains many famous shops such as Big Mart, Mahadeva Sweets and Snacks, Uphar Palace, Gupta Store for daily essentials and Groceries, Gautam Disposable Store for disposable and Birthday items such as Big Balloons etc, Standard Sweets , Rajasthan bartan bhandar etc. 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 Nangalraya. 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 is served by Magenta  Line of Delhi Metro that directly connects it to Janakpuri and Botanical Garden. Palam's underground Metro station near the Palam Police Station is in its third building phase. It was opened for public on 29 May 2018 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. Health care. Palam's public health services network includes Bhagat Chandra, Divya Prastha, Singhal (Multispecialty) hospital, Maharaja Agrasen Hospital, Mangla Puri Central Government  Health Scheme (CGHS) dispensary, a Primary Health Centre (PHC), pathology labs and the Sanjay Nursing Home.