Old Delhi - Hidden Gems Tour on Rickshaws with Guide & Audio Headsets

As most of the places included in this tour are hidden, we could not find them on google map and could not include them here :)! Red Fort is a UNESCO world heritage site. It was built by Mughal Emperor ShahJahan in 1648. It’s a beautiful grand palace cum fort. Today it is the largest non-functional fort in the world. During the War of Independence of 1857, the British army demolished more than 75 percent of the fort. However the remaining structures still reflect the technical excellence of the craftsmen of Mughal times. The Red Fort is still a beautiful link between the past and the present. Every year on Independence Day (Aug 15) the prime minister of India address the nation and hosts the national flag from here. We do not go inside the fort as it takes almost half a day to see its different palaces and gardens. We will be showing it to you from outside along with some rare old and new pictures

There were 4 religions which were born in India – Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism & Sikhism. Buddhism and Jainism are quite similar. Both these religions were originated around 599 BC. Both these religions follow the path of non violence towards all living beings. Jains are very environment friendly people and they don’t want to disturb the plants. This is the oldest temple of the Jain religion in the capital. It has ornate interiors of gold & silver. The main idol in the temple is that of Lord Parshvanath. The place is very peaceful and the ambience is really soothing. There is a bird hospital in the Jain temple premises founded in 1956 on the Jain principle of aversion to killing. Inside the birds hospital there is a research center, intensive care units, general wards and a place where they teach the birds to fly. At any point – 3000-5000 birds are in the hospital and around 60 birds are admitted per day.

Mirza Ghalib was one of the most famous poet during the Mughal times. His poetry was mesmerizing and heart touching. We will be visiting this haveli where he spent many years. This haveli is tucked inside a narrow street, away from the tourist attractions. Here you will be able to see the architecture of the old Mughal style mansions. You will also be able to see the handwritten original poetry of Ghalib.

One of the hidden gems of Chandni Chowk. Nau Ghara means nine houses. This street has a group of nine 18th century mansions, retaining their traditional appearance. The street also houses an ornate jain temple. This is a beautiful street where one gets an opportunity to interact with the residents along with take pictures with the background of colourful havels/traditional mansions.

On the western end of the Chandni Chowk street is a mosque called Fatehpuri mosque. Fatehpuri was one of the wives of Shahjahan. It was an attractive looking mosque when it was built but the British troops were pooled here in the war of 1857, then there was a lot of destruction took place and today it is a very normal looking place. The layout of the mosque is very similar to the famous Jama Masjid mosque with 3 gates and the prayer hall on the west. These days there is also a live Madrasa (school for Islamic education) located in the premises of the mosque.

This place used to be a palace belonging to a person called Mr. Gadodiya. After his death there was no legal heir, so people made spice warehouses. It is interesting to walk through the open warehouses storing have heaps of colorful and exotic spices like red chillies, cardamoms, cinnamon, turmeric, dry fruits etc. The architecture of the palace is a mixture of Mughal, British & Gothic. The bay windows are mainly British, arches are Mughal and the four domes on the corners are Gothic in style. We will climb on the top of the old building to have an aerial view of the spice market and chandni chowk street. It also offers an excellent view of a nearby mosque in which one can see live prayers being offered. In winter months one can see the local people training their pet pigeons on their terraces (the locals love to indulge in the hobby of pigeon flying)

This is one of the most important temples of Shivism in the country. Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and symbolizes destruction or death. It has an 800-year-old brown lingam. There are bejeweled statues of Gauri and Lord Shiva standing beneath the silver canopy, inside the main shrine. Offering details – Flowers, Honey, milk, butter, curd, sugar – provide immortality. Outside the temple there are some flower vendors. When people go for worship they offer flowers to God. Hinduism is the predominant religion of India. It is the oldest living religion of the world and there is no written history as to when it was created. Hindus believe in Idol worshipping. There are millions of Gods & Goddesses but there three main Gods – Brahma, the creator of the world, Vishnu, the preserver of Life and Shiva, the destroyer.

This is a Sikh place of worship. Gurudwara means the gate which leads you to spiritual enlightenment. Sikhism was established and developed by ten Gurus during the period 1469 to 1708. When Mughals came to India they started forcefully converting the Indian Religions to Islam. Sikhs being the warrior community fought the mughals against conversion. In that process, many Sikhs were killed here. The ninth Guru (spiritual teacher), Guru Tegh Bahadur was beheaded in 1675, for refusing to convert to Islam. This Gurudwara was made in his memory. The main structure is a spacious open hall with a bronze canopy in the middle where Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book is placed. We will also go inside a huge community kitchen inside the temple and see food being lovingly prepared by the local volunteers for free distribution to thousands of people. Approximately 20,000 people are served food from here daily.

This is the largest mosque of India and one of the top ten largest mosques of the world. It also has the worlds tallest brick minaret. Jama Masjid is considered a pilgrimage by the muslims. Mosque is a Muslim place of worship and Muslims follow Islam. Islam is the second largest and one of the fastest growing religions in the world. The foundation of Jama Masjid was laid by Mughal emperor Shahjahan in 1650. At a time around 25,000 people can pray together under the main prayer hall. Around 68,000 people can pray together including the vicinity, staircase and corridors. On the west side there is a prayer hall which has 260 pillars. It has two minarets which is 40 meter high. One can climb up to the top to have a fantastic view of the city. Its excellent to take pictures from here.