Meena Bazar is located in Old Delhi not far from the UNESCO World Heritage site, the Red Fort. It’s an old sprawling market that’s impossible to completely take in during one visit. It seems as though most people shopping here knew what vendors they wanted to patronize, although of course there was a lot of browsing.
The Bazar was created during the Mughal era as a place for women from the Red Fort to go shopping (eg. for clothes, jewelry, sarees, carpets, etc.). The market has grown significantly beyond its original presence inside the Red Fort and caters to all now, not just to women. It seemed to me that just about anything you might want, you could find for sale at the Meena Bazar.
Today the Meena Bazar is active every day. Below is a sampling of what we saw when we explored it.
There were a lot of produce (and food) vendors, many selling the same type of fruit. I was not sure how people decide which fruit cart to shop at, and was told you usually shop at the merchant your family has frequented — sometimes for decades. Prices seemed pretty standard through the market.
Some dates and other household goods….
Like all of Old Delhi, the streets around the market were filthy and smelly, piled with mountains of trash.
The only efficient way to explore the market is by bicycle rickshaw. The roads are so crowded that cars and even tuk-tuks don’t move well, but the bicycle rickshaw drivers know how to slither through. There is a lot of opportunity to hire a rickshaw, which seem to be just about everywhere.
Visiting the market provides you with a taste of the “real Delhi”. An experience that involves all of your senses, and one you won’t quickly forget.
