You name it, they have it – from the ghode ki naal (horseshoe) to kasturi (deer musk) and Nizam-era currency to industrial tools. What is more, garments, electronic items and antique goods too; tiger claws and ivory products, but authenticity to be checked, are on offer, at Erragadda in Hyderabad every Sunday, reminding one of a village bazaar.
Once a week on Sunday, the Erragadda road turns into a beehive of activity with traders not only from the city but also from different parts of the country, flocking here with a wide and varied merchandise.
Daily household needs apart, people from different parts of the city, right from morning on Sundays, start making a beeline to these roadside stalls on the Erragadda-Sanathnagar stretch, browsing through the varied offerings.
Along the footpath, the traders spread out a cloth and pile up the goods. One such stall displays, what the stall keeper claims, tiger nails, teeth of lion and musk of deer, incidentally all from animals categorised as endangered.
Horseshoes (ghode ki naal) here are in good demand, given the common belief that if hung at the main door of a home, they augur good luck and prosperity. While the online price of each naal ranges between Rs 150 and Rs 1,000, here they are sold for a mere Rs.100 to Rs.200. “We have a limited stock and these are used-horseshoes from Gujarat. I sell anywhere between 40 and 50 horseshoes every Sunday here in this market,” says 50-year-old Abdul Gaffar.
Meanwhile, ahead of Shivaratri, Geetha, who has come all the way from Maharashtra, catches the attention of customers with rudraksha beads and other dried herbal plants, claimed to have been obtained from the Himalayas. “Some of them, I brought from Kumbh Mela recently.
As part of the Shivaratri festival, I have come here to sell these items to devotees,” she says. Kasturi Kaya, which is usually obtained from kasturi mriga (musk deer), is commonly used in temple rituals and believed to be a life saving medicine. Footpath stalls here have this too but with no authenticity certification!
Old bulb radios, tape decks, pendulum clocks and the list goes on. Coins from ek aana, do aana to the Nizam and British-era notes too can be picked up here. #KhabarLive
