There are several popular commercial places in Delhi that can be called the Hotspots of Delhi. Some of them are listed below.

List of Hotspots in Delhi

• Chandi Chowk
• Karol bagh
• Dilli Haat
• Connaught Place
• Janpath

Chandni Chowk

Chandni Chowk has been a commercial center since the Mughal Era in the reign of Emperor Shah Jehan. It has several well-known markets both wholesale and retail dealing in diverse commodities. There are also buildings and residences that were built ages ago and which were used by famous and historical figures.

There is so much commercial activity in this area that the place is always congested and filled with people, vehicles, hand carts etc. There are wholesale and retail markets dealing in cloth, ready-made clothes, jewelry, silver articles, laces and borders, electronic goods, grains, lentils and dry fruits, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, lighting fixtures and electrical goods and more apart from street food of all varieties, sweet meats etc.

Karol Bagh

Karol Bagh is another popular commercial destination in Delhi located centrally. It is mostly a retail market with shops and bazaars that sell branded as well as cheaper non-branded goods. This market was developed by Punjabi refugees from Pakistan who migrated to India during the Partition immediately after Independence. This is the biggest and most frequented market that has been around since Independence.

Post partition refugees were provided accommodation around this place and they opened small shops to earn their basic bread and butter which have now become big stores and shops of diverse goods.

Being centrally located people from all over Delhi as well as visitors to Delhi come to find all that they need in this place.

Dilli Haat

In Hindi “haat” is the word used for a traditional weekly market where traders congregate to sell their wares. It is usually not a permanent market but the place becomes a market on an allotted day. DilliHaat is also a traditional and ethnic market place located in a wide open space in South Delhi opposite INA market. It also has a food court where all the states of India have stalls that sell region specific cuisine. The place was developed with an idea to provide the much needed platform for artisans and craftsmen from different states of India to directly sell their ware to the clients without the intervention of middlemen and touts. The shops are allotted to these craftsmen for a fortnight for a very nominal fee. It is a win-win situation for both sellers and shoppers as craftsmen and artisans can sell their wares directly to their clients and the clients get genuine hand crafted goods at a reasonable price.

There is also an exhibition hall where shows and exhibitions related to hand crafted goods such as handloom silks and cottons, hand woven sarees, woolen fabrics as well as specialty crafts from different states are exhibited.

Apart from the main Dillihaat in south Delhi, there are similar DilliHaats in different places of Delhi replicating the main DilliHaat.

Connaught Place

Located in the heart of Lutyen’s Delhi, Connaught Place or Rajiv Chowk as it is now called is the original commercial center as envisioned by Lutyens.

Connaught Place has a large central park with a circular market place spread over three concentric circles. There are uniformly designed buildings with colonial architecture. There are radial roads that originate from the innermost circle and lead to the busiest roads such as Barakhamba Road, Kasturba Gandhi Road, Janpath, Parliament Street, Panchkuian Road etc.

The inner circle has shops some of which have been there since the Place was made. New shops which sell high end branded products such as clothes for men, women and children, watches, footwear, fashion accessories, books, bags electronic goods etc. are found here. Restaurants with cuisine from all over the world, cafes, lounges and bars are scattered in all the three circles.

Janpath

Janpath is the Street of the common people and is one of the most important roads in New Delhi. It originates as the first radial road from the inner circle of Connaught Place and ends near India Gate after running at right angles to Raj Path.

Originally Raj Path was called Kings Way and Jan Path was called Queens Way. Janpath also has an open market with small open stores and stalls that is popular among budget travelers; foreign visitors, students and visitors from other states. The small open shops here sell all kinds of cheaper garments, curios, handcrafted goods and accessories.You can also find street food that is very popular.