Old Delhi - A Place you'll love to Visit

When I introduce myself to people, one thing I always mention is that I love traveling. If they ask more, I tell them about the places I have been to, which countries I like the most and what are some of my goals with travel.

  
Sometimes, people go even further and ask, “But why?” Why travel? How did this passion start? It takes some inner searching to come up with the story of the travel that changed my life.

I think it is a good thing to grow up being curious, but what if it turns into an obsession? That is what happened to me.

During my childhood, my family used to go on a vacation once a year. It was not somewhere far, but we used to go to nearby tourist places to spend some time, visit zoos and see animals or my longest trips were from Delhi to Hardware or Dehradun.

Yes, we used to travel to our grandma's city with mom every year to visit our family. These experiences shaped my inquisitive mind, and I carried them with me as I grew up.

Though I did travel, my horizons were relatively small. I could never imagine travelling to places as far away as Australia, New Zealand, Bangladesh, or Sri Lanka, or a few more. Like many others, the biggest thing that scared me was the cost of travel, and I was still in school.

Delhi was once an integral part of my life at the beginning of my career; I feel I lost it somewhere in my ambitions and busy schedule of life. Delhi is that old go-to place for me, and also my home, but now I feel I have lost something precious from my treasure.

Delhi is known to people all over the world as the capital of the world's largest democracy. Delhi, which is known as a bustling city full of corporate high-rise buildings, nightclubs, political upheavals, and traffic jams, has a lot to offer to a tourist.

Yes, all this is also a part of Delhi. Old Delhi is the hidden gem which lies right in front of the eyes and people miss it due to the glitz of New Delhi.

So, you get to see all this when you walk down the memory lane of a forgotten gem - Old Delhi.

That morning when peace spills out of the religious places and engulfs the streets. No trip to Old Delhi can guarantee to keep you away from the crowded narrow lanes of Old Delhi. Yet, when you are strolling in the morning, the city shows you its true charm. The lanes or shall I say very narrow lanes are enveloped in peace and tranquility. You can almost see that the city is sleeping, waiting for another poetic day to begin.

Old Delhi will welcome you with a new amazing view at every step. I remember @senhasa said that I heard Delhi is not that clean; maybe he was right, but I apologize that you expect every place in a city with a population of 30 million to be clean. This is true of every city in the world, no exceptions.

In Delhi, every few steps a religious place is waiting for you, which may be of a different religion. Every few steps, a new religion is waiting for you. Mind it that Old Delhi is entirely different in all aspects from New Delhi, yet you never know where it begins and where it ends.

At one end of the road you will find a Hindu temple. While walking along the same road, you will find a Jain temple. Moving ahead, you will see a Gurudwara, and a few steps ahead there will be a mosque. Such is the charm of Old Delhi! It knows only one religion—that of love and unity. It is remarkable to see how every religious faith is sitting so close to each other, and it is called Old Delhi!

From here I moved ahead and reached the Chandni Chowk and the hustle and bustle of the market on both sides of me. Here the market is fast-paced with the grandeur of the Mughal period, but as soon as we reach here, time slows down.

This is Jama Masjid, and the prayer chambers of the mosques built in the western part of the mosque are beautifully designed and decorated with architectural institutions and verses of the Quran. Chamber mosques and mosques are designed in such a way that the voice of the Imam can reach the far-flung areas from the mosque.

Jama Masjid is located in Chandni Chowk, Delhi. It is an excellent example of architecture built by the Mughals. This architecture was built by Shah Jahan. 25,000 people can sit together and offer Namaz prayer on Fridays and special occasions like Eid. I can tell you hundreds of tourists visit Jama Masjid every day just to satiate their curiosity.

If you visit Jama Masjid in the morning, just a few lanes away you will find the Sisganj Gurudwara, which reverberates with the melodious sound of morning religious songs. Take a few more steps, and you will be greeted by the Gauri Shankar Temple, this time welcoming you with the sound of bells. Finally, as you move further, you will be greeted by the 16th-century Digambar Jain Temple. All religions sit next to each other.

Everyone knows the Jama Masjid, standing tall with its royal dome like a proud ruler standing in Delhi, admiring the grandeur of his kingdom! If you want to amaze your senses and trust Old Delhi for that, Old Delhi will not disappoint you.

