If you are a hoarder, you know the value of an old-school bazaar over any mall in the world. When travelling to any of these cities in Uttar Pradesh, don’t return without shopping your heart out in these marketplaces. By Rashima Nagpal

1. Janpath Market, Hazratganj, Lucknow:

There’s nowhere else in the world that you’ll find better chikan fabrics than in Lucknow‘s Janpath Market. From Nazrana Chikan and Modern Chikan Emporium to the very famous Ada store, leave no shop behind.

2. Bara Bazaar, Kannauj:

A small town by the Ganges, Kannauj is home to multiple age-old perfumeries. The Bada Bazaar is where you can experience the traditional ittar-making process as well as buy the best of scents. The market offers more than 650 fragrances made traditionally.

3. Sadar Bazaar, Firozabad:

The city of bangles, as they call it, Firozabad and its Sadar Bazaar are most famous for the myriad colourful glass bangles it houses. Other than a huge variety of intricately-designed bangles, you’ll also find bangles with amusing names such as the one in the picture above called ‘Australia‘.

4. Chowk Bazaar, Varanasi:

You cannot be in Benaras (Varanasi) and not buy Banarasi saris. Chowk or Chowk Bazaar, as locals call it, is where you should be headed. Jagdish Das & Company is a well-known wholesale outlet in the area, among others.

5. Bhathat Bazaar, Gorakhpur:

The city of Gorakhpur has been famous for its terracotta products for a long time. Bhathat, a village block roughly an hour’s drive away from Gorakhpur, is one of the villages in its vicinity that contributes to this age-old craft in the region by making terracotta products from the soil found in the region. Recently it made news when the government decided to give it the geographical identification (GI) it deserves. Fans of terracotta must pay the local artisanal shops a visit and shop to their heart’s content. You can also buy some of their products online.

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