Indian bookshops are family counters, loyal to their city and stocked by people who reread what they sell. Faqir Chand & Sons has kept a multigeneration independent bookshop in Delhi's Khan Market since 1951. Midland Book Shop stacks staff-recommended titles and hard-to-find imports at Aurobindo Place. Kitab Khana keeps independent books and magazines plus paper goods in Mumbai. The local paperback usually beats the import on price; the counter knows which one to hand you and why.
Founded in 1844, this Mount Road bookseller stocks fiction, academic titles and Tamil-interest books. The house once ran the railway station bookstalls across the south and still trades under the name of its Victorian founder, Abel Joshua Higginbotham.
Best for Historic bookshop and general reading
Higginbothams is a bookshop at No. 116 Anna Salai, the road once called Mount Road, in Chennai. It describes itself as trading since 1844. Abel Joshua Higginbotham reached Madras by ship in the mid-1800s, by his company's account without ticket or papers. He found work as a librarian at the Wesleyan Book Depository. When the mission closed the shop in 1844 he bought the stock and moved the books to Mount Road under his own name. Copies of Queen Victoria's 1858 proclamation were distributed from the store. Sir Charles Trevelyan, Governor of Madras, praised its shelves of philosophy and classical literature. The firm supplied European books to Prince Edward VII on his visits and earned a place in John Murray's Handbook of the Madras Presidency. Higginbotham served as Sheriff of Madras and died in 1891. His son Charles Herbert Higginbotham took the firm onward, opening in Bangalore in an 1897 Palladian building on South Parade and setting up bookstalls at railway stations across the south. The house published Culinary Jottings for Madras in 1884 by Colonel Arthur Robert Kenney-Herbert, who wrote as Wyvern. It was awarded Royal Booksellers in 1875. Higginbothams has been part of the Amalgamations Group since the 1940s, with branches at Chennai Egmore and Chennai Central stations and the airport. Scroll.in told the founder's story at length in 2018.
Bahrisons Booksellers is a family-run bookshop in New Delhi's Khan Market, with a history beginning in 1953. Balraj Bahri started the business in post-partition India, and its catalogue now ranges from fiction to specialist non-fiction. Readers can browse children's books as well as titles on subjects such as politics and history through its online shop.
Best for Fiction and wide-ranging non-fiction at a Khan Market bookshop
CMYK Bookstore was opened by Kapil and Priya Kapoor of the publisher Roli Books as a shop given over to illustrated titles. The shelves cover art and design, with architecture, photography, fashion titles alongside them. Architectural Digest India called it India's largest retailer of art and design books in 2023. Addresses are listed at Greater Kailash 2 Market and Meharchand Market in New Delhi.
Best for Art, architecture, design, photography, fashion, craft, and illustrated books from international publishers
CMYK Bookstore came out of a publishing house rather than a retail chain. Kapil and Priya Kapoor, who run Roli Books, opened it to give art and design titles a room of their own. The stated ambition was a shop that understood illustrated books well enough to dedicate an entire space to the genre. More than a decade on, the shelves hold illustrated books sourced from publishers abroad, weighted toward art and design. Architectural Digest India described the Greater Kailash 2 shop as India's largest retailer of art and design books, and named the Kapoors as its founders. Kapil is managing director at Roli Books and Priya is editorial director, so the buying comes from inside the trade. The head office address remains M-75, Greater Kailash 2 Market, while the shop also lists 142 Meharchand Market on Fifth Avenue. Stock runs from Assouline travel volumes to Sanskrit compendiums and single-subject design surveys. Prices sit at collector level, which the shop does not disguise. The shop ships within India and abroad, and it takes book requests by phone for titles not on the floor.
India’s first specialist independent children’s bookstore, set up in April 2003 in Greater Kailash II to select and promote children’s books and bring children and books together.
Best for A specialist independent children's bookshop.
A Delhi independent bookseller and publisher long associated with its Cafe Turtle, Full Circle stocks literature, philosophy and spirituality across its shop and online store. Its landmark Khan Market branch closed in 2020, with the Greater Kailash-1 outlet carrying on.
