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Chandni Chowk : In the heart of the Old City, once also called Shahjahanabad , sits the Chandni Chowk, a maze of lanes and bylanes which offer the most amazing wares and have a mixed ethnic population. This is the nucleus of the Old City and has ancient houses or Havelis, some of which are today falling apart. Here stand structures such as the home of the famous Persian poet Mirza Ghalib, which has just been recognised as a national monument and is under renovation. In this neighbourhood one can spend hours absorbing the mystique of the era gone by and find an amalgam of shops and ethnicity. One can spend a day shopping for things like garments, gems, dry fruits, aromatic oils, cameras and other gadgets. Hidden deep in the market by lanes is the Purdah Bagh --a private recreation place meant once only for women who could come here and discard their inhibitions with their veils behind the privacy offered to them by the high walls of the gardens. Today this has been taken over by the rickshaw pullers and the beggars who languor in its shades-the women are once more behind purdah!
The Chowk, besides being a market, also has several places of religious worship, such as the Dighambara Jain temple at the mouth of the market with an interesting bird hospital attached to it. A little deeper into the streets is the Sikh Gurdwara Rakabganj. Behind, to the west of the area, stands the largest mosque in India – the Jama Masjid - built by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. Its imposing flight of front steps offers a panoramic view of the other ancient structures, as well as the local and recent ones. On the eastern side of the market we find the Old Delhi Railway station and the Interstate Bus Terminus near the Kashmiri Gate. The latter is again a market place but was also, historically, one of the entry points into the city. Besides having shops and eateries, the area also has the Nickelsons cemetery, the St. James church and the earliest buildings of the Hindu and St. Stephens colleges, two premier undergraduate institutions in India. It also has a great market for fruits and motorcycle parts -also old parts sold as new!
The most important structure in the Old Delhi region however is the Red Fort or the Lal Qila opposite the Chandni Chowk
Red Fort : The fort, made of red sandstone, dates back to 1648 and was built by the emperor Shah Jahan.. It is believed that the river Yamuna -what flows today in Delhi is an apology for one -once lapped against the sides of the Fort on its eastern side, along what is today called the Ring Road. Today impromptu cricket matches, a washer man’s wash lines, dogs, humans and filth come together in holy communion. Within the walls of the fort however, the splendour remains, and one can see the various court rooms, the ladies baths, the sleeping quarters, a mosque oriented to Mecca, and beautiful gardens. Every evening a sound and light show recreates for a few hours the nostalgia of the royal days. If the feeling of dejavu does not get to you, beware, the mosquitos surely will - be equipped!
The Fort sports all the obvious trappings befitting a vital centre of Mughal governance - halls of public and private audiences, domed and arched marble palaces, plush private apartments, a mosque, and elaborately designed gardens. Even today, the Fort remains an impressive testimony to Mughal grandeur, despite being attacked by the Persian Emperor Nadir Shah in 1739, and by the British soldiers, during the war of independence in 1857.
The Fort also houses the Diwan-i-Amor the Hall of Public Audiences, where the Emperor would sit on a marble panelled alcove studded with gems, and hear the complaints of the common people. The Diwan-i-Khas is the hall of Private Audiences, where the Emperor held private meetings. This hall is made of marble, and its centrepiece used to be the Peacock Throne, which was studded with rubies and gems and was carried away to Iran by Nadir Shah in 1739. Today, although the Diwan-i-Khas is only a pale shadow of its original glory, yet the verse of Amir Khusro " If there is Paradise on the face of earth, it is here, it is here, it is here "reminds us of its former glory.
The Rang Mahal or the 'Palace of Colours' as it is known, holds a spectacular Lotus shaped fountain, made out of a single piece of marble. It housed the emperor's wives and mistresses. The palace was decorated with excellent paintings, gold-bordered projections, mosaics of mirrors, and the ceiling was made with gold and silver, which wonderfully reflected in a central pool in the marble floor. The other attractions enclosed within this monument are the hammams or the Royal Baths, the Shahi Burj, which used to be Shahjahan's private working area, and the Moti Masjid or the Pearl Mosque, built by Aurangzeb for his personal use.
Even today, the Lal Quila is an eloquent reminder of the glory of the Mughal era, and its magnificence simply leaves one awe-struck. It is still a calm haven of peace, which helps one to break away from noisy and busy life outside the walls of the Fort, and transports the visitor to another era and a totally different way of living.
Qutab Minar : This 234 ft tall tower, called the seventh wonder of India, is the tallest stone tower in India with 376 steps. The work on the monument began in the 12th century by Qutb-ud-din Albak, to commemorate his capture of Delhi, and was completed in the 13th century by his son-in-law and successor, Iltutmish, who added the top four stories.
