Connaught Place is Delhi’s most famous commercial address — its Georgian circles, branded flagship stores, and the underground Palika Bazaar draw millions of visitors every year. Within this orbit, tucked beside the Super Bazar compound on Connaught Lane, sits a market that most people who walk past CP daily have never noticed. Shankar Market is one of Delhi’s oldest surviving commercial spaces, established around 65 years ago in the years before Independence, housing over a hundred shops across seven corridors, and operating with a completeness of character — neighbourhood warmth, fabric expertise, affordable food, and a reliable absence of tourist pricing — that makes it a genuinely different experience from anything in the CP inner or outer circles.
The market’s corridors have a veranda-like quality that feels continuous with old Delhi’s covered commercial architecture rather than with the planned Georgian colonnade of Connaught Place just steps away. Each corridor has its own specialisation, and the combined offering gives Shankar Market an unusual concentration of textile and fabric expertise for a market of its physical scale.
Quick Overview: Shankar Market Delhi
| Detail | Information |
| Location | Shankar Market, Connaught Lane, Near Super Bazar, Connaught Place, New Delhi – 110001 |
| Full Address | Shop No. 1, Shankar Market, Connaught Lane, Barakhamba, New Delhi 110001 |
| Area | Connaught Place, Central Delhi |
| Established | ~65+ years (pre-Independence era) |
| Market Type | Neighbourhood textile and fabric market — corridors with specialist shops |
| Timings | 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM (Monday to Saturday) |
| Weekly Off | Sunday |
| Nearest Metro | Rajiv Chowk Station, Blue and Yellow Lines interchange (Connaught Place) |
| Also Near | Barakhamba Road Metro Station, Blue Line |
| Known For | Fabrics (printed cotton, silk, rayon, brocade, ikkat, chikankari), ready-made kurtis, footwear, food, Lucknow Sewa Emporium |
Where Exactly Is Shankar Market
Shankar Market is located on Connaught Lane, adjacent to the Super Bazar compound, in the Connaught Place area of Central Delhi, pin code 110001. The market is positioned off the outer circle of CP — between the Barakhamba Road axis and the Connaught Circus zone. Getting there requires knowing to look for the Connaught Lane turn off the main CP road; the market’s understated entrance explains why it remains less known than every other CP-adjacent shopping option.
Rajiv Chowk Metro Station — the CP interchange serving both the Blue Line (Dwarka to Noida/Vaishali) and the Yellow Line (Huda City Centre to Samaypur Badli) — is the primary metro access point. Barakhamba Road Metro Station is a short walk from the market’s entrance. Disembarking at Barakhamba Road and walking across to Connaught Lane is the most direct approach. DTC bus routes serving CP and Mandi House all pass within short walking distance.
The market operates through seven distinct corridors, each with a character developed by the specialisation of the shops within. The peaked business hours are 2 PM to 4 PM, when the textile trade and food seekers both converge on the market simultaneously.
What Shops You Will Find
Fabric is the commercial centrepiece of all seven corridors. The range starts at Rs 50 per metre for basic printed cotton and extends to Rs 5,000 per metre for embroidered silks and premium brocades. The variety covers: printed cotton in every colour and pattern, rayon, art silk, linen, handloom fabrics, ikkat (ikat) weaves, brocade in traditional Banarasi and contemporary interpretations, chikankari-embroidered fabric, handwork pieces, and sequence-worked materials for festive occasion wear. Shops like Sardar Cloth House deal in wholesale ladies’ suits and lehenga fabrics; Shobha Emporium handles ladies’ salwar suits, silk suits, and cotton sarees. Flat No. 6, Shankar Market carries a range described as combining exuberance, colour, and royalty.
Corridor 1 has the market’s only optical and lens maker — a specific practical service alongside the textile specialisation. Ready-made kurtis are available from several shops for buyers who want finished garments alongside or instead of fabric yardage. Footwear is available from a handful of shops serving the daily practical needs of office workers and residents in the surrounding CP zone.
The Lucknow Sewa Emporium within the market is a specialised destination for authentic chikankari kurtis, suits, and ethnic wear from Lucknow’s handwork tradition — a specifically good sourcing address for those who know Lucknow chikankari’s quality markers and want to buy from a reliable dedicated source within Delhi.
Food at Shankar Market
Parashar Foods — known for rajma chawal and North Indian daily meals — is the market’s most cited food establishment and has become an institution for the office worker population of the surrounding CP zone. The affordable daily meal format serves the market’s primary constituency of working Delhiites rather than tourists. Street food and snack stalls provide the quick-bite options that draw people during the 2 PM to 4 PM peak.
Nearby Areas Worth Visiting
Connaught Place’s inner and outer circle retail, Janpath Market (budget Tibetan and handicraft goods, five minutes’ walk), Palika Bazaar underground (electronics and fashion, accessible from Rajiv Chowk metro), and the Bengali Market (Delhi’s most beloved neighbourhood sweet shop area) are all in the immediate zone. Jantar Mantar observatory is within walking distance.
FAQs
Q: What is Shankar Market Delhi famous for?
A: Shankar Market is one of Delhi’s oldest markets, located near Connaught Place on Connaught Lane. It is famous for an exceptional fabric selection spanning printed cotton, rayon, silk, brocade, ikkat, chikankari, handwork, and sequence fabric from Rs 50 to Rs 5,000 per metre. The Lucknow Sewa Emporium for authentic chikankari, affordable daily food, and its quiet contrast to CP’s branded retail are additional draws.
Q: What are the timings of Shankar Market Delhi?
A: The market operates from 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM, Monday through Saturday. Sunday is the weekly off day. Peak business hours are approximately 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM when footfall is highest.
Q: Which metro station is nearest to Shankar Market?
A: Rajiv Chowk Metro Station (Blue and Yellow Line interchange at Connaught Place) is the primary access point. Barakhamba Road Metro Station is also a short walk. Exiting at Barakhamba Road and walking across to Connaught Lane is the most direct route.
Q: Is Shankar Market good for buying fabric by the metre?
A: Yes — it is one of Delhi’s best addresses specifically for fabric by the metre, with over a hundred shops across seven corridors covering the full range from basic cotton at Rs 50/metre to embroidered silk and brocade at Rs 5,000/metre.
Q: Is bargaining expected at Shankar Market?
A: Yes, across most fabric and clothing shops. The food joints operate at fixed prices. Fabric dealers expect negotiation, particularly on larger quantities, and the market’s non-tourist character means pricing tends to be more straightforward than at Janpath or tourist-facing CP shops.
