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Daryaganj

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Daryaganj
Darya Ganj
subdivision
Sunday Book Market
Sunday Book Market
Historic map of Shahjahanabad (now called Old Delhi), 1863, depicting Daryaganj
Historic map of Shahjahanabad (now called Old Delhi), 1863, depicting Daryaganj
Daryaganj is located in Delhi
Daryaganj
Daryaganj
Location in Delhi, India
Coordinates: 28°38′39″N 77°14′31″E / 28.6443°N 77.2420°E / 28.6443; 77.2420
Country India
StateDelhi
DistrictCentral Delhi
Government
 • BodyMunicipal Corporation of Delhi
Population
 • Total
123,459−3,459,807
Languages
 • OfficialHindi, English, Urdu, Punjabi
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
110 002
Civic agencyMCD

Daryaganj (literally "A market near a river") is a neighbourhood of Delhi inside the walled city of Old Delhi. The "darya" (lit. "River") refers to the river Yamuna which stood just outside the walled city, straddling its eastern ramparts until it was diverted further east by the victorious British after the Siege of Delhi in 1857. Daryaganj is one of the three sub-divisions and also the administrative headquarters of the Central Delhi District. It starts at Delhi Gate, at the edge of Netaji Subhash Road, which goes towards Red Fort.

History

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Portion of the city wall of the walled city of Shahjahanabad, Ansari Road, Daryaganj

During the Mughal Empire, aristocrats and nobles had their mansions in Daryaganj; some examples include the famous late Mughal-era kothi of the Nawab of Jhajjar and the haveli of Walidad Khan, the father-in-law of Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar.[1] After 1803, a native regiment of the Delhi garrison was stationed, which was later relocated to the Ridge area. Now known as New Darya Ganj, it once formed part of the British Darya Ganj Cantonment, one of the earliest establishments of the British in Old Delhi. The New Darya Ganj market was previously known as Faiz Bazaar until the partition of India, when present traders moved into the area.[2]

East of Daryaganj was the Raj Ghat gate of the walled city, opening at Raj Ghat on Yamuna River.[3] The Phool Mandi (Flower Market) of Daryaganj was established around 1869, and even today, notwithstanding it serving a small geographical area, it is of great importance owing to its dense population.[4][5]

As the new capital New Delhi took shape and was being built after 1911, Daryaganj, along with Paharganj, were the only two buffer areas between the new city and the older city: the latter started being called the "walled city" by 1931, with Daryaganj sitting at the edge of the walled city near Dilli Gate.[6]

Overview

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Dr. Shroff's Charity Eye Hospital, established in 1926, one of the many eye hospitals in Daryaganj

Daryaganj continues to be a major commercial hub of modern Old Delhi. Netaji Subhash Road, which begins at Delhi Gate and heads towards the historic regions hosting Red Fort, Jama Masjid and Chandni Chowk, passes through the middle of the area, which is a short walk away.

Zeenat-ul-Masajid, a Mughal era mosque which was converted into a bakery by the vengeful British after the Siege of Delhi in 1857

The area also has several eye hospitals and clinics, including Dr Shroff's Charity Eye Hospital, which opened in 1917. The district bustles with shoppers from Monday to Saturday, and, on Sunday, is home to India's largest platform market for magazines and second-hand books.

Daryaganj was also prominent for its all-time favourite markets like the Sunday Book Market or the Kitab Bazaar (Book Market), that was held every Sunday on street pavements (Sunday being a weekly holiday for the shops) before it shifted to Mahila Haat, close to the original location.[7] The market, established around 1964,[8] today stretches almost for 2 kilometres,[9] and one may find books on virtually any genre or specialisation here at throwaway prices.[10] The former President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, was born in and used to live at Nehar Wali Haveli in Daryaganj before migrating to Pakistan after the Partition of India in 1947.[11][12]

Today, Darya Ganj is quite renowned all over the country, thanks to the numerous book publishers whose offices are based in the locality. Ranging from S. Chand & Co. to Prentice Hall India and Oxford University Press, these are primarily located on Ansari Road, an inner road on the eastern side of Daryaganj and its neighbouring areas.[13] Daryaganj is also home to the Hans, a Hindi literary magazine, restarted by writer Rajendra Yadav in 1986; it was founded by Premchand, a pioneer in Hindi literature.[14]

