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Jaipur - a shopper's paradise
Although most tourists visit Jaipur to view its grand
monuments, nonetheless there are as many who come to shop. And
indeed a shopper's paradise it is. The list of things
available is endless, but the more popular items on the agenda
of a visitor to the city are jewellery, textiles and saris,
goods made of marble, wood, stone, lac, clay, metal and
leather. The city has, for long, been a traditional centre of
the finest of jewellery bedecked with both precious and
semi-precious stones, enameling of gold in green, red and
white, the favourite colours of the Mughals, which was
introduced by Raja Man Singh. The city is known the world over
for diamond and emerald cutting.
Anyone searching for Lac Jewellery should visit Maniharon Ka
Rasta where lac Jewellery is made and sold and Johari Bazaar
where Jewellery is crafted and sold. The Variety is
tremendous. Among the buys are table tops, mirror frames,
betel nut boxes and sindoor holders. On the export list are
statuettes, photo frames and pill boxes which are available in
abundance on M.I. Road and the silver shops on the Badi
Chaupar crossing. Two lanes joining the main road. Gopalji ka
Rasta and Haldiyon ka Rasta have a number of shops selling
jewellery and on the main road one can see silversmiths. It is
closed for some time on Sunday and Tuesdays.
The cutting,
polishing and selling of precious and semi-precious stones is centred around the Muslim dominated area of Pahar Ganj in the
Surajpol Bazaar area. Silver Jewellery is also made there.
There are numerous factories and showrooms along the length of
Amber Road between Zorawar Gate and Holiday Inn. Here on will
find handblock prints, blue pottery, carpets and antiques.
Apart from jewellery, handicrafts like papier mache and carved
furniture, are also extremely popular as also is the glazed
blue pottery, an art that was imported from Persia. Blue
pottery is made from ground quartz stone. On sale are surahis,
pots, ear-rings, soap dishes, door knobs, mugs and jugs. Brass
is another important metal and statures of various sizes are
available besides brass animals used by children as toys.
Items made of white metal are also great buys as are the
carvings in stone especially white marble used for making
statues of gods and goddesses, animal and human figures.
Carved marble bowls, vases and other decorative items also
figure high on the list of the shopper.
In the leatherwear section are Mojari juttis, bags, saddles,
purses and toys and dolls made of clay and cloth. The city has
large number of carpet centres and command a good export
market. They are inspired by the Afghan carpets with the
designs mostly being Persian and Caucasian. Namdas (soft
woollen druggets) decorated and embroidered as also hand -
woven cotton durries are a specialty of the city's artisans
and the main production centre is Tonk. Bapu Bazar and Nehru
Bazar are markets where one can purchase textiles, local
perfumes and shoes made of camel skin. Bapu Bazaar is closed
on Sunday, while Nehru Bazaar has its weekly off on Tuesday.
Textiles range from hand block prints, tie and dye and
embroidered fabrics for which Rajasthan is known worldwide.
Sanganer, which is on the outskirts of the city is the prime
centre for block makers and printers with the chief colours
being orange and red with floral prints in yellow and blue
black. They all combine together to give an excellent look.
Mirza ismail Road (MI Road) is a wide and long road where a
large number of emporia are situated and is the right place
for buying a variety of goods ranging from jewellery and brass
work to textiles. The shops here are a tourist's delight since
one can buy souvenirs, curios, handicrafts and gift items.
During or after shopping it would be well worth its while to
sample the unusually thick ice - cold lassi. The emporia and
shops accept all credit cards and traveler's cheques. (Closed
on Sundauy).
Tripolia Bazaar and Chaura Rasta have textile and utensil
shops, trinkets and all kinds of goods made of iron.
If you are looking for some specific product and want to know
where it is available, refer to the shopping section in the
classified information cloumns. |
