Today Connaught place is famous for its food and ambiance. It is a shopping wonderland, the ultimate hangout, and the favorite cuisine resort for Indian commoners. It is a must-see location for non-Indians. It's also the ideal place to work for retailers.
Many of you may be familiar with CP, which is a wonderful example of Georgian architecture located in the heart of India's capital city, New Delhi. But there are a few things about Connaught Place that you probably didn't know.
Rajiv Chowk is the official name for Connaught Place. The Rajiv Chowk was called after the late Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Delhi has the largest commercial and business centers. CP is another name for it. There are numerous restaurants, bars, stores, and cinemas in Connaught Place.
It was built as a showcase of Lutyen's Delhi, complete with a Central Business District. Construction began in 1929 and was completed in 1933, and it was named after the Duke of Connaught.
A subterranean Palika bazaar where you can pick up cheap home appliances and lifestyle items. There are so many shops here that there is nothing one cannot buy. The restaurants, pubs, and bookshops of Connaught Place are well-known.
Connaught Place's central park has long been a location for cultural activities. It was reconstructed in 2005-06 after the Delhi Metro station was erected beneath it. Rajiv Chowk is the Metro's interchange for the Yellow and Blue lines, as well as one of the network's largest and busiest stops.
Origin
Connaught Place, named for the Duke of Connaught, was constructed by architect Robert Tor Russell. From 1929 to 1933, the building took around four years. It was built to serve Delhi's aristocracy, particularly in the Lutyens Bungalow Zone, which was constructed by architect Edwin Lutyens (LBZ).
The Royal Crescent in Bath inspired the architecture of CP, with the exception that the latter is semi-circular and three-storied.
Construction of the Viceroy House (now Rashtrapati Bhavan), Secretariat Building, Parliament House, and All-India War Memorial began in 1929, and India Gate was completed in 1933, long after the city's inauguration in 1931.
The Imperial, New Delhi's first luxury hotel, opened in 1931 on Queen's Way (modern-day Janpath) and quickly became a favorite of royalty and a meeting spot for politicians. Nehru, Gandhi, Jinnah, and Mountbatten met with her to negotiate India's partition and the establishment of Pakistan.
When Connaught Place was ready for occupation in 1933, there were few takers. In fact, most Walled City shopkeepers joked that CP's enormous shops would wind up being used as horse stables.
Construction
The market was influenced by the Royal Crescent, a semicircular three-story structure in Bath, same as the India Gate was inspired by the Arc de Triomphe on the Champs Elysees, and the North and South Block buildings were inspired by buildings designed by Herbert Baker in South Africa.
The market complex was started in 1929 and finished in 1933, two years after New Delhi was formally inaugurated. The two-story Georgian-style edifice was designed in the shape of two concentric circles, Connaught Place and Connaught Circus, to honor the Duke of Connaught, Queen Victoria's third son and the uncle of the reigning monarch, King George VI.
The structure was renamed Indira Chowk and Rajeev Chowk a few years ago. Only the Metro has adopted the new name, with the New Delhi Traders' Association voting to oppose the renaming and refusing to modify their stationery and signboards.
Despite its image as a trendy and wealthy market in the 1950s, 1960s, and even 1970s, Connaught Place served Delhi's middle class and young.
Your lecturers sent you to the New Delhi Stationery Mart, which is located across from the Plaza, to have your dissertations and theses bound. The sidewalk outside United Coffee House was one of the greatest areas to find inexpensive used books. Bibliophiles also went to the corner opposite Regal Cinema and the Janpath pavement near the Indian Oil building, where Mirza Saheb from Hyderabad launched his little stand of second-hand magazines and books, which has since evolved into the famous Midland Books.
Reconstructions
CP's structure had lost its luster after nearly 70 years in operation. It needed to be redeveloped and renovated. The refurbishment proposal, which was first proposed in 2005, was expected to cost around Rs. 80 crores and be completed in time for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in 2010. Unfortunately, the project dragged on until 2013, missing nearly 20 deadlines and costing Rs. 671 crores.
Written By - Kritika Sharma
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