Best for Literature, philosophy and spiritual titles
Left-wing bookstore and cafe in Shadipur, west Delhi, opened in 2012 by LeftWord Books (founded 1999); shares its space with Studio Safdar, the Jana Natya Manch performance venue named for playwright Safdar Hashmi, killed in 1989. Sells progressive titles near cost.
Best for Left-leaning books and a cultural space at an independent bookstore.
May Day Bookstore and Cafe was founded in 2012 by LeftWord Books, the publishing arm of Naya Rasta Publishers, which was itself established in 1999 by a group of leftist intellectuals including Prabhat Patnaik, Aijaz Ahmad, Prakash Karat and N. Ram. The store, located in the working-class Shadipur area of west Delhi, takes its name from International Workers' Day. It shares its premises with Studio Safdar, a performance space run by Jana Natya Manch, the street-theatre troupe co-founded by Safdar Hashmi - a communist playwright and director who was fatally attacked while performing a play in Ghaziabad in January 1989.
Midland Book Shop in Delhi's Aurobindo Market carries general reading alongside academic and reference books. Its range spans fiction and children's titles as well as subjects such as art and the city's history. The family bookselling history is part of its character, but visitors can use it simply as a place to search across genres or ask about a particular title.
Best for General books and Delhi history in Aurobindo Market
Midland Book Shop is an independent bookstore at Shop No. 20, Aurobindo Palace Market in Hauz Khas, New Delhi, that has operated in the area since the mid-1980s (sources place its opening between 1978 and 1985), making it one of the neighbourhood's longest-running booksellers. The shop is spread across two floors and stocks a broad general and academic range: fiction and nonfiction, reference and academic texts, children's books, classics, art and design books, cookbooks, graphic novels, independent-press titles and magazines. A section devoted specifically to 'Delhi and its History' has become a particular draw for both local researchers and visitors interested in the city's past. Midland is frequently cited in Delhi shopping and culture guides as one of the city's notable independent bookshops, alongside contemporaries such as Bahrisons; it has built its reputation on breadth of stock and discounted pricing on academic and general titles rather than a curated boutique selection. The shop remains independently run from its original Aurobindo Market premises near Hauz Khas.
Ogaan’s Hauz Khas flagship gathers Indian designer fashion across bridal, occasion and contemporary ready-to-wear. The multi-brand edit lets clients compare embroidery, silhouette and price without booking several separate ateliers.
Best for Sabyasachi, Anamika Khanna, and Manish Malhotra couture at the flagship Ogaan boutique
Independent Delhi record shop selling vinyl, cassettes, turntables, posters and books; multiple current directories place it in Hauz Khas Village rather than Shahpur Jat; it takes part in Record Store Day and has appeared at the India Art Fair.
Best for Indian vinyl, independent releases and record-label finds
Pagal Records is an independent New Delhi record shop carrying vinyl across genres - punk, techno, reggae, Indian classical, Bollywood, funk, jazz, and blues - alongside audio cassettes, turntables, posters, vintage gadgets, and books, with a browsing stock cited at over 5,000 records. It's an active participant in Record Store Day and has appeared at cultural events including the India Art Fair. Multiple independent listings - Record Store Day's own store directory, Vinyl World, and the store's Facebook page - give its address as Hauz Khas Village, Deer Park, New Delhi.
Main Market, 26, Block 13, Lodi Colony, New Delhi 110003, India / Delhi / India
Time Out Delhi (8 Oct 2025): reincarnation of K.D. Singh's 1971 Jor Bagh shop, moved to Lodhi Colony after the 2023 close; curated independent-press and South Asian stock. Vogue India: Sonal Narain and Mahika Chaturvedi still running the Lodhi Colony Market crimson-door walk-in.
