Imagine having an entire market dedicated to the pets! Here in the City of Joy, we have such beautiful markets dedicated solely to the beautiful creatures, dogs, fishes, birds, rabbits, etc.
Here is the oldest and biggest pet market in Kolkata:
Galiff Street Pet Market:
Kolkata, the City of Joy dawn every Sunday with a happy hustle, and cheerful sound at Ghosh Bagan, Baghbazar. The Sunday morning at Baghbazar rolls over a cacophonic sound of dogs, birls, and a humongous number of people.The Pet Market is the largest and oldest pet market in Kolkata, commonly known as Galiff Street Pet Market. The Galiff Street Pet Market is also known as ‘Bagbazaar Sokher Haat’.
Location of the Galiff Street Pet Market:
17/1, SH 1, Ghosh Bagan, Baghbazar, Kolkata, West Bengal 700003
Timing of the Galiff Street Pet Market:
Every Sunday, from 4.30 AM to 2.00 PM. The main crowd starts coming to the market between 6 AM to 9 AM.
About the Galiff Street Pet Market:
The Pet market was initially situated in the Hatibagan area, during the British Rule, which later shifted to the present area due to land-area constraints.The Galiff Street Pet Market can precisely be tagged as ‘Heaven For Pet Lovers’.
The pet market begins in the early Sunday morning and closes by late noon. The Galiff Street Pet Market is exactly at a five to seven minutes walk from the five-Point crossing at Shyambazaar.
The market embraces all kinds of the bunch of joy, starting from puppies to guinea pigs. Rabbits, birds, and fishes of vivid varieties are few other attractive sales of the market. The experience of a walk through the market is a whole different amazing feeling altogether.
Pet sellers who arrive here are not only from Kolkata, or other districts of Bengal but also are from few other neighboring states.
Apart from being the ancient pet market in Kolkata, The Gallif Street Pet Market is the oldest market dedicated to pets in India.
The early morning scene is worth feasting on, the number of buyers, sellers busy negotiating with each other, which some roaming around with DSLR to capture the beautifully busy and colorful market place. The chirping birds, the baby dogs bark, the vendors calling out adds to essence in the air.
It seems like a carnival of buying and selling happiness.
Is Hatibagan Pet Market and Galiff Street Pet Market the same?
Yes, The Hatibagan Pet Market has been shifted to becoming the Galiff Street Pet Market due to land-area constraints. When you reach the market you can hear about the genesis of the Baghbazaar Sokher Haat.The establishment of the Hatibagan pet market has a close relationship with ancient India. It is known that in the 18th century, Siraj Ud-Daula the last independent Nawab of Bengal has designated this certain area for keeping his elephants.
Later on, this place got its name from the same, that is, where Hati Bagan got its name from, ‘Hati’ means elephant and ‘Bagan’ means Garden. And the place was solely dedicated to being for pets markets and thus becomes a pet market.
The market at Hatibagan was quite big, but when the market expanded more it required more space thus was shifted to Baghbazar. Thus, today it stands as the biggest pet market in India for, dogs, rabbits, fishes, guinea pigs, birds, etc.
It is estimated that the market helps around 2.5 Lakh people directly or indirectly to earn a living.
What are the varieties of pets available in the Galiff Street Market?
The Galiff street pet market is best known for dogs, birds, and beautiful fishes. Rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, white rats are also available in the market.Dogs section of the pet market has a huge variety of dogs, from indigenous breed to other breeds and qualities.
Similarly, fishes and birds also have a number of varieties of birds and the availability of fishes. The market has a huge variety of fish and aquarium accessories, which are available in much affordable prices than the local markets.
The Galiff street Market has a separate zone for plants, known as the Galiff street plant market, where you get all the beautiful plants, from edible plants to ornamental ones. Seeds and other gardening accessories can also be bought along with it.
The major segments of the Galiff Street Pet Market are as follows:
Galiff Street Birds Market:
Bird’s section in the Galiff street pet market seems like passing by a hueful cloud. The chirping birds and their brilliant color are so tempting. The colors of different birds create a beautiful scene.
Vivid varieties of birds are found in the market. Some of these birds are parrots, sparrow, pigeons, etc. Other than these common birds a few uncommon bird species are also found here. A wide variety of pigeons are sold in this market, and their price range also varies. Other than birds you also get bird’s cages, food in the market.
We also get chicks in the bird specific section of the pet market. The prices of the birds are also not very high and thus are very affordable for anyone to buy them.
A large number and varieties of pigeons are available in the market.
Keeping aloof the negative aspects it is a great place to visit, and if you are a bird’s lover this truly intends to be your happy place.
The only dark phase of the Bird Market is that here you will also witness people exchanging birds that are prohibited from selling under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
And also the customer remains in the dark about the bird’s health they are buying. No certified birds or animals are sold. Thus, there is a lack of legal regulation in Bird’s market of the Galiff Street Pet Market.
