Lining the anarchic jumble of streets north of Lokmanya Tilak (formerly Carnac) Road, Mumbai's teeming central bazaars are India at its most intense. You could wander around here for months without seeing the same shop front twice. In practice, most visitors find a couple of hours mingling with the crowds in the heat and din quite enough. Nevertheless, the market districts form a fascinating counterpoint to the wide and Westernized streets of downtown, even if you're not buying.

 

In keeping with traditional divisions of guild, caste and religion, most streets specialize in one or two types of merchandise - a pain if you want to see a smattering of all the goods on offer in a relatively short time. If you lose your bearings, the best way out is to ask someone to wave you in the direction of Abdul Rehman Street , the busy road through the heart of the district, from where you can hail a cab.