Whisky and cigar lounge at The Leela Palace New Delhi in Chanakyapuri, with Chesterfield chairs, a fireplace and rare first-edition books alongside an extensive single-malt and cigar list; ranked among India's 30 Best Bars for five consecutive years.
Best for Rare malts, floor-to-ceiling books
The Library is a whisky and cigar lounge known for its book-lined, fireplace-and-Chesterfield-chair setting, an extensive collection of rare single malts, and a curated cigar and cocktail list. It has been recognised among India's '30 Best Bars' for five consecutive years. Based on independently sourced hotel dining directories, this venue is located at The Leela Palace New Delhi in Chanakyapuri, not at Le Meridien New Delhi. The lounge enforces a minimum age policy of 25 for patrons.
Vadehra Art Gallery represents major Indian and South Asian artists such as Nalini Malani, Atul Dodiya, and Gulammohammed Sheikh from its two Defence Colony spaces in New Delhi, open Monday to Saturday. Its dedicated shop site sells editioned artworks, prints, and photography books tied to the gallery's exhibition program.
Best for Contemporary-art, gallery, prints, books, editions
This Jodhpur Park shop curates crafts, food, books, and textiles sourced from artisans across all 23 districts of West Bengal, covering terracotta and clay work, jute, kantha embroidery, brassware, and Bengali-language books. It positions itself as a single stop for regional Bengal craft rather than a manufacturer of any one item.
Best for Terracotta, jute, and kantha crafts from across Bengal
Oxford Bookstore sells new releases, bestsellers, Bengali literature, children's books and box sets in India, with free shipping on orders above 250 rupees. Its site features an Author of the Month section on Salman Rushdie, whose Midnight's Children won the Booker Prize.
45/47 M. G. Road, Ground Floor, Somaiya Bhavan, Fort, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001, India / Mumbai / India
Kitab Khana is an independent fixed-door bookseller with multilingual and specialist stock. Production is associated with India, while the range centers on independent books, magazines and paper goods.
Best for Multilingual and specialist books from an independent bookseller.
Ground Floor, Mary Lodge, 21A Chapel Road, Ranwar, Bandra West, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400050, India / Mumbai / India
Mary Lodge serves coffee, fine cacao and baked goods for dine-in or takeaway from morning into the evening. Its upper rooms can also be booked for small gatherings, workshops or private group sessions.
Best for Coffee, fine cacao and baked goods at Mary Lodge.
Title Waves is an independent bookshop at St Paul Media Complex on Rd Number 24 in Bandra West, Mumbai, selling fiction, non-fiction, children's and young adult books, comics and regional titles. It also hosts an events section for book launches and author signings.
Ahmedabad Trunk is a textile and handcrafted goods store associated with The House of MG. It offers ethnic collections, home textiles and books celebrating Gujarati craft.
Best for Curated Gujarati textiles, ethnic wear, craft objects
Ainmane is a Coorg-focused online store sourcing single-origin and micro-lot coffee, beekeeper's and wild honey, chocolate, spices, pickles, jams and fruit concentrates directly from planters and cooperative societies across Kodagu. The shop runs on its own e-commerce domain and also carries percolators, books and estate merchandise alongside its food range.
Best for Coorg coffee, honey and spices sourced directly from planters and growers' cooperatives
Aura sits on the promenade overlooking the Bay of Bengal in Pondicherry, curating clothing, home decor, incense, jewelry and organic food from Auroville, the Sri Aurobindo Ashram and local Tamil Nadu artisans, with all profits funding the Sri Aurobindo Society's social programs. The shop pairs an in-person boutique, bookshop and café with a full online store shipping across India.
Best for Beauty & Home, Books, Fashion, Spirituality
Blossom Book House fills multiple floors on Church Street with new and second-hand titles across every genre. The independent bookstore has become a Bengaluru fixture for book lovers.
Independent bookstore at 7/1 Edward Road in Bengaluru's Vasanth Nagar, with a second branch in Indiranagar, selling books from India and around the world alongside a library for children up to age 12. The Vasanth Nagar store is accessible only by stairs, with no elevator.
