South Delhi
An Aladdin's Cave of unusual Indian-retro arty souvenirs, including Bollywood cinema posters, prints of old Delhi maps, cigarette tins and old India…
Must-see shopping in India
Mumbai (Bombay)
The piano-and-keyboard showroom of Mumbai's top musical instrument shop, whose guitar and stringed instruments are found around the corner at BX Furtado &…
Kolkata (Calcutta)
An extensive air-conditioned bookshop, this place boasts an impressive collection of English books, including numerous travel guides and a section on…
Kolkata (Calcutta)
Seagull is a special-interest bookshop with a focus on academia, art, media, humanities, regional politics and social sciences. It also publishes a select…
Jaisalmer
Bookshops are 10 to the rupee in Jaisalmer, but this one wins customers over with the cubby-hole cafe at the back, where you can browse through your…
Ooty (Udhagamandalam)
Run by Kotagiri's Keystone Foundation, this fair-trade, organic-oriented shop sells gorgeous tribal crafts and clothes (including Toda embroidery), and…
Delhi
Hand-block printing, an old Jaipur tradition, is a recurring motif found across the entire range of Anokhi clothing and furnishings. Contemporary in…
Chennai (Madras)
Founded in support of traditional village crafts, the nationwide Fabindia chain stocks elegant textiles, fabrics, linens and clothes in all kinds of…
Panaji
Goa’s only outpost of the government’s Khadi & Village Industries Commission has a fine range of hand-woven cottons, oils, soaps, spices and other…
North Goa
Homesick for good cheese? Artisanal Swiss and French cheeses, including brie and feta, are made on-site here by a Swiss cheesemaker using local cow,…
Udaipur
This is the crafts outlet for Seva Mandir, a long-established NGO working with rural and tribal people. The small, hard-to-see shop sells attractive fixed…
Sri Vijayalakshmi Fine Kalamkari Arts
Telangana & Andhra Pradesh
You can see artists at work in the Agraharam neighbourhood of Sri Kalahasti. Sri Vijayalakshmi Fine Kalamkari Arts is an old family business with over 60…
Mumbai (Bombay)
The place in town for musical instruments: sitars, tablas, accordions, and local and imported guitars. Pianos and keyboards at LM Furtado & Co.
Kolkata (Calcutta)
Thoughtfully designed toys, stationery and souvenirs, made mostly from recycled materials, feature at this boutique run by a city-based designer duo…
Jaipur
Neerja has a small showroom on Jacob Rd specialising in Jaipur blue pottery. In addition to some lovely vases, bowls and tiles in the distinctive blue,…
Chennai (Madras)
In a beautiful old building, this popular outpost of the fair-trade, India-wide Fabindia chain sells all the usual attractively contemporary, village-made…
Leh
Mountaineering outfit that rents trekking and climbing gear such as tents (₹200), crampons (₹100) and stoves (₹50), sells trekking gas cannisters (₹500)…
Kochi (Cochin)
Originally just a pushcart selling books on Kochi's beaches, Idiom has a huge range of quality new and used tomes, including India-focused literature…
Aurangabad
One of the best places to come and watch weavers at work is the Paithani Silk Weaving Centre where you’ll find good-quality products for sale. It’s about…
Mysuru (Mysore)
Exceptionally popular with Indian women, and usually very crowded, this multilevel store sells fine silk saris, with quality of varying degrees depending…
Hyderabad
Bidri is a metal craft (originating in Iran) that involves intricate inlay work. The famous family-run business sells top-quality plates, vases, bowls,…
Ahmedabad (Amdavad)
This busy space and the surrounding narrow streets are the commercial heart of the old city. Weave your way through the crowds to soak up the atmosphere…
Chandigarh
This official Government of Punjab emporium stocks everything from inlaid wooden tables and brightly embroidered phulkari textiles to dupattas (ladies'…
New Delhi
A fun bookstore where you could browse for hours, though staff are not as knowledgable as at other Delhi bookshops. The attached Cha Bar attracts a young…
Khadi & Village Industries Emporium
Mumbai (Bombay)
A dusty, 1940s' time warp full of traditional Indian clothing, silk, khadi (homespun cloth) and shoes, plus very popular Khadi natural soaps and shampoos…
Puducherry (Pondicherry)
A sophisticated Jaipur-born boutique popular for its beautiful, bold block-printed garments with a traditional-turns-modern twist, and gorgeous colourful…
Kolkata (Calcutta)
This niche publisher sells an interesting and eclectic selection of books covering conservation, ecology, sustainability, alternative living and nature…
Mumbai (Bombay)
This great spirituality bookshop has lots of books on Hinduism, yoga and philosophy, and the attached restaurant does excellent Gujarati and Rajasthani…
Leh
Upmarket boutique of Tibetan crafts that is part of the Tibetan Government in Exile's Norbulinka Institute of Tibetan Culture. Top-notch products include…
Ranthambhore National Park
This place aims to promote conservation through art, and sells signature photo-realistic wildlife watercolours and prints created by local artists from…
South Delhi
This pleasant collection of midrange clothing boutiques, jewellery shops, cafes, ice-cream parlours and restaurants, strung out along a quiet, tree-shaded…
Shantiniketan
Tanzil stocks a very good range of diverse, mainly tribal, crafts and art from all over India. It's on the main road towards the northern end of town,…
Kolkata (Calcutta)
Tribes India, located within the Dakshinapan Shopping Centre, stocks brass figures and appealing greetings cards. You'll also find some cane work and folk…
Puducherry (Pondicherry)
Breezy, boho-chic, block-printed dresses, skirts, trousers and crop-tops in fun-but-fashionable geometric patterns (all handmade at Auroville) sit side-by…
Mysuru (Mysore)
A quality-assured place for sandalwood products including incense, soap, cosmetics and the prohibitively expensive pure sandalwood oil (if in stock)…
Old Delhi (Shahjahanabad)
This good-value Tibetan boutique is one of many tucked away in the alleys of Majnu-ka-Tilla Tibetan Quarter selling purses, prayer flags, felt toys,…
Chennai (Madras)
Tucked inside the ever-popular Chamiers shopping-and-coffee complex, Anokhi deals in gorgeous, well-priced, East-meets-West, hand-block-printed clothes…
South Delhi
Fabulously colourful, hand-embroidered dresses, blouses and corsets. Contemporary Indian designs, yet elegantly traditional styles. Not cheap (dresses go…
Rishikesh
One of several bookstores in Rishikesh specialising in books on yoga, spirituality and India as a whole. However it also stocks an excellent choice of new…
Mumbai (Bombay)
This bookstore has a brilliantly curated selection of books, the majority of which are 20% off all the time. Food for Thought is a great little cafe in…
