Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg leading to
India Gate (north and south)
*
Chandni Chowk/Khari Bawli Road (east and west)
Old Delhi is approximately bounded by these modern roads:
*
Nicholson Road
Nicholson Road is a major north-south road in the southeastern suburbs of Perth, Western Australia, connecting Albany Highway in Cannington with the large residential areas of Thornlie and Canning Vale, before leaving the Perth urban area an ...
(north)
* Mahatma Gandhi Marg (east)
* Shraddhananda Marg (west)
*
Jawaharlal Nehru Marg
''Bailey Road'' (also known as Nehru Path) is a road and neighbourhood in Patna, India. It connects Patna with Danapur. It roughly starts from Income Tax Golambar and ends in Danapur, running through the heart of the city. It is one of the most ...
(south)
Old Delhi in 1876
In 1876, Carr Stephen described the city as follows:
Of the two streets described by
François Bernier, the longer extended from the
Lahore Gate of the city to the Lahore Gate of the citadel, and the other from the Delhi Gate of the city to the Lahore Gate of the fort. Both these streets were divided into several sections, each of which was known by a different name.
The section between the Lahore Gate of the fort and the entrance of the street called the
Dariba
Dariba is a village in Railmagra tehsil in Rajsamand district in the state of Rajasthan in India.
Geography
Dariba is located at . It has an average elevation of 479 metres (1571 feet).
Demographics
India census, Dariba had a po ...
, known as the ''Khuni Darwazah'', was called the Urdu or the Military Bazaar; owing, very probably, to the circumstances of a portion of the local garrison having been once quartered about the place. Between the Khuni Darwazah and the present
Kotwali
Dhaka Kotwali ( bn, ঢাকা কোতোয়ালী) is the Sadar (Principal) Thana of Dhaka District in the Division of Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Geography
Dhaka Kotwali is located at . It has 31992 units of household and total area 0.67&nbs ...
, or the Head Police Station of the city, the street has the name of ''Phul ka Mandi'' or the flower market. The houses in front of the Kotwali were built at a short distance from the line of the rest of the houses in the street, to form a square.
Between the Kotwali and the gate known as the Taraiah, was the Jauhari or the Jewellers' Bazaar; between the Taraiah and the neighborhood is known as ''Asharfi ka Katra'', was, par excellence, the Chandni Chowk. There was a tank in the center of the Chowk the site of which is now occupied by the Municipal Clock Tower, and beyond this to the
Fatehpuri Masjid
The Fatehpuri Mosque is a 17th-century mosque in India located at the western end of the oldest street of Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi. It is opposite the Red Fort on the opposite end of Chandni Chowk.
History
Fatehpuri Masjid was built in 1650 b ...
was the Fatehpuri Bazaar. The houses around Chandni Chowk were of the same height, and were ornamented with arched doors and painted verandahs. To the north and south of the square, there were two gate-ways, the former leading to the Sarai of
Jehan Ara Begum
Jahanara Begum (23 March 1614 – 16 September 1681) was a Mughal princess and later the Padshah Begum of the Mughal Empire from 1631 to 1658 and again from 1668 until her death. She was the second and the eldest surviving child of Emperor Sha ...
, and the latter to one of the most thickly populated quarters of the city. Round the tank, the ground was covered with vegetable, fruit, and sweetmeat stalls. Over time the whole of this long street came to be known as the Chandni Chauk.
This grand street was laid out by
Jahanara Begum
Jahanara Begum (23 March 1614 – 16 September 1681) was a Mughal princess and later the Padshah Begum of the Mughal Empire from 1631 to 1658 and again from 1668 until her death. She was the second and the eldest surviving child of Emperor Shah ...
, daughter of Shah Jahan. From the Lahore Gate of the fort to the end of the Chandni Chauk the street was about 40 yards wide and 1,520 yards long. Through the center of this street ran the canal of 'Ali Mardan, shaded on both sides by trees. On the eastern end of the Chandni Chauk stands the Lahore Gate of the Fort, and on the opposite end the handsome mosque of Fatehpuri Begam.
The
clock tower
Clock towers are a specific type of structure which house a turret clock and have one or more clock faces on the upper exterior walls. Many clock towers are freestanding structures but they can also adjoin or be located on top of another buildi ...
no longer exists, although the location is still called Ghantaghar. The Sarai of
Jehan Ara Begum
Jahanara Begum (23 March 1614 – 16 September 1681) was a Mughal princess and later the Padshah Begum of the Mughal Empire from 1631 to 1658 and again from 1668 until her death. She was the second and the eldest surviving child of Emperor Sha ...
has been replaced by the city hall. The kotwal is now adjacent to
Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib
Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib is one of the nine historical Gurdwaras in Delhi. It was first constructed in 1783 as a small shrine by Baghel Singh to commemorate the martyrdom site of the ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur and was probably expanded a ...
