Also Known As · Gauri Shankar Mandir
New Delhi, Delhi · temple
A calm Shiva shrine in the roar of Chandni Chowk — an ~800-year-old brown lingam ringed by silver serpents, beside the Jain Lal Mandir, facing the Red Fort.
The Gauri Shankar Temple is one of Old Delhi's most revered Shiva shrines — a living centre of Shaiva worship at the eastern end of Chandni Chowk, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Digambar Jain Lal Mandir and facing the Red Fort. It is widely described as the oldest Shiva–Parvati (Gauri–Shankar) temple in the Delhi region, and its heart is an ancient brown-stone Shiva lingam, traditionally held to be around 800 years old, encircled by silver serpents in the marble-clad sanctum.
Pure-vegetarian stuffed fried parathas in the historic lane
Pure-vegetarian kachori-sabzi and jalebi
Vegetarian chaat, aloo tikki and papdi
The Gauri Shankar Temple is one of Old Delhi's most revered Shiva shrines — a living centre of Shaiva worship at the eastern end of Chandni Chowk, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Digambar Jain Lal Mandir and facing the Red Fort.
entry is free, and the temple opens in a morning and an evening darshan window each day. Remove footwear, dress modestly, keep noise low during aarti, and note that photography inside the sanctum is not permitted. The lanes are extremely crowded, so come by metro or cycle-rickshaw rather than car. Nearest metro: Lal Qila. Allow about 30 to 45 minutes, ideally paired with the adjacent Jain Lal Mandir.
Visiting Hours
Entry Fee: Free entry. Donations are voluntary; footwear removed at the entrance.
Verified: July 2026
Address
Chandni Chowk (eastern end), beside Digambar Jain Lal Mandir, New Delhi, Delhi, 110006
At the east end of Chandni Chowk, opposite the Red Fort
🚇 Nearest Metro: Lal Qila (Violet Line) — a 4–5 minute walk; Chandni Chowk (Yellow Line) ~1 km
🚶 Walking from Metro: From Lal Qila metro it is about a 4–5 minute walk to the temple at the east end of Chandni Chowk.
Distance from
Parking
none · None practical
No practical parking in the congested Chandni Chowk core — arrive by metro or cycle-rickshaw.
🚕 Ride Hailing Tip: Cabs cannot enter the pedestrianised bazaar; alight at Lal Qila metro and walk, or take a cycle-rickshaw.
How to Reach: The temple is at the eastern end of Chandni Chowk, beside the Digambar Jain Lal Mandir and facing the Red Fort. Nearest metro: Lal Qila (Violet Line), about a 4–5 minute walk; Chandni Chowk (Yellow Line) is about 1 km. Cycle-rickshaws ply the bazaar; cars are impractical in the lanes.
History
By tradition, Appa Gangadhar, a Maratha soldier serving in mid-18th-century Delhi, vowed to build a temple to Shiva if he recovered from a grave illness; on regaining his health he raised the present shrine in 1761 around a far older brown-stone lingam said to date back some 800 years.
🏛️ Architect: A traditional North Indian temple with a shikhara and a marble-clad sanctum, intricately carved; the ancient brown-stone lingam is encircled by silver serpents, and the sanctum houses the Gauri–Shankar family group of Shiva, Parvati, Ganesha and Kartikeya.
Significance
The Gauri Shankar Temple is widely regarded as the oldest Shiva–Parvati temple in the Delhi region — enshrining an ancient brown-stone lingam ringed by silver serpents — and a landmark of the Chandni Chowk heritage precinct beside the Jain Lal Mandir.
Delhi's oldest Jain temple and its charitable bird hospital, right beside it.
The great red-sandstone Mughal fort of Shahjahanabad, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The historic, teeming main bazaar of Old Delhi and its vegetarian food lanes.
Family Highlights
💰 Equipment Fees: Free outside; no photography inside the sanctum.
📍 The Golden Spot: The carved shikhara above the temple in the Chandni Chowk streetscape.
🌅 Best Light Time: Early morning before the bazaar crowds build.
🌅 Secret View: The silver serpents ringing the ancient lingam are a distinctive detail worth a quiet, close look during darshan.
🎯 Crowd Hack: Come early on a weekday morning; Mondays and Maha Shivratri bring the biggest crowds.
💎 Secret Fact: The shrine was built in 1761 by Appa Gangadhar, a Maratha soldier who vowed a temple to Shiva if he recovered from illness, around a lingam said to be some 800 years old.
⚡ Express Tour
20 minutes — darshan of the lingam and the family group.
🔭 Deep Dive Tour
Half day — Gauri Shankar and the Jain Lal Mandir, then a Chandni Chowk food walk.
👕 Dress Code: Modest dress covering shoulders and knees; footwear removed before entry.
📷 Photography Rules: Photography inside the sanctum is generally not permitted; ask before shooting.
🏧 Nearest ATM: ATMs along Chandni Chowk and near Lal Qila metro (within 1 km).
Entry is free. The temple opens in two daily darshan windows — roughly 5:00 AM to 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM.
Lal Qila on the Violet Line is closest, a 4–5 minute walk; Chandni Chowk on the Yellow Line is about 1 km down the bazaar.
It is widely regarded as the oldest Shiva–Parvati temple in the Delhi region, enshrining an ancient brown-stone lingam — said to be about 800 years old — ringed by silver serpents.
The present shrine was built in 1761 by Appa Gangadhar, a Maratha soldier who vowed a temple to Shiva if he recovered from illness; it was renovated in 1959.
On Mondays and especially during Maha Shivratri (February/March), when it is decorated with flowers and garlands and draws large crowds.
Chandni Chowk at the doorstep is a vegetarian food haven — Paranthe Wali Gali, Jung Bahadur's kachori and Shri Balaji chaat are all a short walk away.