The Red Fort and its surroundings

For many today Shahjahanabad is synonymous with old Delhi, the heart of the city, a fascinating melange of the different eras of Delhi’s history, but with a throbbing life in the present. It is a lively commercial hub, and this is where the Municipal Corporation of Delhi is still centred. Shahjahan’s magnifi cent Red Fort, with its elegant palaces, symbolises a legacy of political power, which is why the Prime Minister’s address to the nation on Independence Day is from the Red Fort. There is much to attract the visitor to this part of Delhi. There are many places of worship – mosques, Hindu and Jain temples, gurudwaras, churches. There are markets, many of them specialising in specifi c types of goods and at rates lower than in other parts of the city – such as the spice market of Khari Baoli, the jewellers’ street of Dariba Kalan, and the paper market of Chawri Bazar. And as you pass along you see intricately carved façades and doorways of havelis that might afford a glimpse of peaceful and green courtyards of traditionally laid out homes. This is where Delhi’s best Karachi halwa, bedmi and parathas can be eaten, and where you can see what is probably India’s only hospital solely for birds. Enjoy!