Gurgaon

Gurugram is a city in the Indian state of Haryana and is located near the National Capital Region of India. It is 32 kilometres (20 mi) southwest of New Delhi and 268 kilometres (167 mi) southwest of Chandigarh, the state capital. As of 2011, Gurugram had a population of 876,824. Witnessing rapid urbanization, Gurugram has become a leading financial and industrial hub with the third highest per capita income in India. The city's economic growth story started when the leading Indian automobile manufacturer Maruti Suzuki India Limited established a manufacturing plant in Gurgaon in the 1970s. Today, Gurugram has local offices for more than 250 Fortune 500 companies.

Etymology

The origin of the city's name can be traced back to the Sanskrit epic Mahabharat; it is believed that the land was owned by the legendary rulers Pandavas and Kauravas, who presented it to Guru Dronacharaya, their royal guru for warfare, as an appreciation of his training. The land came to be known as Gurugram (Sanskrit: गुरुग्राम, lit. village of the Guru) which over time became changed to Gurgaon (गुड़गाँव). The village still exists within the modern day city.

On 12 April 2016, Chief Minister of Haryana Manohar Lal Khattar announced a proposal to officially rename the city Gurugram, subject to the approval of the Haryana cabinet and the Union Government. He argued that the new name would help to preserve the "rich heritage" of the city by emphasizing its history and association with Dronacharaya. On 27 September 2016, Manohar Lal Khattar officially announced that the Union Government had approved the name change, and thus the city and district would henceforth be known as Gurugram.

History

Gurugram was historically inhabited by the Hindu people and in early times, it formed a part of an extensive kingdom ruled over by Rajputs of Yaduvansi or Yadav clan. The Yadav were defeated by Muhammad of Ghor in 1196, but for two centuries they sturdily resisted the Muhammadian domination and they were subjected to punitive expedition. Under the rule of Feroz Shah Tughlaq, several were converted to Islam. This was followed by the invasion of Timur and the land was ruled by Khanzadas. It was then annexed by Babur. During Akbar's reign, Gurugram fell within the governing regions of Delhi and Agra. As the Mughal Empire started to decline, the place was torn between contending powers. By 1803 most of it came under the British rule through the treaty of Surji Arjungaon with Sindhia. The town was first occupied by the cavalry unit posted to watch the army of Begum Samru of Sirdhana. It became a part of the district, which was divided into units called parganas. These units were given to petty chiefs for the military service rendered by them. The units were governed by the rules that British kept on changing and eventually these units came under direct control of the British, with the last major change in 1836. Nothing much changed in Gurugram until the Revolt of 1857. In 1858, it was transferred from the North-Western Provinces to Punjab Province. In 1861, the district, of which Gurugram was a part of, was rearranged into five tehsils Gurugram, Ferozepur Jhirka, Nuh, Palwal and Rewari and the modern day city came under the control of Gurugram teshil. In 1947, Gurugram became a part of independent India and fell under the Indian state of Punjab. In 1966, the city came under the administration of Haryana with the creation of the new state.

Geography

Gurugram is located in Gurugram district in the Indian state of Haryana and is situated in the south eastern part of the state, and northern part of the country. The city is located on the border with Delhi with New Delhi to its north east. The city has a total area of 738.8 square kilometres (285.3 sq mi)

Topography

The average land elevation is 217 metres (712 ft) above sea level.

Culture

Entertainment and performing arts

Notable performing art venues in the city include Epicentre in Sector 44 and Nautanki Mehal at the Kingdom of Dreams near IFFCO Chowk. Bollywood actor Rajkummar Rao was born in Gurugram.

Languages and dialect

The main language spoken in Gurugram is Hindi & Ahirwati, though a segment of the population understands English. The dialect used in Hindi is similar to that of Delhi, and is considered neutral, though the regional influences from the states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Punjab adds an accent to the language. English is spoken with an Indian accent, with a primarily North Indian influence. Since Gurugram has a large number of international call centres, the employees are usually given formal training in neutral pronunciation in order to be understandable to native English speakers. Haryanvi and Punjabi are other popular languages spoken in the city. The other regional languages include Mewati and Haryanvi.

Religion

Hinduism is a predominant religion among the city's population. Gurugram also includes adherents of Sikhism, Islam, Buddhism, Jainism, Christianity and the Bahá'í, among others. There are several places of worship for major religions in Gurugram, including Hindu temples, gurdwaras, mosques and churches.

Sheetla Mata Mandir is a famous temple located in district Gurugram of Haryana state of India. It is a temple dedicated to the wife of Guru Dronacharya. The temple hosts fairs regularly and huge number of people come to seek blessings of Sheetla Mata every year.

Transport

Roadways

Highways

The major highway that links Gurugram is National Highway 8, the road that runs from Delhi to Mumbai. While the 27.7-kilometre (17.2 mi) Delhi-Gurugram border-Kherki Dhaula stretch has been developed as an expressway, the rest is expanded to six lanes. The second Highway Is Dwarka Expressway, Which Starts from Gurugram and linked to New Delhi's various major Inter cities.

Intercity buses

Gurugram bus terminal, managed by Haryana Roadways (under the department of state transport,haryana) is a busy bus station in the city that provides bus connectivity, both private and government, to other cities in Haryana and neighboring states like Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and other cities like Chandigarh.

Railways

Intercity rail

Gurugram railway station operated by Northern Railway of Indian Railways. The rail station that forms a part of the larger Indian railways network, where trains connect Gurugram to Delhi and other important cities in India like Mumbai, Kolkata, Ahmadabad and Jaipur.

Delhi Metro

There are five stations served by Delhi Metro located on the Yellow Line, which are HUDA City Centre, IFFCO Chowk, MG Road, Sikanderpur and Guru Droncharya.

Rapid Metro

Currently Rapid Metro Gurugram have six stations, connecting Yellow Line of Delhi Metro at Sikandarpur metro station, which are Sikanderpur, Phase 2, Vodafone Belvedere Towers, IndusInd Bank Cyber City, Micormax Moulsari Avenue and Phase 3. Two stations, Shankar Chowk and Gateway tower, are scheduled to become operational soon. The first phase of Rapid Metro became operational in November 2013 and covers a distance of 3.3 mi. Two more phases of the project are in the pipeline and would take the total number of subway stations in Gurugram to 16. An estimated 33,000 people ride Rapid Metro everyday, which provides an exclusive elevated transit service with three coach trains that run in a loop.

Airways

Airport

Gurugram is served by Indira Gandhi International Airport, though the airport is just outside the city limits and located within the jurisdiction of Delhi near National Highway 8. The airport is one of the busiest airports in India and provides domestic and international air connectivity.

Transit systems

Public transit

Public transit in Gurugram is mostly provided by government buses, Rapid Metro and Delhi Metro. Private buses & vans,reserved and shared auto rickshaws also ply in the city. There are ten subway/metro stations in Gurugram.

In November, 2013, Gurugram launched an Ciclovia-inspired initiative known as Raahgiri Day—in which a corridor of streets are closed to motor vehicle traffic on Sunday mornings to encourage the use of non-motorized transport and participation in outdoor leisure activities. Gurugram was the first city in India to implement such a program, followed by New Delhi, and later Noida.

Gurugram is also expected to get India's first Pod Taxis.