Shopping is often on top of the agenda of a tourist visiting Delhi. In this section, we cover the principal shopping areas of Connaught Place and Karol Bagh along with others. Strolling in these markets can fetch you a wide range of products - from the simplest indigenous handicrafts to international designer labels.
CONNAUGHT PLACE
When it came into being, the sprawling circular market was the largest of its kind in India. The British believed that the horseshoe-shaped market would prove lucky for the shoppers and the shopkeepers both.
This market has two circles. The Inner Circle consists of Blocks A to F. The important shops and showrooms include Adidas Originals, Allen Solly, Bentley, Bon Ton, Cantabil, Gas, Johnson Watch Company, Kalpana, Lee, Louis Philippe, Neelkanth Jewellers, Nike, Orra, Park Avenue, Pepe, Proline and Fila, Roopchand Jewellers, Snowhite Square and Wills Lifestyle.
Mohanlal Sons promises to give you ready or tailored attires to suit every occasion. Known for quality and good service, you will find a wide range of shirts, trousers, jackets, suits, kurtas and sherwanis here. The Outer Circle consists of Blocks G to P. Showrooms like Digjam, Lacoste, Omega, Rado, RL Exports and TAG Heuer lie in this circle. Ganga Ram & Sons in the Regal Building offer an exclusive range of wool and Cashmere suiting from premium brands. Gangoly Bros. have been known for their clocks and watches for generations. At Ivory Mart Jewellers in InterContinental Hotel.
you get traditional and ethnic pieces with hand-picked diamonds crafted into them beautifully. Also check out the small range of handicraft pieces that are studded with precious stones.
KHADI GRAMODYOG BHAVAN
10am to 7pm | Weekly Off: Sundays
Branded simply as Khadi, the range of natural cosmetic products here rivals the best in the world. The handmade soaps, shampoos and facewash are must-buys. The soaps come in many varieties and look good enough to eat - from Basil and Lavender to Mango and Mint.
Though there are many Khadi outlets in Delhi, the Khadi Gramodyog Bhavan in the Regal Building is the most popular. You can check out saris in cotton, silk, khadi-silk and tussar silk; eco-friendly handmade paper products such as bags, diaries; leather products, etc.
The backbone of rural India's economy, Khadi was evolved during India's freedom movement. After independence, the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) was established in 1957 with the objective to plan, programme and promote khadi and village industries. Under the Khadi & Village Industries sector there are more than 15,000 sales outlets as well as production centres throughout India.
Address : 24, Regal Bldg, Connaught Place, New Delhi
PALIKA BAZAAR
This underground, air-conditioned market located below the inner circle of Connaught Place was set up in the late 1970s. It is especially famous for cheap electronic goods and clothes. From footwear to clothing to nightwear to perfumes to accessories to electronic gadgets to DVDs and CDs, you will get a wide range of products in this massive market. You may also buy curios and small knick-knacks to take back home as souvenirs.
There are hundreds of shops in Palika Bazaar. It is estimated to have some 15,000 people within its confines at any given time and also attracts many foreign tourists. Although bargaining is the mantra for shopping anywhere in Delhi, it must be followed here rigorously.
The Main gate faces Central Park, with F Block on the right and Palika Underground Parking on the left. Entry is through a staircase. This market remains closed on Sundays.
JANPATH
Here you get to do the best of street shopping. You will mostly find small kiosks selling all kinds of cotton clothes and curios. The clothes are generally export-surplus garments and are sold dirt-cheap. There's lots of silver and artificial jewellery studded with semi-precious stones. Refugees who came after the Partition and Tibetans who came when China invaded Tibet settled here as traders. Shopping here requires a couple of skills. One, you must have the ability to distinguish the fake from the genuine. Two, you must know and practice the art of bargaining patiently.
The Tibetan Market, near Hotel Imperial is a storehouse of curios and Tibetan artefacts. You can shop for some silver jewellery, thangkhas and brassware.
