Chor Bazaar

Chor Bazaar is a large flea market located in Mumbai city in the west Indian state of Maharashtra.

The word chor means thief (in Marathi and Hindi languages, which are spoken in the region) - Chor Bazaar iscurrently said to be one of the largest flea markets in India, and has also become one of the popular tourist attractions of Mumbai.

Chor Bazaar is one of the oldest markets in Mumbai, and dates back to over 150 years, from before the era of British rule in India.

Some say that that this market was known as 'Shor Bazaar' when it was established - which translates to 'noisy market'. But the British, during their reign in India, apparently constantly mispronounced “Shor” as “Chor” and the market eventually came to be known as 'Chor Bazaar'.

The word chor means thief in Marathi and Hindi, and this market eventually became popular for dealing in goods that were stolen or lost. There is even a popular saying from old times that, if you lose anything in Mumbai you might find it in Chor Bazaar and can buy it back. Today, the place has become more of a second-hand goods and flea market rather than that of stolen goods.

Chor Bazaar sells a variety of second-hand goods sell mostly second-hand goods, ranging from electronics and furniture to smaller things like clothes, jewellery, books, and a lot more! It is also known for antique and vintage items.

The market street consists of hundreds of second-hand goods shops. There is even one called “Mini Market” that sells old Bollywood posters and collectives for the Bollywood fans.

Haggling or bargaining is encouraged in the shops here and is even considered mandatory by shoppers, ads the prices of goods are not “fixed”. 

The infamous and iconic 150-year-oldChor Bazaar of Mumbai is country’s largest flea market and one of the most exciting places to be if you want to go back home with hands full of shopping bags. The legendary Chor Bazaar of Mumbai doesn’t need an introduction and attracts a horde of visitors every day. Legend has it that all stolen things turn up for sale at Chor Bazaar. As of today, Chor Bazaar is a shopaholic’s heaven, given that one has good bargaining skills and is vigilant about the pickpockets. Here is a rundown of things you can buy from Chor Bazaar at dirt cheap prices.

• Vintage Miniatures and Vintage Cameras– Camera House is the shop where the largest assortment of vintage cameras and other miniatures are found to lure in the antique lovers. From 8mm movie cameras to box cameras, miniature vehicle models such as cars, bikes, trucks, planes, etc., are available here for you to admire and buy.
• Lamps – A perfect way to adorn your house with the different hues of lamps in distinct shapes and sizes that are available in Chor Bazaar at reasonable rates. From antique lamps to replicas or first copy of the originals, real colonial era lamps, old-age kerosene lamp, and chandeliers, lamps are found here at old shops such as of Sayed Usman and The Anwar Lamp Shop.
• Bronze Statues– The shops lined at 95-120 Mutton Street have some of the most authentic, old, and antique as well as ornate bronze pieces that will make perfect decorative piece of art for your house. The statues of Gods and Goddesses along with sculptures of all sizes can be found in these shops.
• Gramophones – Though Gramophones are not in use now, but to keep one at home as a showpiece is nothing less than visualizing a live story. Chor Bazaar, being the hub of vintage things has a vast collection of huge gramophones.
• Bollywood Posters – For the Page3 lovers and the lovers of old Bollywood posters, Chor Bazaar has all the posters from legendary actors to the new age ones. The most visited poster shop is A-One Corner at 99 Mutton Street.
• Trinkets, Wrist Watches, and Clocks – Small trinkets such as bronze cowbells, milk pails, vintage kettles, horns, etc., at ‘Little Stuff Trinkets’ will make your heart happy. A small shop that sells and repairs watches is of Sartaj Qureshi, and the shop at 133 Mutton Street houses clocks of all styles and design and some are designs from century old.
• Hardware and Spare car parts – For the engineers and the someone in need of spare parts, Chor Bazaar is the place where even a trash can be a treasure for someone. There are a few shops which sell spare parts of cars and other tools of the household.
• handicrafts – 31 Mutton Street houses the Mansoori Curio Shop filled with both antiques and handicrafts and has some of the best assortments of old handicrafts.
• Clothing – Chor Bazaar has some of the most reasonable clothes for as low as Rs30 and it wont even look that cheap. The only catch is that one should know how to bargain.

Chor Bazaar is located near Bhendi Bazaar in Grant Road in South Mumbai. Mumbai city can be reached by air, rail or road.

Chor Bazaar is located around 20km away from Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport, and can be reached within an hour by road from here; the market is located around 4km away from Mumbai’s main train terminal - Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, and can be reached within 20 minutes from here by road.