What is the History of Old Delhi?

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If you search Google for Delhi attractions, you will be flooded with information about Red Fort, Humayun’s Tomb, Jantar Mantar, Lotus Temple, Birla Temple, and many such beautiful structures.

The same happens when one searches online for the places to visit in Delhi or the things to do in Delhi. The unusual things to see in the bylanes of Delhi are overshadowed by cafes, clubs, art galleries, malls and fashion streets across the urban landscape of the city. The lesser-known things and hidden heritage structures in those bylanes of old times reveal many interesting facts about Delhi, which are missing from most India travel guides. Indian Eagle explores the bylanes of Old Delhi to make you see the hidden heritage of the city, which never fails to impress foreign tourists.

Old Delhi is a walled part of New Delhi, founded by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in 1639 and originally named Shahjahanabad.

It remained the capital of the Mughals until the end of the Mughal dynasty and was later rechristened Old Delhi by the British.

The rush hour is endless, everybody’s competing to get first to the metro line and the continuous fumes from the old rotten scooters shoot the busy marketplace. I was out in the soothing winter sun looking for some new finds to mark my footprints but I got distracted by the fresh scent of ‘Pakoras’ and ‘Garam Chai’, for a moment this brought dark memories

It offers spectacular pieces of architecture, a mouthwatering variety of food, and a living, breathing piece of history.

Food is a religion in this city. The narrow gullies of old Delhi have an overwhelming variety of cuisines to offer.

I got food poisoning from ‘Pani Puri’ a few years back, but the irresistible smell of India’s speciality could perhaps be my ultimate toothy fare from my local finds – I knew I had it coming, I ordered a plate full of Pakoras with red sweet and spicy chutney and heaven sends…luckily no food sickness but another plate of Pakoras.

The heavenly aroma of food literally liberates the taste buds here.

Where the old world city on the fringes of the modern platform meets ‘Darya Ganj’ I gave a nod to being a part of the clouds of dust. Similar to ‘Kumbh Mela’, the crowd had me going Sha la la la la… {clap clap clap} in the morning but you got to know, not for the crowd my heart jingled but to find a mini chor bazaar {as the locals call it}.

Acclaimed by national and international food guides,

I had my wallet slip in my front pocket, thanks to my tight jeans – accidental slippage or robbery was out of the question. I did find some cheap souvenirs ‘I loathe cold, a warm pair of bedroom slippers just fit my budget’.

Old Delhi is a walled part of New Delhi, founded by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in 1639 and originally named Shahjahanabad.

he food will never fail to tempt you.

It offers spectacular pieces of architecture, a mouthwatering variety of food, and a living, breathing piece of history.

The best preserved old buildings with timeworn window panes and big antique doors kept me walking further in search for the ‘Jama Masjid’ and ‘Meena Bazaar’. Deciding to rabble through the narrow lanes I navigated through the great unwashed walls of the soothing houses and ended up in ‘Chitli Qabar Chowk,’ where I stopped for a second thinking ‘is this where I am supposed to be?’

Yes, but soon the narrow crowded shops full of eateries and stores bought me out in the open right outside the gates of ‘Jama Masjid’. I may not have the best memory when it comes to locating places but I got to come face to face with the fact that I can find my way out of the crowded areas no matter how long that takes. With the walk that involved a lot of excursions, I was in for some gluttony. The navigation system in my mobile pointed an amiable cafe ‘Karim’s’ and by the picture, it looked simpatico.

The cuisine is generally dominated by meat, and also offers delicious hot parathas, chats, and sweets.

Food is a religion in this city. The narrow gullies of old Delhi have an overwhelming variety of cuisines to offer.

A little inside the Matia Mahal Road where I was at, Karim’s traditional Mughlai dishes gave me the munchies. The price range may be slightly above budget for college students {I was then} but as they say, when hunger strikes grab a snicker well, I grabbed the menu to try the Mughlai Veg Pulao instead. After stuffing my empty stomach, I casually strolled through the entrance of ‘Jama Masjid’.

he famous Paranthe Wali Gali is a narrow street located in Chandni Chowk and has a series of shops offering parathas,

The heavenly aroma of food literally liberates the taste buds here. Acclaimed by national and international food guides, the food will never fail to tempt you

Well…I cannot easily trust anyone in certain things, like in this case – not sure of the whereabouts my shoe would be upon returning from the Masjid, I removed my shoes at the gates and hidingly slide inside my bag. What? There is nothing wrong with it. Although there is a place to store your shoe and even get a plastic bag to cover your shoe, I wasn’t ready to pay for that, when I can do things my way.

The cuisine is generally dominated by meat, and also offers delicious hot parathas, chats, and sweets.