Situated in the heart of the old city, Chaura Bazaar is still the cynosure of the city and is the mainstay of the business activity churning business worth crores every day. It attracts hoards of visitors and tourists every day besides the locals thronging famous points to shop for anything under the sun. There is a popular belief that anything that is available for Rs 200 elsewhere in the city can be picked up at half the price at Chaura Bazaar.

There are hundreds of wholesale and retail shops selling items of hosiery which has the market places designed in a traditional manner with multitude of streets entwined in dozens of cross sections.

Chaura Bazaar has, however, given in to a lot of encroachments on the streets which are narrowing down from 6 to 8 feet now, thereby, making it impossible for vehicles to pass through. At peak hours, there is so much rush in the market that it takes hours to wade through the traffic and crowd.

People visiting the market now complain of the congestion that has creeped into what was once a spacious marketplace with a lot of open spaces and wide streets. While the municipal corporation has been taking steps from time to time to make the area spacious enough for the smooth running of business transactions, there is little left to be done as the encroachments and haphazard construction have eaten into the essence of the bazaar.

Holding on to the same legacy of yesteryears, there are some famous shops that are still known to be the landmarks of the bazaar. They include outlets like Lyall Book Depot and Khushi Ram, among a few others.

The Chaura bazaar is also known for the famous drug market at Pindi Street which is the largest drug market in the region after New Delhi.