Shopping in Rajasthan

Rajasthan Is A Treasure Trove Of Shopping Delights, From The Most Sophisticated To The Mundane, Be It Paintings, Crafts, Metal Work, Furniture, Furnishings, Textile And Jewelry.

Travel across Rajasthan will give numerous opportunities to shop at large stores, government approved emporiums as well as directly from the artisans. As Rajasthan is known for its history, royal splendor and diversity of climate & culture, these are reflected in the craft traditions of Rajasthan. Rajasthan crafts have been influenced by Rajput and Mughal traditions. Each place in Rajasthan is famous something, such as Blue Pottery of Jaipur; Paintings in distinct styles of Marwar, Mewar, Hadoti Kishangarh, Dhundhur and Alwar and fabrics in tie & dye and block prints from several places around Rajasthan. Rajasthan is reputed for its jewelry industry and counted among the world's largest centre for hand-cutting of gems. Precious as well as semi precious stones like Ruby, Emerald, Garnets, Agate, Amethyst, Topaz, Lapis lazuli and Carnelia are sourced from Rajasthan for India's jewelry trade.

Any kind of traveler with any budget can pick up something from Rajasthan, to embellish the home, for gifting to near and dear ones as well as memorabilia. Navigating the markets in India, especially Rajasthan, with their narrow lanes and colorful wares on display, is an adventure by itself. Here we present a quick guide to what you can purchase during your holiday in Rajasthan:

Jewelry - Colorful Lac bangles, Kundan and Minakari ornaments, enameled gold jewelry are well known buys. Also look for uncut diamonds and emeralds that you can have cut and set according to your preference. Thewa style of jewelry making from Chittaur is an exclusive of Rajasthan. Thewa is gold work on glass. Some traditional adornments available in Rajasthan are Rakhdi (head ornament), Tussi (a type of necklace), Baju Bandh (an armlet), Adah (a special necklace that is worn by Rajputs), Gokhrus (bracelets) and Pajebs (anklets).

Paintings - The painting tradition in Rajasthan goes back to the beginning of civilization itself. Rajasthan history includes earth colored drawings on walls, intricate motifs of geometrical & natural designs on clay vessels and pottery that have been discovered in the proto-historic Harappan sites of Kalibangan and Peelibanga in north-western Rajasthan. The tradition of decorating walls of dwellings as well articles is still alive.

Miniature paintings are made with mineral and vegetable colors and dyes by traditional artists. Price depends on the quality of workmanship. There are seven different styles, in the different cities (or erstwhile Princely states) that patronized these arts, notable being Bundi, Alwar, Kota, Mewar and Marwar. Each has distinct style and color usage. The painting styles in Rajasthan were deeply influenced by the Mughal court.

Phad is an ancient tradition of scroll painting in Rajasthan. Typically, a Phad is a long rectangular coarse cloth painted with illustrations of the life and heroic exploits of two popular folk heroes known as Pabuji and Dev Narain. A Phad displays the story in visual and narrative form. Phads are painted by the Joshis of Shahpura, near Bhilwara. Usually, the subjects are taken from Bhagavad Purana and other popular folk stories.

Another form of painting is Pichwai. Pichwais are refined works of art, created to be used as backdrops in the Srinathji temple at Nathdwara. They contain the figure of Srinathji and scenes of the Nathdwara festival. Pichwais can be painted, printed with hand blocks, woven, embroidered or decorated in applique.

Leather Crafts - Leather items crafted and embellished in typical Rajasthani style are very popular. These include foot-wear known as Jooties and Mojaries, chairs and musical instruments. All these items may be patterned, decorated with studs & sequins and embroidered with woolen motifs. Jaipur, Jodhpur, Barmer and Jaisalmer are famous for footwear, musical instruments such as Tabla, Dhol & Dhapli and stringed instruments like Kamayacha. Bikaner is known for its painted Lampshades, shields, vases and Mojaries. Craftsmen from Tilonia make Hard Bags, belts, hats and chairs and foldable chairs.

Stone Carving - Rajasthan is known for several types of stone found here in abundance, including white marble, pink Dholpur, green Kota, yellow sandstone and red sandstone. All these are used to craft statues, figurines, carved panels as well as jharokhas.

Metal Craft - Crafted metal ware of Rajasthan is matchless, such as its enameled silver and enameled brass ware. Pill-boxes, dancing peacocks and camels, caparisoned elephants and swords and shields, all add to the beauty of your home.

Textiles - Each region of Rajasthan has distinct printing techniques and color schemes. The range from across the State is virtually endless. Sanganer and Bagru are known for their hand block-printed quilts. Bandhej, Bandani, Mothra, Lehriya, Batik, Ekdali, Shikari and Cheent are styles of tie and dye. Jodhpur, Sikar, Jaisalmer, Barmer, Pali, Udaipur and Jaipur are known for Bhandej. Udaipur is popular for its Lehriya style. Jaipur, Sanganer and Bagru are known for their Block printing.

Rajasthan is also known for its Zari style of embroidery that is nowadays being used by designers across the world.

Blue Pottery - Originally an art from Persia, Blue Pottery was introduced in Rajasthan under Maharaja Ram Singhji. Some of the pottery work in this style is semi- translucent. Ashtrays, tiles, flower pots, lamp shades, jars as well as accessories in this style are all very popular.

Rajasthan is also known for its Terracotta work that has existed here since ancient times.

Furnishings - Rugs and carpets in the typical exuberant colors of Rajasthan are an excellent buy. Carpet making first started when weavers from Afghanistan were brought here for carpet making in the 17^th century. Bikaner is known for its cotton yarn rugs, Jaisalmer for camel-hair; woolen rugs are also available. In areas around Tonk, namdahs (felted rugs) are made.

Wooden Artefacts - Furniture carved in typical style of Rajasthan as well as beautiful carved and painted animals and boxes are all quite popular.