May 2008 – Musings of a Wandering Mind

May 31, 2008 —Categories: walks

Walks in India: Old Delhi – Chandni Chowk

This post is part of a series on ‘Walks in India‘.

Place: Old Delhi

Highlights: Red Fort, Jama Masjid, Chandni Chowk, Sis Ganj Gurudwara, Mirza Ghalib’s House, Fatehpuri Masjid, Parethewali Gali

Season: During winter – October to March

Time of the day: 2pm to 7pm

Distance: Approximately 3kms

Difficulty Level: Easy

Map. This is an interactive map of the walk. Zoom in to get a closer look. Click on the blue markers to identify of each location.

View Walks in India – Old Delhi in a larger map

Map of places to see and walking in Chandni Chowk

The Walk
With inputs from Himanshu Joshi, New Delhi.

Delhi’s afternoon weather us usually mild in winters, and you will be craving for sun. Walking in the afternoon can be a pleasant experience.

Old Delhi is full of landmarks that have a significant place in history. Nearly every other structure in this part of the town would be a few hundred years old. Begin the walk from Red Fort. The 350-year old fort built by Shah-Jahan can keep you occupied for an hour or more. When you are done, walk on Netaji Subhash Marg to Jama Masjid – the largest mosque in India, another structure from the time of Shah-Jahan.

Visit the mosque, come back on Netaji Subhah Marg and turn left at Chandni Chowk. Chandni Chowk is one of the oldest streets in Delhi and once used to be a busy trading hub. Walk along Chandni Chowk until you reach Sis Ganj Gurudwara. This Gurudwara is located on the site where ninth guru of the Sikhs – Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur was beheaded on the orders of Aurangazeb. After visiting the Gurudwara, continue further on Chandni Chowk to reach Nai Sarak. Nai Sarak is a wholesale market of books; but what sells primarily is school and college text books. Walk along Nai Sarak to reach the house of famous Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib. The Haveli of Ghalib now houses a museum dedicated to the poet.

Come back to Chandni Chowk and continue walking till you see Fatehpuri Masjid. The red sand stone mosque at the end of Chandni Chowk is another structure from the days of Shah Jahan. After visiting the mosque, head back on Chandni Chowk, cross Nai Sarak and turn right to Parathewali Gali. The street is a well-known foodie joint with many small shops selling Parathas and other delicacies. If the long walk is making you hungry, it is time to sit back and stuff yourself with Parathas before you conclude the walk.

May 31, 2008 —Categories: walks

Walks in India

This June, India Travel Blog will feature a series of articles on Walks in India.

Unlike in many countries, walks and walking tours are not common or popular in India. This series intends to promote the idea of walks that can enable travellers to see and experience the places better by getting closer. The series explores a few short and easy walking trails with which a traveller can witness every aspect of the country such as history, culture, life, landscapes and heritage.

The series will have fifteen walking trails through the month of June containing detailed description of the walk along with maps, difficulty level, best season to do the walk, time of the day and distance of the trail.

The places include, but are not limited to metros and cities, and are chosen from every corner of the country. The walk intends to cover a lot of variety, including walking the sand dunes in a village in Rajasthan, experiencing devotion on the bank of Ganga, seeing history come alive in the remains of ancient structures, short walks in snow amidst views of the snowy peaks.

Walks are a great way to see places, get up close to people and interact, observe carefully and see things better. They help the traveller take time and feel involved with the scenery instead of buzzing past and seeing things as a window-view. This series will assist you to find some great walks from all along the country and to experience the pulse of the nation.

Here is the list of all the walks, updated as the series progresses. Come back here to see updates.

1. Old Delhi
2. Rishikesh
3. Varanasi
4. Old City, Jaipur
5. Shimla
6. Auli
7. Khuri
8. Pondicherry
9. Gokarna
10. Hampi
11. Along
12. Orchha
13. Thekkady
14. Pushkar
15. Mumbai