Delhi - Old Delhi - New Delhi - Lutyen's Delhi - all tend to confuse those not acquainted with the city. Delhi and its surrounding areas have served as the capital of empires six times. Delhi's map was drawn, redrawn each of these 6 times till New Delhi - a spiffy, spanking new capital was finally built. This post is about the sixth capital- Old Delhi. Lorded by the massive Red Fort, in which Shahjahan looked on his subjects from the peacock throne, Old Delhi has lost much of its splendor. Legend has it that a huge canal stretched from the fort, reflecting the moon light on full moon nights - giving the name Chandni Chowk.
Old Delhi is thriving hub for food -both veg and non veg, and in Sundays, it hosts something special. Stretching from Jama Masjid till Delhi Gate - millions of book sellers converge and sell all types of books - ranging from RS Aggarwal to Agatha Christie.
Munshi Premchand, seen last in CBSE Hindi books, can be seen here. It gives the heart much needed hope that 'Premchand' still sells.
King Champion Guide which has seen more hands and brains than any Delhi University lecturer is sold here for a song.
Some of my hubby's prized possessions like O Henry's collected short stories, Tagore's short stories, the complete John Grisham collection, and Jeffery Archer were sourced here.
If you get down at the Chandni Chowk metro station, fill your tummy with the most sumptuous kachori and rabri which money can buy. Pass GhantaGhar - Shahjahan's official halwai and head towards Jama Masjid. But before that, make a pitstop at 'Old Famous Jalebiwala'. This small establishment has been serving huge and tasty jalebis since the days of the Raj.
The vendors near Jama Masjid sell gym equipment, folder, files, and beautiful ink pens. Just when the sights and sounds assail you, comes Moti Mahal - who invented Butter Chicken as we know today.
Cross Moti Mahal and you will see a bunch of shops selling all types of musical instruments - including some old Gibsons....sigh...
And then comes the best part - outside the guitar shop is a vendor who sells one week old editions of that mighty magazine which calls itself a newspaper - The Economist. You can get it for as low as 50/-...! and yes before you dismiss this, the last page of the magazine which lists GDP and forex data for all countries is alone worth its weight in gold.
Then comes the most interesting vendor - he sells only John Grisham - giving you special bragging rights about having the entire collection without going bankrupt.
As you keep crossing vendors, you will notice Delhi Gate - where Babur and Taimur both stopped before entering Delhi - each emperor bringing different consequences to the city. Right next to Delhi Gate is the famous police station - Nayi Kotwali - which early Doordarshan fans will remember as being the go to place for missing persons!!!
As you near the Delhi Gate, watch out for vendors selling Hardbound books - if you are lucky you can catch some nice ones ( I have some Dan Browns in hardcover..!)
The market ends at the Delhi Gate with some vendors selling photography books and old National Geographic magazines. However, your journey should not end here. After so much haggling and walking, you deserve some grub which is world class and affordable. Take the right turn from Delhi Gate and head towards 'Bhaja Govindam' to have wonderful vegetarian food. Incidentally, if you want to eat Delhi's largest samosa, you will have to watch a movie, since the cafeteria of Delite cinemas (located next to Bhaja govindam) serves a whopping samosa which holds the current record for the largest samosa.
The next post will be on what to eat in Chandni Chowk...
Till then Khuda Haafiz...
Old Delhi is thriving hub for food -both veg and non veg, and in Sundays, it hosts something special. Stretching from Jama Masjid till Delhi Gate - millions of book sellers converge and sell all types of books - ranging from RS Aggarwal to Agatha Christie.
King Champion Guide which has seen more hands and brains than any Delhi University lecturer is sold here for a song.
Some of my hubby's prized possessions like O Henry's collected short stories, Tagore's short stories, the complete John Grisham collection, and Jeffery Archer were sourced here.
The vendors near Jama Masjid sell gym equipment, folder, files, and beautiful ink pens. Just when the sights and sounds assail you, comes Moti Mahal - who invented Butter Chicken as we know today.
Cross Moti Mahal and you will see a bunch of shops selling all types of musical instruments - including some old Gibsons....sigh...
And then comes the best part - outside the guitar shop is a vendor who sells one week old editions of that mighty magazine which calls itself a newspaper - The Economist. You can get it for as low as 50/-...! and yes before you dismiss this, the last page of the magazine which lists GDP and forex data for all countries is alone worth its weight in gold.
Then comes the most interesting vendor - he sells only John Grisham - giving you special bragging rights about having the entire collection without going bankrupt.
As you keep crossing vendors, you will notice Delhi Gate - where Babur and Taimur both stopped before entering Delhi - each emperor bringing different consequences to the city. Right next to Delhi Gate is the famous police station - Nayi Kotwali - which early Doordarshan fans will remember as being the go to place for missing persons!!!
As you near the Delhi Gate, watch out for vendors selling Hardbound books - if you are lucky you can catch some nice ones ( I have some Dan Browns in hardcover..!)
The market ends at the Delhi Gate with some vendors selling photography books and old National Geographic magazines. However, your journey should not end here. After so much haggling and walking, you deserve some grub which is world class and affordable. Take the right turn from Delhi Gate and head towards 'Bhaja Govindam' to have wonderful vegetarian food. Incidentally, if you want to eat Delhi's largest samosa, you will have to watch a movie, since the cafeteria of Delite cinemas (located next to Bhaja govindam) serves a whopping samosa which holds the current record for the largest samosa.
The next post will be on what to eat in Chandni Chowk...
Till then Khuda Haafiz...
Khuda Hafiz? You better be careful! Trump won't let you enter!!
ReplyDelete'If you are irritated by every rub, how will your mirror be polished?' - Rumi
Delete"He who has not eaten in Old Delhi is an ignorant, we brush aside his contempt!!" - Akilascuisine
Very much needed blog Akila! Good job!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Garima :)
Delete