.
In literature
The engraving accompanying
Letitia Elizabeth Landon's poem ''The City of Delhi'', appears to show the Jama Masjid with an elephant on the open ground before it. She associates the city's past glories with tales of enchantment, namely
James Ridley
James Kenneth Ridley (1736–1765) was an English author educated at University College, Oxford. He served as a chaplain with the British Army. He is best known for a volume of imitation Orientalia.
Writings
Ridley wrote two novels: ''The Histo ...
's ''
The Tales of the Genii'' (Sir Charles Mansell).
Historical sites
Many of the historical attractions are in the
Chandni Chowk area and the
Red Fort
The Red Fort or Lal Qila () is a historic fort in Old Delhi, Delhi in India that served as the main residence of the Mughal Emperors. Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned construction of the Red Fort on 12 May 1638, when he decided to shift hi ...
. In addition, Old Delhi also has:
*
Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib
Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib is one of the nine historical Gurdwaras in Delhi. It was first constructed in 1783 as a small shrine by Baghel Singh to commemorate the martyrdom site of the ninth Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur and was probably expanded ...
, a
sikh
Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...
Gurudwara built to commemorate the martyrdom site of the ninth
Sikh Guru
The Sikh gurus ( Punjabi: ਸਿੱਖ ਗੁਰੂ) are the spiritual masters of Sikhism, who established this religion over the course of about two and a half centuries, beginning in 1469. The year 1469 marks the birth of Guru Nanak, the found ...
, Guru
Tegh Bahadur
Tegh ( hy, Տեղ) is a village and the center of the Tegh Municipality of the Syunik Province in Armenia. Tegh is the last village on the Goris-Stepanakert Highway before passing the border with the Republic of Artsakh.
Of significance in the vi ...
. It marks the site where the ninth Sikh Guru was beheaded on the orders of the
Mughal emperor
The Mughal emperors ( fa, , Pādishāhān) were the supreme heads of state of the Mughal Empire on the Indian subcontinent, mainly corresponding to the modern countries of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The Mughal rulers styled t ...
Aurangzeb
Muhi al-Din Muhammad (; – 3 March 1707), commonly known as ( fa, , lit=Ornament of the Throne) and by his regnal title Alamgir ( fa, , translit=ʿĀlamgīr, lit=Conqueror of the World), was the sixth emperor of the Mughal Empire, ruling ...
on 11 November 1675 for rebelling against forceful conversion of people from other religions (Hindus, Sikhs, Jains) to Islam.
* Gaurishankar Temple
*
Salimgarh Fort
* Mumtaz Mahal
* Gali
Qasim Jan
Nawab Qasim Jan was a courtier in the royal courts of Mughal Delhi. He first lived in Lahore, attached to the court of the Governor, Moin-ul-Mulk, in the 1750s, thereafter he moved to Delhi, and joined the court of Delhi, in reign of Mughal Emper ...
in Ballimaran is the site of
Mirza Ghalib's
haveli
A ''haveli'' is a traditional townhouse, mansion, manor house, in the Indian subcontinent, usually one with historical and architectural significance, and located in a town or city. The word ''haveli'' is derived from Arabic ''hawali'', mean ...
, and that of
Hakim Ajmal Khan
*
Razia Sultana's tomb near Kalan Masjid
*
Jama Masjid, India's largest mosque
*
Lal Mandir
Shri Digambar Jain Lal Mandir () is the oldest and best-known Jain temple in Delhi, India. It is directly across from the Red Fort in the historical Chandni Chowk area.
The temple is known for an avian veterinary hospital, called the Jain Bird ...
, Delhi's oldest Jain temple
*
Fatehpuri Masjid
The Fatehpuri Mosque is a 17th-century mosque in India located at the western end of the oldest street of Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi. It is opposite the Red Fort on the opposite end of Chandni Chowk.
History
Fatehpuri Masjid was built in 1650 b ...
*
Khari Baoli
Khari Baoli is a street in Delhi, India known for its wholesale grocery and Asia's largest wholesale spice market selling a variety of spices, nuts, herbs and food products like rice and tea. Operating since the 17th century, the market is si ...
