Vasant Kunj

Vasant Kunj is a sector located in South West Delhi district of Delhi, India, at the foothills of the Aravali mountain range, which today has well over 150,000 inhabitants. The suburb is home to many intellectuals, prominent businessmen, and officers of the Indian Armed Forces. The personal residence of the former Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh is located here. It was developed by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) after acquiring the farm lands from nearby villages such as, Kishangarh (Delhi), Munirka, Masoodpur and Mahipalpur in the early 1960s under the then Prime Minister of India Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. It is divided into five large sectors each of which in turn is divided into numerical/alpha-numerical sub-sectors. Vasant kunj is also very expensive place.

The farm land prices in Vasant Kunj are the highest in Delhi, followed by Rajokri. Green avenue road is the top priority followed by Mall Road, Ram Mandir road and Park Lane. Other areas around vasant kunj for farmhouses are Westend Greens, Pushpanjali Farms, Dlf chattarpur and Radhey Mohan drive in Chatarpur.

Districts of Delhi

Commercial area

The commercial hub of the suburb is the adjoining Masoodpur market and the southern end of the Nelson Mandela Marg. It boasts of four top of the line shopping malls, three of which - Ambience Mall, DLF Promenade and DLF Emporio (dubbed as the most expensive mall in Asia) together account for the highest footfall in North India. Other

A Bio-Diversity park has also been made in Vasant Kunj for the preservation of flora and fauna of the surrounding area. This particular park is an example of modern bio-diversity management and was made under the supervision of renowned botanist, Dr. Gogate.

A large automotives market also exists in Vasant Kunj on Aruna Asif Ali Marg. This auto market has the showrooms on carmakers Chevrolet and Ford. There are also a number of second hand car dealers and innumerable service stations. The second CNG filling station of Vasant Kunj is now operational which is opposite the Kishan Garh Goshala.

Vasant Kunj is also a corporate hub for India's largest market research companies like Track Opinion, Opinionest. The corporate office and registered office of Bharti Airtel Limited and Maruti Limited are also situated at Vasant Kunj. India's biggest oil company, ONGC is also building their research centre in the area.

Over the next few years some of the best institutions like University Grants Commission (UGC) and All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) will also come up in the area. The AICTE office is already under construction.

Sultan Ghari

Main article: Sultan Ghari

The octagonal tomb of Nasir ud din Mahmud, son of Mamluk dynasty ruler, Iltutmish is also situated in the area near Rangpuri. The tomb built by Iltutmish in 1231, after his son's death in 1229.

The fortified structure, which surrounds the tomb and the inner chamber (crypt) of the tomb itself, are one of finest examples of Mamluk dynasty architecture, which also include the Qutub Minar in Mehrauli.

Hospitals

Vasant Kunj is home to respected healthcare establishments, including The Late, Ranjan Dhall Memorial Fortis Hospital, the Indian Spinal Injuries Center, the newly established Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) facility and the Sukhmani Hospital on Nelson Mandela Road.

Vasant Kunj is also home to a unique temple called the "Shri Mahavidya Shaki Mandir." At A-66, Vasant Kunj Enclave, it is an almost 30-year-old temple housing all ten "Maha Vidyas" or ten forms of Goddess Mahakali. It also has a Shiv temple, a hanuman temple and specialises in traditional Indian worship of Goddess Kali.

Education

Vasant Kunj is home to several schools and colleges, including:

• Bloom Public School
• DPS Vasant Kunj
• Vasant Valley School
• Ryan International School
• G D Goenka Public School
• The Heritage School
• Bhatnagar International Foundation School
• DAV Public School
• Kendriya Vidyalaya, Vasant Kunj
• Kathuria Public School
• Aadyant
• Kangaroo Kids
• Deep Public School
• TERI University
• Sri Sharada Institute Of Indian Management
• Aditya Institute of Technology
• Jagannath International Management School (JIMS)
• Foreign Tutors Bureau
• Japanese School New Delhi

Modern School, situated in Vasant Vihar is also nearby.

Colleges in the area include Jagannath International Management School (JIMS) and TERI University while Jawaharlal Nehru University is also in the vicinity.

Economy

Bloomsbury India has its head office in the Vishrut Building (Building No. 3) in the DDA Complex in Vasant Kunj. Also the headquarters of the Bharti group and ONGC is located in the area near Ambience mall.

Sports and Recreation

Many academies for sports are located in Vasant Kunj which include DDA sports complex in D-2 and Ryders club in D-1. DDA has also developed a small 5-a-side caged football field near B-5&6.

Vasant Vatika is a large park situated near C-6. It has a walking track and is very popular among the elderly and the children alike. It is a perfect place where one can be at peace with himself.

Miscellaneous

• Several Cricket players live in Vasant Kunj
• Registered office of Aakash Building Construction Corporation is in Vasant Kunj. Owner BD Gupta, resides in Vasant Vihar.
• Bhushan Kumar of T-Series owns land here.
• DLF Emporio in Vasant Kunj is the latest up-market mall. It claims to be the largest luxury collection in Asia with 74 international and 111 Indian brands.
• Water shortage was an acute problem in many sectors of Vasant Kunj. However, this has been largely resolved once the Sonia Vihar water supply was regularised.
• Fabindia's headquarters is located in the B 11 market.
• Branches of most leading Banks can be found in Vasant Kunj, while the Post Office is situated at Anchal Plaza.
• The only Catholic Church in Delhi, dedicated to Saint Alphonsa (the first woman saint from India), is in Vasant Kunj's Green Avenue Lane.
• Both, Kali Bari the temple of Goddes Kali and the Jain temple are located behind the Vasant Square Mall and Gurdwara is on the Nelson Mandella Road.
• Recently the residents of Vasant Kunj along with those of Mahipalpur and Masoodpur moved in court to protest against the massive noise pollution caused by the frequently passing by of aircraft over the area towards the newly opened T3 terminal of the IGI Airport. While other residents have begun to protest the widening of the stretch of road from the Chhatarpur Metro station towards Mahipalpur.

Accessibility

The nearest Delhi Metro stations are at Chhatarpur, which is situated on Andheria More and is on the Yellow Line of the Delhi Metro and Aerocity, which is situated on Mahipalpur Chowk and is on the Orange Line of the Delhi Metro.

See also

• South West Delhi district
• South Delhi district
• West Delhi district
• Areas And Zones of New Delhi