Mallik Ghat flower market: the biggest hub for flowers in Asia
Kolkata is one of my most favourite towns in the world, so much so that I must make an annual pilgrimage because it is my heaven for photography. One of the most eye-catching places in the city is Mallick Ghat and is widely considered to be Asia's biggest flower mandi (market). It was built by Ram Mohan Mallick in 1855, and is celebrating its 164th birthday this year.
The city itself is more than three centuries old and for the past 125 years, Mallick Ghat, situated under Howrah Bridge on the banks of the Hooghly river, opens shop early every morning to present all the colours nature can bloom into.
Garlands of fiery orange marigolds strung together forming huge chains, bouquets of lotus, roses, sunflowers and all sorts of flowers along with their distinctive fragrances suffuse you as you enter the market. Most vendors live in makeshift shelters inside the market and are usually occupied with flower arrangements and bouquets that are in great demand during festival seasons and religious occasions.
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From small quantities to large amounts, you can purchase flowers from 4AM - 10PM. Peak hours last till 10am and picks up again after lunch hour. Since the market is also the biggest supplier of flowers to its neighbouring states, the market is also a hub for packing and transporting massive bales of flowers. The picturesque vibrancy, vigour and life of Kolkata's flower market experience is bucket-list worthy.
Staying up till 5 AM in the morning on vacation might sound sadistic to others, but I do it to reap the rewards for photoscapes of the rising sun on heaps of flowers and the florists that tend to them.
I returned to the city of joy after an eight month gap to work on a personal photography project. During my last visit I embraced the 85mm focal length, but this trip I opted for the 55mm Zeiss 1.8 for the Sony system. An interesting focal length which captures wide varieties alongside interesting closeups which helped greatly in the composition of the shots for this photostory.