Across the road here are a few well-known shops. The Central Cottage Industries Emporium, a Government of India undertaking under the Ministry of Textiles, is housed in the Jawahar Vyapar Bhavan. Envisaged as a showcase of the creations of Indian craftsmen, weavers and folk artists, it has been a favourite with customers in India and the world over. It remains open on all days from 10am to 7pm.
Cooke & Kelvey at Scindia House is admired by the elites in India and abroad. The fabulous designs are articulately executed to produce exquisite heavy kundan sets, maangtika and sherwani buttons that are breathtakingly gorgeous. In the same building, you will also find Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri (TBZ). Here one can find a varied range of traditional and innovative designer jewellery in gold and diamonds, certified solitaire diamonds and hallmarked jewellery. Its clients include generations of high-profile families.
BABA KHARAK SINGH MARG
If you would like to have the pick of all states, go to the State Emporia Complex on Baba Kharak Singh Marg. Shawls are the main attraction of Zoon, the Kashmir emporium, and bronze lamps and icon of Poompuhar, the Tamil Nadu emporium. Those interested in exquisite silks should go to Cauvery, the Karnataka emporium. Amrapali, the Bihar emporium, is famous for Madhubani paintings, while Rajasthali, the Rajasthan emporium, and Gurjari, the Gujarat emporium, are popular destinations for printed cottons, miniature paintings and jewellery. You get tea at Manjusha, the West Bengal emporium, and wood carvings at Mrignayani, the Madhya Pradesh emporium. Manjusha is also popular for its silk and cotton saris - Taant, Dhakai, Baatik, Jamdani, Kantha, Baluchari and Swarnachuri. The three-storeyed Tripura emporium called Purbasha is jam-packed with goodies for your home: beautiful stuff made of bamboo and cane.
Rajiv Gandhi Handicrafts Bhavan, right next to the emporia complex, houses stores that sell books, handicrafts, paper products, rural handicrafts, etc.
MOHAN SINGH PALACE
This is where you can get designer labels at pocket-friendly prices. This den of denims has hundreds of shops specializing in making jeans for all sizes. You can get a pair of jeans for less than Rs 500. The tailors will customize it for you in a couple of hours. A must for denim junkies! This market building is also home to wholesalers of upholstery, drapery and all sorts of other fabrics.
Near Mohan Singh Place, adjacent to PVR Rivoli Cinema, is the very famous tailor shop D Vaish and Sons, who specialize in men’s wedding wear, especially suits and sherwanis.
SHANKAR MARKET
Situated on the periphery of Connaught Place, Shankar Market is one of the biggest garment hubs in Delhi. It has been there for more than 50 years and comprises 110 shops on the ground floor and 53 stalls and 53 commercial flats on the upper floor. Balbir Cloth House here is famous for its embroidery and suit material. It offers phulkari embroidery and Patiala prints.
PAHARGANJ
As you step out of the New Delhi Railway Station and cross the road, you stand at the entrance to Paharganj Main Bazaar. Stretching for about a kilometre, it is a bargainer's paradise. Chaotic, noisy and dirty, the market is only for shoppers who are rough and tough.
The whole Main Bazaar is lined with shops full to the brim with books, music, jewellery, bags, clothes, shoes, incense, textiles, wooden statues, and handicrafts. Shanti Handloom and other textile shops offer bags, bed spreads, cushion covers, wall hangings, etc. The jewellery shops sell handmade beaded necklaces and bangles in every shape, size and colour. Carved wooden statues of gods and goddesses, brass wares and decorations are available among handicrafts. Prayer Incense Worldwide specializes in incense sticks, incense cones and Indian tea. Even books, both new and second-hand, are available.
KAROL BAGH
Karol Bagh is a shopper's delight for you can find here virtually everything. Ajmal Khan Road has long been famous for inexpensive readymades, cotton yarn and embroidered garments. But now the international labels have become as familiar. At Arya Samaj Road you can buy second-hand books. Bank Street has a row of shops displaying gold jewellery. Ghaffar Market is famous for imported goods.
