Janpath and Dilli Haat: New Delhi's craft markets
Old Delhi's bazaars sell in bulk. New Delhi's craft markets are where travellers go for handmade things to take home. Janpath is a street of handicraft stalls and a Tibetan market near Connaught Place; Dilli Haat is an open-air crafts bazaar where artisans from every state sell their own work. This guide covers what each is known for and the pieces in the Taj Bazaar catalog sold there, with prices in US dollars and duties included on retail orders.
At a glance
| Piece | Sold at | Made in | Price | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Embroidered Jhola Tote | Janpath | Janpath | $24 | US stock, 1–2 days |
| Mirror-Work Cushion Cover | Janpath | Kutch, Gujarat | $29 | US stock, 1–2 days |
| Embroidered Punjabi Jutti | Janpath and Dilli Haat | Patiala, Punjab | $49 | US stock, 1–2 days |
| Brass Singing Bowl with Mallet | Janpath's Tibetan market | Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh | $59 | US stock, 1–2 days |
| Phulkari Dupatta | Dilli Haat | Patiala, Punjab | $79 | Made to order, 25 days |
Janpath: the traveller's street
The jhola is the patchwork shoulder bag every traveller brings home from Janpath's stalls: cotton with mirror and thread embroidery, 15 × 16 in. The mirror-work cushion cover (16 × 16 in) is embroidered by Rabari and Ahir women in Kutch with small mirrors called abhla, and has been sold for decades from the stalls of Janpath.
Janpath's Tibetan market sells singing bowls. Ours is a hand-beaten and tuned brass-alloy bowl, 5 in across, with a wooden mallet and cushion, the kind sold at those stalls. Run the mallet round the rim to make it sing; it suits a meditation corner or yoga room.
Dilli Haat: craft by state
Dilli Haat gives stalls to craftspeople from across India, so it is the place to see regional work side by side. The phulkari dupatta is a Punjabi wedding tradition, embroidered from the back with silk floss in long darning stitches on a cotton base, 40 × 90 in. We found the craft at Dilli Haat's Punjab stalls; ours is made in Patiala over 25 days. The Punjabi jutti, closed toe-curled leather flats embroidered by hand, is sold at stalls in both Janpath and Dilli Haat. It comes in EU sizes 36–42, so check the size before ordering.
Gifts from these markets
For someone who travelled in India, the jhola or the mirror-work cushion brings back Janpath. For a wedding, the phulkari dupatta; for a yoga teacher, the singing bowl. More ideas: Indian shawls and stoles, the Old Delhi bazaars guide, and every collection on the gifts page.