« India
 | Hotels | | Map | | Gurgaon; good to know | |
 | | |  |
Gurgaon is a city in the northern Indian state of Haryana, and has a population of about 1,000,000 according to the 2001 national census. Gurgaon is one of Delhi's four major satellite cities. The origins of the city's name are steeped in Hindu mythology. Legend ... more »
Save time & money with Hotels
View all hotels in Gurgaon...
Hotels 
Airports Gurgaon is a city in the northern Indian state of Haryana, and has a population of about 1,000,000 according to the 2001 national census. Gurgaon is one of Delhi's four major satellite cities.
The origins of the city's name are steeped in Hindu mythology. Legend has it that Gurgaon is the ancestral village of Guru Dronacharya, the teacher of the Pandavas and Kauravas in the Indian epic, Mahabharata. The name Gurgaon comes from Guru (from Guru Dronacharya) and Gaon (meaning village). The village was gifted by the Pandavas and Kauravas to their Guru (Dronacharya), and was known as Guru ka Gaon, (Village of the Guru), and later Gurgaon. It is also said that the name is derived from the Hindi words Gur(Jaggery) and Gaon(Village).
Until very recently, Gurgaon was a sleepy town on the outskirts of New Delhi. Its potential was quickly recognized after the liberalisation of the Indian economy, in the 1990's, because of its proximity to New Delhi, and the smart policy initiatives of the Haryana government. Today, skyscrapers and modern shopping malls dot this suburb, which has seen a major real estate boom since the late 1990s.
Thousands of professionals have recently made their home in Gurgaon, living in apartments in newly constructed colonies and condominiums with world-class facilities. Among the most high-profile residential addresses in Gurgaon are ITC Laburnum, Central Park and DLF Beverly Park. The mushrooming shopping malls of Gurgaon, like the MGF Metropolitan Mall, DLF City Centre and Sahara Mall, are also indicative of the recognition by retailers of the far-reaching aspirations, and deep pockets, of the residents of the city. The fast growing population, with increasing purchasing power, has created a huge demand for housing, resulting in escalating property prices in recent years.
The Main Bus Depot of the city is the oldest the most used. It connects not just to the neighbouring Delhi but all neighbouring towns. The buses to Delhi are the most frequent and have a choice of routes between AIIMS (via Mehrauli) and Dhuala Kuan. It also connects to Rohtak (2h15"), Jammu (12h), Faridabad (1h45") to name a few. The bus service has remarkably improved after the construction of Golden Quadrilateral - a four lane highway passing through the city.
Besides roads, the main problem of the city is the unavailability of public transport. Gurgaon has its own railway station as well. The station being located at the extreme corner of the city. The rails connect to both Rewari on one side and Delhi Cantt on other. One of the two rails till February, 2006 were still old narrow gauge. It was thought as as much active track. It has now got converted to the regular broad gauge. Daily commuters using the trains either come using two wheelers and buy a monthly parking ticket or use the shared auto-rickshaws that do trips between the station and the main bus depot. Car parking space is extremely limited at the station.
Going on a trip? Why not browse some of the luggage at eBags.com (external source)
Plans to extend the Delhi Metro to Gurgaon remains only on paper as of now. The governments of Harayana and Delhi have been quibbling about the subject for a very long time and although this extension will bring to the residents of Delhi and Gurgaon alike, badly needed public transport connectivity between the two neighbouring cities, there are no prospects of this happening. Bus routes are limited, shared auto-rickshaws are overcrowded and cycle-rickshaws charge extortionist rates. In addition, scant regard is paid to commuter and pedestrian safety.
An eight lane toll expressway between Gurgaon and New Delhi, scheduled to become operational in Apr 2007 (delayed by 2 years) will provide non-stop connectivity to the International Airport and Dhaula Kuan in Delhi over a distance of 28 kilometers (18 miles), and includes 7 flyovers and 5 underpasses along the stretch.
Your vacation. A time to lose yourself. And sometimes your luggage, too. Need Travel Insurance? Why not try Travel Guard (external source)
Lonely Planet Maps (external source)
Lonely Planet Language Guides (external source)
* This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Source wikipedia.
