Crawford Market, Mumbai

No visit to any city is complete without touring its busiest and oldest markets, and if you are in a mood for adventure, there is no place like Crawford Market. Located in South Mumbai, Crawford Market is one place, bustling with life and infused with its own blend of sights, sounds and scents.

Spread across an area of 22,471 square meters, the market is filled with fruit and vegetable vendors along with upscale shops that sell imported goods as well as exotic pets. It is here that one can truly appreciate the essence of the city and the regular routine of its denizens.

Built in 1869, the main market was designed by Lockwood Kipling, father of the renowned novelist Rudyard Kipling. Boasting a Norman, Flemish architectural style, the building is a brilliant addition of western architecture to the Mumbai skyline. An interesting fact about the Crawford Market is that it was the first building in India to be lit up by electricity.

Named after the first Municipal commissioner of Bombay - Arthur Crawford, the building was donated to the state by Sir Cowasji Jehangir, 2nd Baronet, a wealthy Indian industrialist. Be well prepared, for this place is a market in every sense of the word.