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Sowcarpet | |
|---|---|
neighbourhood | |
_Mint_Street%2c_Chennai_-_panoramio_(1).jpg) | |
  Sowcarpet  Sowcarpet  Sowcarpet | |
| Coordinates:13°05′22″N80°16′44″E / 13.08950°N 80.27897°E /13.08950; 80.27897 | |
| Country | India |
| State | Tamil Nadu |
| District | Chennai |
| Metro | Chennai |
| Zone | Basin Bridge |
| Ward | 30 |
| Government | |
| • Body | CMDA |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Tamil |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 600079 |
| Lok Sabha constituency | Chennai North |
| Legislative assembly constituency | Harbour |
| Planning agency | CMDA |
Sowcarpet is a neighborhood in thenorthern part ofChennai,India. Sowcarpet is one of the oldest neighborhoods of the city with narrow streets and vintage buildings. It is a bustling commercial area of the city, and a range of wholesale markets are located here.[1] The locality is known as the North Indian hub of Chennai owing to the presence of the North Indian community here.[2] Sowcarpet is home to the largestMarwadi community in South India.[citation needed]
The neighbourhood derives its name from the term "sowcar" which comes from theHindi wordsahukaar, originally meaning merchant or native banker. The term now refers to a money-lender.[3]
Sowcarpet is often referred to as "Little North India" owing to the presence of a predominantly North Indian population. The neighbourhood is home to the city's first North-Indian Jain temple. It is also flanked with shops and eateries offering north Indian foods and delicacies.[3]
In his bookMadras Rediscovered, Chennai city chroniclerS. Muthiah writes that Gujarati immigrants fromSaurashtra who established themselves as a weaving community inMadurai andTirunelveli arrived in the Sowcarpet neighbourhood in the 17th century. The diamond and silk merchants, who gave the neighbourhood its name, arrived in the 18th century from Gujarat. Other settlers in the neighbourhood includes theMarwaris fromRajasthan, who arrived later.[3]
Sowcarpet is considered a shopper's paradise owing to the presence of shops and outlets selling a wide range of finished goods.[2] Most streets in Sowcarpet are rather narrow, with a few exceptions likeMint Street[4] and nearby area.[5] The buildings in the streets are so close to each other that they look like they share a common wall. The sight is typical of the crowded bazaars of Indian cities – a potpourri of different vendors and artisans, trading and making a variety of articles. The wholesale markets for several goods are in Narayana Mudali street, Govindappa Naicken street and Rattan Bazaar. The area around Kasi Chetty street and Mint street is famous for shopping and for small eateries serving traditional North Indian, chiefly Gujarati and Marwari, chaat and other delicacies.[2] Patni Plaza and Naidu Plaza are some of the well known shopping malls in the area. Kakada Ramprasad and Novelty Tea House, both started in 1958, are some of the notable eateries in the neighbourhood.[6][7]
The neighbourhood is known for itsHoli andRaksha Bandhan celebrations.[8]
It has been estimated that the turnover of the neighbourhood is anywhere between₹100,000 million and₹150,000 million a year.[8]
