Sadar Bazaar is probably Delhi’s largest wholesale market of all household commodities situated on the west of Khari Baoli.

Khari Baoli is the name of an ancient street in Old Delhi that has been operational as a wholesale grocery market since the 17th Century AD. It is popular for being the largest wholesale spice market in Asia and is situated close to the Historic ‘Red Fort’ and adjacent to the ‘Fatehpuri Masjid’ situated on the western end of Chandni Chowk..

History has that the Khari Baoli Market first came into existence around the Fatehpuri Masjid, a Mosque that was constructed in 1650 AD under the order of ‘Fatehpuri Begum’ who was one of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan’s wives. During this era, ‘Khari Baoli’ which means ‘Salty Step Well’ was used for bathing animals. It was built along the same time that ‘Lahori Gate’ was constructed. Unfortunately, today, there is no trace or ruins of this Khari Baoli and a few do state that it is now buried under the ‘Khari Baoli Market’ Road from where the name was derived.

There are numerous shops like ‘Chawal Wale 13’ and ‘21 Number Ki Dookan’ in Khari Baoli market that are run by the 9th or 10th generation of their founders dating back to the early 17th and 18th Century AD. The ‘Gadodia Market’ which is located on the southern side of Khari Baoli is another old market established by wealthy Merchant during the 1920s and homes numerous Spice Shops. This Market along with ‘Khari Baoli Market’ and the ‘Sadar Bazaar’ market are known as the largest wholesale Spice Markets in Asia.

Like Khari Baoli, Sadar Bazaar is a wholesale market comprising of non-branded consumer goods. This bazaar caters to items ranging from toys, household products, daily needs products, stationeries, costume and imitation jewellery and many more. It is mostly crowded in the morning when retailers visit this market to purchase their products and sometimes even common buyers purchase items from here as it is cheaper and you have a variety to choose from in contrast to other markets who would cater only to specific items. Hence, to experience its chaos and buzz of this place, a visit is essential but do remember that this bazaar remains closed on Sundays only.

Sadar Bazaar is further divided into different sub markets like the ‘Pratap Market’, ‘Swadeshi Market’, ‘Teliwara’ or the ‘Timber Market’ and so forth.

Sadar Bazaar is easily accessible via road and the Delhi Metro Link. The Chandni Chowk Metro Station is situated just 2.9 Kms or 11 minutes away while the Chawri Bazaar Metro Station is located just 2.1 Kms or 12 minutes away. It also connects to the New Delhi Railway Station located just 2.6 Kms or 11 minutes away, the Old Delhi Railway Station which is just 2.4 Kms or 9 minutes away and the Indira Gandhi International and Domestic Airports situated just 22.7 Kms or 46 minutes away.

Sadar Bazaar also has numerous Buses, Auto Rickshaws and Taxis that operate in and around this region which are easily available for hire.