16 Of India’s Most Unique & Bizarre Markets

16 Of India’s Most Unique & Bizarre Markets

India’s bazaars have a very tangible sort of magic associated with them - a magic that’s been known to induce the irresistible urge to own all the beautiful things that lie scattered around you, in all their knick-knacky glory. It’s the onslaught of such a mind-boggling assortment of items being paraded under your nose that make it an experience that involves all your senses - sometimes for pleasure, sometimes for survival. The flowers, vermilion, bangles, garbage, chaiwallahs, pani puriwallahs, the occasional aggressive goat - all will blend into a single, chaotic cacophony as you zero in on the first of your prospective conquests. Never mind that someone else is already reaching for it triumphantly.

Being one of the most culturally and aesthetically diverse nations in the world, India has its fair share of iconic markets tucked away in every corner that are a means of livelihood for many. But this is also a country that is teeming with eccentricities, and when the two combine in all their glory, it leaves you quite enraptured.

We tried to look past the gnawing allure of trinkets and take a look around at some of the most unique, fascinating markets and melas in India. Climb aboard with your meanest haggling moves, as Homegrown takes you through a virtual tour around the country in our quest.

I.  Ima Keithel, Manipur

Manipuri mothers or Imas from all religions come together at this market, the only market organised and run completely by women. Around 3000 women congregate, sitting in rows, to sell different kinds of food, handicrafts and various other day-to-day household items. An important space that has been the site of much mobilisation of opinion and women empowerment, this unique bazaar gave rise to the Nupi Lal or the great women’s uprising of 1939, against the economic policies of the then British colonial forces. Today, located in four concrete structures in Imphal’s Khwairamband Bazaar, these women sit wrapped in scarf-like innaphis and sarong-like phaneks, ready to give you a run for their money as they chew their kwa (betel) with enthusiasm. The market is believed, by some accounts, to date back to some time in the 16th century.

ImaMarket, Manipur

II. Kannauj Markets, Uttar Pradesh

Vijay Market’s alleyways would give you immense insight into the structure of the town, with shops teeming with scented oils, incense, freshly made rose water and the highest quality attar. Your nose might also lead you to Jain street, another similar establishment. More than 650 perfumeries are involved in the creation of endless variations of scents here, each suited to a particular season, and yes - you can sample them all.

Perched on the bank of the Ganga, Kannauj is an old, traditional perfumery town where many a livelihood has been made thanks to the trained noses that can be found here.  Famously known as the capital of the Harsh Vardhan Empire, it is lined with ancient perfume houses, sandalwood distilleries and temples, known for making the most exquisite attar, or Indian perfume. The distillation and preparation of attar appears to have been introduced from Persia into the town, age-old roots that it perseveres to preserve. Mr Jain of Pragati Aroma Distillery in Kannauj speaks about how unlike modern perfume, attar is not about ‘top, middle and base notes’; for attar, it is important to achieve a harmonious combination of flower or wood essence when ‘impregnated over the sandalwood or sesame oil’.

Kannauj, Laure-Anne

III.  Jonbeel Mela, Assam

Considered to be the “rarest of the rarest festivals”, the three-day Jonbeel Mela sees tribes like Karbi, Khasi, Tiwa, and Jayantia come down from the hills to exchange merchandise, agricultural produce and products with the local non-tribals of Assam and Meghlaya, practising a barter system in a highly festive manner. It is, perhaps, the only market in India where the barter system is still alive, held at the end of the Assamese Magh Bihu period (Makara Sankranti). The genealogy of the mela can be traced back to the 15th century, making it one of the oldest functional markets in the country.

Recently, the Assamese government asked UNESCO to declare it a heritage festival, and Morigaon a heritage site; their request is currently under review. The mela derives its name from the banks of the eponymous moon-shaped water body on which it is held, Assamese terms Jon and Beel, meaning moon and wetland respectively.

Image source - wikipedia

IV.  Tarnetar Fair, Surendranagar district, Gujarat

Revolving around the sacred temple of Trineteshwar, the Tranetar fair is celebrated in the first week of “Bhadrapad” (August – September), and witnesses 100,000 people gathering every year to celebrate the wedding of Arjuna with Draupadi. The Punchal region, where this fair is held, is believed to be Draupadi’s native place, which gives the fair its mythological significance. Traditional Gujarati dishes, handicrafts, numerous stalls and shops and much song and dance populate the fair, but the main attraction of the event is the Swayamwar mela, where the prospective grooms stand under a ‘chatri’ to indicate their single status and the unmarried young women go under them and find their groom, all of them resplendent in their best traditional attire.