Galiff Street Dog Market:
Most of us are fond of dogs, less or more. And this segment of the pet market is an extremely favorite part of mine. I love peeping and adoring the pure innocence filled eyes.
If you enter the market from the northern side, the dog specified market falls on the right side of the road just opposite to the bird’s market.
The alley of happiness is what it looks and feels like, as you look around and find cute little munchkin all around you.
You will get almost all types of dog varieties in this place. The puppies are kept caged for showcasing to the public.
Extremely adorable pups of Golden retriever, Labrador, German Sphered, Lhasa, Dalmatian, etc can be bought from here.
The price ranges from low to high with the difference in a diverse variety of dogs. No authorized paper is given along with the dogs. So, there no way to know the proper health condition of the pup.
It is better to buy a dog from the Galiff Street pet market after you do a little research about the dog you are planning to buy so that it helps you in understanding at least the basic specifications in identifying a good breed.
Truly for dog lovers it is nothing less than a fantasy world, with amazingly cute dogs of various varieties. A large of people visit the market every Sunday and return back home as the proud owner of cute little blessing deceived in the coat of four-footed playful organisms.
Galiff Street Fish Market:
This is as hueful and color fair as the bird’s segment of the Galiff Street Pet Market. Wide varieties of fishes are sold here, differing in categories and shapes, sizes, and colors.
They are beautifully displayed in transparent polythene bags.
This segment is authorized and is under the supervision of the Kolkata Aquarium Club. The Kolkata Aquarium Club gives daily updates on the prices and other information to the buyers or hobbyist.
The prices here are cheaper than the actual market prices of the fishes. The fishes which are barely available in the market are usually happened to be found here.
Not only fishes but also other accessories like aquariums, aquarium filters, etc are also available in the market in way lesser prices than in markets.
Other pets sold in the Galiff Street Pet Market:
Some other animals sold and bought in this market include rabbits, guinea pigs, and white rats. These are the organisms that possibly makes the cutest corner of the Galiff Street pet market. These little munchkins are absolutely adorable and can surely be a great thing to buy, only if you can afford to take good care of it.
The price range of pets in the Galiff Street Pet Market:
The prices of the pets sold vary greatly. The wide range of price starts from rupees ten approximately and goes up to five digits, depending on the pet you are buying and the quality of the pet you are buying.The pups’ price range starts from Rs 4000 extends with your breed choice and quality. The dogs which come under the budget friendy list in the Galiff street market include labrador, pariah, dalmatian, Indian spitz, etc.
The price ranges for birds also much wide. Starting from Rs 100 for a pair rises up to Rs 5000 (approximately) for pairs or even more. The chicks sold here are available at very affordable prices, rupees 50-70 (approx.) for one.
The Fish Market is the truly most affordable corner of the entire Galiff Street Market. You may visit and can simply buy yourself a cute pair of fishes and a bowl or small aquarium to keep them.
The accessories are also cheap compared to other regular shops in Kolkata.
The minimum price fishes start from Rs. 20 (approximately).
The aquarium and other accessories are also very cheap here, like the aquarium which costs Rs 7000 in the local market can be bought for Rs 4000 in the Galiff Street Market.
Thus buying Pets and pet-related things from the Galiff street pet market can surely be a smart buy if you have some knowledge about the pet or product you are buying.
How many shops are there at Galiff Street Market?
Galiff Street pet market is basically a street market which settles on either side of the road, covering a long length, every Sunday.
The sellers stall with their cages and baskets for showcasing to their customers. If you enter the market from the northern side, you can see the pups are displayed in the cages on the right side of the road, and the birds market on the opposite side.
Likewise, there is fishmarket and markets for rabbits, hamsters, etc adjacent to it. There is a big plant market also associated with the pet market.
Can pets be bought for Debit or Credit cards from Galiff Street Pet Market?
Cards are inaccessible in the markets of Galiff Street, these are temporary shops that settle for once in a week business. Moreover, the people selling here are expected not to carry a card machine to issue a receipt or accept card payments.It is to be noted that even a number of hobbyists come and sell their pets in this market, so they might have money transferring applications and may agree to accept money through it. So, it completely depends upon the seller.
No online orders are accepted by the sellers. It only enables the hand to hand exchange of pets in this market.
*We do not have much evidence and knowledge on this particular inquiry. It is completely based on personal experience and notion.
Why we should not buy from Galiff Street Pet Market?
The dogs which are sold in this certain market, might not be of the best quality and there no authorization paper when customers buy it. Also, the dogs sold might not be kept in healthy and good conditions.
Few exotic birds sold here, which defy the Wildlife Protection act. There is no legal regulation in the market.
Why should we buy from the Galiff Street Pet Market?
