What gifts and souvenirs can be brought from India. What can be bought in India: bargains and purchases
India is called a litmus test that activates everything sacred that has lurked in your soul for the time being. In addition, this country has been a center of trade since ancient times, a Mecca for merchants from different parts of Asia and Europe. Works of art, spices, incense and oils were brought from India.
The situation has not changed even now. Medicines, Ayurvedic cosmetics, spices and silk clothing are just the tip of the iceberg. You can bring such amazing souvenirs from India that you will not immediately reveal their purpose. In this article we will share with you the treasures of the East, compile a list of the most popular Indian souvenirs and select original gifts ... for ourselves. Prepare a notebook.
Five of the most popular souvenirs for tourists from India
By the word "souvenir" we mean a thing that can be touched, but at the same time cannot be smeared with it. We have devoted a separate section to seasonings, oils and medicines. So what do tourists bring from India most often? Here are the top 5 popular souvenirs.
Most often, our tourists "shop" in North Goa.
Treasures of the East - what to bring from Indian spices, medicines and cosmetics
India is famous for its Ayurvedic medical system. Elderly people can be pleased with the local medicines:
- Him... This preparation is made from the woody leaves of Neem. It is used as an antipyretic agent, resists viral diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Trishun... Made from sacred tulsi leaves. Helps against colds, strengthens the immune system.
- Ashwagandha... An analogue of Chinese ginseng. Excellent tonic. Heals the body, strengthens the immune system.
- Kailas jeevan... This drug saves you from insomnia. In India, Kailas Jeevan is also used for bites and burns. The drug heals wounds and helps with conjunctivitis.
Gourmets and housewives will love Indian spices. It is better to take a large package of seasoning - this way you will save a lot. Prices start at 50 cents. For a 250-gram package of spices, you will give about 3-5 "green" ones. The options are as follows:
- saffron (an expensive spice with an unsurpassed musky aroma);
- turmeric (a kind of golden powder that gives a delicious taste to fish dishes);
- asafoetida (a bunch of grass that looks like fennel);
- zira (black grains with a spicy sweetish taste and pine aroma);
- cardamom (universal spice, can be added to any dish).
Better to take a large package of seasoning.
Women in large quantities bring home Ayurvedic cosmetics - gels, creams, natural oils, masks, shampoos, and various essences. Which brands are the most in demand:
- Himalaya... This brand includes face gels, toothpastes, cleansing preparations and shampoos. Prices fluctuate widely. Experts assure that it is better to buy the original "Himalaya", which is sold directly in India.
- Swati... For $ 6, you can buy a 200 ml bottle of excellent shampoo made from natural extracts, oils and other ingredients. The company produces good creams (for body and face), hair masks, conditioners. Such cosmetics are more expensive than "Himalayan" ones, but the quality is also higher here.
- Khadi... This brand belongs to the company that produces Swati. The difference is that Khadi is done by hand. Here you can find massage aromatic oils, herbal lotions with gels, and shampoos with soap.
- Biotic... The company specializes in fruit and herbal ingredients. In this case, the herbs are taken very exotic. Examples are Himalayan plum soap, thyme conditioner, papaya scrub. For a bottle of shampoo (210 ml), you will give about $ 3 (150-160 rupees).
- Magic ayurveda... Hair masks and "spicy" cosmetics are produced under this brand. For example, for $ 6 you can purchase a potency-enhancing oil.
If we talk about a standard set of Indian cosmetics, then most often tourists bring coconut oil, Trichup (hair oil) and handmade soap with the addition of all kinds of natural extracts.
Face masks and toothpaste are in demand. The solid perfume "Chandan paste" will become an original gift.
India is a beautiful and mysterious country with its own sophisticated charm and culture. Her life is strikingly different from ours, language, religion. ... Everything, and people and the relationship between them. This country attracts tourists from different countries of the world with its exoticism. And the usual question that any tourists, especially inexperienced ones, ask themselves, is what to bring from mysterious India? You should, even before leaving the country, find out this information, so that you have no doubts afterwards, and take only what is allowed for transportation across the border.
Land of contrasts
Gifts and souvenirs can be useful and just for memories
In principle, from any country you can bring a magnet and a figurine of a local god, which are only suitable for keeping memories and showing them to friends. Or you can also use a package of local coffee or spices that will be used for a while, delighting you and your friends.
Handicraft works
Most often these are figurines of gods, utensils and various other items.
Genesha is the god of Prosperity, depicted as a man with the head of an elephant. In general, there are many places in India where you can meet elephants. Genesha can be made of copper, wood, stone. Bronze is also a common material for figurines of gods. Such a figurine will cost from 500 to 5,000 rupees, depending on the size and material. You can buy such a figurine at any market in the city you come to.
Important! If you buy goods on a spontaneous market in the city of India, you can save well if you have a big smile and know how to bargain.
All kinds of boxes, ceramics - this is what the masters of India are famous for. Cute elephants made of ceramics, which, like Russian nesting dolls, hide one in one, can be called a symbol of India.
