It is not the prettiest address. And if you have a sensitive nose it can be quite a challenge. Any given day, even those not given, there is a crowd here. A flurry of activity, plenty of noise. There are cycle-rickshaws, there are over-laden carts manually pulled by sinewy men sweating from head to foot. It is not unusual to find a tonga too. The customers enjoy little leeway. The haggling is short and focussed, the margins minimal but crucial. The shopkeepers have patience neither for prolonged bargaining nor the time to debate the worth of their chillies, their coriander, their cardamom. Forget the rates, claimed to be less than anywhere across the country. Just look at half rolled sacks of chilli powder. Or those of ground coriander. Or even half opened sacks of clove and cardamom. Such a riot of colours. And such fragrance! They inspire the photographer in you, often the poet rolls out too. Welcome to Khari Baoli, Asia’s biggest spice market where almost everything is sold by kilograms.
Going back to the Mughal age, Khari Baoli came up in 16 Century during the reign of Islam Shah, an Afghan king saddled by destiny with the task of living up to standards set by Sher Shah Suri. Initially a stepwell with saline water –– hence the name –– today there is not a trace of salty water or even its source. The stepwells too can be found only in passages of history. The market though thrives. All year round, people descend here for spices at wholesale market rates, around Diwali, the market teems with dry fruits. Chestnuts and cashewnuts, almonds and dates all are displayed and sold by the sack! Some day, step into Khari Baoli. It is not the prettiest place. But it makes for some really pretty pictures, the kind that lend grace to a coffee table book.