Tarnetaar fair

V. Kumbh Mela

The largest gathering for a peaceful purpose, and a religious one, in the world, the Kumbh Mela is a congregation of immense spiritual significance. Held every 12 years on a rotational basis in four of the most holy Hindu places in India, it manifests itself on the banks of the Godavari river in Nashik (Maharastra), the Shipra river in Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh), the Ganga in Haridwar (Uttarakhand), and convergence of the Ganges, Yamuna, and Saraswati rivers in Allahabad/Prayag (Uttar Pradesh). The mela is theoretically held at each of these places every three years, susceptible to alterations on the basis on astrological considerations, and the area designated for the festival is like a makeshift township, that is created and consequently dismantled over the course of the mela, that generally lasts 55 days.

Image source - IBN

VI. Majnu ka Tilla, New Delhi

Located in the Tibetan colony in Northern Delhi, and rampantly popular amongst DU students, the market hosts an array of street shops selling vibrant ‘Free Tibet’ tees, flip-flops and bags, as well as posters of Tibetan deities, pendants and CDs and DVDs for very reasonable prices. The community-in-exile settled down here in 1960, and you can hear strains of Buddhist prayers and Dalai Lama’s preachings from many of these shops. The Handicraft Emporium here is a tourist’s wet dream for souvenirs, with all kinds of Chinese wall hangings, paintings and jewellery. All that shopping and gawking can leave you hungry, which brings us to the food here – the Tee Dee restaurants momos are definitely something you need to try, and the gyuma (blood sausages with yak or sheep’s blood and roasted barley flour or rice as filler) is pretty popular as well. The Dolma restaurant boasts of a range of Chinese dishes, with their fried momos and chilli chowmein stealing the show.

Manju ka tilla

VII. Chor Bazaar, Mumbai

Thinking about finally buying that gramophone? Typewriter running out of ink? Chor Bazaar is the place to go. One of the largest flea markets in India, the Chor bazaar has been a victim of a myth for the longest time. Originally named Shor (meaning noise) bazaar, the name Chor (meaning thief) bazaar came about due to a British mispronunciation. However, the market does all it can to live up to its new-found reputation. All sorts of items – legal, illegal, patented, unpatented, broken, mended and sometimes even your own stolen belongings are likely to be unearthed here. This is the market for you if you’re on the lookout for second hand goods, antiquities, curios and vintage items, or if you just want to pay a visit to a market that is rooted in a deep-seated nostalgia with an unrelenting fascination for novelty items and knick-knacks.

Image source - oldbombayphotos

VIII.  Sonepur Cattle Fair, Bihar

Held on the confluence of the rivers Ganges and Gadhak, this mela held in the month of November is the largest cattle in Asia, and can last up to a month. Dating back to ancient times, it traces its history back to Chandragupa Maurya buying elephants and cattle across the Ganga during his rule, giving the fair immense historical and religious relevance. Visitors from places as distant as Central Asia used to come to carry out trade here. While the fair, today, is used to buy and trade all sorts of animals like dogs, buffaloes, donkeys, horses and even birds and poultry, one of the biggest attractions is the Haathi bazaar, where Elephants are decorated and lined up for sale.

Image source - inbtimes

IX.  Ingo’s Saturday Night Bazaar, Arpora, Goa

Ingo’s market in Goa is a great story of a feat of entrepreneurship that ultimately snowballed into one of the most popular night markets in the world. The shopping and entertainment centre was started in 1999 initially for foreigners to catch up over a few beers and some live music, but things escalated after a German named Ingo split to set up shop and form his own market, with free entry. Junk jewellery, beachwear, handicrafts, spices, tattoo and piercing artists congregate amidst live music, several bars and a mind-boggling variety of food, from Tibetan to Italian to Mexican. The market attracts local and foreign traders alike and the prices here will have you exploring the full extent of your bargaining skills to get a better deal. There’s generally an open area around the market where there is much dancing, and frequent trance dance parties are held here as well. Ingo’s Night Bazaar has an unmistakeable carnival-like feel to it, making it a well worth picking over a night clubbing.

Ingo’s Saturday Night Bazaar, Arpora, Goa

X. Pushkar Mela, Rajasthan

Held in the town of Pushkar, the Pushkar mela is an annual livestock fair that lasts for five days. Considered to be one of the largest camel fairs in the world, it has become an important tourist attraction. Apart from the camels, the mela also hosts various intriguing competitions like Matka phod, ‘the largest moustache’ and even a bridal competition. One of the most fascinating feature of the mela, however, is that in recent years, an exhibition cricket match is organised between the local Pushkar team and a team made up of random foreigners. Teen guna lagaan, anyone?

