Any celebration, religious offering, or mourning is incomplete without flowers. It would be difficult to trace the origin of the ritual of flower offerings but the fact remains that it has remained one of the constants of human expressions.

On Sunday, I finally got the opportunity to visit the most famous, oldest and probably largest flower market of Asia situated on the banks of Ganges. The Mallick ghat flower market dates back to 1855.

Though flowers wilt and wither in hours, days, the market has thrived for more than 160 years! The old temples and structures beside the ghat have many stories to tell. It would need another visit and another post.

I interacted with some flower sellers. Most of them travel from suburbs. They leave home in wee hours and travel two to three hours with their highly delicate and perishable goods. The market opens at 3 a.m so it’s best to reach as early as possible to see the fresh stock of blooms. Some sellers stay overnight as well so virtually flowers are available 24×7 at the market.

Do walk down to the river side for the best view of the iconic Howrah bridge. Climb up the stairs to walk down the bridge on either side – for the river view and the most colourful view of the flower market from the top.

I would like to thank Sahapedia and Calcutta Photo Tours for organizing the walk. The walk was led by Manjit Singh Hoonjan.

Here are few of my mobile clicks: