Chandni Chowk, Delhi

This street, whose name means Moonlit Square / Market is the main street in Old Delhi (originally Shahjehanabad). It runs through the centre of the old walled city, leading from the Lahori Gate of the Red Fort in the east, to the Fatehpuri Masjid at the western end. It may have received it's name from the moonlight reflecting from either a pool in a central square, now vanished, or from the canal that once ran down the middle.

It is a very bustling, busy place, as it is still a thriving market area, and different lanes or 'galis' specialise in different products.

Sadly I was so overwhelmed by it all that I didn't take any photos!

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If you are visiting Delhi, a visit to the Chandni Chowk is a must. It is Old Delhi's oldest and most popular area for shopping, trading and eating. It is a huge area, always full of people, with thousands of shops. It is the largest wholesale market in Asia. It has various sub-markets within, like the shoe market, clothes market, spices market etc. Prices are comparatively cheaper than usual shops. Atleast half the usual price.
The area lies in the historical Shahjahanabad, between the Red Fort and the Fatehpuri Masjid. It is full of historical buildings and narrow lanes and can give tourists a feel of the history of Delhi.

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Chandni Chowk is the historical market area in Old Delhi. It is the oldest market in Delhi and still the busiest and also Asia's largest wholesale market and a visit to it is quite an experience, for shoppers and tourists alike. Literally, the name means 'moonlit square' and it runs through the middle of the old walled city of Shahjahanabad from the Lahore Gate of the Red Fort to the Fatehpuri Masjid. Earlier, there was a canal running through the middle of the street as a part of the water supply scheme and it used to reflect the moonlight that made the place moonlit and from this the market got it's name.

The area has a number of historically important buildings (including old pattern houses, havelis) and narrow lanes leading to them. The historical clocktower (Ghantaghar) that was demolished in the 1960s, used to be here. The mansion of legendary Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib is also located here. The Jama Masjid was also built very close to this area in 1644 as this was the happening and most busy area. Today, although it seems very congested with millions of people busy shopping, selling or shouting, it still reflects the historical character.

The area also gives you a feel of communal harmony as there one finds the co-existence of famous Mosques, Hindu temples, Jain temples, Sikh Gurdwara's and Churches in a close neighbourhood.

Chandni Chowk has a number of sub-markets within like the famous spices market, shoe market, clothes market, jewellery market, books market, leather market and so on apart from loads of famous restaurants (including some as old as 250 years) and sweet shops with thousands of varieties of sweets. The Parantha Gali with paratha shops exists in the market since the late 19th century. One can taste traditional Indian food here. And for those who do not wish to buy anything, just window shopping is also great fun. Non-Indians can have a great idea of Indian old and busy markets here.

To add to all that, Chandni Chowk is not just a market in India, it has a culture following it. It has found mention in Bollywood films for over a century now. For Hindi language beginners, there are popular tongue twisters in the language that refer to the Chandni Chowk, and we all have learnt them while learning Hindi. It runs like this, "Chandu ke Chacha ne, Chandu ke chachi ko, Chandni raat mein, Chandni Chowk mein, Chaandi ke chamach se, Chutney Chakhayi". The repetition of similar shound "ch" makes it a tongue twister, and this one really seems to be a favourite with all indians. The meaning is "Chandu's Uncle, fed Chutney with a silver spoon to Chandu's aunt, on a moonlit night, at Chandni Chowk". There was also a popular patriotic song during India's freedom movement that was about the clocktower (ghantaghar) that once stood at the center of Chandni chowk and the same song is said to have inspired the freedom movement.

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Chandni Chowk meaning Moonlit Avenue, is one of the oldest and busiest markets in central north Delhi, India.

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 the Red Fort of Delhi was established in 1650 AD, by the Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan and designed by her daughter Jahanara Begum Sahib, who also made significant contribution in the landscaping of his new capital of Shahjahanabad.

Chandni Chowk street runs through the middle of the walled city, running from the Lahori Darwaza 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:

1. Lahori darwaza to Chowk Kotwali (near Gurdwara Shish Ganj): This section closest to the imperial residance, 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 duing the disturbances of the Ghadar 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 was demolished in 1960s. This section was originally called jowhri bazar.
3. 'Chandni Chowk' to Fatehpuri Masjid: This was called the Fatehpuri Bazar.

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Chandni Chowk is a street of Old Delhi and also a district south of this street, located between Chandni Chowk Street, Chaw Bazar Street, and Shrad Dhanand Street. It seems life never stops here: there are all sorts of shops, small restaurants, you can watch all sorts of people, make shopping, well, everything! I love to dive in other worlds, and here I had what I liked!
To get a bit acquainted, I first walked West, coming from the Red Fort, in the main street, and looked at shops; I found a shop where I could buy a field magnifying lens, (which, except in few specialised shops, you hardly find in Paris) and went on, opening my eyes and ears. It is incredibly hectic and noisy!
Well, just a few pictures on the main street.
You will see rickshaws, busy people, other having a minute of spirituality at a mini-temple in the street, pedestrians, cycles, cars. . . . very busy place.

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Chandni Chowk is both the main avenue and a commercial area in Old Delhi (or Shahjahanabad, founded and named for the builder of the Taj Mahal). The scores of narrow lanes branching off from the principal streets are filled with small shops -- those selling one kind of goods all clustered together. Except for the electricity and electric gadgets, this is how many of the cities of antiquity must have looked (and smelled).

Only one of the many streets I visited in a four-hour tour of Chandni Chowk was both neat and clean. It led to a Jain temple; and the houses were all owned by Jains. These remarkable people, discouraged from agriculture by their beliefs, form a miniscule part of the Indian population, but contribute significantly to the Indian economy. The mighty Tata manufacturing and financial empire is owned by a Jain family.

This is the main street of Old Delhi. It is very busy and colourful. It is actually a shopping bazaar, with many interesting buildings and places.
Start your walk down Chandni Chowk fro the Red Fort side. At this end you will also see the Jain Temple (which has a bird sanctuary). There are many great shops, so do leave the main road to visit some great shops. A visit to Delhi shlould include a visit to this wondrful area.

Chandni Chowk, or 'Moonlight Square' is the most famous and historic street of Delhi. It was laid out in 1648 when the walled city of Shahjahanabad was established and originally had a canal running through it as well as being lined with grand shops and mansions. Today, it is Old Delhi's main street and so is extremely busy with all sorts of traffic. It unites the whole country and performs its original function of processional route on Republic Day when the grand parade passes through this historic street.