Mumbai’s color-charged markets are a riot of sights, smells, tastes, and sounds. This action-packed walking tour takes you through a handful of the city’s bazaars in the Kalbadevi and Bhuleshwar vicinity. En route, you’ll also visit several places of worship. Make sure you wear comfortable shoes, dress conservatively, and keep your valuables tucked away in a well-concealed money belt.
Kick off your market march at the renowned (1) Crawford Market (Mahatma Phule Market) located on the corner of Dr. DN and Lokmanya Tilak Roads. This sprawling bazaar, built in the mid-1800s, sells everything from fresh fruit and vegetables to livestock and household items. Take a few moments to admire the building’s beautiful exterior bas relief work, designed by Rudyard Kipling’s father, Lockwood Kipling.
From the frenetic Crawford Market, head north up Sheikh Memon Street, and where it meets Janjikar Street, you’ll find the 18th-century (2) Jama Masjid. This is one of the city’s oldest mosques and from the outside you can catch a peek of its puffy domes and slender minarets. Note that only Muslims are permitted inside the prayer hall.
Keep walking north along Sheikh Memon Street. Near the corner of Sheikh Memon Street and Mumbadevi Road (the latter appearing to your right) is the (3) Mumbadevi Temple, bustling with Hindu worshippers. Dedicated to the goddess Mumba, it is from her that Mumbai is said to have derived its name.
From Sheikh Memon Street continue north to the bubbly (4) Bhuleshwar Market, at the corner of Kalbadevi Road (to your right). Comprised of a series of stalls, this market is divided into sections that sell a wide range of products from food items to women’s accessories.
Keep walking north along Sheikh Memon Street, turning right at CP Tank Road (which becomes Brigadier Usman Road), where you’ll soon arrive at (5) Yadnik Chowk, an interesting stretch of the road where tradesmen (such as plumbers) sit patiently, awaiting jobs.
From Yadnik Chowk, turn left into nearby Maulana Azad Road South and keep walking north until you reach the lively (6) Shiva Temple at the junction with SV Patel Road. Here you can watch devotees paying their respects to the Hindu god, Lord Shiva.
From the Shiva Temple turn left at the next street to the east, Bara Imam Road. Not far along this road, at the junction with Mutton Street, is your final stop, the (7) Mutton Street Market. Among the knickknacks sold here (and in the surrounding lanes of Chor Bazaar), can be found some rewarding “antiques” (usually replicas) and bric-a-brac, but you’ll need to hunt hard.
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