Shopping in Kolkata

New Market (Hogg Market) — The Victorian-era covered market near Esplanade, opened in 1874, selling everything from textiles to leather to food. Chaotic, atmospheric, and full of touts — be firm and bargain hard.

Gariahat — A major shopping district in south Kolkata, particularly good for sarees and textiles, with both street stalls and established showrooms.

College Street — Books. The largest second-hand book market in the world. Rare and out-of-print finds are genuinely possible if you have the patience to look.

Kumartuli — Not conventional shopping, but small clay figures and craft items can be bought from the idol-makers' workshops.

Dakshinapan Shopping Centre — Government emporia from multiple states under one roof, with fixed prices and reliable quality for handloom textiles and crafts.

Bowbazar — The traditional jewellery district, particularly for gold.

Malls — South City Mall in Jadavpur, Quest Mall in Ballygunge, Acropolis and City Centre in Salt Lake and New Town cover international and Indian brands.

What to buy:

1. Bengali handloom sarees — Tant (light cotton, ideal for the climate), Baluchari (silk with woven narrative panels depicting mythological scenes), Jamdani, and Kantha embroidery
2. Kantha stitch work — running-stitch embroidery on quilts, stoles and clothing, a distinctive Bengali craft
3. Dokra metalwork — tribal lost-wax brass casting from the Bengal-Odisha-Jharkhand belt, producing figures with a distinctive coiled texture
4. Terracotta from Bishnupur, including the temple-style panels
5. Shantiniketan leather — tooled leather bags and accessories
6. Books — obviously
7. Darjeeling tea — West Bengal's most famous export; buy from established tea merchants rather than street sellers
8. Bengali sweets — sandesh and other milk sweets travel reasonably well for a day or two