Chanakyapuri (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

: चाणक्यपुरी; IAST: Cāṅakyapurī ) is a neighbourhood and diplomatic enclave established in the 1950s in

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Ho ...

. It is also a sub-division of the

New Delhi district The New Delhi district is an administrative district of Delhi in India. Its district headquarters is New Delhi. It is named after New Delhi, the capital of India, located within its borders, and is in its entirety a part of the Delhi megacity. The ...

and plays host to the majority of foreign

embassies A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually deno ...

in New Delhi. Chanakyapuri, meaning "city of Chanakya", is named after

Chanakya Chanakya (Sanskrit: चाणक्य; IAST: ', ; 375–283 BCE) was an ancient Indian polymath who was active as a teacher, author, strategist, philosopher, economist, jurist, and royal advisor. He is traditionally identified as Kauṭil ...

, an ancient Indian philosopher, politician, military strategist and advisor to emperor Chandragupta Maurya.

History

Chanakyapuri was the first major extension of

beyond

Lutyens' Delhi Lutyens' Delhi is an area in New Delhi, India, named after the British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens (1869–1944), who was responsible for much of the architectural design and building during the period of the British Raj, when India was part o ...

. The

Central Public Works Department The Central Public Works Department (Hindi: केंद्रीय लोक निर्माण विभाग), commonly referred to as the CPWD, is a premier Central Government authority in charge of public sector works. The Central Public ...

(CPWD) developed a large area of land acquired from a

Gurjar Gurjar or Gujjar (also transliterated as ''Gujar, Gurjara and Gujjer'') is an ethnic nomadic, agricultural and pastoral community, spread mainly in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, divided internally into various clan groups. They were tra ...

village that was located there to create this diplomatic enclave in the 1950s. Subsequently, this land was allotted to embassies, chanceries, high commissions and ambassador residences. The enclave is built around a wide central vista, known as

Shanti Path Shantipath, also written as Shanti Path, is the main road in the diplomatic enclave of Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, India. In Hindi language, its name means "Peace Road". Shantipath is surrounded by green landscape on its either side. A number of fo ...

(Peace Road), with wide green areas. A large landscaped park spread over an area of 80 acres, known as Nehru Park, was developed in 1969 for the families of the diplomatic personnel. In time, two markets, two colleges and schools run by diplomatic missions (including The British School and the American Embassy School) were established in the neighbourhood. The Akbar Hotel was constructed 1965-69 for the

India Tourism Development Corporation The India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) is a hospitality, retail and education company owned by Government of India, under Ministry of Tourism. Established in 1966, it owns over 17 properties under the Ashok Group of Hotels brand, acro ...

Shiv Nath Prasad Shiv Nath Prasad (born 1922) was an Indian architect and urban planner known for his Brutalist architecture designs. He was also called the "Le Corbusier of India". Biography Shiv Nath was born in Varanasi, British India in 1922. His work is ...

. Around it Yashwant Place was constructed for shopping and eating. A movie theatre Chanakya Cinema was added in 1969, built in the

Brutalist architecture Brutalist architecture is an architectural style that emerged during the 1950s in the United Kingdom, among the reconstruction projects of the post-war era. Brutalist buildings are characterised by minimalist constructions that showcase the ba ...

style. The cinema was later torn down and the plot redeveloped into a

shopping mall A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that is, the term was used to refe ...

with a new cinema in 2017.

Accessibility

Major roads in Chanakyapuri include

, Nyaya Marg, Niti Marg, Chandragupta Marg and Panchsheel Marg. In addition to these, the Ring Road traverses the southern expanse of the neighbourhood and intersects

National Highway 8 The following highways are numbered 8. For roads numbered A8, see list of A8 roads. For roads numbered N8, see list of N8 roads. Route 8, or Highway 8, may refer to: International * Asian Highway 8 * European route E08 * European route E008 ...

on the border with neighbouring

Dhaula Kuan Dhaula Kuan ( hi, धौला कुआँ) is a major intersection of roads in Delhi, India. The name also now refers to the neighbourhood surrounding the intersection. Intersection Five major thoroughfares in Delhi meet at Dhaula Kuan. ...