This unique monument, which tapers from 15 Mts. in diameter at the base to 2.5 Mts. at the top, has withstood the onslaught of time, displaying the quality work of the artisans of that era. Although a slight tilt has taken place in recent years, it is still a fascinating piece of architecture and a great tourist attraction.
The tower is made up of five distinct storeys, each marked by a projecting balcony. Beautiful calligraphy adorns its adjacent edifices. The first three storeys of the tower are made of red sandstone, the fourth is made of marble, while the fifth is made of sandstone again. The Qutab Minar is covered with intricate carvings and inscribed with verses from the Koran.
During the Muslim dominance, this tower was used as a minaret, from which the muezzin made prayer calls. The tower marked the eastern extremity of the Islamic faith, casting the shadow of God over east and west.
In the grounds of the Qutab Minar is a 5th century iron pillar that originally stood before a temple of Vishnu and was possibly brought here in the 11th century. This 24 ft high pillar is inscribed with 6 lines of Sanskrit. The amazing thing about this pillar is that it has remained rust free through so many centuries. Legend has it that if you stand with your back to the pillar and can reach around and touch your fingers, any wish you make will come true.
Purana Qila (Old Fort) : India’s sixth capital was the scene of fierce battle between the Afgan Sher Shah and Humayun, the son of the first Mughal emperor Babur. Humayun started making his capital Dinpanah on these grounds, but was ousted by Sher Shah, who started building his capital, Shergarh, at the same place. Fifteen years later, Humayun seized control and took revenge, but died the following year.
Humayun’s Tomb : This tomb, erected by the Mughal emperor Humayun’s wife, in the middle of the 16th century, is a beautiful example of mughal architecture that consisted of gardens and fountains. Besides Humayun, seven other important mughals are buried here, along with Humayun’s wife, and possibly, his barber.
Lodi Gardens : Three km to the west of Humayun’s tomb are the Lodi Gardens, the tombs of the Lodi and Sayyid rulers, surrounded by beautiful gardens. Humayun’s tomb was built on the style of Mohammed Shah’s tomb, and the design of Taj Mahal evolved from Humayun’s tomb.
Sisganj Gurdwara : A sikh shrine in Chandni Chowk, the Sisganj gurdwara is situated in the midst of the hurly burly of old Delhi. It marks the site where Aurangzeb beheaded the sikh guru Teg Bahadur in 1675, when the guru refused to convert to islam.
Jama Masjid : A magnificent creation in red sandstone and marble, Jama Masjid, the largest mosque in India, was completed in 1656 by 5000 labourers who worked for 6 years. The last monument to be commissioned by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, it is the highest seat of Islam for the thousands who gather here every Friday for prayers. It has a room where Shah Jahan installed the footprints of the Prophet Mohammed in marble.
Bahai Temple : This sleek shrine of the Bahai faith has two layers of nine white marble covered petals that point to heaven and a lower level of nine petals that conceal the portals. Completed in 1986, the temple’s contours resemble a fantastic work of origami rising out of the earth. The interior is similar to the other Bahai temples: there are no religious icons, just copies of the religious scriptures, and wooden pews. Visitors to the temple are to maintain complete silence, else they are politely told to do so.
Jantar Mantar : A beautiful observatory built by Maharaja Jai Singh II of Jaipur, it has various instruments made in stone. A replica of this can be found in Jaipur. Today, the outside premises of the observatory have become a great place for protests and demonstrations as several government offices are nearby.
New Delhi : Delhi competes for favour with New Delhi, the city of the British, built in 1911. Also called Latyen’s Delhi, its imposing facades are the work of two men -Lutyens and Baker.
Raj Path, the broadest avenue in Delhi, leads to the imperial city with impressive architecture, conceptualised and designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. At one end of Raj Path is the Rashtrapati Bhawan – residence of the President of India – previously the Viceroy’s house. At the other end is India Gate.This archway, 42 metres high, has inscribed on it not only the names of the soldiers who lost their lives in the WWI, but is also a memorial for the Unknown Soldier. This drive is the centre of attraction annually at the Republic Day parade on the 26th of January.
Further down this avenue are the enormous North and South Secretariats, facing each other on the Raj Path, which house the ministries of the government of India. Identical in design, the two buildings have 1000 rooms and miles of corridors.
Directly behind the North Secretariat is the Sansad Bhawan or the Parliament of independent India, a circular building in red and gray sandstone..
At the center of the imperial city is Connaught Place, a commercial and residential area, connected to the rest of the city by several radials.
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