Bhubaneshwar, the capital city of Odisha, has gained prominence for reasons other than just being a city of temples. It is also widely known for handicraft items, woven fabric like Tussar silk, sculptures and beautiful regional paintings. Residents from neighbouring towns often come to the city to enjoy shopping and take home some beautiful items. Some of the most famous things to buy in Bhubaneshwar include sarees and dresses, decorative things like purses, mirrors, jewellery boxes, trays, table tops, utensils, etc. The Pata Chitra paintings, done on palm leaves, are also seen in many markets in the city. If you’re looking for some exclusive shopping time in the city, head to the following markets:

Ekamra Haat:  Ekamra Haat, a craft village, is an initiative led by the Odisha state government to promote not just local Odishan handicrafts, but handicrafts from all across India. The state has set up similar craft villages at the pilgrimage town of Puri, and Konark as well. The aim behind this initiative has been the promotion of crafts by enabling direct marketing opportunities to urban as well as rural artisans.

The layout at Ekamra Haat has been keeping in mind the thought of recreating a rustic appeal for visitors that is unique to Odisha. As a result, each shop assigned to an artisan has been designed as a mud hut over grass mounds. Visitors have the choice ranging from browsing through the wide range of handicrafts such as, palm leaf engravings, pattachitra, cane and bamboo products, stone and wood carvings to name a few. There is also a wide range of textiles across the 42 shops, and you can also binge on local cuisine that is available at the 10 food stalls – all of which is evenly spread over five acres of land.

Market Building Chaotic yet colourful, cramped yet vibrant and noisy yet appealing! This is what defines Market Building—one of the oldest shopping destinations of the city. It is a place which defines the city’s character—a shopping psychology woefully absent in the new flamboyant malls cropping up in the capital. The roads leading to it are filled with garment shops set up on footpaths where you can get apparels for all ages and seasons at a great value for money. There are two facets to this place. One is the brick and mortar shops like traditional outlets of Kalaniketan, Queen’s Collection, Kalamandir, Narula Cloth House, M Bazaar and Priyadarshini selling authentic garments of the highest quality along with budget shops like Kolkata Bazaar, Vishal Megamart and plethora of other small shop establishments including medicines, grocery, stationery, opticals, sports etc. The other facet is the street vendors. They used to occupy almost every available empty space in Market Building. Recent changes by the municipal corporation have shifted them to a more organized area at either end of the market. The middle row is now beautifully set up with wooden benches, plants and lamp posts. People love to hang out here among the hustle and bustle of the evening market. A heaven for street food lovers—Market Building offers mouth-watering paani puri (gupchup), dahi bara-alu dum (odia delicacy), chaats, pau bhaji carts and ice cream and milk shake stations. Narula’s Kulfi—a small shop in front of the famous Narula Cloth Store sells delectable sticks of paan, black current and litchi flavour. Apart from this, it is also a mecca for bargain shopping. More often than not, the physical stores have fewer customers than the street hawkers where you can hear constant cacophony of haggling customers trying to get the best price. From all kinds of household items to bangles, ear rings, belts, clips and nose rings, you can find almost everything here. Variety is the hallmark of Market Building and is more frequented by the prettier gender.