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The
best shopping area in Shimla are The Mall, Lower Bazar and Lakkar Bazaar.
There is an enormous range of goods
that Shimla has to offer.This includes handicrafts, wood,and metalwork,
shawls,pulovers, local tweeds,Wooden articles and Toys, caps, Tibetan carpets
and pickles, jams and squashes.
The
areas for shopping are -The Main Market, Tibetian Bazar and Tibetian Carpet
Centre.
The best things
available there are Kullu shawls, Caps, Tibetian handicrafts and carpets.
There are lots of small stalls full
of funky items such as semi-precious stones, beads,handicrafts,and all
type of funky items.
The Tibetan market,
spread around the back of the Hotel Ibex, is a bit lifeless, but has many
stalls selling shawls and other woollen clothes, and better prices than
in Leh. Around the bus station, there are a few more stalls, and the NAC
Markets, at the back of the bus station, have souvenir stalls and some
travel agencies. The older Manu Market, along the eastern side of The
Mall, has plenty of travel agencies, hairdressers, dhabas, and a good
vegetable market.
The main
bazaar of Kullu is Akhara bazaar.Kullu shawls, caps, gudmas, puhlas,
namdas,patoos, are sold here in plenty.Handicrafts here are also very
good.Basketry is a handicraft of Kullu which needs to be mentioned.
The road
along the Kullu Valley, particularly from the Bhuntar Airport to Kullu
town, is lined with shops selling Kullu shawls and other locally produced
handicrafts. Once an important part of household and village life, the
manufacture and sale of Kullu shawls and other goods is now a thriving
local industry. It's worth having a look at some of the shops to see the
weaving, or to visit a farm of pashmina goats or angora rabbits - although
there will be some real pressure to buy. Pattoos are thick woollen shawls
worn by local women, and fastened with a gachi.
Kullu
caps are always colourful, and worth buying if trekking in cold climates.
Other items include a gudma, often used as a sort of blanket, or a pullan,
which is a type of slipper worn in the home. The shops between Bhuntar
and Kullu cater more for the touristy crowds, and despite an obvious overabundance
of places, they don't offer particularly competitive prices.
The best
places to buy Kullu gear are the market stalls and cooperatives along
The Mall in Manali; and, in Kullu town, the best place is the Akhara Bazaar,
one km north of the Kullu bus station.
If you
want anything that is ornamented with fervour, crafted by hand, and value
for money as well, the place to go is Himachal Pradesh. The pleasure is
heightened multitudinously if you have a knack for bargaining and trekking
the full distance to explore marketplaces or roadside shops during festivals
in the Ravi Valley, Spiti, Lahaul or Manikaran. However, in government
emporia, located in the bigger cities such as Shimla, Manali, Dharamsala,
etc., you can get almost everything of guaranteed quality, but the prices
are fixed.
The
state presents an unimaginable variety of artfacts, objects of art, woollen
garments, blankets, carpets, honey, icons, bangles, etc. Every valley
has its own speciality, in terms of concept and design.Carpets have brilliant
hues, dragons, birds, flowering trees, lotus, flutes, fish in ornate knots
and swastikas of luck in traditional patterns. Each of these symbols signifies
a human virtue. The hair of wild Himalayan goats is used to make shawls.
The Pashmina goat is selected to make the exceptionally woven Pashmina
Shawl. "Chuktu", a blanket, is actually a modified carpet. The wool of
the Giangi sheep is used to make the "Gudma", a fleecy soft blanket, "Thobi",
a floor covering, and "Kharcha", a mattress. Soft wool of sheep are used
in making the "Pattoo" cloth, and also carpets.
The
Chamba folk are extremely fond of adornment, and so their head-scarves
are in brightly printed cotton and knotted at the back. You can also get
bangles and rings made of horsehair, brightly patterned grassshoes, and
pretty dolls in traditional clothes. However, handkerchiefs (rumal), patterned
with fine embroidery of Krishna tales, take the cake. Men wear them on
their shoulders, while women use them as veils! However, these rumals
can go very well as wall hangings or curtains too.
The
other thing Chamba is famous for is the exquisite leather "chappals" or
sandals. They are plain as well as embroidered with Lanthana flowers and
leaves. Chamba and Kangra paintingsare world famous for their minute detailing
of figures, and skilful use of colours and organic pigments.
The
depiction of royal scenes and romantic tales of Hindu mythology are faithfully
reproduced, as a result of which each painting becomes a document of immense
historical value. Walnut, horse chestnut, wild black mulberry an birch
trees are used to make woodcraft The beautifully carved ceilings and panels
of the Viceregal lodge at Shimla are made by local craftsmen. Wooden collectibles
include fruit bowls, beer mugs, jewellery, rosaries, carved images of
romantic couples or mythological figures, while cane creations include
back-slung baskets to collect fruits or harvested crops and also egg-
baskets. Metalcraft is one of the most ancient and developed crafts of
the state, and the traditional metals are copper and silver. Local craftsmanship
in casting, ornamenting and engraving shows great skill, delicacy and
taste.
The
ornaments worn by Sita, wife of Lord Rama (hero of the Ramayan) are said
to have been made by the silversmiths of Himachal Pradesh. However, in
modern times, the silversmiths are making carved lamp stands, tea-pots,
wine cups, butter cups, and metal sculpture. Apart from this, stone-carving
is yet another forte in HP. The rural folk are fond of bee keeping. There
is hardly a house without a beehive. The abundant availability of bee
wax has led to the fine tradition of casting and moulding in metal craft,
jewellery and musical instruments.
Folklore,
folk music, dancing, pahari paintings and crafts of HP have imperceptible
common denominators. These have grown out of the impact of long epochs
of princely patronage on the artists, poets, teller of tales, narrators
and artisans.
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