5 Interesting Facts That You Must Know About The Oldest And Busiest Markets In North Delhi ‘Chandni Chowk’

Chandni Chowk

Chandni Chowk originally meaning “moonlit square” or “moonlit market”, is one of the oldest and busiest markets in north Delhi, India. It was built-in the 17th century by Mughal Emperor of India Shah Jahan, and designed by his daughter Jahan Ara. The market was once divided by canals to reflect moonlight but now it is closed. 

Here are some Interesting Facts that you must know about ‘Chandni Chowk‘:

1. Chandni Chowk’s speciality is the variety of its markets and their Indian-ness: from authentic Indian food, delicacies and sweets of more than 1,000 kinds, to sarees with chikan and zari work. There are many narrow lanes with shops selling books, clothing, shoes and leather goods, electronic etc.

Here is the image of chandni chowk’s market:

2. As one moves from one part of Chandni Chowk to the other, the lanes and bylanes house the biggest wholesale markets of Delhi.Such as Cloth Market,Nai Sarak,Lal Kuan,Dariba,etc.

  Cloth Market, a market for all the needs of the home furnishing fabrics. One can get ready-made items    as well as customised services for decorating the houses.

   Nai Sarak, the wholesale market of stationery, books and decorative materials.

Lal Kuan is the wholesale market for hardware as well as Kitchen equipments. It is adjacent to Tilak Market which is wholesale place for industrial chemicals.

Dariba is associated with market of Silver And Gold Jewellery. The popular Jewellery stores are Hare ram Hare Krishna and MM Jewellers.

Here is the image of Dariba Kalan:

3. Chandni Chowk was featured in many hindi films such as  in the (2001)Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham,(2008) Black and White,(2009) Chandni Chowk to China and (2009) Bollywood movie Delhi-6.

Here is the poster of Chandni Chowk to China:

4. Chandni Chowk, or the Moonlight Square, was designed and established by Princess Jahanara, Shah Jahan’s favourite daughter, in 1650 CE. The bazaar, which was shaped as a square, was given further elegance by the presence of a pool in the centre of the complex.

Here is the image of Chandni Chowk in the 1860s:

5. In particular, the pool shimmered in the moonlight, a feature which was perhaps responsible for the nomenclature of the marketplace. The bazaar was in the time of Shah Jahan, who was famous for its silver merchants. This could also have an important role to play in the nomenclature of the place as silver is referred to as Chandi in Hindi, a word which could have been slightly deformed to form Chandni Chowk.

 Here is the image of Procession of the Emperor Bahadur Shah II on Chandni Chowk in 1843:

 Chandni Chowk Street, Delhi: