An Evening At Burrabazar

Burrabazar of Kolkata expanded from a yarn
and textile market into one of the
largest wholesale markets in India.
Burrabazar is divided into highly
specialised sub-markets, according
to the commodity it deals in –
Dhotipatti, Fancypatti, Tulapatti,
Chinipatti etc. Further subdivisions
are katra, chowk or kothi. A
popular saying goes, "Anything and
everything is available at
Burrabazar. Even the tiger's eye is
available here if you pay the right
price." Each katra (market) is
known for a particular item. There
are approximately 25 katras in
Burrabazar. At Raja Katra, which
originally belonged to the Maharaja
of Bardhaman , most of the shops
deal in spices. At Manohar Das
Katra it is mostly hardware and
textile. Vikram Chand Market and
Khangrapatti sell mostly electronic
goods and artificial ornaments.