Heritage walk of Shahjhanabad the Old Delhi

Itinerary
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Stop At: Shahjahanabad Trust Masjid مسجد, Sector 11 Dwarka, Dwarka, Delhi, 110078, India

This heritage walk explores the history of the city of Shahjahanabad, today, old Delhi or PuraniDilli. The trail focuses on the street of ChandniChowk which was the main boulevard of the 17th century city, and still remains so.

Taking this walk gives you the chance to explore narrow and several haveli’s, religious places and markets. These narrow and crowded lanes are filled with special clothiers, jewelry shops, repair shops, silversmiths, super street food, traditional sweet shops, spice markets and much more. Going for the heritage walk can thus give you some great opportunities to explore the mind-boggling and amazing aspects of these lanes.

This walk starts at Digambar Jain LalMandir, famous for its bird hospital. Next walk to Gauri Shankar Mandir built by the Marathas in the 18th century. The modern buildings of these two temples are a great contrast to lesser known temples in the city. Visit the KunnijiMaharajShivalaya in Katra Neel, a shrine’s architecture was distinctly ‘Indo-Islamic’. Also visit sites like the SisganjGurdwara and the Fountain Chowk. The BhaiMati Das Museum has been built on the site of Majestic cinema. The community kitchen (LangarKhana) of the Gurdwara stands on the location of Mughal Kotwali (police station). A small detour from ChandniChowk into ParathewaliGali takes us to the famous Kinari Bazaar and a quaint group of households called Naughara. It lies in the neighbourhood of Dharampura where the population is predominantly Jain. The next stop on our walking tour is the Town Hall. A creation of the British, the Town Hall, along with the Delhi Railway Station stands on the estate of Mughal princess Jahanara. When Shahjahanabad was first planned this was also a major city square with a pool. The entire stretch of ChandniChowk had a canal running through its centre. This water reflected moon light, hence the name ‘ChandniChowk’ or ‘moonlight square’ for the street. Visit the Chunnamal’s Haveli still stands as the most prominent landmark. The mansion is still occupied by the descendants of LalaChunnamal and the house has more than 170 rooms. LalaChunnamal was one of the Indian merchant-bankers who were the new rich in Delhi, after 1857. So much so, that Fatehpuri Masjid which lies at the end of ChandniChowk was once his private property. Today, Fatehpuri Masjid is an active mosque and madrasa. It is an oasis of calm within the chaos of the old city. Fatehpuri Mosque shares its boundary with the Gadodia market in KhariBaoli. This was the last stop on our heritage walk. One of the biggest warehouses and shop spaces in the spice market, Gadodia Market offers a spectacular view of old Delhi from its rooftop


Duration: 3 hours