The very famous moon shine boulevard of the old Delhi which has recently been in news for its large scale renovation. The street has been recently tiled with red sand stone, the central verge of the road has been designed as a green space, at equal distance the road has benches for the tired feet. The gothic style lamp shades, the entire area looks very new and in tune with its history. Here we will take a closer look at this 1.3 kms stretch of road right from the red fort extending up to the point of fatehpuri masjid. The stories associated with the market are amazing. Know about the top chandni chowk attractions, historical facts, shopping in chandni chowk and chandni chowk famous food delights.

Top Aattractions in Chandni Chowk

Faiz Nahar :- Before 1857 a canal originated from the red fort straight leading in to the chandni chowk the canal was finally decimated after the rebellion of 1857 and road was widened to facilitate the smooth monument of the British troops. The canal went through Chandni Chowk right to the Mohalla Dariya ganj.

Urdu Bazaar and Johri Bazaar :- There is a beautiful Jain temple called Lal jain mandir right at the intersection of the chandni chowk. This temple once was called the Urdu temple (Urdu was not name of a language, the language was called Hindvi, Urdu literally meant an army camp) As Shahjahan shifted his capital from Agra to Shahjahanabad he called upon wealthy Jain Agarwal community from Agra to the new city. A Jain who worked in the army of Shahjahan had an old idol of Lord Parshavanath, this jain lived in the Mughal Army camp, a temple was built at the site and the Parshavanath idol was placed in the temple. This entire area right up to Sees Ganj Gurudwara then was called “Urdu Bazaar”. From the Seesganj Gurudwara which was then a police station (Kotwali) right up to present town hall the place and the market was called Johri Bazaar as the saraaf (goldsmith) lived here it was also called “Asharfi Bazaar”.

Chandni Famous For Begum Samru’s haveli :- A very famous electronics market known as Bhagirath palace is also the place where the not so famous haveli of samru begum exists. The haveli has shops underneath and is built in classic European architecture; the condition of the structure is not very good as the conservation efforts are missing. Begum Samru was a nautch girl who was married to an Austrian mercenary Walter Reinhardt, after marriage she took up the catholic religion, her husband maintained an army and was of great help to the Mughals, he was awarded a province at Sardhana. Mughal King was a regular at begum samrus haveli at Chandni Chowk. Begum Samru was particularly famous for her effort to save Delhi from Sikh forces of Sardar Baghel Singh, She actively participated in the peace process as Sikhs were provided an exgratia compensation payment by the Mughal emperor. The place where the sikh army of 30,000 camped is still called “Tees Hazari”. The state Bank of India Chandni Chowk branch is located at Begum Samru’s palace.

Sis Ganj Gurudwara :- Sardar Bhagel singh as a peace treaty with mughal emperor in 1783 built this Gurudwara at the place where the Mughal police station (Kotwali) existed. This was the infamous site where Guru Tegh Bahadur sahib in 1665 was martyred by the order of Mughal emperor Aurangjeb. In your Delhi Tour Package you must not forget to include the visit this famous Gurudwara in your travel plan.

The Gurudwara is today an excellent structure and is considered one of the holiest temple of Sikh religion. In your Delhi Tour Itinerary you should Include the sightseeing of this famous Gurudwara. The langar hall of the Gurudwara is situated at the place of the Chabutara (Plinth /platform) of the kotwali. This was the place where the rebels of the 1857 revolt were hung. Make shift gallows were set up and thousands of the rebels were hanged for taking part in the war of 1857.

Sunehri masjid :- A mosque just adjacent to the Seesganj Gurudwara, The small mosque once had the Gold plated domes, A mughal noble Roshan- Ud- Paula made this mosque in 15th century. A very tragic incident in history is associated with this mosque. Nadir Shah in 1739 after defeating the Mughal forces ordered the genocide of the Delhi people sitting on the stairs of this mosque. This was the result of an altercation and attack on the nadir shah soldiers by the public of Delhi. The carnage flared for the entire day till the prime minister of Mughal empire pleaded before the Nadir shah and peace was ordered.

The Town Hall :- The impressive building of the town hall was once the location of a serai built by the Mughal princess Jehanara. Chronicles say that this serai was made to accommodate the visitors to the royal courts. The building was resplendent with gardens, flowing fountains and the canal Faiz flowing serenely on one side of this impressive architecture. After the revolt of 1857 the serai was destructed and a building built on the European designs came up, later this was christened as the town hall and it still stands tall on the Chandni Chowk road.

Know about real Chandni Chowk

Chandni Chowk :–The original Chandni Chowk was a market measuring some 330 feet x 330 feet comprising of around 400 shops on a rectangular plot with a garden and a pool in the center. The reflection of the moon in the waters of the market gave the name Chandni Chowk to the market later the name got affixed to the entire area. The market had a feminine touch designed by the Badhshah begum who was the most powerful person in the Shahjahan’s regime after the king himself. King emperor Shahjahan who was distraught after death of his favorite wife decided to move his capital to anew city built on new architectural plan, a new city was designed and conceived, during this era the elder daughter of the king Jahan ara became the most favorite of all the children and probably it was she who led her father out of the gloom and depression the King was in to after Mumtaj Mahal’s death. She was the one called as Badshah Begum.

Capital Baptist Church :- The chandni chowk has jain temple, Mosques, Sikh temple, A Christian church which is one of the oldest in the country. The church has been constructed confirming to European architecture, the varandah, the porch, the ceiling all display classic European pattern of architecture. This is the only church in which the verses of bible have been inscribed in Persian script. The church was established in 1814 much before the revolt of 1857.

The bungalows of this hallowed stretch bear a non spoken piece of historical hearsay. These bungalows can be seen in old photographs where local residents can be seen on the Chajjas enjoying the proceedings underneath. The road aside the faiz nahar had the Shehjadas(Royal prince) every day going for their evening stroll, dressed in best robes the buggies and the accoutrements of these royal Shehjadas sure must have been a regal sight. In local parlance these prince were referred as “Baanke Shehzazdey” The street had many renowned old eateries. Some of them still survive.” Ghantey wala” a Halwai was known to be the royal sweet maker.

Balli Maran :– The Gulleys , koochas (alleys, lanes/ bylanes) of Chandni chowk area have intrigued the psyche of modern India even now, these lanes are rich repository of typical culture of Delhi-6 made famous by some very well known Bollywood block busters, This lane was thought to be inhabited by a community which killed cats (Billi) for livelihood but this is not correct the balli here refers to the oarsmen and their oars, these people who made oars lived in this lane thus the name Balli Maran. A famous personality Mirza Ghalib lived in Gali Kasim Jaan of the Balli maran area. Kasim Jaan was a Persian Mughal courtier, After the war of 1857 British punished almost all the Mughal nobles but Mirza Ghalib was saved from the Ire because of the Hakeems (physician) living in the area. These hakeems served the king of Patiala whose forces were at the helm during 1857. Mirza ghalib was an accomplished shayar of urdu Zabaan who lived during the reign of Bahadur Shah Jafar. Though a courtier but he had to live a life in poverty as Bahadaur shah Jafar the Mughal King himself lived on the British pension. Mirza Ghalib mocked and laughed at himself and his penury in his classical shayari.

Fatehpuri Masjid :- The chandni chowk street ends at the gate of fatehpuri masjid. This mosque was made by Fatehpuri begum of shahjahan. This mosque is a beautiful structure fabricated in red sand stone. The mosque has three gates and the inner area has a large courtyard for the devotees to congregate on the auspicious occasion. The mosque has a single dome aligned with a hall having multiple pillars. This marvelous piece of Mughal architecture also got associated with the history of 1857 when the Hindustani rebel soldiers collected inside this mosque. Enraged at this act the British auctioned the mosque for 19000 Rs to lala chunnimal, later in 1877 the mosque was again taken back from lala chunnimal on request of Muslim residents. Lala chunnimal was given cash compensation along with a land parcel at Palwal.

Khari Baoli :- A spice market associated with the Chandni Chowk road is the largest spice market of India. While booking Delhi Tour Package include the sightseeing of this famous tourist attraction of Delhi. This market is a whole sale bazaar of dry fruits, spices, condiments etc. Hundreds of cart loads are loaded/ off loaded at this market every day. Now after the latest renovation the trade has been seriously affected as the Chandni chowk area has been declared a no vehicle zone. Hundreds of people working in the shops have been rendered jobless as they are not allowed to work. The beautification on one hand has really glorified and made it wonderful in terms of looks but there are many humanitarian aspects which should be considered. We can only conserve history by taking the humanitarian aspect in to cognizance.

Paranthey Wali Gali : - An alley very next to the Sis Ganj Gurudwara is famous for its special aroma arising from the fresh Parathas in various assortments. The Parathas are fried in pure deshi ghee on a mud Tawa. These pans used for frying the Parathas have been around for a while. The Parathas are served with curd/pickle. This market also has a very old history, you can savor these delicacies which have been around for a long time. In your One Day Delhi Tour include Chandani Chowk visit in your travel plan. A very narrow lane leading to the Chandni Chowk Metro station is famous for a small shop selling Dahi Bhallas, the food enthusiasts make a bee line in front of this small food stall for their favorite Dahi Bhalla. Another shop in Chandni Chowk sells the delectable Jalebi this is also a Chandni Chowk Famous food.