Shopping

Uttar Pradesh, a region rich in culture and geography houses the great river, Ganga and a number of pilgrimage centres. From the clad mountains to the furtile plans of the Ganga, each place has its unique handicrafts to offer.

Agra the town that showcases the exotic Taj Mahal is known for its every brassware, intricate wood arnings, carpets cotton rugs called durries, leather goods as well as jewellery . Beautiful work on marble ornated with coloured stones embedded in it, is a speciality of this town Crafts Palace near the Mall, Sardar Bazaar and Taj ganj near the Taj are the best places to shop. Beautiful replicas of the Taj are available here too.

Benarasi Saris and the excellent silk brocades embroidered with gold and silver immediately reminds us of Varanasi Chowk, godaulia, golghar and Pilikothi are areas where you can find good silk. The cotton industries exportion here, houses beautiful handicrafts of this region.Sumptuous carpets called Bhadochi carpets and all kind of musical instruments are also famous items from Varanasi.

Luknow's famous chikan work (shadeo work embroidered cloth) is found at the well known gangatri government emporium and at the chowk in Hazratganj. The chowk is also famous for its birds. Cock - fighting is one of the best event held here. The Ammabad Bazaar sells exquisite attar (Perfume or oils extracted from flowers).

The fascinating hill station of beautiful ceramic vases, carved wooden items, brass statues of Hindu devtas are some of the most interesting items available here. Nirankari Cottage Industries is a shop where you can find this fabulous pices of crafts. Lodakhi wool showls called Pashmina shawls are also famous here.

The palace which cradles the Ganga when it reaches the plains, Haridwar is a place to shop for bamboo canes, cane baskets,brasswarl, shawls, ayurvedic medicines and many more things. The most famous shopper area is the Bara Bazaar.

The yoga capital of the world, Rishikesh called with the rich culture of Hinduism is the best place to buy rudraskh mala. Herbal medicines are available in plenty here, scriptural books and cassettes of sacsed sayings and songs, shawls are other things you would find there.

Agra
Agra is famous for its marble inlays, leather goods and accessories. Chikan work fabrics, which involve delicate yarn overlays, are also available. Semi-precious and precious jewellry in ornate Mughal style are ideal gifts to take home from Agra. The most common places for shopping are the Taj Complex, Kinari Bazaar, Sanjay Palace and Munro Road. Almost all the shops accept major credit cards.

Agra is also famous for the Zari and embroidery work, Stone inlay work and durries. The main shopping areas include the Taj Mahal complex, Kinari Bazaar, Raja Mandi, Sadar Bazaar. the Gangotri at Taj Mahal Complex and the Up Handlooms, UPICA at the Sanjay place are two UP Government emporiums.

Lucknow
The chikan work from Lucknow is famous all over the country . The garments like Kurta, pajama and sarees are equally popular in foreign countries and they are exported from Lucknow. The main markets for the chikan work are the shops of Chowk, Aminabad, Nasirabad, Hazratganj and Nishatganj. Janpath is also considered as one of the good and big markets for chikan work but this market is closed on Sundays. Chowk and Hazratganj is also closed on Sundays and Aminabad on Thursday.

Four Kilometers from the Charbag railway station is the Hazratganj area which is always busy with shoppers. This is Lucknow's best known markets. There are many famous shops like Royal cafe, Moti Mahal, Marx Man, Kapoor hotel, Choudhary hotel which are overflowing with customers. Lucknow is also famous for the China clay pottery and coloured toys are in demand all over the nation. Other things you can buy is Attar (traditional perfume).

The main shopping areas in the city are Hazratganj, Janpath, Aminabad, Chowk.

Varanasi
Varanasi has been a centre of handicrafts, specially silk weaving and banarasi sarees and fine quality brocade. Brassware, copperware, wooden and clay toys, glass beads,splendid wall hangings, and exquisite gold jewellery are some of the other craft the city is famous for. The hand - knotted carpets of Mirzapur and musical instruments are among the other shopping attractions.

Banaras is also famous for its ‘ Langda Aam’, a variety of mangoes available in the summer. Betel leaf is also a specialty.

The main shopping areas are Chowk, Vishwanath Gali, Thatheri bazaar, Lahurabir, Godoulia , Dashswamedh Gali and Golghar.

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