History

Old Delhi, the historical heart of the city, is located in the central district.. It is historical heart of the city established during the Mughal dynasty in the 17th century. It is surrounded by six gates and houses some of the city's most breathtaking historical monuments." Lal Qilla or Red Fort, the famous Jama Masjid, Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib which commemorates the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bhadur, are some of the notable monuments.

 

Overview

It is one of the busiest commercial hubs in entire area. It houses a vast array of markets or bazars where each bazar specializes in specific things. It is a traveler's delight and a businessman's home as these markets house a vast array of wholesale distributors from where travelers, retailers and businessman love to shop. These markets house everything ranging from the biggest book market in Asia at Nai Sarak, to a wide range of wedding dresses and ethnic wear in Chandani Chowk, Chandani chowk also hosts the vast array of Delhi's local delicacies catering to the choicest vegetarian options to some of the most mouthwatering non-vegetarian options especially the kebabs. Chandani Chowk is also the home to “paratha wali gali”, a by lane serving you some of the most exquisite variations on Indian Flat Bread called paratha.

 

Chawri Bazar - Hardware & Wedding Cards Market

Chawri bazar established in 1840 it was the first wholesale market of Old Delhi. It is a specialty market that deals in door handles, knobs, brass and copper items at one of the markets. At the other end it hosts some of the most exquisite range of wedding cards and paper products. Planning a wedding, you can get your wedding card to remember here. It hosts the best and the widest range of wedding cards.

 

Market Overview - Chawri Bazar

Chawri bazar is a go to market for purchasing home hardware and wedding cards with its wide selection and most competitive prices. The market comprises of a main street and a huge array of smaller streets which branch out from the main street and are also popularly known as galis which is the hindi for a narrow street. Some of the famous galis are "Hakim Baqa", "Hanuman Gali", "Lohe Wali Gali" to name a few. These galis house a vast array of businesses. If you are looking for best collection and best prices, then these galis are the place to go. Each of these galis house an array of shops specializing in specific things. Often these bylanes have historical multi-story buildings where businesses are located even on 1st and 2nd floors of the building. One such famous lane is known a Gali Kucha Ram which houses a business by the name of Shivam Enterprises dealing in all kind of door handles, knobs and accessories at factory prices.

 

At the east end of the market is famous historical Jama Masjid. As you walk from the Delhi Metro station towards Jama Masjid, the market morphs from being a hardware market to custom wedding card market. Here you can find all kinds of custom-made wedding cards from affordable ones to the fanciest ones. This part of the market also has many by-lanes. In the section of the market, very often these by-lanes are named as a market by itself, for example one of the by lanes is called "Card 69". Not only wedding cards but if you are planning to dazzle your guests with exotic gifts along with the wedding cards this is the market to look for some of the best gift boxes to go along with wedding cards.

Navigation & Timings

Chawri bazar can be easily reached by Delhi Metro. Delhi Metro's yellow line has an underground metro station named “Chawri Bazar.” Once you get down from the metro head towards Gate No. 3 to visit Chawri Bazar and Jama Masjid. The metro station is located 3 levels below the ground and on exiting the station you will be on the Chawri Bazar main road heading towards Jama Masjid.

The market is open 6 days a week with Sunday being the weekly off. This is a market which start its day late so most of the shops open only post noon and some of them opening as late as 1:30 - 2:00 PM. The primary mode of transportation in this market is either on foot or on e-rickshaw which you can hail anywhere on the main road or can grab one from exit of the metro station. Most of these e-rickshaws work in a shared mode where they seat 4 -6 people traveling in a fixed direction and the fare for each ride is fixed per passenger between Rs. 10 to Rs. 50 depending on the distance. If you plan to visit a specific point for example want to go to Jama Masjid for sight-seeing then e-rickshaw is the best option it usually costs Rs. 20 per person for a shared ride and is around 10 - 15 minutes ride depending on the traffic in the market.

Shopping Help & Tips

In the market you can buy the same product from multiple shops with a wide variation in pricing. Finding the shop to go to and choosing the products is one of the biggest challenges in the market. One of the unique things that you find in the market is that there are QR codes installed in the market, e-rickshaws and even on some of the shops that allow you to access an online directory of the entire market enabling you to explore the options available without having to painfully walk to every store. Another popular source of information for the market is the local hawkers and vendors.

 

Eating Joints & Public Amenities

One of the challenges that one faces while visiting Chawri Bazar is lack of good eating joints or public amenities. The market has lots of local street vendors offering different items like tea or fresh juice and some shops offering local snacks and meals like samosa or chole bhature but the market overall does not have any good places to sit and grab a good bite. There is one café called Qnik Café nestled at the end of Lohe Wali Gali which offers you some seating and good selection of food.

 

Traveler Advise & Caution

It is a very busy market some you should be careful with your personal belongings and valuables. Also, before boarding an e-rickshaw make sure that you settle on the price for your ride to avoid an unpleasant conversation at the end of the ride. The best way to experience the market is on foot unless you want to visit a specific end-point like Jama Masjid or Nayi Sarak.