For people visiting a particular city it is important to explore some locations that give an insight about the location and its culture. And I feel exploring a location without visiting the market of that location would make the whole trip incomplete. Whenever you are visiting somewhere it is a must to visit the markets there to know more about the city and its culture. And especially for women a visit to the market should be a must to shop their heart out. If you are in Hyderabad, one such market is the Laad Bazaar. The Laad Bazaar market is one of the oldest markets in the city and located at a very popular spot just next to Charminar. This is not just a favourite market for tourists though but even for the city dwellers this is one of the famous markets to shop.
Laad Bazaar
Laad Bazaar Hyderabad is the ideal location to visit if you wish to buy fancy items and things that are famous in Hyderabad. It is a huge market and you would get a lot of things here at an affordable price range as well. The market is so popular that it even attracts a good number of foreign tourists here on a regular basis as well. So no matter if you are a tourist or a city dweller you can visit this market to explore it. It is a go to destination for wedding shopping as well and the collection is worth exploring. Keep on reading this article as here I will mention everything that you need to know about Laad Bazaar. It would be a helpful article for you if you are planning a trip to Laad Bazaar any time soon.
Location: Char Kaman, Ghansi Bazaar, Hyderabad, Telangana
Timings: The timings of the Bazaar are from 11 am to 11 pm
Entry fee: There is no entry fee
How to reach
By air
If you are travelling by air then the nearest airport to reach the Bazaar is the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad. From the airport the Bazaar is located at a distance of 16 km. It would approximately take you around 37 minutes to reach the location from the airport. You can take the city buses to reach there easily. Or else you can opt for local transport in the area as well to travel there. However to travel there more conveniently you can take a car or hire a cab from the airport to reach the Bazaar easily.
By train
If you are travelling by train then the nearest railway station is the Kacheguda railway station. From the railway station the Bazaar is located at a distance of 4.8 km. It would take you around 15 minutes to reach the location from the railway station. You can take a bus to reach there. Or else you can take a cab or take a car as well from the railway station to reach Laad Bazaar.
By road
If you are travelling by road then buses would be the best option to reach the location. For people travelling within the city, the city buses would be a great option to reach there. The nearest bus stop is the Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station which is around 2.7 km away from the location. It would take you around 9 minutes to reach the Bazaar from the bus stop. And if you are travelling from outside the city then also you can opt for the buses to travel to reach Hyderabad. The twin city Secunderabad is only 10 km away from the location, so you can travel from there as well.
If you wish to take local transport then you can take auto rickshaws to reach a certain location. But keep in mind that auto rickshaws are not allowed near the market as the lanes are really narrow there. So you can even walk by foot to reach the market. Or else you can take a car or hire a cab as well to reach the market from different locations.
Best time to visit
The markets are open throughout the year and offer the same experiences. So you can practically visit this Bazaar during any time of the year. But if you wish to explore the market when the weather is a little pleasant then the ideal time for a visit would be from the months of October to the month of March. It is the time when the weather and the temperature both remain at check. So it would be more comfortable for a visit to the market during that time. Also if we talk about the best time of the day then the ideal time for a visit here would be the evening time. More shops open here during the evening so that would offer you more choices. Also the shops here do not open very early in the morning, so make sure you are visiting here after midday.
The time during the month of Ramadan is another best time to visit this market. This is the time when you would get to witness a different side of the market. However do keep in mind that this is the peak time for shopping here so the market remains extremely crowded during these times. Avoid visiting the market during the peak summer months. It would involve a lot of walking if you are visiting here. And it would not be very comfortable if you are visiting here during the scorching summer season. So plan your visit to Laad Bazaar accordingly to enjoy the best of the market.
