Rajasthan has many unique things to offer as popular shopping items. and this post discusses selected unique things to buy from Rajasthan!
Why Rajasthan? Because it is awesome! From the colourful traditional Rajasthani clothes to its awe-inducing forts the state is full of surprises. It offers endless adventures for travellers – you can shop, enjoy delicious Rajasthani laal maas to make a trip to camel safari.
Best Things to buy from Rajasthan
1 Jewellery and Gemstones
Whether you like silver jewelry or kundan or meena or other precious and semi-precious gemstones-carved trinkets- Rajasthan has them all at its disposal and some more.
Beautiful silver headgear, necklaces, cuffs and anklets that women from Rajashthani villages wear in their day-to-day lives form one of the hugest parts of Rajashtani jewellery.
The silver knick-knacks that you get from the numerous shops and traditional bazaars of Rajasthan are of wonderful qualities, unique designs and rich colors.
Also the lac bangles, traditional ‘thewa’ jewellery from Chittaur, the distinctive enamel ornaments from Pratapgarh are some of the must-have baubles from Rajasthan.
Rajasthan is also a hot centre of hand-cutting for precious and semi-precious gems and stones. So do dive into the ocean of emeralds and un-cut diamonds also.
2 Paintings
The Rajasthani paintings or popularly known Rajputana paintings are vibrant, elegant and can change the whole look of your drawing room, if you buy one from the land of Rajputana and hang it on the wall of your home.
These unique style of painting generally depicts incidents from Ramayana, Mahabharata, life and times of Krishna and so on.
In every prominent city in Rajasthan like Jaipur, Jodhpur, Ajmer, and Bikaner – you will find plentiful old-and-new shops that sell Rajputana paintings.
Apart from that, there are other styles of paintings that are integral with the history of Rajasthan- like mughal-inspired miniature paintings and the exclusive Thani Bani painting from Kishangarh.
You can buy these paintings at cheaper rates at villages of Rajasthan where the local artists pour their hearts out to create these labors of love.
3 Carpets
Bright colors, diverse patterns, hand-knitting, finest quality of woolen fibers- Rajasthani carpets are cherished possessions for global travelers-as-well-as-buyers.
Like the richness of their appearances, the carpets of Rajasthan have an equally rich weaving history. The carpet weaving heritage of Rajasthan dated back to as early as 17th century.
The significant hubs from where you can source carpets in Rajasthan are- Bikaner, Ajmer and Jaipur. You can also find them in smaller cities like Barmer, Tonk, and Choksu to name a few.
The best way to buy a rug in Rajasthan should be from the carpet factories themselves. There, you can exercise your negotiation skills and have all the chances to come out as successful.
4 Metal Works
Figurines, boxes, table-tops- these are some of the items in Rajasthan that bear the stunning exemplars of metal works.
Some of the metal ware in Rajasthan includes brass work, engraved, enameled and filigree cut on silver. Though there was time, when the traditional artwork used to rule the scenario of metal works , right now, more modern designs and metals such as wrought iron have also been included in the list.
Jaipur is the hotbed where you can buy gorgeous metal works at different price ranges.
Don’t forget to add in your shopping bag the distinct engraving styles like ‘Marori’, ‘Chikan’ and ‘Bichi’ that are idiosyncratic to Jaipur.
5 Pottery
When it comes to pottery, Rajasthani blue pottery is one of the most notable ceramic styles in India.
The specialty of blue pottery from Rajasthan is that while other potteries mainly use clay as the main ingredient , the blue pottery , leverages upon quartz stones and is heavily influenced by the Persian art.
From pots of different sizes to flower vases, from jars to ash trays , from tiles to figurines – you surely will be spoilt with choices when it comes to blue pottery in Rajasthan.
6 Puppets
Rajasthani hand-made, vibrant colored string puppets are not only the most unique and gorgeous souvenirs that you can collect from Rajasthan, but also they are proud torch-bearers of a more than thousands year old culture.
From Doordarshan (Indian Government TV network) ads in late 80s and 90s where Rajasthan puppets or kathputlis were displayed while conveying important social welfare messages to bollywood flicks – string puppets are also one can identify with the affluent culture of India.
Udaipur, Sawai-Madhopur and Bari are the three hotspots for buying puppets in Rajasthan.
7 Fabric work
Rajasthani fabric work is typically associated with Block printing, tie and dye work, bandhni, color-riot, embroidery, appliqué.
There are diverse patterns that are also visible in Rajasthani fabric work like- Lahariya, Mothra, and the main textiles that are used generally – cotton, silk and wool.
There are distinct prints that you can find in tiny Rajasthani settlements like Sanganeri, Bagru and the prints are also named after these places.
Mirror-work and embroidery also portrays a colorful picture of Rajasthan. So next time you visit the state and in a mood to indulge in rich fabrics, you know where to head for.
Rajasthan is one of the most colorful cities in India and has so much to offer to its visitors that as a traveler, you shall feel baffled in it’s every nukes and corners.
Make your trip all the more memorable with the above seven collectibles from Rajasthan.
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