Chandni Chowk
Old Delhi's bazaar since 1650, and lanes where two people cannot pass.
Duration
2 hrs – 4 hrs
Best time
Mid-morning
Open
Closed on Sunday
Entry price
Free
Chandni Chowk — the moonlight square — was laid out in 1650 by Jahanara, Shah Jahan's daughter, as an avenue along a canal that reflected the moon. The canal is gone, the avenue remains, and the bazaar that grew around it has never stopped working since.
Each lane has its speciality, and that has not changed in three centuries: Kinari Bazaar for wedding trimmings, Dariba Kalan for silver, Khari Baoli for spices — Asia's largest spice market — and Paranthe Wali Gali, a lane a metre and a half wide selling nothing but fried stuffed flatbreads since the 1870s.
Getting there
Metro yellow line, Chandni Chowk station, the exit gives onto the avenue. No car enters the lanes.
Rules on site
Most shops close on Sunday, and the district is then pointless. The Khari Baoli aisles are thick with chilli dust: it makes you cough and stings the eyes for a good hour.
