Delhiwale: This way to Matia Mahal

Matia Mahal in Old Delhi, rich in history and vibrant nightlife, offers a mix of legendary eateries and shops, blending tradition with modernity.

Every bazar in the legendary Old Delhi has its legend, and Matia Mahal is no exception. It is said that emperor Shah Jahan, who founded the Walled City, built a palatial mahal of earth as his temporary residence on the very site where today stands the bazar, while the Red Fort was being raised. Could be true. The word “matia” must come from the Hindustani word mitti for earth/mud.

(HT Photo)

Whatever, no such mud mahal exists presently. And Matia Mahal is no mitti! It is in fact the Walled City’s most sparkling site. Every day, the market road acquires its fairytale glitter as the daylight ends. The litter is then no longer so visible. The neon signs give the market an illusion of carefree joyous nights. Wading through massive crowds of hawkers, shoppers, strollers, and idlers, it is impossible to believe that many years ago, one turbulent evening during the 1857 uprising against the British, a Matia Mahal resident called Zahir Dehlavi walked through the same area, which was then—he later wrote—utterly quiet, shops looted, doors closed, with no glimmer of light.

This evening, the illumined Matia Mahal is oversaturated with eateries and guest houses. The road begins with the legendary… warning here! Every second address in Matia Mahal is legendary. Start with Kallan Sweets. It has a LED board that runs a stock market-like ticker displaying its menu—“pista barfi, fruit barfi, kaju barfi, dhoda barfi, malai bar…” Their samosa is said to be very tasty. The other distinguished places include: Al Jawahar restaurant, Kareem’s, Aslam Chicken, Shahi Cool Point (yummy mango ice cream!), Asgher Bakery, Kalan Bawarchi (the air inside this kitchen smells of elaichi, laung, mirchi, pyaz, adrak, lehsun), and K&R Pickle and Murabbas. The latter is an extraordinary shop that sells home-made mango pickles, along with the old copies of the legendary Mahakta Aanchal magazine.

The bazar also has its collection of legendary hawkers. Such as the fourth-generation date seller Arif Khajoor Wale, who’s often heard muttering, “This khajoor is from Iran, this is from Oman, this is from Medina…”

It is said that Matia Mahal had scores of havelis in the long-ago past—each mansion had its own veranda, cloistered garden, and fountain. We, the living, might miss more intensely what has disappeared in our own lifetime, such as Matia Mahal’s Salim Tea House. It was one of Purani Dilli’s most authentic places to lounge with chai and buttered double roti. The tea house shut down unnoticed about a year ago, replaced by a typical Matia Mahal eatery, dishing out the typical kebabs and tikkas. (We still won’t miss Salim Tea House’s pesky rats!)

Maybe Matia Mahal throbs with excessive dynamism because it refuses to be a heritage museum, and is continually adapting to change. Take the bazar’s two ends. The starting point directly overlooks the historic Jama Masjid, a stone monument that is so stately. But the final point overlooks a glass-walled garment showroom bearing a name that has absolutely nothing venerable about it: Welcome Boys Sorry Girls.