page_title: Sohan halwa
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Sohan halwa / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Sohan Halwa (top shelf) at Ghantewala in Chandni Chowk, Delhi
context_page_description: Sohan halwa is a traditional dessert in South Asia, which is a variety of dense, sweet confection or halwa. Gheewala halwa is popular for sohan halwa since the Mughal era. There are hundreds of shops that produce sohan halwa in the cities of Multan and Dera Ismail Khan.
  It is made by boiling a mixture of water, sugar, milk, and cornflour until it becomes solid. Saffron is used for flavoring. Ghee is used to prevent it from sticking to the pan. Almonds, pistachios, and cardamom seeds are added. Unlike most other halwa dishes in the Indian subcontinent, it is solid, similar to its Middle Eastern counterparts.
context_section_description: The Hafiz Halwa shop in Multan claims it was introduced by Dewan Sawan Mal, the ruler of Multan in 1750. However, there is a theory that it was invented in Persia by Iranian people and it was considered an ancient sweet served during social gatherings.
  S. Abdul Khaliq claims that this halwa was introduced in the Indian subcontinent in the early 16th century when Mughal emperor Humayun (r. 1530–1540, 1555–1556) came back to power in Medieval India after being exiled in Herat, which was the capital of Persia.
  In Old Delhi, the 225-year-old Ghantewala sweet shop established during the reign of Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II, (r. 1759 - 1806)  in 1790, made Sohan Halwa, and remained a popular visitors attraction, till its closure due to a lack of profitability hit the news July 23, 2015.
caption: Sohan Halwa (top shelf) and other traditional Indian sweets.
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