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Laad Bazaar or Choodi Bazaar is a very old market popular for bangles
located in Hyderabad. It is located on one of the four main roads that
branch out from the historic Charminar.
Laad meaning lacquer is used to make bangles, on which artificial
diamonds are studded. In this 1-kilometre (0.62 mi) long shopping strip,
most of the shops sell bangles, saris, wedding related items, and cheap
jewelry.
History
This market is very old, in operation since the time of the Qutb Shahis
and the Nizams. It is close to landmarks such as
Charminar, Makkah Masjid and
Chowmahalla Palace.
Shopping
Laad Bazaar is the main market for bangles, it is popular for bangles,
semi-precious stones, pearls, jewellery, products such as silverware,
Nirmal, Kalamkari paintings, bidriware, lacquer bangles studded with
stones, saris and handwoven materials of silk, cotton, brocade, velvet
and gold embroidered fabrics, traditional Khara Dupattas, lacquer
bangles and perfumes.
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The
narrow lane is filled with burkha-clad women, bangle shops and old
buildings with wooden balconies, bargaining and haggling is part and
parcel of this market.
Shopkeepers employ "beckoning" tactics, placing an employee at the
entrance of the store beckoning passers-by to enter their shop.
Many stores are furnished with a clean, soft cotton mattress that covers
the entire floor. Customers sit on the soft cotton mattress without
shoes, lean against a wall with a round pillow and the sales person
presents all items on the floor. |
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All
business is conducted on this floor and often other employees use the
padded area in the back, as they may be sorting or sewing. Auto rickshaws and cars are barred entrance from
Charminar end (the preferred entrance) of the strip due to the
narrow street being crowded, and only pedestrians, bicycles, motorcycles
and scooters, and sometimes cycle-rickshaws are permitted to enter.
Southeast of Laad Bazar lie the palaces built by different Nizams
including the Chowmahalla Palace.
Getting There
The nearest airport
to this attraction is
Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (IATA: HYD, ICAO: VOHS), also
known as Hyderabad International Airport, or simply RGIA.
It is an
international airport serving the metropolis of Hyderabad located at Shamshabad,
about 22 km (14 mi) south of Hyderabad.
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