Open since 1995 on Mission Street next to the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Focus is Pondicherry's largest bookstore, stocking fiction, Tamil literature, philosophy and reference titles alongside toys, stationery and souvenirs. Thirty years in business have made it the city's go-to stop for both residents and visiting readers.
Gris Stories is a ceramic pottery studio in Kochi run by Gayathri Mohandas, offering one-day workshops, ten-day beginner and intermediate courses, open studio sessions and firing services. The studio takes bookings and custom orders directly through its own site rather than a marketplace listing.
Trading as Lonavala's No. 1 chikki maker since 1922, National Chikki Mart began as a small family venture and is now run by second-generation director Abhey Parekh, with its chikki-making noted in the Limca Book of Records. The catalogue sources peanuts from Saurashtra, sesame from Rajasthan and dry fruits from Kashmir for its groundnut, sesame, rajgira, coconut, pistachio and cashewnut chikki, alongside a chocolate-walnut, coconut, mango and strawberry fudge line.
Best for Sesame and dry-fruit chikki, flavoured fudge
Nirmal Salvi's label sells authentic Patan patola sarees, dupattas and accessories through a full online store and showrooms in Ahmedabad, Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad. Buyers can shop the handwoven silks online or book a virtual video tour of the collection.
Best for Nirmal Salvi's label sells authentic Patan patola sarees
Established in 1923 and run by four generations of the same family, this Rajpur Road bookshop pairs its shelves with a book cafe added in 2010. It awards the annual Snehlata Prize to people who promote reading and supports literacy initiatives across the Doon Valley.
The House of MG is a heritage boutique hotel set in a restored early-20th-century Ahmedabad mansion. It is home to the Ahmedabad Trunk gallery, which sells museum-quality Gujarati textiles, handicrafts and books.
Best for Heritage stay, curated Gujarati textiles and crafts
Meghalaya (state artisan store; serves the Sohra/Cherrapunji region)
A state-owned artisan store started by the Government of Meghalaya and inaugurated on 9th December 2021, gathering Khasi and Jaintia craft with Garo work under one roof. Books by Meghalayan authors round out the shelves. Eri silk and cane and bamboo pieces sit beside black clay pottery and Lakadong turmeric, with wild forest honey alongside.
Best for Eri silk and cane craft with Lakadong turmeric from Meghalaya's artisans
The Meghalayan Age Store is the retail arm of Meghalayan Age Ltd, a state-owned company started by the Government of Meghalaya and inaugurated on 9th December 2021. Its purpose is a platform for the artisans of the state, and the shelves carry a blend of products chosen from artisans and farmers across the hills. The range draws on the three major tribes of Meghalaya, the Khasis and the Jaintias, with the Garos alongside. Eri silk textiles share space with bamboo and cane handicrafts and black clay pottery. The food shelf holds Lakadong turmeric with its Geographic Indicator certification and wild forest honey, with dried ginger and cinnamon beside them. Books by Meghalayan authors extend the offer into literature and music. Packaging uses cane and bamboo with paper and clay rather than plastic, in keeping with the store's stated commitment to sustainable materials. The company works from U/C 002, Nongrim Hills in Shillong. A retail gallery operates at Gallery No. 9, Rajiv Gandhi Handicrafts Bhawan on Baba Kharak Singh Marg in New Delhi.
Visit official site ↗
Visit official site ↗
Visit official site ↗
Visit official site ↗
Visit Instagram ↗
Visit official site ↗
Visit official site ↗
Visit official site ↗
Visit official site ↗
Visit official site ↗
Visit official site ↗
Visit official site ↗
Visit official site ↗
Visit official site ↗
Visit official site ↗
Visit official site ↗
Visit official site ↗
Visit official site ↗
Visit official site ↗
Visit official site ↗
Visit official site ↗
Visit official site ↗
Visit official site ↗
Visit official site ↗
Visit official site ↗
Visit official site ↗
Visit official site ↗
Visit official site ↗
Visit official site ↗