Bolpur's Sonajhuri Haat Extends Opening Days To Six Per Week Ahead Of Durga Puja

Sonajhuri Haat, a weekly Saturday afternoon bazaar, will now be open for tourists 6 days a week instead of 4. According to Local 18 Bengal, this has become a favourite hangout place for tourists after visiting the museums of Kabiguru Rabindranath Tagore. The Sonajhuri Haat is renowned for handicraft products. In the market, the local artisans sell a variety of handmade items such as pottery, woodwork, batik print clothing, etc. This haat has become popular with tourists not only for shopping but also for the display of local culture and art.

It has never happened that no tourist has visited Santiniketan and has not gone to Sonajhuri Haat at least once. Santiniketan in West Bengal is a popular UNESCO World Heritage Site, known for its distinctive artistry and vibrant cultural festivals. So, if Sonajhuri Haat is open for 6 days a week, besides the tourists, the artisans and traders will also benefit. Earlier, this haat used to be open for tourists on Saturdays and Sundays. A few local artists in the area had started this market which was not so popular back then. Now, these haats are currently being organised in a large area and the customer’s demand here is also high. Due to the massive demand for the products, Sonajhuri Haat has been open four days a week i.e., from Saturday to Tuesday for the past few months.

But then arose the need for increasing the opening days of the Sonajhuri Haat. It is due to the upcoming Durga Puja festival, West Bengal’s famous festival that will be celebrated from October 9 to October 12. Coupled with increasing customer demand, a need was felt to increase Sonajhuri Haat’s opening time. Due to this, the Sonajhuri Haat authorities appealed to the local MLA and the state minister Chandranath Sinha to extend Haat opening days. The application has been accepted and now the market will be open for six days a week. It will be closed on Wednesdays only. On Wednesday, the cleaning and the plantation work will happen in the market.

We can see many artefacts and Kabiguru Rabindranath Tagore’s photographs in the Sonajhuri Haat market.