Connaught Place in New Delhi

When it came into being, the sprawling circular market was the largest of its kind in India. The British believed that the horseshoe-shaped market would prove lucky for the shoppers and the shopkeepers both. This market has two circles. The Inner Circle consists of Blocks A to F. The important shops and showrooms here include Adidas Originals, Allen Solly, Bentley, Bon Ton, Cantabil, Gas, Johnson Watch Company, Kalpana, Lee, Louis Philippe, Neelkanth Jewellers, Nike, Orra, Park Avenue, Pepe, Proline and Fila, Roopchand Jewellers, Snowhite Square, Wills Lifestyle. Mohanlal Sons promises to give you ready or tailored attires to suit every occasion. Known for its quality and good service, you will find here a wide range of shirts, trousers, jackets, suits, kurtas and sherwanis. The Outer Circle consists of Blocks G to P. Showrooms like Digjam, Lacoste, Omega, Rado, RL Exports and TAG Heuer lie in this circle.

Ganga Ram & Sons in the Regal Building offer an exclusive range of wool and Cashmere suiting from premium brands. Gangoly Bros. have been known for their clocks and watches for generations. At Ivory Mart Jewellers in InterContinental Hotel you get traditional and ethnic pieces, beautifully crafted with hand-picked diamonds. Also check out the small range of handicraft pieces that are studded with precious stones.

History of Connaught Place :

Connaught Place (CP), officially renamed as Rajiv Chowk, is one of the premier commercial and business centres in New Delhi. Designed by Robert Tor Russell in accordance to the Royal Crescent in Bath in UK, it was named after the First Duke of Connaught. The place is a reminiscent of the the old Victorian style architecture. Work at Connaught Place commenced in 1929 and it was completed by 1933.

The structure consists of 2 concentric circles which went on to create the Inner Circle, Middle Circle and Outer Circle and several inter-connecting roads. According to the early construction plans CP has commercial centres in ground floor and residential quarters in first floor.

The few first commercial houses to set up store in CP were Kaventer’s, Snowwhite and Galgotia who were eventually followed by restaurant chains like Kwality and United Coffee House as well as Wenger’s which was run by a Swiss couple who first introduced pastries and Swiss chocolates in India. In the early days it was mostly the resident British officers, the then Indian royal dignitaries and rich businessmen who would mostly shop at CP. Delhi’s first underground market Pallika Bazaar was constructed in 1970s to fill up an empty block in the Inner Circle and it also has an underground parking space.

CP is also home to The Imperial which opened in 1931 and is regarded as the first luxury hotel in New Delhi. It is located on Queen’s Way (now renamed as Janpath) and it served as a haunt of choice for contemporary royalties and also noted politicians. In fact it was in The Imperial that Pandit Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi, Jinnah and Lord Mountbatten got together to discuss the perceived partition of India and the creation of Pakistan.

Today Connaught Place is one of the busiest thoroughfares in New Delhi with its collection of commercial and business houses. The Metro Station which was built underneath the Central Park and the station of Rajiv Chowk currently acts as the main hub of Delhi metro where people can change between the Yellow and Blue lines.