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The Beginning: How Chandni Chowk got it's nameWhen 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). See a map of the Red Fort Complex...The map will be opened in a new browser window. You can close that window and return to this page any time you like. How it became a trading center?During Shahjahan's time itself, an arcade of shops had been built in a half-moon shape. Round this nucleus, in no time, grew a fabulous and prosperous trading center which spread along the wide road and branched into a number of bylanes in all directions. Originally only this stretch was known as Chandni Chowk. But as the trading center grew in magnificence and prosperity, the whole area from the Fort to Fatehpuri grew famous as Chandni Chowk. Roughly three and a half centuries later this area is still called by the same name. The story of the canalWhile the Red Fort was being constructed, the lack of drinking water worried the Emperor. The wells in the area were drying up. Shahjahan thereby summoned one of hie trusted nobles, Ali Mardan Khan and commanded him to find a solution. Khan, well versed in the art of digging canals, renovated an old canal and renamed it Faiz Nahar. This canal now ran the entire length of Chandni Chowk, from the fort to the Fatehpuri Mosque, providing water for both drinking and irrigation. The canal went into disuse with the decline of the Mughal Empire. The English revived it in 1820, only to close it in 1910.During its long and eventful lifetime, it proved to be both a boon and a curse for the people. Well maintained, it would provide the city with pure water all the year round. Neglected, it would become the breeding ground for all sorts of diseases.Today, a wide road runs where it once stood- a symbol of changing times and priorities. There is an interesting anecdote related to the canal - read on to find how did fruit chaat become popular in Delhi and other anecdotes...
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