Faridabad, district of Haryana

Shaikh Farid the treasurer of Jahangir, founded Faridabad in A.D 1607, with the mere objective of protecting the highway which passed through the town. He later built a fort, a tank and a mosque, which unfortunately are now in ruins. It also had a sarai i.e. a travelers' lodge, that served as a last stop for travelers to Delhi, the capital of India. Today Faridabad is the 12th district of Haryana state. It is about 25 kilometers from Delhi and is bounded by Delhi in the north, Gurgaon district on the west and Uttar Pradesh on the east and south.

Being closer to Delhi, the National Capital, Faridabad has a good transport network. One can reach Faridabad comfortably. By plane, the nearest airport is Indira Gandhi International Airport, which is in New Delhi. There are regular flights from various parts of India and abroad.

By Train – Faridabad is accessible from New Delhi and Hazrat Nizammudin Railway Stations at a distance of about 25 km.

By road – Faridabad being a developed district of Haryana has excellent road connectivity to Delhi, Agra, Mathura and other parts of North India. Bus and Taxi services are also available.

Faridabad is well-known for its man-made lake, Badhkal Lake and Lake Surajkund situated about 32 km and 10 km from Delhi respectively. Badhkal Lake has a splendid view as it is surrounded by Aravali hills. A variety of birds visit the place during winter, it is truly an ornithologist's paradise. It is a superb place to retreat and relax and enjoy sports like canoeing, trekking, rock climbing and kayaking. Surajkund is famous for the Surajkund Crafts Mela. It is held every year from Feb 1 to Feb 15 and has an excellent display of handlooms and handicrafts, food, music and folk dances of India.  This fair / mela also offers additional and exquisite shopping of ethnic mirrors, embroidery and lace work, metal and cane products, bangles, toys, etc. Surajkund Lake tourist complex has a comfortable range of hotels run by Haryana Tourism with excellent features like boating, huts etc. Other interesting places to visit are the Raja Nahar Singh Palace in Ballabgarh, now a heritage resort, Sidhi data temple complex on Badhkal-Surajkund road and the Shiva temple in Sainik Colony Sector 49.

Faridabad has more than 10 shopping malls. The SRS World and Ansal Crown Plaza are the two biggest malls in the city.  Not to dissatisfy the younger generation’s appeal and taste, Faridabad now has fast food centers, the Subway, McDonalds, Haldirams, Café Coffee Day and shops like Ebony and Vibe. One can fulfill his or her interest for sports like cricket and Golf at the Nahar Singh Stadium and Aravali Golf club respectively. The Aravali golf club has a 9 Hole Golf course, a club house and a restaurant.

Faridabad is famous for Henna production. Henna is also called Mehendi and is a vegetable dye used in Indian weddings to decorate the hands and legs of the brides. Tractors, motorcycles, switch gears, refrigerators, shoes and tyres are other famous industrial products of the city.