7 Best Recommendations on What to Buy in India

Resist shopping while in India? Are you kidding? With the entire country as a display of huge shopping platform displaying colourful handicrafts and handlooms, useful and cheap stuffs, exclusive fabrics, exotic oils and spices, and much more, you can do anything but go back without shopping in India. And then, the least to say is that you are left utterly confused about what to buy in India from the huge options.

Chances are high that you would be tempted to pick every single item you see around. But hold on, if your budget is constrained, baggage weight is limited, and if you are looking for only the exclusives from India, here are the top seven recommendations.

1. Textiles

Talking about what to buy in India, Indian famous textiles is the first. From Kashmir to Kanyakumari, you will get something exclusive in textile and fabric that would tempt you to pick at least one of each. Items vary from elaborately embroidered Pashmina shawls (Kashmir) to silk sarees, from cotton sarees and apparels like kurtas, (long tunics) for both men and women, from bedspreads to curtains to wall hangings and dining decors in cotton and silk both.

Some of the recommended textiles to pick from India:

a) Pashmina shawls – Kashmir, or trusted source of the city you are travelling

b) Silk – Look for Benarasi silk, Mysore silk, Katan silk, Tussar silk, Kanchipuram silk and Assam Muga silk.

c) Cotton – Cotton, linen and khaadi sarees are exclusively popular in India and can be picked from authentic stores of the city you are in. Some of the famous cotton sarees are Kota Doria (Rajasthan), Gadwal (Madhya Pradesh), Dhakai (West Bengal), South cotton (Nellore), Vichitrapuri (Odisha), and Khadi.

Indian Textiles

Leather Goods

2. Art and Handicrafts

If you are not yet out of the confusion of what silk and cotton items to buy and from where, here’s another lot to present you with a mind-boggling array of goods. India has been ruling with the handicraft and handloom arena – thanks to the thousands of ace artists, craftsmen and artisans since the age ever known. As you walk down the roads of different cities in India, you will explore an explosion of creativity and supreme level of craftsmanship all around.

Talking about the same, wood and stone carving, miniature paintings, brass and copperware, leatherwork, enamel, rugs and carpets are some of the most spectacular things to treat your eyes with and at the same time to carry home to. If you are wondering where and what to buy in India when looking for exclusive handicraft items, and interested in investing in some exclusive pieces, do visit only trusted and reputed sources.

Popular handicraft items to buy from India:

a) Wooden items: Punjab (furniture), Chattisgarh (masks, sculptures), Jharkhand (toys), Goa (showpieces), Andhra Pradesh (red sandalwood cutlery), Karnataka (rosewood carvings) and Kerala (Kumbli wood figurines).

b) Colourful pottery: Orange, brown and red pottery in Uttar Pradesh, Black and red in Himachal Pradesh, painted pottery in Bikaner, pottery with geometric pattern in Pokhran, and Kagzi pottery in Alwar.

c) Jute work – West Bengal, Assam and Bihar

d) Leather goods – Madhya Pradesh, Jaipur (Moujris) and Maharashtra (Kolhapuri chappals)

3. Jewellery

Local Bracelet and Jewelries

Talking about classy picks from India, nothing beats the essence of jewellery. From big, bold, intricate and colourful jewelleries to delicate and classy ones, you will get everything here as per your choice and affordability. Gold tops in popularity of jewellery in India, and the country’s love affair with gold is evident through the 22-carat gold sold as earrings, bangles, necklaces, and other items. Apart from gold, silver, brass, copper, and semi-precious gems and metals are also used extensively to make jewellery items in India.

Famous places to pick jewelleries from:

a. Kundan – Rajasthan and Gujarat

b. Lac – Rajasthan

c. Meenakari – Rajasthan and Benaras (gulabi/pink meenakari)

d. Filigiri – Odisha

e. Tribal – Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Andamans

4. Tea

Tea is a must on what to buy in India list. Tea plant is native to India, and today the country is one of the world’s largest producers of tea. Darjeeling, in West Bengal, is called the “champagne of tea” and the tea here is undoubtedly one of the finest in the world. Assam tea is another popular version which is full of antioxidants and is extremely refreshing to try your taste-buds with.

5. Spices

Indian Spices

It’s been since centuries that traders came down to India to load up on spices like black pepper, candamom, turmeric and coriander, and that was not for no reasons but to explore the flavours of real good spices found in India.

Few places to find good spices in India:

a. Old Delhi

b. Cochin port

c. Kerala

d. Gujarat

e. Rajasthan

f. West Bengal

6. Folk Art Paintings

Folk Art Painting, India

Folk paintings are more profound in Indian villages. They are pictorial depictions of subjects chosen from the epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata, as well as daily village life, birds and animals and natural objects like sun, moon, plants and trees.

What folk paintings should you buy?

a) Madhubani painting - Jitwarpur village of Madhubani district, Bihar

b) Pattachitra art – Odisha

c) Pithora painting – Gujarat

d) Kalamkari – Machilipatnam of Krishna district, Andhra Pradesh

e) Kalighat Pat art – West Bengal

f) Warli art – Maharashtra

g) Thangka Paintings – Ladakh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh

h) Gond art – Madhya Pradesh

i) Tanjore – Tamil Nadu

7. Carpet

Getting a handmade carpet from India is nothing short of a supreme travel trophy. It’s indeed thrilling to select, acquire and possess a carpet which reflects the royal interweaving of exoticism, age-old skill and sheer prodigious effort of the craftsmen. Buying a carpet isn’t an easy task, and even tougher for a foreigner.

The art of buying a carpet isn’t restricted to only finding the right place. There are several other factors to look for – and whether the piece is actually handmade or machine-made, it needs expert eyes to judge the same. The knot count, the fibre, the colour combination, and the price tag – these are among the most important factors to keep in mind while buying Indian carpets.

Places to buy carpets from in India:

a) Kashmir

b) Jaipur

c) Delhi

Well, that was enough expense on your quest to “what to buy in India”. If your baggage and pocket do allow more than this, you may also try picking a Lucknow chikankari kurta, or a marble jewellery box from Agra, woollen garments from Ludhiana (Punjab), or some rare Indian coins of ancient value.

Keep your shopping goals high. Enjoy...