Matka Market Lying Next To Sarojini Nagar Offers A Sea Of Earthen Pots To Take Home

In a quiet by-lane across the Sarojini Nagar Bus Depot lies a piece of history that remains unperturbed in this ever-changing city; a lane that houses just what it did in 1985 – earthen pots. In its rather amusing secular approach, its plethora of offerings range from simple ‘matkas’ to ‘Jaipur blue pottery’, ‘kagzi’ and ‘Manipur black pottery’ amongst others, showcasing art from all corners of the diverse subcontinent that India is.

Exactly Where It Is

The lane (A.K. Roy Marg) that is otherwise visible from within a hundred metres around it can also be very easily asked around for, by just the mention of a pottery market near Sarojini Nagar. The nearest metro station for the matka market is INA on the Yellow Line and the auto-rickshaw driver should charge you no more that Rs 30 for a ten minute ride.

Generation After Generation Of Re-Sellers

The sellers who are found squatting or hawking around with their items are not actual manufacturers but are simply in the business of reselling them after procuring them from artisans from Kolkata, Lucknow, Manipur, and the like; mostly places where indigenous artwork is plentiful. These sellers now claim to have taken it up as a family business, the knack of which is passed down generations. The sellers themselves belong to villages in Gurgaon. 

The Massive Repertoire

While the image of a lane of pottery might not sound overwhelmingly exciting, rest assured that there is plenty to choose from. It’s equally likely to appeal to an aficionado as to a homemaker. Terracotta Bankura horses, wax filled diyas, figures and figurines of Ganesha, Shiv-Parvati, Saraswati, lovely garden pots, mural-like vases, animal shaped piggy banks, tortoise shell shaped plant holders, bells and of course the ‘matkas’, everything is on sale each day of the year. 

When Should You Drop By?

One should not expect early morning customer service; the business hours commence at 10 AM in the morning and the last deals of the day are made until about 8 PM in the evening. One of the reasons for the late start being that the shops also serve as homes to the dwellers and daily chores have to be carried out too. 

Cheap On The Pocket

The forms these pieces acquire with the sheer skill of hand often render you so spellbound that the consideration of price almost wanes. Yet it is always advisable to have a general idea of the prices, which can vary between Rs 10 for simple diyas to about Rs 200 - 650 for bells, garden pots, vases and the one-foot tall Bankura horses. An intricate figure of a deity is usually priced around Rs 1,500 - 2,000. That said, many prices are also seasonal and the quantity you buy often affects the price. Apply the concept of wholesale: more the numbers, lesser the price! If you’re a seasoned shopper, a good bargain might not be too difficult to pull off as the proposed prices always have a huge margin for bargain. 

In an otherwise traffic-filled Delhi, this street is wide and peaceful, offering an interesting browse to the arty side of you. Its location isolates it from the outside world and yet it is a microcosm of the plurality of Indian culture!