Crawford Market (officially Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Mandai) is one of

South Mumbai South Mumbai, colloquially SoBo from South Bombay in Indian English, administratively the Mumbai City District, is the city centre and the southernmost precinct of Greater Bombay. It extends from Colaba to Mahalaxmi (Western side), Byculla ...

's most famous markets. The building was completed in 1869, and donated to the city by

Cowasji Jehangir Sir Cowasji Jehangir, 2nd Baronet, (16 February 1879 – 17 October 1962) was a prominent member of the Bombay Parsi community. He was the son of Sir Jehangir Cowasji Jehangir Readymoney, 1st Bt. (1853–1934) and grand-nephew of Sir Cowasji ...

. Originally named after Arthur Crawford, the first Municipal Commissioner of the city, the market was later renamed to honour Indian social reformer Mahatma Jotirao Phule. The market is situated opposite the

Mumbai Police The Greater Mumbai Police (Marathi language, Marathi: बृहन्मुंबई पोलीस, IAST: ''Brihanmumbaī Pulīs'', formerly ''Bombay City Police'') is the Police, police department of the city of Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is a cit ...

headquarters, just north of

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), officially Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), also known sometimes as Victoria Terminus (VT), is a historic railway terminus and UNESCO World Heritage Site in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. The ter ...

railway station and west of the J.J. flyover at a busy intersection. It was the main wholesale market for fruits in

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

until March 1996, when the wholesale traders were relocated to

Navi Mumbai Navi Mumbai (; also known as New Bombay, its official name until 1995) is a large city next to Mumbai, located in the Konkan division of the western Indian state of Maharashtra, on the mainland of India. Navi Mumbai is situated in Thane distr ...

. In 1882, the building was the first in India to be lit up by electricity.

Architecture

The market was designed by British architect William Emerson, and represented an early effort to blend

Victorian Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

architecture with indigenous elements. The market covers an area of 22,471 sq m (2,41,877 sq ft), of which 5,515 sq m (59,363 sq ft) is occupied by the building itself. The structure was built using coarse buff coloured Kurla stone, with redstone from Bassein. It has a 15 m high skylight awning designed to allow the sunlight to brighten up the marketplace. The original design consisted of three doorways at the entrance, each divided with a column, with space for a carved panel depicting everyday life. Two such panels were carved by the artist,

John Lockwood Kipling John Lockwood Kipling (6 July 1837 – 26 January 1911) was an English art teacher, illustrator and museum curator who spent most of his career in India. He was the father of the author Rudyard Kipling. Life and career Lockwood Kipling was b ...

(the father of author

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English journalist, novelist, poet, and short-story writer. He was born in British Raj, British India, which inspired much ...

) depicting an image of workers working, but he was not able to complete the third before leaving India.

Timing

This market is mostly closed on Sundays. On other days, it's open from 11:00 am to 8:00 pm.

Items sold

The market houses numerous items, from wholesale fruits, vegetables and poultry to clothes, dress materials, toys, jewelry, and even a pet store. At the pet area, different varieties of dogs, cats, and birds can be found. There have also been stories of the illegal sale of endangered species.

Reaching there

Crawford market area can be reached by taking local trains from Masjid Railway Station, or local buses and cabs.

References

* ''A 137-Year Legacy'';

Times News Network ''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest selling English-language daily i ...

, ''

Times of India ''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...

'' (Mumbai edition); 2006-03-25; pg-2

External links