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Delhi
Shopping
Being the Capital of this vast country, Delhi becomes a focal point for Shopping. The most glamorous shopping area in the heart of the city is the Connaught Place, built during the British Days, with a beautiful fountain and park in the center. The entire Connaught Place is built in concentric circles. A pillared pathway runs along the outer most and innermost circles with convenient and ample parking spaces. Radial roads lead out of this center point to all parts of Delhi. While shopping for the choicest Indian and foreign brands do walk-in to any of the immaculately designed restaurants or fast food centers for a bite. Connauc’ht place is just a kilometer away from the railway station and is about 30 kms from the airport. It also houses an underground shopping plaza ‘Palika Bazar’ which also provides an underground parking for safety. While Connaught Circus still retains its original British flavor, designed by Lutyen while planning New Delhi, modernization has taken place around it. Multinational corporate houses, banks, hotels, restaurants, showrooms etc. have appeared in beautifully designed high rise buildings, interconnected with modern subways to control the ever increasing groups of tourists and shoppers. Do visit the Baba Kharak Singh Marg where you will find a row of State Handicraft Emporias. Prices here are fixed and products are genuine. Typical textile brassware's, jewelry, paintings, furniture and souvenirs from every State can be found in their respective showrooms. Pay a visit to the Central Cottage industries Emporium at Janpath in the STC Building Complex for the choicest handicrafts from all states under one roof, This Emporia Chain also has ifs branches in major cities in India and Abroad.
Other up-market shopping areas are South Extension, Sarojini Nagar, INA Market, Greater Kailash Part - I, Vasant Vihar in theSouth , Khan Market and Sunder Nagar Market in central Delhi within a km from the India Gate.
Opposite the INA market at Laxmi Bai Nagar, Delhi Tourism runs an open-air handicraft market, Dilli Haat, in which craftsmen are invited from every state to sell their products directly. Stalls have also been provided for typical cuisine and fast food from many states-all within one complex. The entire place has been given a brick finished. You could strike some good bargains here.
Towards the famous Ashok Hotel and Samrat Hotel in Chanakyapuri, after you cross the Prime Minister’s residence, on the left of the Race Course road, is Santushti (meaning relief), the ideal shopping venue to the ethnic art lover, Intricately crafted woodwork, brasswares, terracotta, textiles, jewelry, clay toys, and metal wares can be purchased in this tiny arcade, for which you enter from the round-about and inside the Air Force Station premises.
Inside the walled city there are some of the oldest market places of Delhi with some names related to the products they are still famous for, like the Chandni Chowk which was once named for its silver jewelry but is now the wholesale market for textiles, readymade. suiting. shirting's and sarees. While shopping one could feast in some of the most famous sweet shops and chaat corners. Nai Sarak, running tangentially from here has emerged as the wholesale stationary and market for books, catering to all kinds of text and reference books prescribed in schools, colleges and institutes. Towards Chandni Chowk, however, the textile market begins. For all kinds of silver and precious & semi-precious stones walk into the narrow lanes of Kinari Bazar, also famous for glittering costumes of famous Indian mythological characters. Khari Baoli is the wholesale market for dry fruits and food grains etc.. Towards west Delhi the most versatile markets are Karol Bagh and Rajouri Garden which is a striking mix of up market as well as hea markets and are very crowded.
Another very unique features of Delhi are its Weekly bazars, which exist in almost all colonies selling all kinds of household items for its residents. Certain festival related bazars are also fast gaining popularity mostly for pilgrim tourists and foreign tourists like at Suraj Kund (in Haryana) and the Hauz Khas village which is an artificially created village.
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