page_title: Ghantewala
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Ghantewala / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Sohan Halwa (top shelf) at Ghantewala in Chandni Chowk, Delhi
context_page_description: The Ghantewala Halwai in Chandni Chowk in Delhi, established in 1790 CE was one of the oldest halwais in India.
  It has catered to Mughal Emperors, Presidents and Prime Ministers of India, from Nehru to his grandson Rajiv Gandhi. Over the years, it has also remained a popular visitors attraction in Old Delhi area and known for its Sohan Halwa.
  In July 2015, the shop closed down due to falling sales and legal issues with the Delhi Pollution Control Committee.
context_section_description: It was founded by Lala Sukh Lal Jain who had arrived in the walled city  of Delhi from Amber, India, a few years after Sindhia restored Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II  (r. 1759 - 1806). The shop was later run by his descendants for seven generations. 
  There are a couple of theories about how it got its name "Ghantewala". According to one, it was so named by Mughal Emperor, Shah Alam II himself who asked his servants to get sweets from the ghante ki neeche wali dukaan (Shop below the bell) shop, which in time got shortened to simply Ghantewala. In those days the area was sparsely populated and the Emperor who used to live in the Red Fort could hear the toll of the bell for the school which was located in near the shop.
  Another theory about how it was named "Ghantewala" is that the founder, Lala Sukh Lal Jain, used to walk from street from street for selling his sweets while ringing a bell to attract attention. As he grew popular, people started to call him "Ghantewala" - a Hindi language word for the bell-man. Later when he established a shop, he named it "Ghantewala".
  Ghantewala's sweets were already famous before the Indian Rebellion of 1857 (Ghadar). The newspaper, 'Dihli Urdu Akhbar' of 23 August 1857 reported about the rebels from other regions become softened after they discovered the luxuries of the royal capital:
  ..The moment they have a round of Chandni Chowk ... enjoy the sweetmeats of Ghantawala, they lose all urge to fight and kill the enemy.
  The Lala began by selling Mishri Mawa, a Rajasthani specialty. In 2015, they had around 40 to 50 different varieties of sweets that they kept changing according to the season or festivals, according to Sushant Jain, who is a seventh generation descendant. The family split a few decades ago and another branch has a shop nearby the fountain. One shop is closed while another shop has changed its name as Ghantewala Confectioners run by a descendant, Nirmal Jain. It is situated close to the Gali Paranthe Wali also in Chandni Chowk.
caption: Sohan Halwa (top shelf) and other traditional Indian sweets at Ghantewala in Chandni Chowk
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