- The best part about the market is you get a wide variety of options to choose from.
- The pets sold here are quite reasonable than in the pet shops.
- The pet market stands as a symbolic glory and adds on to the heritages of Calcutta.
- This is a great tourist attraction.
- The fish market is truly amazing and sells authenticated fishes and is regulated by Kolkata Aquarium Club.
How can I become a seller at the Galiff Street Pet market?
There is no restriction for being a seller at the Galiff street Pet market. You can be every market day seller at Galiff street or can be hobbyists too. You can sell your fishes, birds, rabbits, etc to the customers. No certification is required to be a seller at the Galiff Street pet market.*We do not have much evidence and knowledge on this particular inquiry. It is completely based on personal experience and notion.
Why is Galiff Street Pet Market better than any other pet market?
Firstly, the Galiff street Pet market bears a heritage of being the oldest pet market in India. It is the biggest and prestigious segment of Kolkata’s glory.It has been existing since ages and has emerged as a trustworthy destination for buying pets.
A wide variety of pets are available, thus the customers get to choose from too many options. There are specified sections that are utterly helpful. The customer can verify the prices since there are quite a number of shops together selling the same species.
The customers can touch, see, and then choose to buy. The customer gets the required accessories fr their pets from the same place.
Last and the most important part being, the prices in the Galiff street Pet Market is much affordable than any local pet shop. Even pet accessories are also very cheap in the market.
Thus the Galiff street pet market is the best pet market situated in the heart of Kolkata.
Why Galiff Street pet Market is good for Advanced pet lovers and not for beginners?
Galiff Street is an amazing place to visit and buy pets. But it is more likely to be visited by advanced pet lovers than beginners.
By advanced pet lover, I tried to indicate those pet lovers who have some knowledge regarding the pets and how to check their authenticity or which things mark good breed of the pet they are going to buy.
Most of us, who have pets do know how to keep them, feed then, and other necessary things but we lack in identifying the right of good breeds from the heap of the same.
Like, if you plan to buy a dog say, a labrador, now when you visit Galiff Street to buy a labrador you see fifty similar-looking labrador pups, now how do you know which is the best quality and which isn’t.
That is why when buying dogs or any other pets the Galiff street pet market requires some basic knowledge since you do not get any papers or certificates along with your purchase as authorization.
Watching some YouTube videos or reading about how to identify the quality of pets when buying can help a beginner to make a worthy buy.
So, make sure to do some online or offline researches about the pet you are going to buy before buying it from Galiff Street.
The plant market of the Galiff Street Market
Other than the Galiff Street pet market, it has a plant market too, with amazing flowers and vegetable plants and seeds. The plant lover or gardening maniacs also finds their love in this alley of joy.
Ornamental flowers to vegetable plants, seeds, and other gardening accessories can be accessed from here. All these come for a comparatively lower price than in the regular markets.
To conclude, Galiff Street is a great destination for hobbyists, and it is a hub of treasure waiting to feast upon with pleasures.
Where to eat when you visit The Galiff Street Pet Market?
Since people usually visit the Galiff Street pet market in the early morning, the breakfast destination in the nearby area is very popular. And Bengalis cannot imagine anything without the existence of some great food.Some great breakfast destination when you visit Galiff Street are:
1. Kolkata Hotel, 115, 9, SH 1, Bidhan Sarani, Shyam Bazar, Kolkata, West Bengal 700004.
It serves some delicious Indian breakfast, hot and spicy. It is a great pocket-friendly place that is supposed to be in must go list after experience the wonderful Pet Market of Kolkata.
2. Baghbazar Niramish Televaja, 2, Baghbazar St, Baghbazar, Bagbazar St, Shyam Bazar, Baghbazar, Kolkata, West Bengal 700003.
It is another delightful breakfast destination, that serves hot fried puri and scholar dal for breakfast for a pocket-friendly price.
Similar Pet Market in Kolkata
Pakhir Haat Pet Market, Garia:
This is another destination for bird lovers, and who keeps birds as pets. This has a huge and amazing collection of birds. The place is utterly beautiful and colorful, for it has several varieties of birds being sold in one particular place.Location of the Pakir Haat Pet Market:
Garia Bus Stand, near Kabi Nazrul Metro Station.Timing of the Pakhir Haat Pet Market:
Twice in a week, Monday and Friday, around 12 PM.Birds available in the market:
The birds available in the market include Cocktail, sparrows, love birds, parrots, and various types of pigeons.Other than these birds rabbits, white rats, and hamsters are also available in this market.
In the nearby area, you will also find a number of fish shops and some plant shop with all other gardening pieces of equipment, which are available throughout the week.
Though this Pakhir Haat pet Market is not as big as the Glaiff Street Pet Market, yet it can be a good place to buy birds for a reasonable price and provides a lot of choices.