Old Delhi will first welcome you with the friendship of religions and then with the flavors you get to taste. It is said that if you visit every food joint in Old Delhi and taste the food, your stomach will be full for a whole week!

Passing through Ajmeri Gate, the old, massive gateway to Delhi, I was overwhelmed by all the history and culture it reflected. Built by Emperor Akbar, this gate opens eastwards towards Delhi, hence the name Delhi.

If its brick walls and arches could speak, they would tell you stories of love and glory, stories of war and peace, stories of betrayal and loyalty, and a million different stories of a time when kings roamed this part of the world in all their glory.

Well, if you visit the shops here, it's so crowded you can hardly take a step ahead, but there are so many aromas in the air that pull you towards the shops! For the lovers of spicy food, especially those who like both spicy and tangy tastes, and also for those who want a little less spice in their food. Delhi's delicious chaat is famous, and you will be surprised to know that Old Delhi is the place where the world-famous dish butter chicken originated. And for those with a sweet tooth, Old Delhi does not disappoint anyone, no matter what your taste buds are!

What you get in Old Delhi's crowded lanes is a heritage walk, as some of the shops in the food lanes of Old Delhi are more than a hundred years old and are probably run by fourth or fifth generation cooks! It is not even the heritage that will attract you.

The heritage is in the monuments that stand proud and have a story to tell. A heritage walk in Old Delhi will last you a lifetime. Starting from the Red Fort to the Jama Masjid, there are thousands of stories to discover.

As they say, if you are in Rome, behave like the Romans. If you are in Old Delhi, behave like Old Dilli. Old Delhiites still take rickshaws. So, if walking is not your thing, take a day off from Uber and Ola and enjoy a rickshaw ride in Old Delhi.

I got a chance to learn more about the Muslim religion apart from admiring the outer beauty of the mosque. What is the prayer like? What exactly is the dress code? Why do I have to take off my shoes when entering the mosque? Why is there no altar? Curiosity drove me crazy. This was also the point where I realized how important it is to understand the different religions and cultures of the world. I believe this is one of the best ways to open our minds.

The diversity of Delhi is a beautiful thing. I was very fortunate to grow up in very diverse areas around the city of Delhi. I had friends from different backgrounds while growing up, and I learned about their culture and customs. I could see how people live in different parts of our region.

What makes us unique, beautiful, and interesting as a people is that we are all different yet one. It is possible that each person has their own story, customs, and beliefs, which are partly shaped by ancestry, experiences, and environment, but when you have a common allegiance and nationality, then there is no difference.

We have many religions and castes, especially in Delhi, where there is a population of 30 million and people from all over the world, especially from different parts of the country, come here in search of employment. So as you start knowing more about this city, you realize that despite the differences, we all have a lot in common. We all have goals, whether they are career goals, material goals, or self-help goals. Through this, we form relationships with people who bring us joy. Although our religions are different, they all teach us the same principles about being a good and ethical person, the love.

Another lesson I learned from any trip is how important it is to get out of your comfort zone, but I believe this is also very useful for travel. In order to experience change, you often have to feel uncomfortable.

In fact, I never felt uncomfortable entering a mosque even for the first time except for the fear of doing something that would offend someone. However, the experience of the mosque only increased my curiosity. I know, and I fully realize that if I had not stepped out of my comfort zone, I would never have been able to visit all the places I have visited over the years. I have been to temples, mosques, gurudwaras, Buddhist stupas, churches, and all the places I knew nothing about, but my curiosity took me to. If I had not gone, I don't know what kind of person I would have been today.

In every journey I have made, I have found myself exploring something or the other deeply to know about the world and its people. Many people like to run, dance, sing, write poems, read books, etc. Similarly, I am fond of traveling. I like traveling a lot, watching the greenery of the forest, and talking to trees and plants. Sometimes on high mountains, sometimes flowing with a flowing river on flat land.

Visiting historical forts and historical places and reliving history, understanding history. Looking up at the buildings of cities that speak to the sky. Sometimes understanding the culture of villages. Sometimes travelling and going to new places and meeting new people I don't know why I traveled to that place, but I loved travelling every time just to fulfil my desire to travel.