Dilli Haat & das Kunsthandwerk Indiens — Traditionelle Künste aus dem Subkontinent
Dilli Haat (IFC, Aurobindo Marg, South Delhi — the open-air craft bazaar operated by the Delhi Tourism Corporation, where artisans from every state of India are given two-week stalls on a rotating basis to sell their traditional crafts directly to the public): Dilli Haat is the most accessible introduction to the full diversity of Indian traditional crafts available in a single location — every visit features a different selection of artisans representing the craft traditions of different states, from Kashmiri carpet weavers and papier-mâché artists to Rajasthani block printers, Madhubani painters from Bihar, Warli tribal artists from Maharashtra, Kanjivaram silk weavers from Tamil Nadu, and Manipuri bamboo craftsmen from the Northeast.
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Dilli Haat — India's 29 States Under One Roof
Dilli Haat (INA, 6 acres, entry ₹30) is a permanent rotating crafts market where 62 stalls are allocated to artisans from different Indian states on 15-day rotation — Manipuri weavers, Rajasthani blue pottery artists, Kashmiri papier-mâché craftsmen, and Madhubani painters demonstrate their work and sell directly; the adjacent food court has one stall per Indian state serving regional specialties.
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Janpath Market — Government Emporium vs. Bargain Chaos
Janpath (Central Delhi) offers two contrasting shopping experiences — the State Emporia (Baba Kharak Singh Marg, fixed-price, government-run shops for each state's handicrafts) offer guaranteed authentic products at fair prices; the adjacent Janpath Market (open-air bazaar) sells imitation tribal jewellery, block-print scarves, and tourist souvenirs at negotiable prices 50% below retail.
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Shahpur Jat — Fashion Designers in a Village Within the City
Shahpur Jat (a 600-year-old village now surrounded by South Delhi housing estates) has been colonized by independent fashion designers, handloom studios, and artisanal food producers — Nicobar (Indian ethical fashion), Pero (Aneeth Arora), and Raw Mango (Sanjay Garg's silk saris woven in Varanasi) operate studios and shops within the original village lanes.
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Sarojini Nagar — Export Surplus Fashion Market
Sarojini Nagar Market (South Delhi, largest wholesale and retail clothing market in Delhi) sells export-surplus and factory-second garments from Indian manufacturing facilities — international brand labels still attached to T-shirts, jeans, and dresses priced at ₹100–300; the Saturday morning crowd is estimated at 50,000 shoppers; the adjacent Lajpat Nagar Central Market specializes in home textiles and Punjabi fashion.
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Kinari Bazar — Chandni Chowk's Wedding Supplier District
Kinari Bazar (the 'ribbon and trimming bazaar', Chandni Chowk) supplies every Delhi wedding with the decorative materials that make Indian celebrations visually overwhelming — gold and silver tinsel, LED-embedded fabrics, marigold garlands in bulk, brass temple bells, and kumkum in 5-kg bags; the market operates 6am–8pm and processes ₹5 crore+ in transactions daily.
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Sunday Book Market at Daryaganj — 200,000 Books on the Footpath
The Daryaganj Sunday book market (now relocated to Mahila Haat, Daryaganj, after being evicted from the road in 2019) still operates as India's largest second-hand book bazaar — 200+ vendors spread 200,000+ used, pirated, and remaindered books on tarps and wooden shelves from 9am to 4pm; academic texts, pulp fiction, and rare out-of-print Indian literature all appear at ₹20–200.