Historical Background.

The history of Chandni Chowk dates back to the foundation of the capital city of Shahjahanabad when the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan established the Red Fort on the banks of the River Yamuna beside his newly founded capital.

Chandni Chowk, or the Moonlight Square, was designed and established by Princess Jahanara, Shah Jahan’s favorite daughter, in 1650 CE. The bazaar, which was shaped as a square, was given further elegance by the presence of a pool in the center of the complex. In particular, the pool shimmered in the moonlight, a feature which

Source: www.chandnichowk.info

was perhaps responsible for the nomenclature of the marketplace. The shops of the complex were originally built in a half-moon shaped pattern, which, for some reason, is lost today. The bazaar was in the time of Shah Jahan, who was famous for its silver merchants. This could also have an important role to play in the nomenclature of the place as silver is referred to as Chandi in Hindi, a word which could have been slightly deformed to form Chandni Chowk.

The pool in the chowk was replaced by a clocktower (Ghantaghar) that existed until the 1950s. The central location of Chandni Chowk is still referred to as Ghantaghar.
Chandni Chowk was once the grandest of the markets in India. In fact, the Mughal imperial processions used to pass through Chandni Chowk. The tradition was continued when Delhi Darbar was held in 1903. Delhi Town Hall was built in 1863 by the British.
Chandni Chowk runs through the middle of the walled city, from the Lahori Gate of the Red Fort to Fatehpuri Masjid. Originally, a canal ran through the middle of the street as a part of the water supply scheme. It was initially divided into three sections:

• Lahori Gate to Chowk Kotwali (near Gurudwara Sis Ganj): This section closest to the imperial residence, was called Urdu Bazar, i.e., the encampment market. The language Urdu got its name from this encampment. Ghalib noted the destruction of this market during the disturbances of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and its aftermath.
• Chowk Kotwali to Chandni Chowk: The term Chandni Chowk originally referred to the square that had a reflecting pool. It was replaced by a clock-tower (Ghantaghar) that was damaged and demolished in the 1950s. This section was originally called Johri Bazar.
• 'Chandni Chowk' to Fatehpuri Masjid: this was called the Fatehpuri Bazar.

Even though today Chandni Chowk appears choked with congestion, it retains its historical character.

www.chandnichowk.info

HOW DID CHANDNI CHOWK GET ITS NAME?
When the famous Mughal Emperor Shahjahan shifted his capital from Agra to Delhi and established the city of Shahjahanabad, he had the majestic Red Fort or Lal Qila, on the banks of River Yamuna. Chandni Chowk was built in 1650 AD as an accompaniment to the fort. It was designed by Jahanara, the Emperor's favorite daughter. A large chowk ("square") with a central pool was built at some distance from the fort.
The story goes that on a moonlit night, the new complex and the pool lay shimmering; as a result, it acquired the name of Chandni Chowk- "the moonlit square".
Another legend says that the Chowk was named after it's silversmiths and there is a confusion of the word 'chandi' (silver) with 'chandni' (moonlit).