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History Of The Connaught
Named after the Duke of Connaught, a member of the British royal family,
the Connaught Place market was designed by Robert Tor Russell in
collaboration with WH Nicholls. A sprawling circular market, it was the
largest of its kind in India at that time.
The British believed that a market in the shape of a horseshoe would
prove lucky for both shoppers and shopkeepers. There may be something in
that as CP continues to be Delhi's premier shopping destination even after
sixty-five years of its birth. Apart from being the commercial and
business hub of Delhi, CP has countless restaurants,
watering holes, shops and emporia and cinema halls too.
Inner Circle
Outlets of almost all international brands available in India are along
the Inner Circle: Benetton, Allen Solly, Reebok, Nike, Levi's, Lee Cooper
- to name a few. Some of the finest restaurants, eateries and bars pop up
here too. There are some excellent bookshops, which one can check out for
gathering information about India.
Janpath
No big shops here, just small kiosks selling all kinds of cotton clothes
and curios that one may like to take home. Most of the clothes are export
surplus garments and are sold reasonably. There's lots of silver and
artificial jewellery studded with semi-precious stones in the small
Tibetan shops that abound here. Another must visit at Janpath is the
Central Cottage Industries Emporium. Situated across the road from
Janpath, in Jawahar Vyapar Bhavan, this is a place worth checking out for
Indian handicrafts.
Baba Kharak Singh Marg
Do visit these various state-run emporia for the best handicrafts of the
various states they represent.
Shawls : Zoon, the Kashmir Emporium.
Bronze lamps and icon : Poompuhar, the Tamil Nadu Emporium.
Exquisite silks : Cauvery, the Karnataka Emporium.
Madhubani paintings and gems : Amrapali, the Bihar Emporium.
Printed cottons, miniature paintings and jewellery : Rajasthali,
the Rajasthan Emporium
Tea : Manjusha, the West Bengal Emporium.
Wood carving : Mrignayani, the Madhya Pradesh Emporium.
Palika Bazaar
This is an underground bazaar where electronic goods and clothes are
available at reasonable prices for picking - both original and
immitations. There are around 400 shops in this market and bargaining is
the mantra for shopping