Dhaula Kuan 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. Passing Through the intersection are the Ring Road and National Highway 8, which feed traffic around Delhi and from Central Delhi to Gurgaon, and points south and southwest, respectively. National Highway 8 is also the primary route of traffic from Delhi to Delhi Airport. A major infrastructure project during the 1990s and early 2000s led to the construction of a figure-eight interchange that eliminated stop lights and improved traffic flow. In addition to being a major road hub, Dhaula Kuan is also a primary stop on the Delhi Ring Railway and is the location of a Delhi Metro stop on the Connaught Place - Airport line. Currently, Dhaula Kuan serves as a primary exchange point for multimodal travellers, and its importance is expected to grow as the Delhi Metro and Terminal 3 at Delhi Airport is constructed.
History
The name Dhaula Kuan, means white well when translated to English from Hindi,, and refers to an ancient water well in the area that has white-colored sand. It has been speculated that the well was constructed by Shah Alam II, the nominal Mughal emperor of India in the 1761-1806 CE period, whose actual area of control spanned a small territory in the environs of Delhi. Shah Alam II is said to have been fond of excursions across his limited domain, from the Red Fort to the Palam area, leading to the sarcastic verse, Sultanat-e-Shah-e-Alam, Az Dilli ta Palam. Dhaula Kuan is located along this route in the Jheel Park complex, and its masonry has been dated to the Shah Alam period.
Neighbourhood
'Dhaula Kuan' has now also come to refer to the neighbourhood that surrounds and serves the interchange. The latter includes both small scale industry and restaurants. Dhaula Kuan sits between Chanakyapuri and the Delhi Cantonment; the former is an affluent neighbourhood that is home to a number of embassies and the latter houses a number of military personnel and their families. Major institutions and points of interest in the neighbourhood include:
is located on the Delhi Airport Express Line of the Delhi Metro. This station is the only elevated one along the Airport Express Line and features check-in facilities. This station was opened to the public on 15 August 2011. This station also connects the Airport Express Line with the Durgabai Deshmukh South Campus metro station of Pink Line of Delhi Metro.