, Asia's biggest spice market
*
Zinat-ul Masjid, Daryaganj built-in 1710 by one of Aurangzeb's daughters
*
Rajghat,
Mahatma Gandhi's cremation site memorial
*
St. James Church (near
Kashmiri Gate) built-in 1836, Delhi's oldest church, built by
Col. James Skinner.
Some of the historical mansions include:
*
Begum Samru's Palace of 1806 (se
now called Bhagirath Palace.
* Naughara mansions in Kinari Bazaar, 18th-century Jain mansions.
* Khazanchi haveli
* Haveli Raja Jugal Kishore
* Masterji Kee Haveli, Sita Ram Baza
* Haveli Sharif Manzil in Ballimaran is famous for its Aristocratic Hakims and their Unani practice, and that of
Hakim Ajmal Khan
Haveliof
Mirza Ghalib, Gali
Qasim Jan
Nawab Qasim Jan was a courtier in the royal courts of Mughal Delhi. He first lived in Lahore, attached to the court of the Governor, Moin-ul-Mulk, in the 1750s, thereafter he moved to Delhi, and joined the court of Delhi, in reign of Mughal Emper ...
that is i
Ballimaran*
Chunnamal haveli, Katra Neel
* Haveli of
Zeenat Mahal
Zeenat Mahal; (1823 – 17 July 1886) was the only wife and de facto regent of the Mughal Empire on behalf of her husband, the Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar.
Biography
Zeenat Mahal married Bahadur Shah II at Delhi on 19 November 1840 and had ...
, Lal Kuan Bazar
* Haksar Haveli, Bazar Sitaram, where
Jawaharlal Nehru
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat—
*
*
*
* and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...
was married in 1916 to
Kamla Nehru.
* Haveli Naharwali, Kucha Sadullah Khan, where
Pervez Musharraf
General Pervez Musharraf ( ur, , Parvez Muśharraf; born 11 August 1943) is a former Pakistani politician and four-star general of the Pakistan Army who became the tenth president of Pakistan after the successful military takeover of the ...
, former president of Pakistan was born
* Kucha Chelan (Kucha Chehle Ameeran), where the Persian descent inhabited
* Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib. Place where 9th Sikh Guru Guru Tegh Bahadur was executed.
Old Delhi cuisine
Old Delhi is well known for its cuisine.
Karim's
Karim's Hotel or Karim's is a restaurant located near Jama Masjid, Delhi, Jama Masjid, Gali Kababian, Old Delhi, Delhi, India. Established in 1913, the restaurant has been described as "synonymous with this area" (Old Delhi) and "arguably the c ...
, a restaurant described as the city's most famous culinary destination, is near the
Jama Masjid. The
Gali Paranthe Wali
Gali Paranthe Wali or Paranthe wali Gali ( hi, गली पराँठेवाली, literally "the bylane of flatbread") is a narrow street in the Chandni Chowk area of Delhi, India, noted for its series of shops selling paratha, an In ...
and
Ghantewala halwai
Halwai is an Indian caste whose traditional occupation was confectionery and sweet-making. The name is derived from the word Halwa plough.
Balarama is the celebrated plougher so called Halwahi or Halwai, one of the pillars of agriculture alo ...
are also situated here. Chawri Bazaar is one of the oldest markets in Delhi, dating back to the 17th century and was before known as a hardware market, but is known nowadays for its wholesale paper products.
Old Delhi is also known for its street food.
Chandni Chowk and
Chawri Bazaar
Chawri Bazar is a specialized wholesale market of brass, copper and paper products. Established in 1840, with a hardware market, it was the first wholesale market of Old Delhi it lies to the west of Jama Masjid in Delhi.
It can be reached ...
areas have many street joints that sell spicy chaat (tangy and spicy snacks).
Culinary history
Old Delhi has certain identifiable landmarks of food. These include:
Paranthe Wali Gali
Pandit Gaya Prasad shifted from
Agra
Agra (, ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital New Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is ...
to
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, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
in 1876, in search of a better life. In
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, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
, he set up a single shop business selling hot
paranthas. The product gained popularity to an extent where he has required the aid of his family members for help in the production. Eventually,
Paranthe wali Gali
''Paranthe Wali Gali'' () is a 2014 Indian romance comedy film directed and produced by the award-winning playwright and theatre director Sachin Gupta under Chilsag-Civitech Motion Pictures. It is produced by Sachin Gupta and Sushma Gupta and c ...