Overview of Laad Bazaar
Located adjacent to the famous landmark Charminar, Laad Bazaar is a historic market in Hyderabad. What makes this market more famous are the bangles here and the Laad Bazaar bangles are one of the things that you must check out here. This Bazaar is furthermore one of the oldest markets in the city. It has been in operation since the time of the Nizams and the Qutub Shahis. The word Laad refers to lacquer which is used to make the famous bangles here. It is also a popular destination for wedding shopping as well and the collection here is also huge. Apart from jewelleries, accessories and outfits the Soorma, which is a natural kohl, is also famous here.
More than 150 shops are located in the market here and you will find the most beautiful lac bangles here studded with artificial diamonds. The finest craftsmanship of making the bangles is worth appreciating as creating one bangle takes up almost 3 hours of time. For the famous bangles this market is also popular as the Choodi Bazaar or Chudi Bazaar. Other than that the market also has a collection of silverware, fabrics, paintings, colourful dupattas, traditional Hyderabadi artifacts and a lot more.
Every day, the market hosts more than thousands of tourists who visit here to enjoy Laad Bazaar shopping. Located on the west face of Charminar the location is dotted with many other popular tourist spots. Because of the presence of the popular landmark Charminar so close to the market, it attracts even more visitors. The stretch of the market is around a km long and it is the ideal destination to shop affordable products. But to grab the best deals what you need the most is bargaining skills. So if you don’t have that make sure you practice it before making a visit to the market here.
History of Laad Bazaar
After the construction of the iconic landmark Charminar was completed the location instantly started attracting more visitors. Mohammad Quli Qutb Shah the fifth ruler of the Qutb Shahi Dynasty was the person behind this construction. However there is no exact date or information about how the market here came into being. But there are some stories regarding it that suggest different viewpoints. It is said that the market has been in operation since the time of the Qutub Shahis and the Nizams in Hyderabad. Therefore this certainly makes this one of the oldest markets in Hyderabad. A lot of legends are also associated with this market. One such legend says that Quli Qutb Shah set up this market for the wedding of his daughter.
Read more: Shilparamam Hyderabad Timings, Tickets, Shopping
There are also other legends that suggest that the origin of this market goes back to Ladli Begum. Ladli Begum was the wife of the sixth Nizam of Hyderabad. Another story suggests that, on the basis of the name of Abdur Razzaq Laary who was the army general of Golconda, the name of the market was Laary Bazaar. And later that changed to Laad Bazaar.
There are other stories that suggest that it was named after Lord Rippon and was called Lord Bazaar which later changed to Laad Bazaar. However even if these are true or one of them is true, or none of these are true, the charm of the market is undeniable. For a long time this has been one of the most popular markets in the city of Hyderabad and even today it is one of the oldest markets and one of the popular markets in the city as well.
Things to buy at Laad Bazaar
The huge variety of this market is one of the major attractions of the Bazaar. You will get hand crafted lac bangles here which are the main attraction here. Other than that you will find gold embroidered fabrics, kalamkari paintings, embellished sherwanis, jewelry and more here. For bridal lehengas, sarees and heavy ethnic outfits also this is a popular location. The famous Hyderabadi pearls are also available here that you can check out. Jewelries made of semi precious stones, traditional clothing items, accessories and even junk jewelry are common buy here. There are shops selling shoes, mattresses, bags, pagdi as well. The market offers items ranging from a price as low as Rs. 50 to Rs. 5000 or Rs. 10000 or more. So definitely make sure to visit this market once to witness the best of the markets in Hyderabad.
Wrapping Up!
So that was all about the Laad Bazaar Hyderabad and now you can plan a trip to this market as soon as you can. It would be a great experience to explore this beautiful market in Hyderabad. So no matter if you are staying in Hyderabad or you are visiting there, make sure you are visiting this Bazaar there. The history attached to the market and the variety of items that you can check out there makes this one of the most popular markets in Hyderabad. You will definitely find a lot of items here that you can check out and buy. So when are you planning a visit to this market in Hyderabad? Also let me know if this article on this Bazaar is helpful for you in planning a trip there.
