South Delhi District is one of the nine districts of Delhi. It came into existence on January 1997 when Delhi was divided into nine administrative revenue districts. Prior to that, there used to be only one district for whole of Delhi with district headquarters located at Tis-Hazari.
South Delhi District having its district head quarter at M.B. Road, Saket has great historical, social, economical and cultural importance. South Delhi District is surrounded by the states of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. On its southern side lie the Gurgaon District and Faridabad district of Haryana and on south eastern side it is bounded by Gautam Budh Nagar District of Uttar Pradesh. Further, South Delhi District on its eastern side is flanked by East Delhi District while on northern and western side lies New Delhi and South West districts respectively.
Geography of South Delhi District
The general topography of South Delhi District comprises plain lands. However, some part of the district represents the ridge characteristics of the old Aravalli mountain ranges. Large part of vacant Gaon Sabha land of South Delhi District has been declared as southern ridge area to be developed as reserve forest which will slowly become one of the crucial factors influencing the local environment and improving quality of life all over the region.
Demography of South Delhi District
South Delhi District is predominantly urban but also has a sizeable rural area. There are 25 villages in the district with all characteristics of rural India. Area wise, South Delhi District is the third largest district of Delhi spread over an area of 249 sq kilometres. This district is covering around 16.7 percent of the total area of Delhi. Total population of South Delhi District is 22, 62,375 out of which male population is 12, 57,180 and female population is 10, 05,185. 8.11 percent of the total population lives in rural areas.
Tourism in South Delhi District
Historically, South Delhi District was seat of power from the very beginning as evident by the Tughlaqabad fort made by the Tughlaq dynasty till the time old fort was constructed by Mughal Empire. The world famous Qutub Minar, Balban`s tomb, tomb of Humayun, tomb of Khalji are in this district. Places of religious importance are Nizamuddin Dargah, Kalkaji temple, Dadabari Jain temple, Bahai Lotus Temple, Chattarpur Mandir, Hare Rama Hare Krishna temple better known as Iskcon temple, Sai Baba temple etc. All these places are worth visiting. People from all parts of the country come and explore these tourist spots.
An annual Cultural Social event `Phool Walon Ki Sair` is organised in the month of October in Mehrauli which is of great significance as it is a symbol of communal harmony. For social events, famous Siri Fort Auditorium, India habitat centre and India International centre are also part of the district. Apart from the colleges of Delhi University, South Delhi also is the Head Quarter of Indira Gandhi Open University, Jamia Milia Islamia, Jamia Humdard Universities and Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.
