Elante Mall

Elante Mall is a large shopping mall in Industrial Area Phase 1, Chandigarh, and one of the biggest malls in northern India. It opened in 2013 and holds several hundred Indian and international brands, a food court, restaurants and a multiplex cinema, with a hotel next door.

Elante Mall sits outside Le Corbusier's planned sectors, in the industrial zone to the south-east, and it shows the modern side of Chandigarh next to the concrete landmarks of the 1950s. For visitors, Elante is mostly a practical stop: somewhere cool on a 40°C afternoon or dry in the monsoon, a place to pick up clothes, luggage or electronics, and an easy meal with plenty of choice. Indian labels here are a good way to buy kurtas and Punjabi suits at fixed prices without bargaining.

What to see

• Indian fashion labels selling kurtas, salwar suits and ethnic wear
• International high-street brands across several floors
• The food court, with Punjabi, North Indian and global chains
• The multiplex cinema for a Hindi or Punjabi film
• Seasonal displays and events in the central atrium

What to wear

Elante Mall is air-conditioned and has no dress code; casual clothes are fine. Carry a light layer, as the interiors can feel cold after the summer heat outside. Chandigarh sits in Punjabi country, and around the city you will see women in salwar kameez, often with a bright phulkari embroidered dupatta, and Sikh men in neatly tied turbans. The ethnic-wear stores are a good place to buy a phulkari dupatta or a salwar kameez to wear on your trip.

Local food to try

Chandigarh eats like Punjab: chole bhature for breakfast, Amritsari kulcha, dal makhani, butter chicken and tall glasses of lassi, with sarson da saag and makki di roti in winter. The food court and restaurants inside Elante serve many of these, and the older markets in Sectors 7, 8 and 17 have more traditional versions. Vegetarian food is easy to find, and several outlets serve halal meat.

Good to know

• Useful year-round, especially on hot or wet afternoons
• Open daily, from late morning to about 10pm
• Free entry; bags are screened at the door
• Allow one to three hours depending on shopping
• In Industrial Area Phase 1, about 6 km south-east of Sector 17 and close to the railway station
• Weekends and holidays are crowded; weekday mornings are quiet

Nearby places

The Sector 17 Plaza offers older-style shopping in the city centre, and the Zakir Hussain Rose Garden is next to it. Sukhna Lake is about 7 km north for an evening walk.