Maybe you’ve heard of the ‘Worlds Spice Market’, or any famous market in India. Well that was most likely Chandni Chowk, famous for its stores and stretches 5.6 square kilometers in Old Delhi (not the capital). I visited the place yesterday, and I’m going to share with you the experiences of fun, torture, and plain weirdness of this area.
History
Chandni Chowk was founded in the year 1650 by Shah Jahan’s daughter, Jahanara Begum. It had 1560 shops, and of course has a lot more now. It now may seem like a cheap street with cheap resale items, pollution, crowded walkways, but it is ALSO smells like good food, variety of clothes and items, and gives the old look and feeling of the true India.
Arrival
Thankfully, you can’t drive cars or motorcycles there, so that part is okay. It is VERY crowded, so be careful. Don’t travel alone there because it can get pretty complicated and stressful. Make sure to have good service connection there, because it is VERY SLOW, or for me, the Airtel didn’t work for 30 minutes, and we needed a taxi to go back.
Food
Every corner has a place to eat! Not a fine dining, luxury restaurant, but decent, good, and edible. I went to ‘Paratha Chowk’, and it was a VERY interesting experience! Its pretty old, so thankfully there is air conditioning. The ceiling is about 5 feet (short, be careful), and the stairs are very small. I went upstairs, and the menu has many different parathas. A paratha is a flatbread made of water and atta (wheat flour). It is cooked in a pan without oil, and is usually stuffed with some kind of veggie. The food is heavy there, but still good. My favorite food there was the mango lassi, and it was the best I’ve ever had! The flavor was so rick and creamy.
Shops
I’ve noticed that most of the shops are boutiques, and mainly wedding dress stores. They’re bought from expensive shops and sold for less. I personally wouldn’t buy from a small shop like that, but it was interesting to see the business they get. The dresses are really pretty, though. The shops are pretty small but have a large variety. There are quite a few jewelry stores though, and just a couple of technology shops.
Other Things To Know
Note that you should be careful of pick-pocketers, because its easy to be stolen from in a crowded area! Also, be careful of crowds and stampedes. But other than that, its just a nice place, and I definitely recommend it for adventure-seekers in India.