Gariahat Market

The crossing where South Kolkata does its actual shopping: pavement stalls and old sari houses along Gariahat Road selling Bengali cotton and tant saris, bangles, kurtis and everything a household runs on, at prices that do not assume you are a visitor. This is the dependable place to buy the fine cotton weaves Bengal is known for. In the weeks before Durga Puja the whole crossing belongs to families stocking up. Evenings are liveliest; Sundays are quiet or closed.

The everyday market where Bengal's cotton saris are actually bought