It has been a while I have managed to write anything on Ghumakkar. A travel related project I was trying to feature elsewhere was keeping me busy and occupied. This post is about the project.
For a long time, I had been thinking that Walking Tours are not very popular in India. In many countries, especially in the west, there are many recognized walking trails, and organized group tours that involve walking in cities. There are very few such walks in India that I have heard of – Bangalore Walks and Intach’s Delhi Walk being some of them. But such initiatives are few.
I then hit upon the idea – why not try to promote walks? With this idea, I conceived a plan to publish a series of walking trails in India, which showcases some interesting walking trails from all over the country. It not only limits to cities, but also covers some unlikely places like sand dunes of the desert, walks in snow and thick forests. The walks have all the necessary details, like map, best season to walk, difficulty level, images from the place along with description of the walk. I have reproduced one such walks here, from Old Delhi. See more walks on India Travel Blog, the series is already halfway, and will be running till the end of this month.
Walks in India: Old Delhi
This post is part of a series on ‘Walks in India‘.
Place: Old Delhi
Highlights: Red Fort, Jama Masjid, Chandni Chowk, Sis Ganj Gurudwara, Mirza Ghalib’s House, Fatehpuri Masjid, Parethewali Gali
Season: During winter – October to March
Time of the day: 2pm to 7pm
Distance: Approximately 3kms
Difficulty Level: Easy
Map. A map of the walk is below.
The Walk
With inputs from Himanshu Joshi, New Delhi.
Delhi’s afternoon weather us usually mild in winters, and you will be craving for sun. Walking in the afternoon can be a pleasant experience.
Old Delhi is full of landmarks that have a significant place in history. Nearly every other structure in this part of the town would be a few hundred years old. Begin the walk from Red Fort. The 350-year old fort built by Shah-Jahan can keep you occupied for an hour or more. When you are done, walk on Netaji Subhash Marg to Jama Masjid – the largest mosque in India, another structure from the time of Shah-Jahan.
Visit the mosque, come back on Netaji Subhah Marg and turn left at Chandni Chowk. Chandni Chowk is one of the oldest streets in Delhi and once used to be a busy trading hub. Walk along Chandni Chowk until you reach Sis Ganj Gurudwara. This Gurudwara is located on the site where ninth guru of the Sikhs – Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur was beheaded on the orders of Aurangazeb. After visiting the Gurudwara, continue further on Chandni Chowk to reach Nai Sarak. Nai Sarak is a wholesale market of books; but what sells primarily is school and college text books. Walk along Nai Sarak to reach the house of famous Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib. The Haveli of Ghalib now houses a museum dedicated to the poet.
Come back to Chandni Chowk and continue walking till you see Fatehpuri Masjid. The red sand stone mosque at the end of Chandni Chowk is another structure from the days of Shah Jahan. After visiting the mosque, head back on Chandni Chowk, cross Nai Sarak and turn right to Parathewali Gali. The street is a well-known foodie joint with many small shops selling Parathas and other delicacies. If the long walk is making you hungry, it is time to sit back and stuff yourself with Parathas before you conclude the walk.