Palam

Palam (phonetically Pālam) is a major residential colony located in South West Delhi. 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 the Mughal Empire in India.

Palam and surrounding suburbs of Delhi were recaptured by the Maratha forces led by Baji Rao I, in their attempt to take Delhi back from Muslims in 1753.

Geography
Palam is situated 20 km southwest of the New Delhi City Centre. It is surrounded by Delhi Cantt, Dwarka and Janakpuri. Palam is part of the "Dwarka Sub-Division" of the South West Delhi District.

Palam is broadly divided into Raj Nagar and Sadh Nagar. Raj Nagar is divided into 2 parts: Raj Nagar-1 and Raj Nagar Part-2. Similarly, Sadh Nagar is divided into Sadh Nagar-1 and Sadh Nagar-2.

Ram chowk, Maharaja Agrasen Chowk, Pradhan Chowk are the major landmarks of Sadh Nagar. Whereas, Bhagwaan Parshuram Chowk, Dada Chhatri Wala Marg, Standard Sweets Corner, Mamta Bakery, DDA Park and Jhande Wala Chowk are the major landmarks of Raj Nagar.

Palam Village is very historical village in Delhi where Palam area is named after. It is also famous for Khap panchayat Palam 360 Khap (Dilli) of Delhi since thousands of years.

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 Backward Castes, 26.3% Muslims, 15.4% Scheduled Castes, 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 entire Palam area consisting of wards Mahavir Enclave (147), Mangla Puri (130), Palam (145), Rajnagar (142) and Sadh Nagar (146) falls 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 36 °C. The hottest day of the year is 22 May, with an average high of 38 °C and low of 25 °C. The cold season lasts from 11 December to 11 February with an average daily high temperature below 18 °C. The coldest day of the year is 4 January, with an average low of 2 °C and high of 15 °C. 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 3 to 47 C, with the lowest and highest temperatures ever recorded being -2.2 and 48.4 C respectively. The annual mean temperature is 25 °C; monthly mean temperatures range from 13 to 32 C. The highest temperature recorded in July was 45.7 °C in 1987. The average annual rainfall is approximately 714 mm, 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
Palam's market is quite famous with over 1,000 shops. Many shops are on the Palam Main Road, Ram Chowk, Syndicate Market, Dada Chattri Wala Marg, Old Mehrauli Road, Shere Punjab Dhaba,

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 fulfilment 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 recognised 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 a privately operated network of chartered buses connects Palam to corporate offices nearby and in the National Capital Territory.

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 Palam Colony D-66 Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) dispensary, a Primary Health Centre (PHC).