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

South Mumbai South Mumbai, colloquially SoBo from South Bombay in Anglo-Indian English, administratively the Mumbai City District, is the city centre and the southernmost precinct of Greater Bombay. It extends from Colaba to Mahim and Sion neighbour ...

'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 Maharashtrian social reformer Mahatma Jotirao Phule. The market is situated opposite the

Mumbai Police The Mumbai Police (Marathi: मुंबई पोलीस, IAST: ''Mumbaī Pulīs'', formerly ''Bombay Police'') is the police department of the city of Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is a part of Maharashtra Police and has the primary responsibiliti ...

headquarters, just north of

Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (officially Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Bombay station code: CSMT ( mainline)/ST (suburban)), is a historic railway terminus and UNESCO World Heritage Site in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. The terminus was d ...

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 — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

until March 1996, when the wholesale traders were relocated to

Navi Mumbai Navi Mumbai (), is a planned city situated on the west coast of the Indian subcontinent, located in the Konkan division of Maharashtra state, on the mainland of India. Navi Mumbai is part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). The city is ...

. 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, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

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 every day 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 novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British India, which inspired much of his work. ...

) 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 Tuesdays. On other days, its 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

, or local buses and cabs.

References

* ''A 137-Year Legacy'';

Times News Network ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English language, 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, t ...

, ''

Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English language, 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, t ...

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

External links