Darya Ganj also features one major cinema hall called Golcha, which opened in 1954, and is considered one of the oldest cinemas of Delhi.[15][16] It was closed in 2017.[17]

Demographics

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According to the most recent census, Daryaganj has a total population of 271,108, with 143,293 males (52.9%) and 127,815 females (47.1%). The area is characterized by a diverse religious composition, with Muslims constituting the majority at 175,501 individuals (64.7%). Hindus make up the second-largest group, numbering 89,320 (32.9%). Other religious communities include Christians (1,548, 0.6%), Sikhs (1,061, 0.4%), Buddhists (130, 0.05%), and Jains (2,926, 1.1%).[18]

Religious Demographics of Daryaganj (2021 Census)
  1. Muslims (64.7%)
  2. Hindus (32.9%)
  3. Christians (0.60%)
  4. Sikhs (0.40%)
  5. Buddhists (0.05%)
  6. Jains (1.10%)

Cuisine

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Daryaganj also has what was once the only restaurant of Old Delhi, the Moti Mahal, founded by Kundan Lal Jaggi, Thakur Das Mago, and Kundan Lal Gujral,[19] popular for the invention of butter chicken and modern dal makhani.[20]

References

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  1. ↑ Dalrymple, William (22 April 2007). "'The Last Mughal'". The New York Times.
  2. ↑ "Darya Ganj has colonial facade". The Times of India. 14 April 2010. Archived from the original on 11 May 2013.
  3. ↑ Fanshawe, p. 67
  4. ↑ Ashok Kumar Jain (2009). Urban transport: planning and management. APH Publishing. p. 176. ISBN 978-81-313-0441-9.
  5. ↑ "Pin Code of Daryaganj Delhi". citypincode.in. Retrieved 9 March 2014.
  6. ↑ "A tale of two cities". Hindustan Times. 1 September 2011. Archived from the original on 2 July 2015.
  7. ↑ Dhingra, Kanupriya (28 September 2019). "Delhi's Daryaganj book bazaar has a new, sanitised home, which has benefits as well as drawbacks". Scroll.in. Retrieved 11 April 2026.
  8. ↑ "Daryaganj Book Bazaar vs Khan Market bookstores". Hindustan Times. 22 November 2010. Archived from the original on 13 May 2013.
  9. ↑ "Daryaganj Book Bazar New Delhi and Khan Market by Road, Distance Between Daryaganj Book Bazar New Delhi and Khan Market, Distance by Road from Daryaganj Book Bazar New Delhi and Khan Market with Travel Time, Khan Market Distance from Daryaganj Book Bazar New Delhi, Driving Direction Calculator from daryaganj book bazar new delhi and khan market". Archived from the original on 4 January 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  10. ↑ "Delhi- 100 years as the Capital". The Hindu. 1 February 2011. Archived from the original on 16 June 2011.
  11. ↑ The life and times of P.Jawahar Lal Nehru[link removed] NDTV
  12. ↑ Haidar, Suhasini (24 August 2014). "Consistent inconsistencies". The Hindu. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  13. ↑ Publishers on Ansari Road, Delhi Yahoo.
  14. ↑ "Swan's song: Celebrating 25 years of a landmark Hindi literary magazine". Mint. 27 December 2011.
  15. ↑ Golcha Delhilog.
  16. ↑ Golcha Cinema Website Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  17. ↑ "Revisiting abodes of silver-screen magic in Delhi". The New Indian Express. 2 July 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  18. ↑ "C-01: Population by religious community - NCT of Delhi". Census of India. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  19. ↑ "100 years of Dilli Khana". Business Line. 2011.
  20. ↑ The modern dal makhani was invented by Moti Mahal Archived 1 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine Vir Sanghvi website.

Sources

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  • Wikimedia Commons logo Media related to Daryaganj at Wikimedia Commons
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