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Being the Capital of this
vast country. Delhi becomes a focal point for Shopping.
The most glamorous shopping
area in the heart of the city is the Connaught Place, built during the
British Days, with a beautiful fountain and park in the center. The entire
Connaught Place is built in concentric circles. A pillared pathway runs
along the outer most and inner most circles with convenient and ample
parking spaces. Radial roads lead out of this center point to all parts of
Delhi. While shopping for the choicest Indian and foreign brands do walk-in
to any of the immaculately designed restaurants or fast food centers for a
bite.
Connaught place is jut a kilometer away from the railway station and
is about 30 kms from the airport. It also houses an underground shopping
plaza ‘Palika Bazar, which also provides an underground parking for
safety. While Connaught Circus still retains its original British
flavour,
designed by Lutyen while
planning New Delhi, modernization has taken place around it. Multinational
corporate houses, banks, hotels, restaurants, showrooms etc. have appeared
in beautifully designed high rise buildings, interconnected with modern
subways to controls the ever increasing groups of tourists and shoppers.
Do
visit the Baba Kharak Singh Marg where you will find a row of State
Handicraft Emporias. Prices here are fixed and products are genuine. Typical
textiles brasswares, jewellery, paintings, furniture and souvenirs from
every State can be found in their respective showrooms.
Pay a visit to the
Central Cottage Industries Emporium at Janpath in the STC Building Complex
for the choicest handicrafts from all states under one roof. This Emporia
Chain also has its branches in major cities in India and Abroad. Other
up-market shopping areas are South Extension, Sarojini Nagar, INA Market,
Greter kailash Part-I, Vasant Vihar in the South, Khan Market and Sunder
Nagar Market in central Delhi within a km from the India Gate.
Opposite the INA market at
Laxmi Bai Nagar, Delhi Tourism runs an open air handicraft market, Dilli
Haat, in which craftsmen are invited from every state to sell their products
directly. Stalls have also been provided
for typical cuisine and fast food from many states-all within one complex.
The entire place has been given a brick finish. You could strike some good
bargains here. ( read more )
Towards the famous Ashok
Hotel and Samrat Hotel in Chanakyapuri, after you cross the Prime
Minister’s residence, on the left of the Race Course road, is Santushti
(meaning relief), the ideal shopping venue to the ethic art lover.
Intricately crafted woodwork, brasswares, terracotta, textiles,
jewellery,
clay toys, and metalwares can be purchased in this tiny arcade, for which
you enter from the round-about and inside the Air Force Station premises.
Inside the walled city
there are some of the oldest market places of Delhi with some names related
to the products they are still famous for, like the Chandni Chowk which was
once named for its silver jewellery but is now the wholesale market for
textiles, readymades, suitings, shirtings and sarees. While shopping one
could feast in some of the most famous sweet shops and chaat corners. Nai
Sarak, running tangentially from
here has emerged as the wholesale stationary and market for books, catering
to all kind of text and reference books prescribed in schools, colleges and
institutes. Towards Chandni Chowk, however, the textile market begins. For
all kinds of silver and precious & semi-precious stones walk into the
narrow lanes of Kinari Bazar, also famous for glittering costumes of famous
Indian mythological characters. Khari Baoli is the wholesale market for dry
fruits and food grains. Etc.
Towards west Delhi the most
versatile markets are Karol Bagh and Rajouri Garden which are a striking mix
of up market as well as flea markets and are very crowded.
Another
very unique feature of Delhi are its Weekly bazaars which exist in almost
all colonies selling all kinds of household items for its residents. Certain
festival related bazaars are also fast gaining popularity mostly for pilgrim
tourists like at Suraj Kund (in Haryana) and the Hauz Khas village which is
an artificially created village.
So go ahead, shop to your
heart’s delight and take home an exquisite, piece made in
India , just for you.
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