One of the largest wholesale markets in India, spreading north from Bowbazar across a dense grid of lanes. It has been a trading district since before the British arrived, and the Marwari community that dominates it came from Rajasthan in the nineteenth century and stayed.
Every lane specialises: cloth in one, yarn in another, spices, hardware, plastics, paper, imitation jewellery, chemicals, grain. It supplies eastern India and a good part of the north-east, and much of the business is still done on trust and on the phone.
Inside the market
The sections, the shops and what each one sells| Name | Where | What is there |
|---|---|---|
| Cloth and textile lanes | Burrabazar, Bara Bazar | The largest section; fabric, sarees, dress material, wholesale. |
| Yarn market | Burrabazar | Cotton and synthetic yarn for the weaving trade. |
| Spice and grain lanes | Posta, Burrabazar | Wholesale spices, pulses and grain; Posta is the grain market. |
| Imitation jewellery market | Burrabazar | Beads, findings and finished costume jewellery. |
| Hardware and tools | Burrabazar | Wholesale hardware. |
| Paper and stationery | Burrabazar | The paper trade, feeding the College Street printers. |
| Chemicals and dyes | Burrabazar | Industrial chemicals and dyestuff. |
| Marwari bhojanalayas | Burrabazar | Pure-vegetarian thali kitchens serving the trade. |
| Kachori shops | Burrabazar lanes | Morning kachori and sabzi; the trading district’s breakfast. |
| Mullick Ghat flower market1855 | under Howrah Bridge, west edge | The flower market at the river, a short walk away. |
Worth knowing before you go
- Go on a weekday morning. The trade is done early.
- Lanes specialise. Ask for the lane, not the shop.
- It is wholesale. Minimum quantities apply almost everywhere.
- The congestion is serious; walk rather than drive.
- Much of the business runs on credit and long relationships, not on counter sales.
The other markets
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A note on this page. Restaurants, shops and markets open, move and close far more often than industries do. Everything here is a snapshot of Kolkata as of 2026, offered as a starting point rather than a live listing. Check the address and the hours before you travel.
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