Shahdara

Shahdara is one of the oldest towns that is situated in the eastern suburb of Delhi and shares its boundaries with Uttar Pradesh State. The name ‘Shahdara’ is an Urdu word that means ‘Door of Kings’ that was derived from the fact that this region is one of the oldest settlements in Delhi. This region is one of the most visited tourist places in Delhi owing to the fact that it homes the remains and ruins of the Mughal Dynasty including the famous and ancient ‘Ravi River’ which is formerly known as ‘Bari Dari’ that flows through this region.  It also encompasses areas such as Dilshad Garden, Seelampur and Vivek Vihar.

Shahdara is also known by locals as the ‘Trans Yamuna’ region and both East Delhi District and North East Delhi District share this suburb. It also homes one of the oldest markets in Delhi that was earlier named as the ‘Chandrawali Village’.

The ‘Chhota Bazaar’ which means ‘Small Market’ situated in Shahdara also attracts a number of tourists and visitors for being the second oldest market place in the Capital City dating back to the 16th Century AD after ‘Chandni Chowk’. It is also famous for being the busiest bazaar or market place ever known to all in Delhi. This market place is very famous for their food such like Chaat Papdi, Pakaudi, Kachaudi and Sweets. Adjacent to Chhota Bazaar is the ‘Bada Bazaar’ or ‘Big Market’ that is mostly famous for its abundance in groceries, vegetables and fruits.

One of the oldest Colonies in Shahdara is Bholanath Nagar known for its affordable wooden furniture and accessories. The Sai Baba Temple and the ‘Shukravar Bazaar’ or ‘Friday Market’ situated in Kabool Nagar of this region for over 45 years is also one of the oldest towns in this sub district. The biggest ‘Babarpur Road Bazaar’ and ‘Roshtash Nagar Market’ are famous for its Shyam Lassi and Hiralal Sweets. Shivaji Park and Balbir Nagar are mostly inhabited by Business men and higher middle class families and famous for their Public and Private Schools. Balbir Nagar is also known for the Jain Temple and Santaan Dharmshala and Public Schools. Mostly the inhabitants of this sub district are of various groups of income and qualification levels with varied cultural backgrounds and yet all are seen living in harmony and peace.

The Shahdara sub district is further divided into two sections of the Municipal Council zones of Delhi which are named as the ‘South Shahdara’ zone and the ‘North Shahdara’ zone. These zones are bounded by important areas like Dilshad Colony and Dilshad Garden, Preet Vihar, Tahirpur, Bhajanpura and Yamuna Vihar. This sub district is also carved into two sections namely ‘Old Shahdara’ or ‘Purana Shahdara’ and ‘New Shahdara’ or ‘Navin Shahdara’ with Kanti Nagar, Nathu Colony, Ghonda Colony, Rohtash Nagar and Jhilmil Colony, Badarpur, Subhash Mohalla or Colony, Maujpur, Vishwas Nagar, Krishna Nagar, Ram Nagar, Ashok Nagar, Mansarovar Park, Shivaji Park, Balbir Nagar, Bholanath Nagar, Govardhan Behari Colony, East Arjun Nagar Jyoti Nagar, Bhagwanpur Khera and Gokulpur in close proximity.

Shahdara is seen mostly crowded on all days and especially during Tuesdays & Saturdays wherein devotees from across the city visit the Hanuman Mandir for worship and offering their prayers or thanks to Lord Hanuman upon their wishes being fulfilled.

Shahdara It is also well connected via a bridge that links this area to the rest of the Capital City and homes an affordable residential complex that sees many students and out-stationed working professionals staying as Paying Guests looking for a pocket friendly stay and well connected area.

Shahdara is easily accessible by road and offers a number of auto-rickshaws and taxi cabs that are easily available for hire to and from this region. The New Delhi Railway Station is approximately 12.3 Kms or 34 minutes from this region while the Indira Gandhi International Airport is about 32.9 Kms or 70 minutes away and the Domestic Terminal is about 26.9 Kms or 63 minutes away. The Anand Vihar Inter State Bus Terminal (ISBT) situated approximately 3 Kms or 11 minutes from this region provides connectivity to other places in Delhi while the Shahdara Metro Station which is just 5 minutes away from the main area makes commuting very easy and comfortable to and from this region.