Starting with a brief introduction about the old Historic city of Delhi our first stop on Heritage and Food Walk was the grand and majestic Jama Masjid. This 17^th century mosque built by Shahjahan was the chief congregation mosque of the city of Shajahanabad. And it is one of the largest in Asia, the other two competitors begin the Taj ul Masajid in Bhopal & the Badshahi Mosque in Lahore. The Jama Masjid stands on a ground higher than rest of the city & offers a panoramic view around. Around it lie the oldest, busiest and biggest wholesale markets of Delhi. One of those is Chawri Bazaar which was once popular for its courtesan culture and dancing girls. Making our way through narrow lanes and heavy traffic we entered Jain Coffee House which has one of the unique food items in the old city, its fruit sandwiches. The shop is located in Raghuganj, a grain market, in Chawri Bazaar. They also offer other sandwiches like of vegetable & samosa. The next stop on our walk is one of the least known jems in the old city: the Ruknuddaulah mosque. It is about 200 years old, built by an officer of Mirza Akbar, the second last Mughal emperor. In front was a big Bahnamal Haveli which has also seen the city for more than 100 years. Next to haveli used to be a lane of lac bangle makers called Churiwalan, but now it is a lane buzzing with brass and other metal objects. We then moved to Hira Lal Chat Bhandar to taste its very famous kulle, spicy aalu chat and sizzling tikkis. Our next stop to Daulat ki chat was an interesting contrast to previous hot and heavy stuff. It comprised of milk froth and butter with saffron flavoring and sugar grating. So special, so different!  Our heritage trail wove its way towards the Hauz Qazi square,well it is more of a roundabout! The name of the  square/roundabout  comes from a mosque here, hidden away in the chaos of the old city. Blink & you miss it! The mosque is Hauz Qazi as it contains a big water tank (Hauz) and was a residence of very famous Qazi (a Muslim law giver) staying on the first floor of the mosque. After Hauz Qazi Masjid, we walked through Sita Ram Bazaar then moved to a narrow lane known by the name Kucha Patiram to Kuremal Kulfi Wala & a nearby sweets shop, for some delicious rabri. The last stop on our heritage walk was a haveli from the mid 19^th century. Big thanks to all the participants of the heritage & food walk. You really made it enjoyable and meaningful.

(posted by Niti Deoliya & Kavita Singh, team members, Delhi Heritage Walks)