{"id":161,"date":"2016-03-20T10:50:11","date_gmt":"2016-03-20T10:50:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/asoulwindow.com\/?p=161"},"modified":"2019-12-05T19:52:05","modified_gmt":"2019-12-05T19:52:05","slug":"rediscovering-chandni-chowk-beyond-the-obvious","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asoulwindow.com\/rediscovering-chandni-chowk-beyond-the-obvious\/","title":{"rendered":"Rediscovering Chandni Chowk beyond the obvious!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi needs no introduction. Or maybe it still needs. Did you know Chandni Chowk is not the long lane (leading from Red Fort) cluttered with shops and decaying buildings of all kinds, many think it to be. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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TCBG_Trip with TCBG members<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The original Chandni Chowk was just the crossroad in front of Town hall and not the entire lane or area. British, unable to understand  the meaning of \u2018Chowk\u2019 , erroneously called the entire area as Chandni Chowk and the name has stuck on. Originally there used to run a canal in the middle of the roads to facilitate water supply. The real Chandni Chowk was just a square where a pool was built, in the water of which the moon reflected in all its glory. It\u2019s just this area which was called Chandni Chowk originally. Interestingly, not many know, there was a clock tower built by the British near the said pool. Unfortunately the pool, canal and the clock tower (Damaged and demolished) are lost to unstructured \u2018development\u2019.  There were also many \u2018kehwakhanas\u2019 (Tea Shops) which lined the streets. An equivalent of present day Baristas and Caf\u00e9 Coffee days. Also, in early 20th<\/sup> century many banks had set up shop here.<\/p>\n

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At Town hall, people love to feed pigeons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Shah Jahan\u2019s favourite daughter Jahanara Begum had worked extensively in building the walled city of Shahjahanabad. Said to be intelligent, creative, influential and very powerful, she commissioned many buildings (Hammam\/mosque\/ Chowk\/ Serai) in Old Delhi. Most remarkable o f which was a Caravensarai (Inn) The famous French traveler Francois Bernier spoke eloquently about this building. In can be compared to the modern age 5 star luxury hotels. It had a Mughal garden in its backyard. It catered to traders from Uzbekistan, French and other European noblemen, mercenaries, travelers, rich entrepreneurs etc. Unfortunately, the British destroyed some of the buildings like hamam and this serai, which was later replaced by the existing Town Hall.<\/p>\n

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Notice the sun in ‘sooraj wali masjid’ Sun is a Hindu element traditionally.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Thankfully, British writer\/photographer Felice Beato (1830 \u2013 1904) has documented much on the old Delhi through his valuable pictures and book. He visited Delhi in 1858.<\/p>\n

The heritage walk took us beyond the usual suspects. Madhulika and Swapna took us to nooks and crannies of Dilli 6 and enriched us with many fascinating facts. Here , I am sharing some of the highlights<\/p>\n

The Town Hall :<\/strong> As we were trying to imagine the lost treasures of Old Delhi, the Town Hall, still in its top form , vied for our attention. The incongruous yellow building guarded by lines of palm tree and its large open spaces stood out as an oddity in the congested, wires infested, oxygen starved old Delhi.  It was early morning and passer byes fed the pigeons the grains sold by vendors on the roadside, as (the statue of) Swami Shraddhanand looked on nonchalantly. Not many know, before his statue there used to be a statue of Queen Victoria in the same space.<\/p>\n

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Townhall<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Chunnamal Haveli :<\/u><\/strong> Rai Lala Chunnamal belonged to the \u2018Agrawal\u2019 community, traditionally \u2018baniya\u2019 aka merchants. In the upheaval of 1857, the area saw a marked change in population.  It was feared by the British that the blame for the unrest will be directed at Muslims in the vicinity. It was a time when British confiscated Royal property along with general ones and sold at throw away prices in auctions. Lala Chunnamal made a killing by lapping up this golden opportunity. He bought properties at low prices and made huge profits later during a boom in real estate prices. The sheer size of the Haveli is a tell tale sign of the massive wealth he had amassed.  Spread over 1 acre, it consists of 128 rooms in 3 floors , not to mention 139 shops circling it on the ground floor. It is not open to visitors. From the maze of entangled wires, I saw a dust coated colonial clock hanging precariously from its balcony. The architecture style of the green white mansion is European from outside. However, its interiors are Indian in style as can be seen in the Google images.<\/p>\n