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DELHI-PAHARGANJ

Paharganj is one of the busiest markets which stretches about a kilometer and is popularly known among the natives as bargainer's paradise. Paharganj bazaar is situated very close to the New Delhi railway station. Paharganj is one of the chaotic markets in Delhi which is always noisy and dirty. This market cannot cater to the upper class of people for it is ideal for those who can bargain rough and tough. Paharganj is a very old market and it is one of the five main markets of Delhi right from olden days. The market of Paharganj was established during the period of Mughal Empire itself and it took the credit of being outside the walled city or the Ajmeri Gate.

During the 18th century Paharganj was the main market for grains which was taken from the wholesale markets and warehouses in Patparganj and Shahdara across the Yamuna River. There are two more markets in this area namely the Shahganj - a wholesale market which falls between Paharganj and Akbarabadi. Raja bazaar is another market in Paharganj which is situated on the other side of Jantar mantar. During the Mughal period the Shahganj market was also known as King's ganj market place. It is this Shahganj market which is now known as Paharganj which literally means hilly neighborhood because of its proximity to the Raisina Hill. It is in this place that the Rashtrapati Bhavan is located. Another popular bazaar known as Sadar bazaar is also merged with today's Paharganj.

Only after the inauguration of the Delhi city in 1931, the New Delhi Railway station was opened to the public with a single platform near Ajmeri Gate. It was the Old Delhi railway station which served the entire city till then. Only after the establishment of the New Delhi railway station Paharganj got its shape which was landscaped indelibly with shops and eating joints and thereby started attracting crowds for shopping. Now there are lots of cloth merchants in Paharganj. The first 70mm screen in Delhi came up in Shiela Cinema at Paharganj, the second being in Odeon at Connaught place.

Paharganj is One of the Three Administrative Subdivisions

Paharganj is one of the three administrative subdivisions, of the Central Delhi district, of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, with the other two being, Darya Ganj and Karol Bagh. Paharganj is a busy market which caters to both the local people of Delhi especially those who travel and foreign tourists, especially the backpackers and the low-budget travelers. There are number of hotels including boarding and lodging, restaurants, small eating joints and dhabas in and around Paharganj. In fact at present Paharganj has become a very notable place to be mentioned for those who are looking for international and continental cuisine.

One of the most famous Dhaba of the city namely Shri Nand Lal Sharma dhaba is situated in Paharganj. This dhaba was open in 1928 and it is now very well established with a rooftop restaurant whose specialties include Russian dishes in the menu.The whole Main Bazaar is lined with shops full to the brim with books, music, jewellery, bags, clothes, shoes, incense, textiles, wooden statues, and handicrafts. Shanti handlooms is one of the main textile shop in this area which apart from clothing materials also caters the people with home furnishing items like bags, bed spreads, cushion covers, wall hangings, etc. There are lot of jewellery shops in Paharganj which are mainly specialized in handmade beaded necklaces and bangles. Since these are handmade they are available in all sizes, shapes and colors.But however these jewellery shops price the ornaments little high because most of them involves intricate handmade designs.

Lot of Shops in Paharganj deal with Handicraft Items:

There are lot of shops in Paharganj which deal with handicraft items and it mainly pulls the tourist crowd which comes to the market. The handicraft items include the carved wooden statues of gods and goddesses, brass wares and decorations items. There are exclusive shops in the Paharganj market which mainly deal with puja items especially the incense sticks, incense cones and Indian tea. The book shops here sell both old and new books. Second hand books at a much cheaper rate are also easily available in Paharganj. This market is known for garments, jewellery, gift items, carpets and much more.

One general rule which has to be followed by the customers is to bargain for almost all the shopkeepers here sell their products with double the rate of the original. Hence bargaining will help them in reducing the rate of the product. Handicrafts items, hippy clothing, shoes, paintings, brassware, Indian artifacts, leather work, and cheap jewelry are some of the most common things sold in the Paharganj market. Since 1970's Paharganj is a very popular place in Delhi noted for its backpackers. Paharganj is most of the time spotted with number Hippies right from the Hippie movement in 1970's.

Paharganj is the Hub for Low Budget Accommodation

This place being very close to the railway station has lot of places for accommodation especially for those who are looking for budget hotels. Because of lot of tourists are visiting this place, there is a gradual increase in the hotels and guest houses spread till neighboring Ram Nagar and area along Deshbandhu Gupta Road. Paharganj is the hub for low budget accommodation for the foreign tourists who visit Delhi and thereby there is a proportional increase in the cafes and restaurants, specializing in global cuisines, and hordes of cybercafes. There are lots of shops which are of great interest to the Jewish and Israeli tourists who are found visiting this place quite often. Paharganj was in the news during 2005 because of the serial bomb blasting which took place during the peak shopping hours.

Shopkeepers shout their wares:

Clothings of all varieties and for all age groups like pants, shirts and western wear can be purchased from the Paharganj market.There is always a great demand from the public for such clothes. The clothings which are sold here are mostly the duplicate of the branded stuff but still it is tagged with labels in such a way that it becomes very difficult to differentiate from the original. The shopkeepers even at times shout the rate of the garments so as to attract the customers. Though most of the shops have a big label saying fixed rates most of the localites never fail to make an attempt to bargain because they know the market and the techniques followed by the shopkeepers in selling their products. It is a very essential factor for the shopkeepers here to know more than two languages especially English so that they can easily communicate to the foreign tourists and also people who come here to shop from other parts of the country.

Ideal place for budget shopping:

This is the ideal market for those who want to go on a budget shopping. Paharganj being very close to the New Delhi railway station, most backpackers crash in cheap hotels here on their way to and from Himalayan outposts, Varanasi and Goa, and the items for sale here reflect the clientele. This market is noted for bongs, bangles, books and beads which are sold in the narrow streets and lanes of the Paharganj market. Some of the best and cheap buy which can be promised at the Paharganj market are harem pants, cheesecloth scarves, Kitsch style bags, multi-colored kaffiyeh, pendants, rings, jackets, second-hand underwear's, leather whips, paperbacks, sarongs and tote bags. The nearby Sarojini Nagar market and the Janpath market are noted for their high end products.

Good place for buyign books :

The bookshops in Paharganj sell the most interesting books which cannot be seen in any other market in Delhi. This is mainly because of the firangi backpackers who in order to reduce their load just step into this market and sell their products to the shop keepers here. There are no specific shops or stores for this but instead just buy from cafes and bakeries where they stocked. At Paharganj there are street-side CD shops which sell CD's from Pink Floyd to Om Mani Padme chants to Allah Hoo Allah Hoo to lounge music to Hare Krishna bhjans to rave music to Dam Maro Dam.

An apt place for the sweet-toothed:

Some of the commonly seen sweets being sold on the pavements are the jalebis which are freshly made by frying in clarified butter which is very much similar to those which are sold in the Chandini Chowk market. But however it is less expensive than those which are sold in the Chandini Chowk market. Karan's sweet stall in the main bazaar is a very famous place for jalebis and the natives of Delhi strongly believe this is one shop in Delhi where the best jalebis are available.

Paharganj is one of Asia's markets for Jewellery markets which deals with all kinds jewels and has demand not only form the local market but also internationally. There are more than 500 shops in Paharganj which deal with fashion and silver jewellery, handicrafts, clothes, etc which givs a promising annual turnover of Rs.400-500 crores. Some of the notable shops in Paharganj dealing with ornaments are Trinetra Arts in the main bazaar, Barkati Handicrafts which mainly deals with junk jewellery. The tilak gali in Paharganj boasts of stunning havelis.