Chor Bazaar (also called Bhendi Bazaar) in South Mumbai is one of the largest flea markets in India. The word Chor means "thief" in Hindi/Urdu. Chor bazar is Mumbai's famous Thieves Market where bargain-hungry tourists rummage for Ming vases and Muranos at throwaway prices. The main avenue is Mutton Street, flanked by rows of little antique shops that look like musty attics and sell just about anything at bargain prices from old ship parts, grandfather clocks, gramophones, to crystal chandeliers and old English tea sets antiques at throwaway prices, including colonial-era lamps, Art Deco clocks and trinkets of every kind. A store called Mini Market also offers old Bollywood posters for sale[1]. Others offer authentic Victorian furniture, wonderful for browsers, antiquarians and restorers. Although bargains are sometimes staggering, most of the shop owners are pretty street smart[citation needed] and haggling is considered mandatory[2]. This area can be considered one of the tourist attractions of Mumbai.
This is basically an "organized" flea market, where one has to rummage through junk and hopefully find treasures. The reason it is known as "thief's market", is because it assumed that goods sold there are stolen. Chor Bazaar is off the beaten path, but everyone knows about it. It is basically a maze of alleys.
Most of proper shops are closed on Friday as this area is in the heartland of one of the largest Muslim populations in Mumbai. There's a saying about this area, if you lose anything in Mumbai you can buy it back from the "chor bazaar"[3]. It has been mentioned in popular novels like Rohinton Mistry's Such a Long Journey[3] as "not a nice place"[4].
References
- ^ Giridharadas, Anand (June 22, 2008). "36 Hours in Mumbai". The New York Times. http://events.nytimes.com/2008/06/22/travel/22hours.html. Retrieved on 2009-03-06.
- ^ "Chor Bazaar". Fodors.com. http://www.fodors.com/world/asia/india/mumbai-bombay-and-maharashtra/review-446183.html. Retrieved on 2009-03-06.
- ^ a b Brooks, Victoria (2000). Literary Trips (Illustrated ed.). GreatestEscapes Pub. pp. 36. ISBN 0968613705. http://books.google.com/books?id=JbktvlhYdr8C&pg=PA36&dq=chor+bazaar&client=firefox-a#PPA36,M1. Retrieved on 2009-03-06.
- ^ Mistry, Rohington (1991). Such a long journey. Knopf. pp. 92. ISBN 0679400095. http://books.google.com/books?id=0WliAAAAMAAJ&q=chor+bazaar&dq=chor+bazaar&client=firefox-a&pgis=1.
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