The Chandni Chowk is one of the oldest and busiest markets in Old Delhi, India. It is located close to the Old Delhi Railway Station. The Red Fort monument is located at the eastern end of Chandni Chowk. It was built in the 17th century by the Mughal Emperor of India, Shah Jahan, and designed by his daughter, Jahanara. The market was once divided by canals (now closed) to reflect moonlight. It remains one of India’s largest wholesale markets.
History
The market’s history dates to the founding of the capital city of Shahjahanabad when Emperor Shah Jahan established the Red Fort on the banks of the Yamuna River besides his new capital.
Original Chandni Chowk
Jahanara Begum’s caravanserai that formed the original Chandni Chowk, from Sir Thomas Theophilus Metcalf’s 1843 album.
Chandni Chowk in the 1860s.
The original Chandni Chowk, half-moon-shaped square, was located in front of the Municipal Townhall and its reflection used to shine in the moonlit water pool located in front of it. A shallow water channel was built from Yamuna, which ran through the middle of the straight road currently known as the Chandani Chowk bazaar, with roads and shops on either side of the channel. This road had three bazaars. Chandni Chowk, or the Moonlight Square, and its three bazaars were designed and established by Princess Jahanara Begum, Shah Jahan’s favourite daughter, in 1650 CE. Originally containing 1,560 shops, the bazaar was 40 yards wide by 1,520 yards long. The bazaar shaped as a square was given elegance by the presence of a pool in the centre of the complex. The pool shimmered in the moonlight, a feature which was responsible for its name. Shops were originally built in a half-moon shaped pattern, now lost. The bazaar was famous for its silver merchants, which also have contributed to the name of “Silver Street” as silver is referred to as Chandi in Hindi, a slight variation of which forms Chandni.
The pool in the chowk was replaced by a clock tower (Ghantaghar) in the 1870s. The centre of the market is still referred to as Ghantaghar. Chandni Chowk was once the grandest Indian market. Mughal imperial processions passed through Chandni Chowk. The tradition was continued when the Delhi Durbar was held in 1903. Delhi Town Hall was built in 1863 by the British
Original three bazaars
Shahjahanabad: Chowk bazaar as a horizontal street in the centre of the walled city marked in the red, half-moon shaped moonlight Chandani Chowk square itself was located in front of the Municipal Hall. Equi-divided one-third sections of the road represent three bazaars, Urdu Bazaar, Johri Bazaar and Fatehpuri Bazar. c. 1911.
The term Chandni Chowk originally referred only to the square that had a reflecting pool. Now the whole straight road which runs through the middle of the walled city, from the Lahori Gate of the Red Fort to Fatehpuri Masjid is called Chandni Chowk. The road was then divided into three following bazaars:
1.Urdu Bazar: Lahori Gate of the Mughal royal palace to Chowk Kotwali near Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib was called Urdu Bazaar, i.e., the encampment market. The Urdu language received its name from this encampment. Ghalib noted the destruction of this market during the disturbances of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and its aftermath.
2.Johri Bazar: Chowk Kotwali to Chandni Chowk (location of now demolished Ghantaghar, presently in front of Municipal/Town Hall) section of the straight road was originally called Johri Bazar.
3.Fatehpuri Bazar: ‘Chandni Chowk’ to Fatehpuri Masjid section of the straight road was originally called the Fatehpuri Bazar.
Now choked with congestion, the market retains its historical character.
Kucha, katra and havelis
The road now called Chandni Chowk had several streets running off it which were called kuchas (streets/wings). Each Kucha usually had several katras (cul de sac or guild houses), which in turn had several haveli’s. The following terms are generally used to describe the buildings and the streets:
1.Mohalla (neighborhood): is a residential neighbourhood with Kuchas and Kartras within Kuchas.
2.Kucha or Gali (street): Kucha in the Persian language is synonymous with “Gali” or street in the Hindi language. It is a street or a zone with houses whose owners shared some common attributes, usually their occupation. Hence the names Kucha Maliwara (the gardeners’ street) and Kucha Ballimaran (the oarsmen’s street). Kuchas either had rows of large Havelis or gated cul de sac (dead end) “Katra” marketplaces along with them.
