M.I. Road
Mirza Ismail Road or M I Road is an ideal a place to shop for jewellery
and branded readymade garments. The road is actually curved and boasts
of ancient architectural shop. A happening hang-out for tourists, M I
Road is Jaipur's equivalent of Delhi's Connaught Place.
Main shops
The main shops sell old silver jewellery and artefacts, antiques, handicraft
and apparel. There are also showrooms for Raymonds, Pepe, Woodland, Benetton,
and others. Small shops that sell bangles, bedsheets and Jaipuri dresses
ensure that you can complete your "Jaipur shopping" at M I Road. A word
of caution though - the prices here are perhaps the highest!
Also at M.I. Road
Sought-after restaurants such as Niros, Suryamahal and Copper Chimney;
the famous Raj Mandir cinema hall; wholesome kulhad lassi dashed with
a thick layer of malai at Panch Batti Circle.
Johri Bazar
It's famous, it's crowded, it's also a shopper's delight. Johri Bazar
is your best bet if you plan to look for sarees and lehangas in colourful
bhandhej, or glittering gemstone jewellery. As the name suggests, Johri
Bazar is essentially a place for gems and jewellery.
The smaller lanes contain the originally jeweler workstations - or gaddis
- inhabited by these craftsmen since time immemorial. Johri Bazar has
a lot of shops for gold, silver and studded jewellery. For sarees, try
Rooplaxmi, Rana Saree Emporium and Jaipur Saree Kendra. Hind Shoes and
Bharat Boot House are good options for footwear.
Also at Johri Bazar
Jaipuri quilts (rajai) are a hot-selling item at shops near Hawa
Mahal. The bazaar also stocks loose tea, seeds and almost everything by
way of grocery.
Not to be missed is the Dahi Bade of LMB or Laxmi Mishtan Bhandar,
perhaps the oldest and most popular sweet shop of the Pink City.
Bapu Bazar
Bapu Bazar is a treasure-trove of typical Jaipuri stuff - salwar suits,
bedsheets, Jaipuri jutis, cushions and readymade suits. This place has
little to offer to the male shopper.
Busy Bazar
Salwar suits and bed sheets are perhaps the best selling items here. Sanganeri
prints, bagru prints, batik prints, bhandhej suits and bedsheets top the
list. You might have to navigate through crowded balconies full of people
and cloth to get to what you want. The major shops at Bapu Bazar are Newpinch,
Benzer, Kalamandir and the H K Oswal showroom. Link Road, an extension,
is good for artificial jewellery, home furnishings and bangles.
What else at Bapu Bazar?
Bapu Bazar also has few shops famous for craft and home décor items. A
must-have here are chat pakoris, especially Gol Gappas or Pani Puris.
Chaura Rasta
Books, books and more books - Chaura Rasta is famous for books and stationery.
It also has a few apparel shops - Kanta textiles, Menu Dresses, Tamarind
Flavour Zone, Raymonds and the Pantaloon factory outlet.
Also on this street is Golcha - a theatre where you can check out the latest
Bollywood release.
Nehru Bazar
Nehru Bazar is near Ajmeri Gate, the so-called centre of Jaipur. Not
a very upmarket place, Nehru Bazar has shops for readymade garments, footwear,
gifts and household items.
You can haggle over the prices of locally-produced goods here, but go
for it only if your pocket strings are tight. If you miss Nehru Bazar
while shopping in Jaipur, you have not really missed much.
Badi
Chaupar
Adjacent to the famous Hawa Mahal is Badi
Chaupar, a square crossing that is probably the most crowded location
in Jaipur. The shops on Badi Chaupar are major attractions for the tourists.
Here, you can shop for mojaris, handicraft, antiques, Rajasthani furniture,
salwar suits and Jaipuri print dress material. Be prepared to bargain.
You can also find a variety of traditional and lac bangles too.
Raja Park
If you have had enough of the traditional
stuff, Raja Park is the place to be at. It offers everything ranging from
grocery to flowers, from furniture to apparel.
Major shops
Raja Saheb, Desika-2 and Bonanza for men's wear; Kaluram, Punjabi Kirana
and Big Shoppers for grocery; Chawlas and Ashoka Parnami for sweets; and
Message -The Hariyali and Satguru Art 'n' Frames for home décor. There
are many shops for furniture and upholstery.
Also hot here
The over crowded Fashion Street is said to be an ideal place to shop for
men and for a quick snack, though parking is a perennial problem. The
old and famous Hanuman Dhaba belongs to this place.
Not to be missed Raj Kachori at Chawals, Gol Gappa at Nand Kishore, Italian
softy at Milky Way, Lassi at Gopi Sweets.
Gaurav Tower
Gaurav Towers is the most happening joint
in Jaipur. Situated away from the congested market place, the shopping
mall at Gaurav Towers - or GT - attracts both shoppers and fun seekers.
Spread across a sprawling area of 25,000 sq metres, GT is perfect in terms
of ambience, space, variety and hassle free parking.
Shop, stroll or just relax around the fountains, or gaze at the effervescent
crowd - you'll never get bored here. Gaurav Towers houses big names such
as Big Shoppers, Shoppers Stop, McDonalds, The Home Store, Planet M, ICICI,
Essar, Kajaria Plus, Weekender, Megabowl, Goyal Color Lab.
Ganpati Plaza
The first-ever plush shopping mall of Jaipur,
Ganpati Plaza is still a happening joint for shoppers, especially tourists.
From colourful bhandhej to latest fashion wear, from pizzas to confectionary,
from toys to electronics, and from junk to jewellery - the place offers
them all. It is usually visited by the crème de la crème of Jaipur.
For the middle class though, it's only an occasional shopping spot. Rana
Silk & Sarees, Jaipur Saree Kendra, Rajan's, Mogli's Island, Heritage
Jewels, Jeypore Jewellers, Oasis Cellular, Satguru Art 'n' Frames and
Villa Appearances, the latest addition, are the major stores here. The
most sought-after outlet here is the Pizza Hut joint!
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