Haat bazaar
A periodic open-air market central to rural trade and community life.
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A haat bazaar is an open-air market serving as a trading venue for local people, primarily in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, and India. These markets are held on a regular schedule, often once, twice, or thrice a week, and sometimes once every fortnight. Beyond commerce, haat bazaars function as meeting places and often spur the growth of rural settlements into towns.
Quick Facts
- Countries
- Bangladesh
- Bhutan
- Nepal
- India
- Frequency
- Once
- twice
- or thrice a week; sometimes once every fortnight
- India's largest haat
- Gohpur Haat Bazaar at Gohpur in Assam
- Month-long haats in haryana
- Gita Mahotsav at Brahma Sarovar in Kurukshetra; Surajkund Haat at Surajkund in Faridabad
- Permanent marketplace in odisha
- Ekamra Haat in Bhubaneswar
Facts from the source article.
List of popular Haats by country
In India, street vendors operate under the Street Vendors Act, 2014. In Assam, Gohpur Haat Bazaar is considered the largest in India, while Beltola Bazaar in Guwahati is a bi-weekly market with historical significance dating to the Ahom Kingdom. Delhi's Dilli Haat is a permanent market built in traditional style, open daily. Haryana hosts month-long haats: Gita Mahotsav at Brahma Sarovar in Kurukshetra and Surajkund Haat in Faridabad, both from November to December.
Odisha's Ekamra Haat in Bhubaneswar is a permanent marketplace known for arts and crafts. In West Bengal, Bihibare Haat in Kalimpong is a weekly market held every Thursday morning, and Rampurhat is a municipal town that grew around a haat.
Two districts in Bangladesh, Lalmonirhat and Jaipurhat, have the suffix 'haat' in their names, reflecting the haat bazaars around which those cities grew. In eastern Nepal, many towns are named after the weekly haat day, such as Aaitabare, Sombare, Mangalbare, Budhabare, Bihibare, Sukrabare, and Sanischare. Towns named after fortnightly haats include Panchami, Nawamidanda, and Saptami, based on the Hindu lunar calendar.
Did You Know?
- Border Haats exist on India's borders with Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Myanmar.
- These border haats are jointly-run bilateral markets at designated locations.
More in Bazaars
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Haat bazaar (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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