Chandni Chowk is the major street in the walled city of Old Delhi, which was originally called Shah Jahanabad. The walled city which includes the Lal Qilla Red Fort of Delhi was established in 1650 AD, by the Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan and designed by his daughter Jahanara Begum Sahib, who also made significant contributions in the landscaping of her father's new capital of Shahjahanabad.
Chandni Chowk runs through the middle of the walled city, from the Lahori Darwaza (Lahore Gate) of the Red Fort to Fatehpuri Masjid. Originally a canal ran through the middle of the street as a part of the water supply scheme. It was originally divided into three sections.
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| .:: Major Attraction of Chandni Chowk ::. |
1.Lahori darwaza to Chowk Kotwali ( near Gurdwara Shish Ganj ). This section closest to the imperial residence, was called Urdu Bazar, i.e. the encampment market. The language Urdu got its name from this encampment. Ghalib noted the destruction of this market during the disturbances of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and its aftermath.
2. Chowk Kotwali to 'Chandni Chowk' : The term Chandni Chowk originally referred to the square that initially had a reflecting pool. It was replaced by a clock-tower (Ghantaghar) that was damaged and demolished in the 1960. This section was originally called Johri Bazar.
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| .:: Places of worship at Chandni Chowk ::. |
Chandni Chowk has the distinction of being perhaps the only trade market that also houses an equally amazing number of places of worship of all the prominent Indian religions. Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Christianity and Jainism exist side by sides in the 2 km. stretch between Fatehpur Masjid to Red Fort alone. Here one can find more than seven Hindu and Jain temples, two Churches, three Mosques and two Gurudwaras. This is excluding the numerous smaller shrines that exist in the remoter parts of Chandni Chowk.
* Sri Digambar Jain lal Mandir
* Jama Masjid
* Gurudwara Shish Ganj
* Gauri Shankar Temple
* Sunehri Masjid
* Chuarch
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| .:: Chandni Chowk as a Business Center ::. |
During Shahjahan's time itself, an arcade of shops had been built in a half-moon shape. Round this nucleus, in no time, grew a fabulous and prosperous trading center which spread along the wide road and branched into a number of by lanes in all directions.
Originally only this stretch was known as Chandni Chowk. But as the trading center grew in magnificence and prosperity, the whole area from the Fort to Fatehpur grew famous as Chandni Chowk.
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| .:: Eating joints at Chandni Chowk ::. |
The eating joints in Chandni Chowk are famous not only in Delhi, but all over India. Most of these date from the last century, some even earlier than that. Mute witnesses to time-induced changes in Chandni Chowk, they have managed to retain their essence and yet move ahead with the times. Here, with every bite one samples not only a delicacy but also a piece of history.
Handed down from father to son, many of these businesses are now being managed by the 4th or 5th generations. They include halwais (confectioners), namkeen (spicy savories) shops, chaatwalahs and many others.
The famous eating corner are :
* The Ghantewala Halwai
* Natraj’s Dahi Bhalle
* Kanwarji Bhagirathmal Dalbhajiwallah
* Chaatwallah
* Bikaner Sweet Shop
* Haldiram’s
* Gianiji ka Falooda
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Major Attraction of Chandni Chowk |