3.Kucha mahajani: is one of the biggest gold-trading hubs and wholesale jewellery markets in Asia.
4.Katra (gated cul-de-sac courtyard market-cum-residential complex in a street): are one-room quarters around a court with a single narrow entrance and inhabited by people of the same caste or occupation i.e. a zone with houses whose owners shared some common attribute, usually their occupation, hence the name. Katra refers to a separate wing of tradesmen and craftsmen belonging to the same trade. They usually lived and worked together in a gated cul de sac, the doors of which could be closed at night for the protection of the merchandise, equipment, workers and their families. It is a system similar to the guild housing in Amsterdam such as Handboogdoelen and Voetboogdoelen.
5.Haveli (mansion): A normal haveli has a big courtyard (atrium) surrounded on four sides by spacious rooms and often another walled courtyard around the exterior. Historic havelis include:
*Begum Samru’s palace built in 1806, now called Bhagirath Palace, see.
*Dharampura Haveli, Gali Guliyan, designed in late Mughal style although parts show the influence of 20 Century architecture. During Mughal and late Mughal Period, a large numbers of Havelis were built by courtiers. With increasing interest in Old Delhi by tourists, and to revive the old world charm of Purani Dilli, Haveli Dharmpura houses an Indian restaurant serving specialities of Mughal era with a contemporary touch, which you can enjoy with classical dance.
*Chunnamal haveli in Katra Neel
*Ghalib ki Haveli of Mirza Ghalib, Gali Qasim Jan (Gali Ballimaran)
*Haksar Haveli in Sita Ram Bazar, where Jawaharlal Nehru was married on 8 February 1916 to Kamla Nehru. She was born here, and her family sold it in the 1960s. Haveli used to host mushairas
*Haveli Banarsi Bhawan with a water well is situated near to Shree Digambar Meru Jain Temple in the Masjid Khajoor area.
Haveli Naharwali, Kucha Sadullah Khan, where Pervez Musharraf, former president of Pakistan was born and his grandfather sold it to Prem Chand Gola after whom this area is now called Gola Market. This was originally owned by the Raja Nahar Khan a Hindu convert of Mewat who converted to Islam during the era of Firuz Shah Tughlaq in 1355, hence the name.
*Khazanchi haveli, the Khajanchi were the accountants of Shah Jahan. A street is named after them called “Gali Khajanchi”, a long tunnel connects the haveli and the Red Fort, so that money could be transferred safely. It is close to the entrance of Chandni Chowk, from the Red Fort walk towards Fatehpuri, turn left on road to Dariba and the haveli is at the end of the road that connects Dariba and Esplanade Road.
*Haveli Raja Jugal Kishore, a grand mansion with an imposing gate, which was adorned with a large ghanta-bell. Located adjacent to the gate, a room in the haveli opening towards the street, was given to Lala Sukhlal by the owners of the haveli as a philanthropic gesture to open a sweet shop, which came to be identified as ghante ke neechewala halwaii. (see Ghantewala). A street is named after the haveli; Kucha-i-Haveli Raja Jugal Kishore between Kucha Maliwara and Kotwali Chabutra.
*Naughara Mansions in Naughara Gali off Kinari Bazaar has 18th century Jain mansions. It is a street with nine (nau) continuous havelies with brightly painted floral designs on the facade. Each of the havelies used to have a gharha (water pot) placed at door for the thirsty passersby. There is a white marble Jain Svetambara Temple at the end of the street with stone elephant heads at the door, intricate carvings on walls and pillars, a museum on the ground floor with rare manuscripts embroidered in pure gold and silver threads and a black image of Lord Parasanath in the rare kasauti stone on the first floor. Office of Atma Prakash Aggrawal at the beginning of the street houses numerous antiques and should not be mistaken as an antique shop.
*Zeenat Mahal Haveli, Lal Kuan Bazar
Some other commonly used terms are Chatta (the upper floor which arches over the street below), phatak (door, usually to a katra or street which could be locked at night), mahal (a palace, as in Taj Mahal), kamra (a room), kuan is waterwell, etc
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