Pushkar Mela, Rajasthan

XI.  Binennale India, Kochi

Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2012 was India’s first ever biennial of international contemporary art, a reflection of India’s current socio-political and artistic landscape. The Department of Cultural Affairs of Government of Kerala approached two artists—Riyas Komu and Bose Krishnamachari—to organize this unique international platform for art in India. Initially started off as a government-initiative with view to do this, the primary challenge remained that a biennial, in India, had never traversed the nascent stages to actually materialise before, since there is a serious lack of infrastructure for an exhibition of this scale. Private patrons of the arts, local businesses and art aficionados congregated to represent the burgeoning art scene in India to emerge onto the world art stage with this event in Kochi. The Biennale 2014 is to be curated by Indian artist Jitish Kallat, in its upcoming edition.

Image source - bohhogypsey

XII.   Johari Bazaar, Jaipur

Johari Bazaar has traditionally been the shopping centre of the city, and with over four hundred stores and shops, it still very much retains the majesty of a bygone era. An international centre of gem trade, gem-cutting and setting and Kundan jewellery, this city of stone is inhabited by stone-cutters, artisans and store-owners who traditionally come from a long line of experts in their family. Apparently, this is a go-to spot for the world’s top accessories designers, due to the age-old treasure trove of knowledge the market nurses. The store owners will, thus, be offering you a variety of pieces which are currently ‘trending’, with the more traditional Rajasthani jewellery side-by-side.

Also on sale, you will find handcrafted footwear, curios, the famous Jaipur quilt in silk, velvet and cotton, costume jewellery, richly hued textiles and saris, marble sculptures, painting and garments. A trip to this market is incomplete without picking up a customary lassi at the LMB café.

Johari Bazaar

XIII.  New Market, Kolkata

At the heart of the shopping experience in Kolkata, you will find the heritage New Market, that has survived two major fires and frequent flooding since its construction, which began in 1874 with the last extension taking place in the 1930s. The giant shopping arcade was initially built as a monument to accommodate the British aversion to brushing shoulders with the natives, and housed some of the most affluent colonials from all over the country. Today, ‘New Market’ is used to refer to the entire Lindsay Street shopping area and is home to a plethora of iconic sari shops, florists, crockery and crystal stores and the famous Nahoum & Sons(established 1902), responsible for the Nahoum’s Rich Fruit Cake, brownies and macaroons that countless have sworn by, for over a century.

New Market, Kolkata

XIV. Dilli Haat, New Delhi

Dilli Haat replicates the feel of a ‘haat’ or a rural market smack in the middle of South Delhi. A joint venture of Delhi Tourism (DTDC) and Ministry of Tourism and Textile, Government of India, it was established in 1994 and threw open doors to all tourists in 2003. The South Delhi venue offers the complete ‘exotic’ shopping experience with handlooms, woodcarvings, gems, beads, pocket watches, camel hide footwear, handmade garments, to name just a phew. We mean, few. It has cemented its place as an important, permanent cultural centre. Dilli Haat was also the venue for India’s first Comic Convention, Comic Con India, organized in Feb 2011.

Through the sale of its handicrafts, Dilli Haat showcases the work of traditional artisans and encourages the talent in rural parts of India. Paved with stone and lined with brickwork and eucalyptus trees, the plaza is exceedingly charming, making it hard to leave once you’ve entered.

Visitors will also find themselves spoilt for choice when it comes to food, with the cuisines here spanning the country’s diverse states, with many food festivals being held here as well.

Image source - Boomsbeat

XV.   Mahidharpura Diamond Market, Surat

Open-air gemming is carried out with a marked nonchalance in the back lanes of Mahidharpura Diamond Market; men in huddles discussing quality and price in a rather festive environment. The famous diamond polishing and cutting industry of Surat carries out its business here, with millions of rupees changing hands over diamonds ranging from large stones to scraps and powders. You can find all kinds of diamonds here, from big prized ones to scraps and powders. Truly unique, the trade is based on the all-encompassing concept of trust, the whole business being orchestrated as it would be at your local kiraanawallah.

Mahidharpura Diamond Market, Surat

XVI.  Sardar Market, Jodhpur

Bandhej textiles, handicrafts, mojiris and spices and teas reign supreme in the Pink City, with hundreds of stalls beckoning to you in the form of friendly store-owners.  Cradled in the lap of the looming 15th-century Mehrangarh Fort, built with pink and red sandstone from the ‘40’s, the market is always teeming with locals, tourists and Bishnoi villagers hunting for the best deal. Trinkets, bangles and lehriya dupattas change hands seamlessly and like nowhere else in the country, the men and women alike are bedecked in a hundred hues of pink as the Mehrangrh fort blushes down upon the bustle.

Right next to the market is the hotel RAAS, a great place to bask in the day’s loot over a drink.

Sardar Market, Jodhpur

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