Indian-Style Shopper's Paradise: Chandni Chowk, the Moonlit Square

Chandni Chowk, the Moonlit Square, is one of the oldest and largest markets in India, located in Old Delhi. It offers Indian-style goods of every kind to shop for, from food and perfume to spices, and can truly be called “India's shopper's paradise”.

The market was built in the 17th century by Shah Jahan, the fifth Mughal emperor of India. As for the design of the market, it was none other than his daughter.

Looking back to the golden age of the Mughals, the grandeur of Chandni Chowk spread far and wide. It is well known that merchants from Asia and Europe often visited and traded at this market.

The market has a distinctive name, widely known as “Chandni Chowk”, the Moonlit Square. The name comes from the market's shape, a square, and from its elegance, as a canal was dug through the middle of the buildings, running through the heart of the market. At night, moonlight would fall and sparkle beautifully on the canal, whose water came from a branch of the Yamuna River. This is the origin of the name Chandni Chowk, the Moonlit Square (Chandni Chowk), meaning a square with water that reflects the moonlight. Today the canal has been filled in and turned into a clock tower.

In the past the market was divided into 3 zones: Urdu Bazaar, Johri Bazar and Fatehpuri Bazar. Today Urdu Bazaar has been demolished, Johri Bazar focuses on selling gems, and Fatehpuri Bazar focuses on khoya or dried milk, one of the ingredients of Indian sweets, and paneer, Indian-style fresh cheese, along with other foods. Later, new zones were built near the original areas with an even greater variety of goods, including Indian food, more than 1,000 kinds of Indian sweets, and clothes and everyday items. If you get the chance to visit this market, the admin recommends strolling along the streets in the same neighbourhood, as each sells different things. Khari Baoli: a market dating from the 17th century, famous as the largest spice market in Asia, selling spices, nuts, herbs and food products such as rice and tea. Katra Neel: a market famous for wholesale fabric. It is a one-stop shopping place for Indian weddings, selling everything from wedding outfits to jewellery and shoes. Importantly, there is Mehandi painting here; mehandi is the art of painting on the body that has existed for more than 5,000 years, and if you want to try it, you can easily find it in this part of the market. Dariba Kalan: a market focused on jewellery and clothing, with an interesting item called attar, an essential oil distilled from flowers, herbs, spices and other natural materials. And if you get the chance to visit this street, don't miss the sweet jalebi, a fried batter treat dipped in syrup and honey, because the jalebi here is famous as the crispiest in the city!! Paranthe Wali Gali: a market famous for street food, mainly selling the well-known “paratha”, a round flat dough bread with many fillings to try, such as ground almond filling topped with pickled cucumber, potato filling, and so on.

Chandni Chowk The Omaxe Chowk: a shopping centre building being newly built in a luxurious, modern style. The mall includes shops, retail space, a food court and top-quality dining areas with basic and modern facilities.

Today this market is the busiest and largest wholesale market in Asia and a famous place among tourists. Visitors to Chandni Chowk usually head off to shop for what they want, such as tasting Indian-style sweets or buying a sari to take photos in. And you, what would you like from here?

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