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Fatehpuri
Located at the western end
of the oldest street of Delhi, Chandni Chowk, Fatehpuri Masjid was built
in 1650 by Fatehpuri Begum, one of Shah Jahan's wives. The mosque is built
with red sandstone on a large scale and is surmounted by a single dome.
Flanked by towering minarets, the mosque has a traditional design with
the prayer hall having seven-arched openings. Among the seven arches, the
central arch is the highest. The mosque has single and double-storeyed
apartments on the sides and some of its endowments were used as a school
for poor students. The British auctioned some parts of the mosque after
the 1857 war to a Hindu family. Later in 1877 it was restored to the Muslims
at the Delhi Darbar when the British allowed the Muslims back in Old Delhi.
Though Fatehpuri Masjid was
an important mosque in Old Delhi but architecturally the mosque is not
a very fine example of Mughal architecture. The materials used in the mosque
are of poor quality. The proportion of the mosque is also not as perfect
as that of the Jama Masjid. If one notices, the dome especially is not
in proportion to the building and the overall effect is also not very pleasing.
However,
different parts of the mosque individually are very beautiful.
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Khari Baoli
Khari Baoli is the Asia's
largest wholesale spice market. It can be reached by taking the Khari Baoli
road (towards western direction) after crossing the Fatehpuri Masjid on
the western end of the main Chandni Chowk Road. It was during Shah Jahan's
reign that the Khari Baoli, (the stepped well) was constructed along with
a fortified gateway on its western end popularly known as Lahori Gate.
The gateway was so named because a road through it led to the city of Lahore
now in Pakistan. However, today there is no trace of either the Baoli or
the gateway here. |
At present, the street of Khari
Baoli has a congested and busy market with shops on both sides selling
spices, nuts and herbs. The visitor will have a unique experience here
viewing the whole process of market of loading, carrying or unloading of
huge sacks of items from manual trolleys, shopkeepers busy in dealing with
the customers, customers selecting large quantities of items and weary
laborers resting and chatting aloud. The overall appearance seems to be
very chaotic but in reality it is very well managed if kept in consideration
the fact that such a large amount of trading of small items are carried
out daily.
The market has a good reputation
for being the best in Delhi as far as quality and price of any item here
is concerned. Though it is a wholesale market but still one can purchase
small quantity of any items widely displayed on all the shops. Apart from
being a cook's delight, the market also sells wide range of other items
like household soaps, varieties of rice, and sugar among the many items.
Chandni
Chowk.....
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