Thyagaraya Nagar (T. Nagar)
T. Nagar was initially a residential neighbourhood, but is now one of the largest and prominent shopping hubs with endless stores of sarees and jewellery. There are also a number of other apparel and utensil stores in this market, with a lot of scope for bargaining for you to get a great deal. The stores here run big discounts during festive seasons. There are quite a few saree houses in the market, but none compare to Pothys. Pothys opened purely as a saree shop and have now expanded into clothing for men, women, and children. Their range in terms of fabric, price, and style is hard to match and that’s what has made them immensely popular. T. Nagar also happens to be the hub for jewellery shopping. Big-name stores like NAC Jewellers, Lalithaa Jewellery, Prince Jewellery, and others cater to just that need.
Panagal Park
Panagal Park is a street market locality in T. Nagar surrounded with lush greenery. Ranganathan Street and South Usman Road around Panagal Park have various stores for gold jewellery, silk sarees, and other ethnic apparel. You can shop for authentic Kanjeevaram sarees here as well. These stores attract a lot of tourists.
Nungambakkam
Nungambakkam is known for its clothing stores specialising in sarees and other women’s attire. This is the place to be if you want to to give an ethnic touch to your wardrobe. Some of the most famed stores here are Renasci Fashion House–a designer boutique store, Easy 2 Wear for a quick spree on a budget, and Rupkali for some beautiful sarees.
Kanchipuram
While talking about shopping in Chennai, how can we miss Kanchipuram! Located about 76 km away, this beautiful temple town is soaked in the grandeur of its silk industry. The very name Kanchipuram stirs up the images of colourful sarees in one’s mind and is the perfect destination to shop wedding silk sarees. You can either follow the billboards directing you where to shop or just walk into the stores whose display entices you the most. There are 2 types of shops that you can visit. First is the weaver’s cooperatives that sell sarees via small shops. The authenticity and purity of these sarees can be attested to by the silk mark on them. There are many such shops located on Gandhi Road. The second option is the multi-storey big showrooms where you can just announce your budget and be awed by the variety of sarees that are available on each budget.
