Lajpat Nagar is a residential and commercial neighbourhood of the South Delhi district of Delhi. It is named in honour of Lala Lajpat Rai, also known the Lion of Punjab, and is today most known for the Lajpat Nagar Central Market. There is also one more Lajpat Nagar in Ghaziabad in the NCR region.
Overview
The suburb is divided into four parts: Lajpat Nagar I, II, III (north of the Ring Road) and IV (south of the Ring Road). Housing colonies like Amar Colony, Dayanand Colony, Double Storey (also known as Nirmal Puri), National Park and Vikram Vihar are also located in it. Lajpat Nagar is famous for Central Market, which is a popular shopping destination, and is known for the garments, and textiles which are sold here.
The colony falls partially under the New Delhi (Lok Sabha constituency) and part of it is in the South Delhi (Lok Sabha constituency).
History
Lajpat Nagar was developed in 1950s and most of its early residents were Hindus and Sikhs moving east from newly formed Pakistan following the partition of India in 1947. As such, many of these individuals are Multanis and Sindhis. The colony was initially named as Cheap Colony or Cheap Cantonment. One part of Lajpat Nagar - 4 (Dayanand Colony) was named after Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati, by Mr. B.N. Puri in 1957.
Initially refugee camps were set up in Purana Quila. Plots and the people were allotted plots in areas like Lajpat Nagar, Patel Nagar, Rajendra Nagar. The plots were of 15x60 feet constructed like army barracks .The houses were all single storey, with asbestos roofs, in the beginning, but now most of the houses are multi-storied.
The colony also housed a refugee camp for Bengali widows which came up much later known as Kasturba Ashram. In 1960, Servants of the People Society, founded by Lala Lajpat Rai in 1921 in Lahore, after functioning for many years since partition of India, from the residence of MP Lala Achint Ram, also shifted to the new building known as Lajpat Bhawan, Lajpat Nagar.
The colony has a railway line passing through the north and has a local railway station where one can board the EMU trains. The line is usually used by freight trains. At present, it is common to see individuals from different parts of India, Afghanistan, Pakistan and African countries.
In the recent years, Lajpat Nagar has become a preferred residential neighbourhood for tourists and certain refugees from various Middle Eastern countries, including Afghanistan who often travel to New Delhi as medical tourists, owing to the presence of affordable quality health care in the capital.
Accessibility
Lajpat Nagar is well connected by Delhi Transport Corporation bus services and the Delhi Mass Rapid Transit System. Route no. 543 connects East Delhi Anand Vihar to Lajpat Nagar, and Teevr Mudrika connects Lajpat Nagar to the North (Rohini) and West Delhi Punjabi Bagh. The Lajpat Nagar Station of the Delhi Metro is an elevated station lying on the Metro’s Violet Line. It is located between the Jangpura and Moolchand stations. The station was opened to public along with the first section of the Violet Line. Kalkaji is another popular place in south delhi, which is very near to Lajpat Nagar. Visitors can take Delhi Metro from Kalka Mandir metro station to reach Lajpat Nagar. A new underpass connection has been opened in 2014 below Defence Colony-Lajapat Nagar flyover between Lajpat Nagar and Jungpura for easy access to areas like Jungpura Extn., Bhogal and Nizamuddin.
- Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) is 23Â km from Lajpat Nagar.
- 15 minutes from Central Secretariat (Delhi Metro) station via the Delhi Metro
- 5 Minutes from Kalkaji via Nehru Place station Delhi Metro
- 15 minutes from Sarita Vihar (Delhi Metro) station via the Delhi Metro
- 15 minutes from Nizamuddin Railway Station
- 35 minutes from New Delhi Railway Station
- 10 minutes from the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium
- 25 minutes from Connaught Place via Rajiv Chowk station Delhi Metro.
- 10 minutes from Kalka Mandir metro station via Delhi Metro.
Another metro station is under construction and scheduled to open in 3 years, making it easier for customers to visit the market.
Popular culture
Lajpat Nagar is home to a large Punjabi community that is featured in multiple movies.
- In the movie Do Dooni Chaar (2010), the Duggal family house is located in Vinoba Puri, Lajpat Nagar.
- Portions of the movie Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! (2008) were filmed in Lajpat Nagar.
- In the movie Cocktail (2012 film), the character Kavita Kapoor, played by Dimple Kapadia), is from Lajpat Nagar.
- Movie Vicky Donor (2012 film), was based out of Lajpat Nagar
There is also a very famous market in Lajpat Nagar called the Center Market which is a hub for street shopping and street food. This market witnesses large footfall round the year
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