Sometimes we forget to appreciate things/ experiences in our backyard before exploring the world. My maiden trip to Chandni Chowk was intended to correct that!
Having lived in New Delhi for several years during my schooling,
the closet I had been to Chandni Chowk was several touristy trips to Red Fort,
of which I have fond memories in photos and otherwise. This time around I
had some time at hand and decided to go to explore the historic Chandni Chowk
which incidentally, even today, is the largest trading hub in North India. You must have seen Chandni Chowk area in
several Bollywood movies like Delhi 6 (6 is the postal code of this area),
Chandi Chowk to China etc.
Getting there
The easiest way to get to Chandni chowk is by Metro (yellow line)
to avoid parking hassels. The moment I
got off the metro station at Chandni Chowk, it’s with a typical Mumbai local
train amused me. The station was
crowded, there are many food vendors outside the station and getting out of
area around the station may be a challenge in peak time. Luckily, we went in the afternoon that too on
a weekday and the crowds was lesser.
At the far end of the main road I could see the gates of Red Fort,
imposing upon and overlooking the many gallis (i.e. lanes). I could already
sense the aura of this and countless hidden gems waiting to be experienced!
Religious co-existence
As we approached the main road, we came across Gurdwara Shish
Sanj. It was bustling with devotees and
curious tourists.
A short walk ahead we
came upon Gauri Shanker temple and a quaint Church. Our destination was Jama Masjid which has
several gates and is a good 15 minute walk from metro station. I would recommend taking a cycle rickshaw if
you wish to preserve energy for exploring the area more, and yes, don’t forget
comfortable footwear! Strolling through the bustling sreets, tackling pedestrians
and cycle rickshaws, we finally made it to Jama Masjid on Chowri bazaar road. It amazed me how so many religions co-existed
here – a true mark of secularity!
Jama Masjid
The darwaza of Jama Masjid (main entrance i.e. Gate 1) resembles
Buland
Darwaza at Fatehpur Sikhri in Agra, little wonder both were built by Mughals.
Jama masjid is one of
the oldest and largest mosque in India.
It can accommodate nearly 25,000 devotees at once. The boundary and darwazas are made of red
sandstone, while the structure is red sandstone, white and red marble. The Mosque also has two minarets, which now
serve as viewing points – if you are willing to climb several stairs!
We walked around the courtyard, minus the camera (Rs 300/- charge
for camera!) admiring the mosque structure and the minarets. I realized that the
mosque is as much as a religious place, a sit is social.
Several devotees, and locals sit and chit
chat on the stairs leading upto the mosque darwaza.
Kids play cricket at the small lawn next to
the masjid. In the courtyard I came
across people taking afternoon naps while their kids played with the grains
lying in the courtyard to attract pigeons.
I have heard the mosque looks amazing during sunrise, but unfortunately,
I couldn’t make it so early.
Legendary kebabs at Karim’s
Established in 1913, Karim’s with its scrumptious kebabs, gravies,
rotis and authentic recipes is a must visit for foodies.
It is located on the street opposite Gate no.
3 of Jama Masjid and you may need to ask for directions to locate it.
Karim’s has a central cooking area comprising of kebab grilling
counter and a tandoor for rotis. This
central courtyard leads upto 3-4 seating areas each done up with unique
interiors (green walls, walls covered with mirrors, etc). The main kitchen is location on first
floor. While Karim’s now has grown in
popularity and has several branches across Delhi, nothing can beat the charm of
the one here.
We kept visit here short and our order simple – mutton seekh kebab
(Rs 45 each) and kheer (Rs 40) . The
seekh kebabs were straight off the grill, piping hot and succulent. They tasted even better once with green
chatni, onions and dash of lemon. The
kheer (Phirni) was served in typical earthen bowls and was lightly sweet –
nothing out of the extraordinary though.
(PS – A friend recommended Al Jawahar, but we were pressed for
time)
Parathe Wali Galli
I had been warned that parathes here are overrated. But no harm in trying right? Hence we walked through small bylanes (motor
car spares galli, firecracker galli, jewellery gully, lace gully) to reach
parathe wali galli. I was shocked that
this street was nothing more than 6-7 shops selling variety of stuffed
parathe. Each shop has cramped seating
and the food is priced more or less similarly (Rs 50-70 for a paratha).
The food is pure vegetarian and each paratha is served with
pickle, vinegar salad, basic gravy, spicy and sweet chutney and a dry
vegetable. Varieties of parathas include
the usuals like aloo, gobhi, matar to the exotic dry fruit parathes. We ordered gobi paratha and peas paratha.
The parathas were deep fried and served piping hot. The gobi paratha was good, while the peas one
disappointed me. The side dishes were
tasty. Also, I ordered a sweet lassi to
wash down the fried parathas. I must
admit I also found the parathas over-rated, especially when there are so many
tawa paratha options and tandoori parathas available in the market.
Other food knick-knacks
Health conscious can also indulge in fresh cut fruits, sukha
bhel sold by vendors or opt to eat Delhi’s famous dahi bhallas.
We decided to try fresh made naan khatais
from a street vendor. They were fresh,
hot and straight off the make-shift oven.
Indeed a delight!
Jewellery market
Girls can never get enough jewels, I am no exception.
As we were walking through an entire lane
dedicated to jewellery, I couldn’t resist picking up some traditional
artificial earrings and ofcourse enquiring about prices of silver, kundan and
meenakari jewellery. Everyday tons of
jewellery is whole-saled and retailed from this market. The prices are super low and hence don’t
forget to stock up on your stand out jewellery pieces!
Concluding thoughts
In those narrow lanes I realised that Chandni Chowk/ Old Delhi
gets to you. Every corner brims with
untold stories, history and culture. At
the end of our 4 hour trip to Chandni Chowk, inspite of the crowds, chaos and
dirt, I felt at peace. The energy of
this place had rubbed off on me.
4 comments:
Nicely composed Brings out the essentials of the trip and makes the reading interesting. Enjoyed
There is also an Annapurna Sweets outlet in Chandni Chowk for authentic bengali sweets, it's small, easily missed but just opposite the gurdwara.
Years back, I saw pictures of Daniel Ortega and Rajiv Gandhi enjoying the fare
Happy blogging!
@Harshad Datar: Thank you. Next time we should explore more places
@Soumyendu - Thank you for taking time to read blog entry. I shall definitely try Annapurna Sweets when I am there next :)
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