Best Places to visit in Old Delhi with Photos

A city which has a history of its own and has witnessed the changing dynamics of this country. The heart and capital of INDIA, Delhi!

There are a lot of Places to visit in Delhi. Talking about Delhi we have to talk about the two parts of it which are absolute opposites. One is the modern-day New Delhi. The other one which connects us to history and the older days is Old Delhi. Most of the parts of Old Delhi consists of the historical monuments built by the Mughal Empire and other dynasties in the older times. In the older days, Old Delhi was known as Shahjahanabad. Which was all about the royalties and shows how the rulers of Delhi lived and ruled the city. This place is not just about history, it is also a very big example of Unity In Diversity. We have Mosques, Temples, Gurudwara and Church all together at one place. It is a sight of its own to witness all this. So, your wish of exploring Places in Delhi is incomplete if you haven't explored Old Delhi. Then let me give you all the reasons to do so. The list of places to visit near Chandni Chowk is given below.

1. JAMA MASJID - It is the largest mosque of India and has a capacity to accommodate 25,000 people altogether. This was built by Shah Jahan and is located near Red Fort. It is constructed using red sandstone and white marble. Outside Jama Masjid it's all chaotic sounds of Bazaar and honking vehicles. But as soon as you enter, it all disappears and how. You will instantly feel lightened and happy. The sun shines and spreads it's light all over this place. This is because it is like an open courtyard and only the prayer hall is covered and the gates of Jama Masjid.

As it lies in the center of Old Delhi, thus you can see the beautiful view of whole Old Delhi from the southern tower of Places to visit in Delhi - Jama Masjid. As it is a holy place, thus it is open for all, all year round. The only thing you need to follow here is the dress code. It just asks you to be barefoot inside the mosque and to be in an outfit which doesn't show your skin. Even if you are wearing something of that sort, then you can pick the coverings which are available outside the mosque. Although the mosque is open all the time. Except for the prayer time, which is from 12:15 p.m. To 1:45 p.m. Other than this you can visit this beautiful mosque anytime and can enjoy the view of whole Old Delhi.

2. RED FORT

Red Fort is one of the main attractions and has a special place of its own. Therefore, it is on the top of Places to visit in Delhi list. As on every Independence Day, the Prime Minister of our country hoists the flag at Red Fort. This place was home to Shah Jahan, who built it. It is also known as "Lal Qila" because it is made up of red sandstone. This place will definitely take you back in the times and will give you all the feels of a kingdom. You need to buy a ticket to explore this place, which is free for children below 15 years of age. For an adult, it is 50 rupees and if you pay by card than it is 35 rupees for the monument. There is a museum inside for which you need to buy a separate ticket, and then you need to pay the combined amount. For foreigners charges are around 500 rupees. You also have an option of booking the tickets online at HOHO DELHI. 

The timings for Red Fort are from 9:30 in the morning to 4:30 in the evening. So make sure you are there on time.

On entering you are welcomed through the Lahoriya Gate, which is said to be made in the direction of Lahore. Then there is a small market inside, which shows a lot of colors. It has things from antics to beautiful earrings to everything gorgeous. Also, the notion that things are expensive inside such places got busted here. As everything was fairly priced and that was actually really surprising.

On passing this you will have NAUBAT KHANA in front of you. This is the place where the announcements were made. As you must have seen in Bollywood movies like Jodha Akbar etc. Drums and loud announcements were done, whenever emperor or anyone important entered the Fort. 

NAUBAT KHANA

Then right in front of it is DIWAN-i-AM. It is the place for normal people to gather and petition their king. In other words, it was a place where the public meetings were held and where the people raised their issues.

This is how Diwan-i-Am looks from Naubat khana. It is made by using red sand stones and has a beautiful park in front of it. From here on all the places which were accessible to the royalties only will start. 

The above pictures are of the Diwan-i-Khas, which was for the important people. Important guests or other royalties every special person was taken to this place. This one is different from Diwan-i-Am as this one is built using white marble. As both the places are quite close to each other, thus the king could easily address the people by sitting here. 

I spent most of my time in Red Fort, as it is spread over a larger area. And you definitely need time to see it all. Thus be ready to walk a lot and explore this gorgeous historical monument.

3. SIS GANJ GURUDWARA

This one stands tall in the middle of the Chandni Chowk market. It just adds more spark to this place and is a place to find peace amidst the chaos of CHANDNI CHOWK MARKET. I was lucky enough to have entered the gurudwara when the shabad's (devotional songs) were going on. Every spiritual place has its own rules and regulations. Here it is compulsory for you to cover your head. There are different rules, but the ultimate message that we get from all these places is no different. Every spiritual place teaches us to believe in the creator and to believe in the power of positivity and good deeds. Maybe the way we do our prayers is different, but we all ask for a better environment to live in. We all want our families to be safe and happy. This whole old Delhi area speaks for itself and definitely gets us closer to every religion or every human being. Everyone leaves peacefully here and respects the beliefs of other religions. I think this is the real beauty of India.

We all are so different from each other, in so many ways. But there is something which keeps us all close and tight. Watching this religious cocktail in Old Delhi was the best thing. Also the fact that I explored my own city alone for the very first time, made it all more special.

We have more gems of Old Delhi, but here I covered three which are very close to each other. You can get down at Chandni Chowk metro station and than can visit these places easily. As soon as you get out in the market, on your right you can see sis ganj gurudwara. And in the straight lane, the beautiful Red Fort is also visible from there. You can walk from here to Red Fort easily. Than from Red Fort you can either take a rickshaw or can walk for Jama Masjid.