Dilli Haat

Dilli Haat stands on Sri Aurobindo Marg in South Delhi, opposite the INA Market. It is run by the Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation and opened in 1994. The site covers about six acres of land reclaimed from a drain and turned into a landscaped plaza.

The idea was to bring the village haat, the traditional weekly rural market, into the city in permanent form. Craftspeople from different states apply for stalls, which are allotted on rotation, usually for fifteen days at a time. This means the range of goods changes through the year and buyers deal directly with the makers.

The layout uses thatched-roof huts, brick paving and kiosks to give the plaza a village feel. Stalls sell handloom textiles, embroidered shawls, block-printed fabric, carved wood, brassware, pottery, leather footwear, jewellery and beadwork. A row of food stalls serves regional dishes from many Indian states, from momos of the north-east to Rajasthani and Bengali cooking. An exhibition hall hosts craft and handloom fairs, and an open-air stage is used for folk music and dance.

Two more Dilli Haats were later opened at Pitampura and Janakpuri, but the INA site remains the best known.

Delhi Tourism lists entry at ₹30 for Indian adults, ₹20 for children and ₹100 for foreign visitors. The market opens daily from 11 am to 8 pm, with tickets sold at the gate. The INA station of the Delhi Metro Yellow and Pink lines is next to the entrance.

The INA market has 62 craft stalls. Each is rented for ₹100 a day for a maximum of 15 days, which keeps the line-up changing and gives small producers from across India a turn in the capital. Shops stand on raised platforms, and the courtyards between them are paved in stone with patches of grass and flowering shrubs. There is no concrete in the stall structures; the buildings use brick jali lattice and stone roofs in a north Indian style.

The food court is a large part of the draw. Delhi Tourism names dishes such as momos from Sikkim, bamboo hot chicken from Nagaland, kahwa and kebabs from Jammu, pooranpoli from Maharashtra and Gujarati dhokla. Prices are fixed by each stall, and evenings are the busiest time, when office workers arrive after work.

The branch at Pitampura, in north-west Delhi, opened in April 2008 on 7.2 hectares, and the Janakpuri branch followed in August 2013. A children's play area, souvenir shop and exhibition hall complete the INA site. For crafts, bargaining is usual at most stalls, so ask the price first and compare a few makers before buying shawls or textiles.