Connaught Place

One of the major attractions of New Delhi lies in its heart, popularly known as CP (CONNAUGHT PLACE). It is New Delhi’s oldest and largest commercial centre, well known for its Georgian architecture. For a shopaholic, it’s no less than a heaven. For a foodie, it’s the best place to explore different types of cuisine. It has shops selling hand-made art and crafts, including a large number of shops with Tibetan artifacts. The government owned state emporia complex at Khadag Singh Marg provides a shopping experience par excellence where the beautiful objects made by master craftsmen of India are sold to discerning buyers.

CP is designed after the Royal Crescent in Bath, England. It was constructed in early 20^th century and was named after the Duke of Connaught and Strathearn, who had come to visit Delhi at that time. Its construction work began in 1929 and was completed in 1933. Today, it is listed among the 141 notified heritage places in the NDMC area.

Two concentric circles with a central park in the middle forms the broad outlines of Connaught Circus. The outer circle includes ‘G-N’ Block and the inner circle has ‘A-F’ Block. It is divided into 6 sections making an angle of 60 degrees. The colossal, circular, ivory white structure was built to serve the elite living in Delhi. But today, it’s a commercial, social and cultural hub for people of every age and class. One can shop for the high end brands as well as street vendors here. It is equally easy to find handmade and customized materials. Food too ranges from expensive cafes to local streets food. Everything is available here. The metro station – Rajiv Chowk (named in the memory of the former Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi) provides easy access to CP

Upscale luxury hotels like Shangri-La Eros Hotel, Le Meridien and many other are located in the vicinity along with cheaper ones. Not only tourists, even college students find this place very rejuvenating. The lively cafés, restaurants and eateries serve as center of attraction for the youth. New Delhi’s oldest and most famous pastry shop ‘Wenger’s provides a feast for the connoisseurs. CP also has the oldest milkshake shop, formerly known as Keventer’s. People love to visit the old coffee houses that have survived for more than eight decades. For e.g. Madras Coffee House, Indian Coffee House, etc. though some of them look somewhat shabby, yet they have a loyal clientele. Hotel ‘Kwality’ has been serving people for past 70 years. Generations have worked there and contributed to the authenticity of the place. Each segment of CP has its own value and importance.

CP is also a well known entertainment hub of New Delhi from the very beginning. After the introduction of talkies to Indian cinema in 1931, ‘REGAL ’cinema was opened there. Today, four cinema houses are present in CP. Another attraction is Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum. Apart from this, there are three major religious places, namely – Hanuman Mandir [said to belong to the Mahabharat period], Bangla Sahib Gurudawara and Sacred Heart Cathedral. There are also a number of masjids here, which attract a lot of people. The Flag of India, located in the Central Park, stands as a symbol of India’s unity in diversity and is visible across the place.

Another site of attraction is Palika Bazaar. It is India’s first underground, air-conditioned market. It offers a wide range of accessories, clothes, books, phone covers, handbags etc at affordable prices. People are seen buzzing around, engaging in negotiations and bargaining.The place attracts a lot of youth for recreation and fun. Many YouTubers and vloggers visit the place to experience the joys of CP. Not only this, many tik-tok videos are also filmed in and around this place.

Apart from fun and entertainment, CP plays another important role for the public sector i.e. provides employment to all kinds of people. Corporate sector works from offices located in this prestigious location. It is undoubtedly the most expensive and iconic retail space and is the pride of Delhi.