The rise and decline of Patna's Hathwa market

Patna: A band performing live with beautiful fountains in the background and hordes of visitors enjoying the music and shopping -- this is what evenings at Patna's Hathwa market looked like in the 1960s.

Then came malls and multiplexes, slowly robbing the market of its charm and visitors, and a fire last year that damaged several shops.

Inaugurated on this day in 1959 by Bihar's first chief minister Sri Krishna Singh, Patna's Hathwa market was built by the Hathwa Raj, an erstwhile zamindari estate in Bihar's Gopalganj district.

Located near Gandhi Maidan in the Bakergunj area, it is one of the oldest markets in the Bihar capital after the landmark Patna market that opened at the historic Ashok Rajpath in 1947.

Today, Bakergunj is a very densely populated area. The streets near the Hathwa market are choked with traffic and hawkers selling readymade garments dot the periphery of its compound, impeding pedestrian movement.

"The property where the Hathwa market came up in the 1950s was known as Hathwa Chhauni. The then Maharaja Bahadur of Hathwa had planned to develop the market with two fountains and a car parking facility," a member of the Hathwa Raj family told PTI.

The construction began in 1957 and a beautiful neon sign reading 'Hathwa Market' was brought from Calcutta (now Kolkata), he said.

"The market building was constructed by Darghai Mistry under the supervision of a Jesuit missionary. A special 'karni' (shovel) made of gold and silver was made by R V Joshi and Brothers with which the foundation of the market was laid by Maharaja Bahadur," the Hathwa Raj family member said.

"The Hathwa market was inaugurated by the first Bihar Chief Minister Sri Krishna Singh on September 11, 1959," he said.

In the evenings, a musical band played live at the market with the beautiful fountains in the background, he recalled.

"As long as Maharaja Bahadur was alive, a musical programme was held at the market every year on Dussehra. Renowned artists V G Jog, Sitara Devi and others had performed at these events," the Hathwa Raj family member recalled.

The market may have lost most of its glory but it still draws customers, who can be seen shopping for clothes and gorging on flavourful chaat.

"Due to family restrictions, ladies were initially not allowed to visit the Hathwa market. I remember visiting the market with my father once in a while. He was an avid reader, so we used to go to browse through books," said another Hathwa Raj family member.

Later, many other 'Hathwa' markets were built in Bihar and one even in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi.

"But Patna's Hathwa market will always be special," the Hathwa Raj family member said.