This is my favourite place.This is where i go for my cucuq udang, for my cendol, for my books!sometimes, i also shop for jeruk n buah pala plus belacan here. also lempuk durian!! sedapnyaaaa...people in Penang simply call it-- charosta!
To start of, Chowrasta Market or Pasar Chowrasta is one of the two community markets in inner George Town.Funny the name of the place comes from Urdu, meaning "four cross roads". As is customary, the market place is the usual watering hole for the community, and it is usually positioned where major roads meet. In the case of Chowrasta Market, it is bordered by Penang Road, Jalan Chowrasta, Jalan Kuala Kangsar and Lebuh Tamil.
According to some articles i found, the area around Chowrasta Market has been a settlement for Tamils from Kadayanallur in southern India, since the mid 19th century. For that reason, it was known as "Kelinga Ban San" in Hokkien, meaning "South Indian Market." To this day, there are still shops along Lebuh Tamil that are run by the Tamil community of Chowrasta Market.
The first permanent market building was erected by the Commissioners of the Municipality of George Town - precursor of the Majlis Perbandaran Pulau Pinang, MPPP - in the year 1890, at the cost of $16,471. The structure, which is single storey tall, remained unchanged until 1960. In some old photographs, you can see the front facade with the date 1920 on it. This refers to the extension on the Penang Road side which was put up in that year.
In 1961, the old market was demolished to make way for the new structure, built at a cost of $1,310,000, and is still standing to this day. When it was completed, it was one of the first buildings in Penang to be fitted with escalators, which brings wide-eyed users straight to the wet market level. There were also four service lifts. Both of these have since been dismantled though.
Today, most of the market activities spill out onto Jalan Kuala Kangsar, Jalan Chowrasta, and Lebuh Tamil. the ground floor is practically the wet market, n rows of traders selling jeruk,dried sotong,lempuk,baked red bean buns, belacan, minyak angin etc etc..
as you go up the stairs, there are some food stalls, clothes, shoes, handbags (COACH pon ada you!),ada kedai jual alat2 muslim especially yg nak pi haji, kedai baju budak2 especialy dresses for girls and most important of ALLLLL..my beloved pakcik-pakcik..selling BOOKS!(thats another entry)..make sure u guys walk around chowrasta k....style depa gantung daging n susun ikan pon old school.. check it out!
And taste the cucuq udang (ada tauqua n kuah kacang), the cendol (makan berdiri--santan pekat..perrgghh),air kelapa muda,air rebu, buah berangan goreng, laksa biasa n laksa asam..ya allah..nak balikkkkkk sob sob sob!
Getting there:
-From the Weld Quay Bus Terminal, take the Rapid Penang Bus Nos. T10, T11, U101, U103, U104, U201, U202, U203, U204 or U206 that goes right to the bus stop in front of Chowrasta Market.
- can walk from KOmtAR
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