Charminar calling!
With its dazzling array of street food, clothes and jewellery, Charminar’s night market continues to be a big draw every Ramadan season.
The holy month of Ramadan which celebrates joy and peace along with prayer, fasting and scrumptious meals, has also become synonymous with the famous night market at the city’s historic Charminar that continues to draw everyone, right from long-time city residents to visitors from outside.
And while many believe that the market, which boasts of everything shopaholics could possibly want, would dim down by midnight, the converse is true, with vendors and visitors in a completely different mood.
Entering from the Pathar Ghatti market, you cannot miss the Madina hotel, waiting for you right at the start. It’s a good idea to eat and be prepared for a very long road towards Charminar, full of wares and enthusiastic shopkeepers promoting their goods on mic.
Right in the middle of the bustling road, you can also stop for sugarcane juice or some fish fry before the first Kamaan, if snacking is what’s on your mind.
No doubt the traffic is horrendous and the crowd can get a little intimidating, but once you pass the barricade which bars the entry of vehicles, it gets easier.
What lies ahead is a never ending, glorious market of jewellery, clothes, mehendi and attar. From White Uud to Jasmine, the attar shops display multiple fragrances for shoppers. Next in line are the clothes, with very second store luring shoppers with beautiful gota–patti salwar kameezes and colourful shararas. The best thing about the night market is that it caters to every age group and occasion.
Meanwhile, earrings at the jewellery shops or at the smaller street-side vendors can range from Rs 10 to Rs 150. What’s surprising is that no vendor sits idle while on a busy night at work. Getting closer to the monument, one can spot groups of youngsters, shopping, enjoying street food and taking pictures. Kiran Kumar, who lives in Bengaluru but has stayed for a long time in Hyderabad, is visiting the night market and has brought along his friends.“I have come here a number of times but my friends are coming here for the first time and I am showing them around. It’s a good time to visit the night market,” he says.
Standing outside a coffee shop (the biggest eatery right at the centre of the market) are Nitesh and his cousin Guruprasad with their respective families. While Nitesh hails from Hyderabad, Guruprasad and his mother have come from Mumbai especially to see the market.
“My mother and aunt wanted to shop and are really enjoying themselves so far. They have bought so many bangles from the Laad Bazaar and we thought of taking a small coffee break before we resume our shopping,” says Nitesh with a smile.
Take a turn towards the Laad Bazaar, and the glitter and colour of various bangles is simply breathtaking. Abu Baker and Ahmad Abdul Riyaz own a small shop which displays innumerable fancy rings. “The shop is open 24x7 and the market does not close,” informs Abu.