That the historic Walled City of Lahore is a maze of narrow, winding busy lanes is no revelation, but what many may find interesting is that the over a dozen different markets lining these streets are all connected through a network. Oftentimes one doesn’t realise where one bazaar ends and another begins.

While Shah Alam, Azam Cloth, Rang Mehal markets are among the familiar names from within the Walled City, which is also home to some of Asia’s biggest markets, one of the few that doesn’t get as much a mention in conversations as the others is Kasera Bazaar -- the largest household utensil and crockery market in the city. You name a kitchen item and you’ll find it here.

It is said that Kasera Bazaar is at least 125 years old. A walk through the entire bazaar may not take too long, but before you know it you’ve crossed over 120 shops filled to the brim with all kinds of utensils – from those made with the more modern stainless steel to the once-in-vogue brass and copper.

The bazaar can be accessed from multiple directions – entering from the Delhi Gate and crossing the Kashmiri Bazaar one reaches another historical gem, the Sunehri Masjid, along which begins Kasera Bazaar; adjacent to it is the Waan Market. From here one can also get to the Sarafa Bazaar, Rang Mehal and finally the Shah Alam (Shahalmi) Market.

The Pani Wala Talab and the Mochi Gate also take you to Kasera Bazaar, which was once predominantly a Hindu merchants’ market – evident from the still-intact façade of a branch of the Hindustan National Bank here though the building is now home to a local family.

Explaining how the market got its name and its early days, one of the shopkeepers, Muhammad Asif, claims the name is derived from Persian word “kass”, and ultimately, Kasera, means those who craft utensils.

“After the foundations of this city were laid, utensil makers and their craftsmen set up shop at this point. Originally it was established outside Delhi Gate, but the development and expansion pushed it back here. Princesses and elites would come here to buy traditional brass and copper crockery at a time when there were only 10-15 shops.”

Sitting at his antique shop, Asif tells Dawn his father set it up before Partition when only brass and copper ware was used for domestic purposes. “At one point, 99.9 per cent of the utensils sold in this market were brass and copper until the 1980s when melamine, silver, non-stick, plastic took over. Before this, every six months or a year these utensils would be polished by skilled craftsmen to maintain and preserve their health benefits.”

Brass and copper utensils are still purchased albeit to a much lesser extent and their use is limited to some restaurants and adorning drawing rooms. “The elites get these for decoration, but those who are aware of their benefits cook food in them too. If you notice, all big restaurants and army messes use copper utensils for cooking; they don’t use silver.”

On the gradual fading away of the traditional materials, Asif says these antique pieces were earlier sold for Rs27-30 per kilogramme when he started working around a couple of decades ago. “But now the per-kilogramme cost has escalated to thousands. The maintenance cost is also very high because not everyone can fix these items; a proper skill is required, which only a traditional polisher (kalaiwala) possesses and they’re also vanishing,” he rued.

There are only half a dozen shops left in Kasera Bazaar that sell brass and copper utensils with just one polisher (kalaiwala) around – representing a dying breed of craftspeople.

Veteran Umar Hayat Butt, whose family has been dealing in antique utensils in this market for at least five generations, talks fondly about the historical significance of this location. “Rang Mehal is the centre of the Walled City. Adjacent to Kasera Bazaar there was Mohalla Chabuk Sawaran where the Mughals kept their horses. Then there were Mohallas Teer Garan and Kaman Garan where bow and arrow were made. The Dabbi Bazaar is nearby and so are Azam Cloth Market, Sooha Bazaar, Gumti Bazaar, Shahalmi -- all of these were dominated by Hindus till Partition. Shahalmi, it is said, was burnt down by Muslim zealots after the Hindus left, and was then rebuilt.”

Mr Butt says his ancestors migrated to Lahore from Srinagar around a century ago when Kashmir was hit by a plague (probably the Spanish flu). At that time, he claims, only two shops in this market were owned by Muslims, one of which was set up by his great grandfather. “First, he built a warehouse and crafted all kinds of utensils and cauldrons, and later established a shop behind Sunehri Masjid. After my great grandfather, grandfather, father, uncles did business from there, it was given away. This shop we now have inside the bazaar, I practically refurbished myself 20-25 years ago and adorned it with antique doors and pieces.”

Another shopkeeper, Imran Butt, says his shop was at least 70 years old and was set up by his grandfather. “We have only been involved in the utensil business. Every dealer in this market was a Hindu till the Partition. My grandfather and father both used to polish and deal in copper and brass utensils. But my generation moved to stainless steel, which is the trend now. Now only antique copper and brass pieces are sold here, but some people still use them for cooking.”

Asif misses the good old days, saying most of the dealers in the market have been here for generations and “we all know each other, we have grown up with each other here”.

Published in Dawn, April 17th, 2022