Best Bargains To Shop For When Visiting India

Products to Look Out For on Your Trip to India

India is one of the most exciting, mesmerizing, sometimes perplexing travel destinations on the planet. In fact, sometimes you’ll have to pinch yourself that you are really on planet earth, like when you’re confronted with the sheer beauty of the Taj Mahal, or the mass devotion of some of the world’s largest religious festivals. But when it comes to taking a little piece of India home with you, in the form of a souvenir, gift or decorative addition to your home – what should you be looking out for? This article provides a very short list of those classic Indian products you’ll be sad to miss out on taking home with you.

Incense and Spices

India is memorable for not only the dizzying array of colors, but the way in which it plays with your nostrils in every moment of your day. Take a little bit of that wonder home with you by purchasing incense or other spiced goods to remind you of these dreamy sensations.

Brass Items

Many shops in India – both tourist shops and those selling products to Indians themselves – deal in wonderful brass work. From lamps and candlesticks to ornate model elephants and chariots, try and find a top-quality brass item to pack into your suitcase for your return flight.

Paintings

The immense size of India means that you’ll find more than a dozen startlingly beautiful painting styles that are unique to the subcontinent. Perhaps the most unique and, frankly, sacred is the Thanka paintings, inspired by Buddhists in the north of India and Tibet. Incredibly ornate, some taking over a year of meticulous work to produce, these are stunning pieces of art that you’ll cherish for life.

Clothing and Accessories

Many visitors to India buy traditional Indian clothing to bring home and wear in their own homes. The male lunghi, for instance, is one of the more comfortable loungewear items in the world. Saris and headscarves for women are likewise sensationally pretty in their many colors. Just ensure you’re being sensitive to the culture you purchased these items from when you do wear them.  You’ll bind beads and bangles in all colors of the rainbow.

Woodwork

India has a rich tradition in woodwork that’s ongoing throughout the rural areas and cities that make up this mesmeric destination. Look out especially for wicker chairs – a specialty of southern states – and ornately carved boxes in which you’ll be able to store jewelry or other valuables.

Colonial Days Collectables

Especially true of cities such as Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, there are huge warehouses in which old colonial items from the British Raj are sold. You’ll be able to find a wealth of souvenir ideas in these places – from old books and maps to walking sticks, swords and giant vases.

Mantlepiece Items

Naturally, there’s a lot more to be found in the bric-a-brac markets, flea markets and tourist hot spots than what’s made it onto this list. Always keep a keen eye out for some of the special items to be found in these piles of apparent garbage – you never know what you might come across to decorate your shelves.

India is a shopper’s paradise, so keep an eye out for the products above that you’ll be able to take home with you to remind you elf of this awe-inspiring country.