I Spent A Morning At The Largest Flower Market In South Asia

Kolkata is a darling to me! A visit once a year is a must for me. And for photographers? It’s heaven. In this edition we’ll be unfolding the Mallick Ghat which is considered as Asia’s biggest flower mandi (market) & was built by Ram Mohun Mallick in 1855, making it 164 years old today!

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A city with more than three hundred years of history is running with another 125 years old history. Just below the Howrah Bridge on the banks of Hoogly River at Mallick Ghat a unique more than 125 years old flower market is held every morning. This is the largest wholesale flower market in eastern India. The Ghat was built by Ram Mohun Mallick (son of Nayan Chand) in the year 1855.

An 8 months gap took me back to the City of Joy to work on another personal photo-project. Last time embraced the 85mm focal length but this time opted 55mm Zeiss 1.8 for Sony system. An interesting focal length which gives wide varieties alongside interesting closeups helped to shape up the photo story.

Waking up the whole night to engorge in a photo walk while you are in a vacation at 5in the morning on a holiday could be considered sadistic, but my reward was a photo walk was to watch the sunrise on heaps of colourful flowers & the workers who gathered embracing their lifestyle embracing the beauty of nature.

From small quantity to large amounts, you can purchase flowers for any use from 4 am — 10 pm. Peak hours are usually in the morning till 10 am and after lunch hours. Since the market also supplies flowers to the neighbouring states, packaging flowers in bales and transporting the same is another significant activity here. A picture of vibrancy, vigour and life, Kolkata’s flower market experience is definitely a must-have!

A sea of fiery orange marigold strung together forming huge chains, bunches of lotus, roses, sunflowers and all sorts of flowers along with their distinctive fragrances greet you as you enter the market. Most vendors also live in makeshift shelters inside the market and are usually busy in making flower arrangements and bouquets that are in great demand during festivals and religious occasions.

Bursting with the colours, a morning to remember for! The place is a must visit for history lovers who're planning to experience the city with a different eye.