, the lane in which the original shop was came to house 16 of them. It is now run by the families of Pandit Gaya Prasad and his relatives. The sixth-generation continues to run the four of the sixteen original shops that remain.
Karim's
Having been in the business of catering to
Mughal Emperors
The Mughal emperors ( fa, , Pādishāhān) were the supreme heads of state of the Mughal Empire on the Indian subcontinent, mainly corresponding to the modern countries of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The Mughal rulers styled t ...
, the family that runs it was displaced following the
Revolt of 1857
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...
. In 1911, Haji Karimuddin moved back to Delhi with inspiration to open a Dhaba to cater to people coming to witness the coronation from all across the country. It was in 1913 that he established the Karim Hotel in Gali Kababian,
Jama Masjid. Karim's exists here today to cater to the wants of people from all over the country and the world, being a major tourist attraction.
Kallu Nihari
Nihari
Nihari (; bn, নিহারী; ); is a stew originating in Lucknow, the capital of 18th-century Awadh under the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent. It consists of slow-cooked meat, mainly a shank cut of beef, lamb and mutton, or goa ...
is a traditional meat stew that is slowly cooked to preserve its taste and the tenderness of its ingredients. Kallu Nihari is a shop in Old Delhi that has served the dish exclusively since it was opened by the late Mohammed Rafiquddin (better known as Kallu Mian) in 1990. The shop, which is well known in the area, has served millions of portions.
Harnarains
Harnarain Gokalchand was a pickle and murabba shop that was originally established in
Khari Baoli
Khari Baoli is a street in Delhi, India known for its wholesale grocery and Asia's largest wholesale spice market selling a variety of spices, nuts, herbs and food products like rice and tea. Operating since the 17th century, the market is si ...
by the name Harnarain Gopinath in 1857. It is often considered to be one of India's first commercially available pickle brands and was at the time India's largest food preservers. Their pickles and sharbat have been a household delicacy for over a century and a half, and have even served
Jawaharlal Nehru
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat—
*
*
*
* and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...
and
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (; Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and a central figure of the Indian National Congress. She was elected as third prime minister of India in 1966 ...
. Having started from a small shop in Khari Baoli, Old Delhi, it has now become a global brand that goes by the nam
Harnarains International
Banta
Characterised by a
codd-neck bottle,
Banta
Banta Soda, or Banta, also Goli Soda or Goti Soda and Fotash Jawl, is a popular carbonated lemon or orange-flavoured soft drink sold in India since the late 19th century in a distinctly shaped iconic Codd-neck bottle. The pressure created by t ...
is a drink that has survived in Old Delhi since 1872. The glass bottle in which this comes has a marble stopper, which is pushed into the bulbous neck of the bottle to unseal it. Engineer
Hiram Codd
Hiram Codd (10 January 1838 – 18 February 1887) was an English engineer and inventor. In 1872, he patented a bottle filled under gas pressure which pushed a marble against a rubber washer in the neck, creating a seal for soft drinks. Thi ...
patented the design of the bottle in 1872 in London to effectively seal fizzy drinks.
The Banta bottles even contributed to the
Indian National movement. This was so as protestors and rioters would often use these bottles as improvised cannons by adding calcium hydroxide to the mix. Thus, the bottles were banned in many cities across the country at some point before 1947.
Giani di Hatti
Located on Church Mission Road in the busy Fatehpuri Market of Old Delhi, Giani di Hatti was started by Giani Gurcharan Singh in 1951. Following
partition
Partition may refer to:
Computing Hardware
* Disk partitioning, the division of a hard disk drive
* Memory partition, a subdivision of a computer's memory, usually for use by a single job
Software
* Partition (database), the division of a ...
, Giani Gurcharan Singh migrated from Layalpur, now in
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
, to
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, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
. He came while leaving an eatery there to start one here.
Arriving with his recipe for iced rabdi falooda, large crowds still flock to the shop to get a taste of that unique flavor. Apart from this, the shop also sells various fruit juices and an assortment of main dishes, not to mention over 50 flavors of ice cream.
Change in times can be recorded just by studying this shop as the same rabri falooda that was sold for 4 annas in 1951 is today sold for 80 Rupees.
The third generation of the family looks after the establishment now, which remains popular as ever, with visitors coming all the way to the market just to eat here. It's a great place.
