With a name like Shillong Police Bazaar, you’d expect something rather special and, well, that is exactly what you get here. This is the bustling centre of the city and state where there is even a sign stating you can get “everything you could imagine”.
In reality, the sign is a bit over ambitious, but this is the main shopping district for Shillong and the surrounding area, where you will find many of the hotels, restaurants and general nightlife. This is also the street food capital of Shillong.
It is, though, not actually a bazaar for the police force, although we did see a few lurking around.
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What Is Shillong Police Bazaar?
Despite its name, Shillong Police Bazaar is not really a traditional bazaar in the old sense of the word. It is the commercial heart of the city and has grown from a small trading area into the main shopping and social hub of Shillong. The name comes from the British colonial period when a police outpost was located in the area, with traders and businesses naturally gathering nearby.
Over time, the area developed into the busy marketplace that exists today. It is where locals come for shopping, food and entertainment, while visitors use it as the main base for hotels and transport. From clothes and electronics to souvenirs, street food and local products, I did though in fairness see 3 real police officers standing around largely watching our group….
Click to read about street food in Gangtok.
What Can You Buy At Shillong Police Bazaar?
The main Police Bazaar is basically located around an underground market area that proudly proclaims you can get “everything you can imagine”. Sadly, this is not really the case unless you have a fairly poor imagination. For the most part, all I saw sold were fruits and betel nut, the disgusting nut that people chew for its mildly stimulating effects.
As it is India, there was also a fair bit of clothing and shoes being knocked out, as well as jewellery. I have no idea about jewellery, but there is apparently gold mined relatively nearby. There were also the usual assortment of phone repair shops and the like.
Amusingly, if you went down some of the backstreets, you could also purchase a vape fairly openly. The irony here is that vaping is very much illegal in India, as anyone who has flown into the country might know. I’ll avoid a rant on this and plead the Fifth. But it was gonna be along the lines of “are vapes really the biggest problem you have here”.
There is also a whole heap of action around this traffic filled area in general, with high end stores, shopping centres of a fashion, as well as tonnes of independent businesses. If you want something in Shillong, you come to Shillong Police Bazaar.
Where can you buy a fridge magnet in Shillong? You can buy a fridge magnet at Shillong Police Bazaar. You’re welcome.
Click to read about digging the great firewall of India.
Street Food Shillong Police Bazaar
Not fancying the chewing of drug light nut, buying jewellery, or getting cheap shoes, I instead followed my wolf like instincts to the street food stalls. These are located, much like in most of India, on the edges of the bazaar and are, to put it mildly, pretty damned good.
All manner of foods are available, such as local favourites like momo and pani puri, but it was the fusion dishes that really got me hot and bothered. Basically, in Shillong you are closer to China than you are Delhi, and this is evident both from the faces of many people and the food.
I started my street food journey here with some local fried noodles, a personal favourite of mine from Cambodia, China and pretty much anywhere that sells them. In Shillong, they came out almost South East Asian style, but already with some masala, as well as the ability to add more hot sauce, which of course I duly took. It was a top dish and very unique.
I thought my street food journey had finished until I saw two nuns getting food and thought, “Well, if it is good enough for the brides of Christ, then it is good enough for me.” Turns out they were getting fried rice, another seemingly Chinese dish, which I had with chicken and the hottest sauce they had available.
Another culinary home run, although I was punished later after knocking back both of these dishes in short succession.
So, yeah, that is Shillong Police Bazaar. Personally, I would not want to stay in this area due to the traffic, noise and pollution, instead preferring the mountain areas. If, though, you want some creature comforts, as well as to see some real Shillong city life, then this is the place to be.
I hear one can also buy a vape at the market too…….
Click to see our India Tours, which include Shillong.
