Kinari Bazar

This guide to Kinari Bazar in Agra follows the history of zardozi, the gold-thread embroidery first perfected in Emperor Akbar's royal workshops to clothe the Mughal court. You'll hear how the craft nearly vanished after the empire's decline and British industrial cloth arrived, and how it survives today using polished copper wire in place of real gold. Listen for the market's rhythm as bargaining unfolds around you, all of it now geared toward weddings rather than royal robes.