Mumbai is home to a plethora
of relics from its enchanting history. You can find
antiques and curios right from the rule of The East
India Company to the kingdom of Chatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj here.
Chor
Bazaar, the famous flea market in
Mumbai is a good starting point for antique lovers.
It is also a fantastic place to shop for reasonably
priced Indian curios and souvenirs for family and
friends back home. Look for anything from brass
door knobs to silver "hookaas".
Besides the inumerable lanes of the Chor Bazaar,
you can get lucky at the Colaba
Causeway, where numerous stalls sell
antiques and curios. But shopping here could largely
be a gamble since most of these antiques are fake
remakes of the original.
Excellent genuine antiques can be found at the world-famous(literally)
antiques shops like Phillip's
Antiques and Natesan's
in Mumbai.
Phillips Antiques
, opposite the Regal Cinema, specialises in antiques,
silverware, crystal, porcelain and Victorian bric-a-brac.
It's a lovely, fusty store, established in 1860,
and almost an antique itself.
Natesan's has
been specialising in objects d'art, statues and
bronzes since 1930. It's probably the highest profile
retailer of antiquities in the city and you'll pay
accordingly.
For the watchful spender the shopping arcades in
five-star hotels like the Oberoi and the Taj Mahal
are a treasure trove selling authentic antiques,
silks and designer wear.
TIP: Articles more than 100 years old are
not allowed to be exported from India without an
export clearance certificate. If you have doubts
about any item and think it could be defined as
an antique, check with the Archaeological Survey
of India.
