Street Life : Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi India

A Man surrounded by bags of spices, Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi India

A Man and his Goods
There are so many nuts and spices for sale in Old Delhi’s Chandni Chowk that they extend beyond the shops and into the streets.

India is a sensory feast: a multilayered tapestry of sights and sounds in colours that pulsate, wrapped in a rich weave of smells, where the aromas of flowers and cardamon battle with the stink of dust and refuse and the unwashed. Even the air has tangible depth.

Nowhere is this better epitomised than in Chandni Chowk, one of the oldest and busiest markets in Old Delhi

Designed by the favourite daughter of the ruling Emperor Shah Jahan in 1650, the bazaar originally featured a central pool – long since gone – which shimmered in the moonlight, leading to the name: Chandni Chowk or “Moonlight Square”. The area is still home to historic mansions and the ageing homes of tradesmen and craftsmen; old mosques, churches, temples and shrines; and shops and restaurants selling all manners of goods and foods. Said to be the largest wholesale market in Asia, the goods and services spill out of the myriad of shops and into the rabbit warren of streets already packed with boxes, people, stray dogs, and the odd car. Some of the winding laneways are positively claustrophobic, with unbroken rows of four-story shophouses closing out the sunlight, and a hot, muggy sky, tangled with electrical wires and the odd bits of tinsel overhead.

And, like everywhere else in India, it is almost as if the colour and the chaos is putting on a cultural show especially for the passing tourists. I’ve spent time in Chandni Chowk on a few occasions over the years: twice with organised photography groups, and once on my own. On each visit, I’ve discovered something different. And, each time, people have either posed for portraits, or actively invited me and my camera to play “voyeur” as they go about their daily lives.

Truly a photographer’s paradise!

Pedestrians and cycle-rickshaws in a Chandni Chowk Street, Old Delhi, India.

Street in Chandni Chowk
The streets that make up Chandni Chowk are always crowded: full of pedestrians and people on cycle-rickshaws clutching their purchases. 

Indian people in a Crowded Laneway, Chandni Chowk Street, Old Delhi, India.

Crowded Laneway
From turbaned Sikhs

Chandni Chowk Street, Old Delhi, India.

Chandni Chowk Shoppers
… to beaded and pony-tailed Hindu priests – …

Shop Fronts, Chandni Chowk Street, Old Delhi, India.

Shop Fronts
… there is something for everyone.

Old Indian Woman Selling Marigolds, Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi, India.

Old Woman Selling Flowers
Not everyone has their own shop. A simple burlap tent is one way of demarcating territory. Marigolds are always in demand as temple offerings.

Melons for sale, Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi, India.

Melons
My favourite part of any market is the fresh produce…

Vegetable Grocer, , Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi, India.

Vegetable Grocer
… and the characters who sell it.

Man selling Vegetables, Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi, India.

Man Selling Vegetables

Portrait: young man, , Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi, India.

Juice Wallah
I’ll settle for a smile!

Young man pouring Juice , Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi, India.

Pouring Juice
You can buy freshly squeezed juice on the street.

Indian School children in uniform, Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi, India.

School Kids
There is a new sight around every corner. These children were piled into their pedicab to go to school. It always amazes me how crisp and clean they always look!

Two Indian men on a Stoop, Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi, India.

Men on a Stoop

Indian Muslim Shopkeeper, Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi, India.

Muslim Shopkeeper

An elderly Indian woman making garlands, Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi, India.

More Marigolds
There are temples and shrines throughout the market, so flower sellers do a good business.

Arched Gateway, , Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi, India.

Chandni Chowk Gateway
There are the odd quiet corners, …

Two Indian men with a pale of boxes, Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi, India.

A Heavy Load
… but most laneways are a hive of activity.

Men in a spice shop, Khari Baoli, Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi, India.

Spice Shop
Khari Baoli Street in Chandni Chowk is the spice market …

Men in a spice shop, Khari Baoli, Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi, India.

Spice Seller
… where all kinds of spices, nuts, herbs and other dried food products are available.

Dried Fruits, Nuts and Pulses for sale Khari Baoli, Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi, India.

Dried Foods in Khari Baoli
Dried fruits, nuts, spices and pulses are priced and on display.

Men playing cards in the street, Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi, India.

Men Playing Cards
All kinds of activities are conducted in the streets; …

Man being shaved in the street, Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi, India.

Street Barber
… the local barbers have customers lined up …

Man being shaved in the street, Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi, India.

Close Shave
…for shaves and haircuts.

Indian men in a Pappadum Shop, Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi, India.

Pappadum Shop
The shops are crammed full …

Pappadum Shop, Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi, India.

Pappadums
… with their colourful goods.

Indian men in a Pappadum Shop, Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi, India.

Pappadum Shopkeeper

Men in a Religious Paraphernalia for sale, Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi, India.

Religious Paraphernalia

Khari Baoli Road, Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi, India.

Khari Baoli Road
Shophouses and their billboards, wooden carts, pedicabs, piles of rubbish, and traffic: the wholesale spice market is a busy place.

Dog in Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi, India.

Dog in Chandni Chowk
Street dogs just watch the scene.

Young Man at a Shopfront, Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi, India.

Young Man at a Shopfront

I love Chandni Chowk – but I have to limit my time there. In this network of crowded streets full of shops and people, “sensory feast” can easily tip into “sensory overload”.  

Text: Happy Travels

Like an overly-rich meal, a little can go a long way!

Until next time,

Happy travels!

Pictures: 12April2008, 08April2010, and 04November 2013 

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