Shopper's Paradise: Shopping In Delhi

Being the Capital of the 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 centre. 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 centre 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 of a bite. Connaught place is just a kilometer away from the railway station and is about 30kms 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 control 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, Greater 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 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.

Towards the famous Ashok Hotel and Samrat Hotel in Chanakyapuri, after you cross the Prime Minister's residence, on the left of the Race Crouse road, is Santushti (meaning relief), the ideal shopping venue to the ethnic 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 corner. Nai Sarak, running tangentially from here has merged as the wholesale stationery and market for books, catering to all kinds 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 and 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 stricking mix of upmarkets as well as flea markets and are very crowded.

Another very unique feature of Delhi are its Weekly bazaars which exists in almost all colonies selling all kinds of household items for its residents. Certain festivals related bazaars are also fast gaining popularity mostly for pilgrim tourists and foreign tourists like at Suraj Kund (in haryana) and the Hauz Khas village which is an artificially created village.