Moti Mahal
Moti Mahal was founded by Kundan Lal Gujral, Thakur Dass and Kundan Lal Jaggi, in Delhi in 1947. Initially, they worked at a small eatery called Moti Mahal, owned by a man named 'Mokha Singh' in Peshawar, British India, from 1920s to 1947.Moti Mahal was the first to dig up a tandoor right in the middle of the eatery and since then Peshawar was introduced to the culinary art of tandoori chicken by them. This was a success and soon there was in demand for Tandoori Chicken at social gatherings and wedding feasts where they would use an improvised tandoor.
Kundan Lal Jaggi, Kundan Lal Gujral and Thakur Dass, the founders of the restaurant, are credited with the invention of the dish. After the partition of India in 1947, they fled to Delhi with their family. In Delhi, the three partners bought a thara (booth) in Daryaganj area, then considered a newer part of Old Delhi and then they started Moti Mahal, Daryaganj Moti Mahal further went on to invent butter chicken and dal makhani. This brought about a revolution in taste and a place on the International Gourmet Map. Thus was born the Moti Mahal Restaurant, which contributed significantly to putting India on the food map of the world. Indian leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Zakir Hussain among various foreign dignitaries like Richard Nixon, John F. Kennedy, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and the Delahousse family.
Old Famous Jalebi Wala
This jalebi shop in Old Delhi, aptly named, 'Old Famous Jalebi Wala', has been around since 1884; having been in operation for the past four generations of the family now. The jalebi shop was established by Late Sh. Lala Nem Chand Jain in the year 1884. He was a native of Agra's Hari Ki Garhi village. He migrated to Delhi with just INR 2 in his pocket that he got as a dowry in his marriage and opened a shop with that money. He experimented with many recipes before finally making and selling the jalebis that have such a fan following now. It is his secret recipe that is followed until today. This Chandni Chowk based shop has piping hot, thick and juicy, freshly made jalebis that they offer. Their USP is that they use desi khandsari sugar for making the syrup instead of regular sugar, and the jalebis are prepared using desi ghee, cooked over coal-fire. The view of the jalebis being made is a visual delight as it is done live right in front in a small shop at the corner of Dariba Kalan Road.
Economic structure
Old Delhi has markets running through its streets. The area is vast and multiple products are being sold. Most of them are wholesale sellers and have been selling their products for many years. One such business is
Gulab Singh Johrimal was established in Dariba Kalan in 1816 mainly as an
attar
Attar or Attoor ( ar, عطار, ) may refer to:
People
*Attar (name)
*Fariduddin Attar, 12th-century Persian poet
Places
*Attar (Madhya Pradesh), the location of Attar railway station, Madhya Pradesh, India
*Attar, Iran, a village in Razavi Kho ...
(perfume) manufacturing business. Since then they have diversified into compounding, incense and toilet soap manufacture. Their retail outlet in Chandni Chowk was started later on. Another such shop is
Harnarains manufacturers of pickles and preserves, located in
Khari Baoli
Khari Baoli is a street in Delhi, India known for its wholesale grocery and Asia's largest wholesale spice market selling a variety of spices, nuts, herbs and food products like rice and tea. Operating since the 17th century, the market is si ...
. Under operation since 1944, it is one of the older shops currently located in Old Delhi. Some migrants sell products like clothes, fruits etc. The sellers of one product often form an association to serve their interests and negotiate with the local government and other official bodies. The Old Delhi area and its markets are governed by the
Municipal Corporation of Delhi
Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is the municipal corporation that governs most of Delhi, India. The MCD is among the largest municipal bodies in the world providing civic services to an estimated population of more than 11 million citiz ...
(MCD).
See also
*
History of Delhi
Delhi has a long history, and has been an important political centre of India as the capital of several empires. Earliest coverage of Delhi's history is in the onset of the Tomar's kingdom in the 8th century. It is considered to be a city bui ...
*
Timeline of Delhi
*
List of tourist attractions in Delhi
Government buildings
* Sansad Bhavan or the Parliament of India is a circular building designed by the British architects Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker in 1912–1913. Construction began in 1921, and in 1927 the building was opened ...
Further reading
* ''Delhi, the emperor's city: rediscovering Chandni Chowk and its environs'', by Vijay Goel. Lustre Press, 2003. .
References
Footnotes
*
*
External links
Old Delhi dictionary and introduction to the names of placesStreet Pictures from Old Delhi*
The Gastronomy of the Eye, a Photographer on the Streets of Old Delhi
{{Delhi
Neighbourhoods in Delhi
Central Delhi district
Tourist attractions in Delhi
History of Delhi
Former capital cities in India
Populated places established in 1639
1639 establishments in India