. Sardar Patel Marg marks the Western periphery, while the Chanakya Cinema complex, which lies beyond Nehru Park, forms the south-western perimeter. The

Delhi Ring Railway The Delhi Ring railway, a part of Delhi's suburban railway services, is a circular railway network in Delhi that runs parallel to the Ring Road. It was laid in 1975 primarily to service freight trains that could bypass the crowded and passeng ...

stops at Chanakyapuri, while Lok Kalyan Marg metro station and Jor Bagh metro station are the nearest stations of

Delhi Metro The Delhi Metro is a mass rapid transit (MRT) system serving Delhi and its satellite cities of Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Gurgaon, Noida, Bahadurgarh and Ballabhgarh, in the National Capital Region of India. The network consists of 10 colou ...

Education

Primary and secondary schools

* The

American Embassy School, New Delhi The American Embassy School (AES), New Delhi, India, is an independent, co-educational day school that offers an educational program from pre-kindergarten through Grade 12. The school is not run by the U.S. Embassy, and its student body represent ...

, for expatriates from the US and other countries. * The British School offers the British

National Curriculum A national curriculum is a common programme of study in schools that is designed to ensure nationwide uniformity of content and standards in education. It is usually legislated by the national government, possibly in consultation with state or other ...

, the

IGCSE The International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) is an English language based examination similar to GCSE and is recognised in the United Kingdom as being equivalent to the GCSE for the purposes of recognising prior attain ...

and IB. It primarily serves the international community * German School New Delhi * Russian Embassy School in DelhiСведения о школе.

. Russian Embassy School in New Delhi. Retrieved on 18 April 2015. "PLOT G BLOK 50E NYAYA MARG, CHANAKYAPURI, NEW-DELHI -110021, INDIA" *

Sanskriti School Sanskriti School is a recognised integrated co-educational school in the diplomatic area of Chanakyapuri, New Delhi. It is affiliated to CBSE, and offers education from Nursery to XII. It was founded in 1998 primarily to provide education to ...

, a renowned education institution, which mainly serves the children of civil servants. *

Navy Children School, Delhi The Naval Children School of Delhi, India, was established in 1965 and is the flagship of the Naval Public Schools system set up by the Navy Education Society. Ages range from nursery to class XII level. The school was named Naval Primary Sc ...

which mainly serves the children of Naval staff.

Universities

Jesus and Mary College Jesus and Mary College (JMC) is a women-only college of the University of Delhi located in New Delhi, India. The college offers bachelor's degrees in Commerce, Arts, and Mathematics. The college offers honors degrees in Elementary Education, H ...

, a constituent college of the

University of Delhi Delhi University (DU), formally the University of Delhi, is a collegiate university, collegiate Central university (India), central university located in New Delhi, India. It was founded in 1922 by an Act of the Central Legislative Assembly and ...

. *

Maitreyi College Maitreyi College is a women's college in the South Campus of the University of Delhi, located in Bapu Dham, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi-110021, India. It was established in July 1967 and named after the Vedic sage Maitreyi. An all-women's college, i ...

, another constituent college of the

. *

South Asian University South Asian University (SAU) is an international university sponsored by the eight Member States of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). The eight countries are: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Ne ...

, an international university established by the SAARC.

References

External links

* http://www.markestates.co.in/where_cat_detail.php?id=1585
Map of Chanakyapuri

Chanakyapuri
at

Google Maps Google Maps is a web mapping platform and consumer application offered by Google. It offers satellite imagery, aerial photography, street maps, 360° interactive panoramic views of streets ( Street View), real-time traffic conditions, and rou ...

{{Neighborhoods of Delhi Neighbourhoods in Delhi District subdivisions of Delhi Diplomatic districts New Delhi district Cities and towns in New Delhi district 1950s establishments in Delhi