Shopping can be a delightful time pass for most Lucknowites, a fact that is validated by the ever growing number of shopping malls and market places in the city. Almost every nook and corner of Lucknow has big and small open air market places, commonly known as Bazaars.
Lucknow city houses some of the most renowned bazaars that have been serving its people since decades and are the favourite destinations for shopaholics. Though the city has a number of big and splendid malls along with huge shopping centres, open air market places still possess the local Awadhi charm and therefore attract massive crowds every day. These local markets are the heartbeat of the commercial activity as well as the lifestyle of the people as they continue to cater to the needs of both the business community and the society.
Lucknow has open market places that are high on variety and are preferred over malls because of the affordable prices at which you can collect stuff from them. The following are the preferred bazaars in the city that have captured the spirit of Lucknow and have been a delight for shoppers. They, in fact, are representative of the culture, heritage and lineage of the city.
Hazratganj Market
The most renowned open air market of the Lucknow, Hazratganj, is situated in the centre of the city and is upbeat with the spirit of the Lucknow city. It is the most preferred market not only for Lucknowites but for the tourists as well on account of its prime location and popularity.
It is one of the oldest markets and was established by Nawab Amjad Ali Shah. The market was open only to British carriages before Independence and was called Queens Way. The market houses major retail outlets and renowned showrooms of all the leading consumer goods and also local shops and street vendors selling clothes on the pavements.
In addition to this, it has jewellery stores, car showrooms, booksellers, eateries and much more for being a true shoppers’ delight. Besides being the favoured destination for shopping, Hazratganj has been known for the famous “Ganjing” in the evenings by the people to spend the typical “Awadhi Shaam” .The Hazratganj market remains closed on Sundays.
In 2010-11, the Uttar Pradesh Government gave Hazratganj a facelift on the occasion of the centenary celebrations of the establishment of the market place. The whole area is now colour coordinated under a beautification drive which makes Hazratganj a classic market resembling the Victorian era walkway that it originally was. The newly introduced Victorian lamps, benches and fountains give it a very royal feel while keeping the Awadhi charm alive.
Aminabad Market
The Aminabad market of the city can be said to depict the real face of Lucknow with the streets bubbling with energy, liveliness and enormous crowds. Aminabad is another popular and highly visited market for shopping. It is a preferred open air market in Lucknow owing to affordable rates at which good quality products are made available to the people.
It is centrally located and has almost everything right from clothing to footwear, jewellery to wholesale medicine market, book market to fruit market and much more to make it one of the busiest markets of the city. Moreover, the market place boasts of some of the most renowned food joints such as Tundey Kababi, Wahid Biryani, Prakash Kulfi, Madhur milan and others to delight your taste buds when on a shopping spree.
Aminabad has a special Thursday footpath market, which is one day when the place is highly crowded and busy where as the main market shops stay closed. The market is open till late in the evenings with shops all lighted up and decorated making the ambience very attractive. It is a market full of life that truly captures the charisma of the city of Nawabs.
Chowk Market
The Chowk area of the city and the open air markets in Old Lucknow are one of the oldest places of the city and carry the historical heritage till now. It is located in old Lucknow and is a busy market with availability of good quality products at reasonable rates. If you are looking for items such as the famous handicraft of Lucknow i.e. Chikankari, then Chowk market is the place to be.
Moreover, it also houses shops selling the famous “Lakhnawi Itars”, symbolising the charm of the city of Nawabs. The market remains closed on Thursdays. The place is big and has shops selling fancy clothes, imitation jewellery, gold and silver jewellery, zardozi clothes, naagra shoes and chappals, flowers, fruits, vegetables, birds and a hub of renowned food joints serving delicious food and the famous sweets of Lucknow.
The well-known Tunday Kebabs, biryani, scrumptious food items made from milk such as kesaria doodh, thandai, rabri, makhan malai all are available here. You can also savour the yummy sweets commonly called as Mithaai from the 200 years old sweet shop named “Ram Asrey” and other famous shops such as “Radhey Lal”, “Prem” and many more eateries and bakeries offering scrumptious food. So Chowk market is a must visit if you are looking for traditional handicraft and famous foods of Lucknow, all offered at very affordable rates.
The markets not only offer various items but are indicative of the essence of the culturally rich, Nawabi city. These markets bubbling, with energy and liveliness, are taking forward the rich legacy and culture of Lucknow, at the same time keeping pace with the modern times. So, shop at these markets to have a feel of the real spirit of the lavish Lucknow city and strike the best deals in shopping as well.
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