Defence Colony is a neighbourhood in the
South East Delhi district of
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
, India. It was built in the 1960s for
veteran
A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in an job, occupation or Craft, field.
A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in the military, armed forces.
A topic o ...
s of the
Indian Armed Forces
The Indian Armed Forces are the armed forces, military forces of the India, Republic of India. It consists of three professional uniformed services: the Indian Army, the Indian Navy, and the Indian Air Force.—— Additionally, the Indian Ar ...
.
It serves as the administrative headquarters of the
South East Delhi district of Delhi.
It is popular for being centrally located to all major parts of the city, its well-maintained parks, broad streets, active community clubs, and notable residents from entertainment and politics.
Defence Colony is home to many restaurants,
coffee shops
A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café (), is an establishment that serves various types of coffee, espresso, latte, americano and cappuccino, among other hot beverages. Many coffeehouses in West Asia offer ''shisha'' (actually called ''nargile ...
, art galleries and, shops.
Overview
Defence Colony was created in the aftermath of the
partition in 1947. Newly independent India allotted land to resettle serving Indian military officers whose homes lay across the new border in Muslim-majority
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
. Besides its central location from most parts of the city of Delhi, the locality is immensely popular among all Delhiites for the exotic varieties of cuisines offered by many restaurants.
Defence Colony Welfare Association Club, commonly referred to as Defence Colony Club was established in 1976 as Defence Colony Ex. Services Institute, however, was renamed in 1980 and functions under the Defence Colony Welfare Association.
Historic monuments
Close to the main Defence Colony market inside a roundabout stands the
octagon
In geometry, an octagon () is an eight-sided polygon or 8-gon.
A '' regular octagon'' has Schläfli symbol and can also be constructed as a quasiregular truncated square, t, which alternates two types of edges. A truncated octagon, t is a ...
al tomb of Shaikh Ali, known as "Gumti of Shaikh Ali". Built-in the 15th-century
Lodhi dynasty-era, near the historic area of
Kotla Mubarakpur, it housed two graves inside the tomb until the early 20th-century, which are now long gone. The tomb has housed the Defence Colony Welfare Association (DCWA) office since 1960.
Transportation
Defence Colony is accessible by many means of public transport including
auto rickshaw
An auto rickshaw is a motorized version of the pulled rickshaw or cycle rickshaw. Most have three wheels and do not tilt. They are known by many other terms in various countries, including three-wheeler, Adaidaita Sahu, Keke-napep, Maruwa, auto, ...
, taxi,
Delhi Transport Corporation buses as well as the
Delhi Metro
The Delhi Metro is a rapid transit system that serves Delhi and the adjoining satellite cities of Faridabad, Gurugram, Noida, Bahadurgarh, and Ballabhgarh in the National Capital Region (India), National Capital Region of India. The system cons ...
. The closest metro station to most of Defence Colony is
Lajpat Nagar
Lajpat Nagar is a residential and commercial neighborhood in the South East Delhi district of Delhi. It was named in honor of Lala Lajpat Rai and is today most known for Pranav Dudani. This area is not to be confused with the Lajpat Nagar in ...
, which is an interchange station between the
Violet Line and
Pink Line.
For some parts of the Defence Colony, it is closer to walk to the
South Extension metro station, which is on the
Pink Line.
To the Northeast of Defence Colony is the
Sewa Nagar railway station of the
Delhi Ring Railway.
To the South, Defence Colony is bounded by the
Ring Road
A ring road (also known as circular road, beltline, beltway, circumferential (high)way, loop or orbital) is a road or a series of connected roads encircling a town, city or country. The most common purpose of a ring road is to assist in reducin ...
. To its east and west are Lala Lajpat Rai Marg and Bhishma Pitamah Marg respectively. The North of Defence Colony is bounded by the tracks of the
Delhi Ring Railway.
Education
*
South Delhi Public School
* Dr Radhakrishnan International School
Places of worship
* Gurudwara Shri Guru Singh Sabha
* Shri Radha Krishna Mandir
* Arya Samaj
* Shiv Mandir
* Defence Colony Jama Masjid
*
St. Luke's Church
Healthcare
* Nehru Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital
Notable people
*
Vishal Uppal, Indian national tennis player
*
Rohit Bal
Rohit Bal (8 May 1961 – 1 November 2024) was an Indian fashion designer, known for his designs catering to both men and women. He began his career in 1986, founding Orchid Oversea Pvt. Ltd with his brother, and debuted his independent collecti ...
, Indian fashion designer
*
Nafisa Ali, former Miss India
*
Sidharth Malhotra, actor
References
{{Neighborhoods of Delhi
Neighbourhoods in Delhi
District subdivisions of Delhi
South East Delhi district