India’s many Chandni Chowks

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But Chandni Chowk isn’t just a Delhi phenomenon. Several Indian cities— Kolkata, Patna, and Pune, among others —have their own Chandni Chowks. The original, with its rich legacy and moonlit origins, remains the most iconic, but these local iterations have carved out their own distinct identities, most serving as bustling hubs of commerce and prominent city landmarks.

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The history of Delhi’s Chandni Chowk is rich and well-documented — built in 1650, this once-grand, moonlit square was the brainchild of Jahanara Begum, the daughter of emperor Shah Jahan. Jahanara, a poet, writer, architect, engineer, and painter, played an important role in its design. In her book, Chandni Chowk: The Mughal City of Old Delhi, historian Swapna Liddle writes:

“This space had been commissioned by the princess Jahanara. Jahanara was a very wealthy woman. On her mother’s death in 1631, she had inherited property worth more than five million rupees, which was half of her mother’s fortune, the other half being divided among her siblings…. The chowk had a large pool in its centre, reflecting the moonlight, or chandni, which gave the square its name.”

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However, the origins of its namesakes in other cities remain less clear.

While Kolkata’s Chandni Chowk is believed to have originated in the early 18th century, and today thrives as an electronics and hardware hub, Patna’s version is Bihar’s largest electrical market, with over 200 shops—much like Delhi’s Bhagirath Palace. Pune’s Chandni Chowk, a massive traffic intersection that was recently redeveloped, serves as a gateway to the city.

What’s in a name?

So, how did so many cities come to have their own Chandni Chowks? It’s believed that Delhi’s Chandni Chowk, with its Mughal grandeur and bustling commerce, may have served as a template for markets elsewhere. For traders, naming new markets after Delhi’s iconic commercial hub would have added both cultural nostalgia and a sense of distinction, helping establish them as vibrant centres of commerce.

“Chandni Chowk in Delhi was a grand and renowned centre of commerce that attracted traders from far and wide. Its fame likely inspired other cities to adopt the name for their own marketplaces,” said Rana Safvi, who has written several books on Delhi, including Shahjahanabad: The Living City of Old Delhi.

However, Avijit Dhar Chowdhury, the founder of Kolkata Explorers, said this may not be true as far as the origins of Chandni Chowk in his city are concerned. “Kolkata was the colonial capital, and the British, not being admirers of Mughal cultural idioms, wouldn’t have adopted the name of a Mughal marketplace. The city’s Chandni Chowk came up in the 18th century. Early on, hawkers selling spices, groceries, and fruits set up stalls under temporary canopies known locally as chandni. That’s likely how the market got its name,” he said.

“The area also had upscale cigar shops, frequented by the city’s wealthy residents who arrived in horse-drawn carriages. There were even famous bars here.”

Kolkata’s Chandni Chowk: Beyond moonlight

Archival records lend some weight to Chowdhury’s theory about the etymology of Kolkata’s Chandni Chowk. In The Good Old Days of Honourable John Company: Being Curious Reminiscences During the Rule of the East India Company from 1600–1858, published in 1906, WH Carey, a British civil servant and historian, speculated that the term “Chandney” may have originated from the canopies or semi-permanent roofs (chadna, in Bengali) above shops that had sprung up over the years.

Similarly, in his book Calcutta, Old and New: A Historical & Descriptive Handbook to the City, HEA Cotton, another British civil servant and historian, provided a detailed historical and cultural account of Calcutta (now Kolkata) and its transformation into a bustling metropolis.

He described Kolkata’s Chandni Chowk as a “labyrinth of ill-kept passages, lined with shops, in which may be found a wonderful collection of sundries, from a doornail to a silk dress.” He added: “While shopping in the modern New Market was more comfortable and reassuring, it lacked the adventurous spirit of Chandni Chowk, where one could hunt for favourite items at pocket-friendly prices by bargaining to their heart’s content. However, shoppers needed to be guarded with sharp negotiating skills. Moreover, Chandni Chowk had a notorious reputation as a haven for stolen goods, which, in turn, encouraged theft by domestics.”

Today, Chandni Chowk in Kolkata, which has a Metro station by the same name, is a haven for hardware, where one can find everything from computers to vintage electronic components at unbeatable prices. “If there’s a computer or electronic item that can’t be fixed anywhere else, it can be done in Chandni,” said Deepanjan Ghosh, a Kolkata-based radio jockey and heritage blogger. “Yes, most Kolkatans simply call the market ‘Chandni’.”

Likewise, Patna’s Chandni Chowk, located opposite the Patna Junction railway station, is a thriving electrical market with over 200 shops. However, it has a relatively short history. “It was set up in the early 1950s by traders who frequently travelled to Delhi’s Chandni Chowk for business. They decided to name the market after Delhi’s hub, which over the decades became synonymous with trade and commerce,” said Dinesh Agarwal, a trader in the market and founder-president of the Bihar Electric Traders Association.

“If Bhagirath Palace in Delhi’s Chandni Chowk is India’s largest electrical market, ours is Patna’s largest, catering to both retail and wholesale buyers with unbeatable prices,” he said.

From a scenic spot to a traffic junction

The Chandni Chowk in Pune is not a marketplace: it is a massive traffic junction, dominated by a multilevel flyover that was inaugurated last year. Situated on an elevation, surrounded by scenic hills and green spaces, this area was once a popular spot to enjoy panoramic views of the city and became a picnic destination. However, urban expansion and rampant construction over the years transformed it into a busy traffic intersection.

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is currently working on a multi-crore beautification project in the area, which includes a 20-foot-tall statue of Shivaji. Two years back, PMC renamed the junction NDA Chowk, after the nearby National Defence Academy. Yet, Punekars still refer to it as Chandni Chowk.

“This Chandni Chowk has no Mughal connection, but certainly a moon connection,” said Dilip Vedepatil, a corporator from the area. “About 50 years back, it came to be called Chandni Chowk because people would come to this vantage point to see the moon cast its glow over the entire city. I was one of the corporators who proposed changing its name because we thought NDA Chowk would be more appropriate as the academy is nearby. In any case, no one comes here to see the moonlit city anymore,” he said.

The corporators in Pune had their way, and if a councillor in Delhi had his, Chandni Chowk in the capital would have been renamed Sachin Tendulkar Chowk.

In 2012, a controversy erupted over a proposal by a councillor to rename Chandni Chowk in Delhi after the cricket legend. Then chief minister Sheila Dikshit intervened, and her government sent a letter to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) commissioner, vehemently opposing the proposal. The letter emphasised that renaming Chandni Chowk would violate Union government guidelines and undermine the place’s “great historical, heritage, and cultural importance”.

Thankfully, better sense prevailed — and the original and the most iconic Chandni Chowk continues to be called Chandni Chowk!