Elephants matryoshka
You can also bring potters' products from India. Simple kullar clay designed for drinking water or tea, created by the skillful hands of artisans and beautifully decorated with local ornaments and designs.
Ceramics
And what could be more interesting than the objects of Indian life on the walls, which will not appear the cracks of time? In the markets of Delhi, blue clay dishes are sold, which will serve as an amazing gift or just a souvenir.
But the most common and probably the most beautiful are translucent clay vessels. They are decorated with openwork images of animals and flowers.
Textile goods
When passing through the ranks of the spontaneous markets of India, in general, you can go crazy with the number of goods and their variety. But the textile rows are especially admirable. It is very difficult to make a choice when there are just an incredible amount of colors for patterns and types of fabric. Here you can buy items of clothing of a national character - a tunic, a sari, a scarf made of the most exquisite and luxurious fabrics.
Very popular rajasthani cotton... It has its own characteristic pattern and is considered the highest quality.
Textile
Silk and cashmere are native to Kashmir, the Indian province. Silk is now used in India for sewing both national festive and casual clothing, and production is mainly done by hand.
You can bring sari as a gift yourself or close friends. In India, these clothes are worn by almost all women. Sari is a very ancient women's national dress that you need to learn to wear, because only true Indian women know how to do it in a unique way.
Sarees of different colors and textures
Sarees made from amru, jamdani, jamvara or navranga (these are types of silk) can be bought in Varanasi. The fiery colors of the patol can be found in Gajarat. But with gold peas, coins only in Maharashtra. Murshidabad is considered the birthplace of this unique clothing. The price of a sari is quite high, ranging from Rs 800 to 10,000.
Variety of colors in clothes
You can also bring the most ordinary clothes familiar to Europeans. The only difference between T-shirts, shirts and trousers is the pattern. In the markets you can find clothes depicting Indian gods, heroes and objects of mythology, ancient runes.
European clothing in India
Carpets from India, hand-made by Indian craftsmen, are truly a work of art. They are made from cashmere, silk, cotton and various other types of fabric.
Indian rugs
There is a legend according to which the royal carpets, before being laid in the palace, were placed under the feet of people, carts, elephants and cows on the streets of the city. It was believed that from such "processing" carpets become softer, more durable and more beautiful.
Handmade by Indian craftsmen
Islamic rugs, kilims, rugs and other weaving items can be purchased in Jaipur. All kinds of sizes, colors, design scenarios ... It's very hard to tear yourself away from such an assortment. The craftsmen give as much as a two-hundred-year guarantee!
This is how the carpet is made by hand
Indian drinks give energy
Tea grown on Indian plantations is known all over the world, but such as sold in India itself, you have not tried anywhere else. Locals not only grow tea, but also pass on their individual secrets of making from generation to generation.
The cost is about 500 rupees per 100 grams.
It is worth trying an Indian tea called masala, which is made from black tea, milk and certain spices. You can take the recipe and come home to make such tea with your own hands.
Indian tea collection
A local rum called Old Monk is sold. This variety of the national drink is sold in many shops in India, even at airports. Only in Goa and the choice is better and the prices are lower.
The smell of spices gives a unique aroma to the streets of the country
Local markets are full of all kinds of spices, of which curry is considered the most popular. The composition of this spice is simply unknown, but besides it, chili, mustard, pepper, garlic, cilantro, cardamom, garam masala, fennel, anise, sesame and many, many others are on the shelves. Many spices sold and served in Indian dishes are not even known to a European resident, so this world will be very interesting. Most of the spices are sold in the state of Kerala.
You can also bring coconuts, mangoes and cashews, the main thing is to take into account the flight time, as they can go bad.
Health and beauty
The most common remedy is chyawanprash. It is a mixture of herbs that rejuvenate the body. The recipe for chavanprash was known ten centuries ago. Among the most common manufacturers are Shakhnaz Herbals, Biotic, Ayur, Dabur.
Chyawanprash
Any cosmetics in India is distinguished by its naturalness, and consists of a balanced composition of all herbs and oils. You can buy these wonders at any cosmetics store in the market, but the largest selection is in Kerala or Delhi.
High quality leather pleasing to the eye
Indian craftsmen very skillfully finish leather and make interesting handbags, belts and shoes. The traditional and very widespread type of the latter is considered "mojadi". These shoes are trimmed with metal overlays, beads and silk. Batik handbags with ornaments of Indian traditions are very popular. These products are manufactured and sold in Bengal. You can also buy "kopi", a vessel made of camel skin is used under water.
India Leather Bags
In principle, you can bring anything from India, because every product located on the counters of markets and shops throughout the country is unique. Each item is endowed with its own energy, its own unique beauty and charm.
What customs control will not miss?
Any customs control will not allow narcotic and psychotropic substances, large amounts of currency and firearms to pass. Also counterfeit money, rare plants, edged weapons.
It is India that will not let pork meat in any form through customs, in its direction. It is also not worth trying to smuggle precious metals.
And from India it will not work to take out:
- local rupees,
- animal skins,
- bird feathers,
- live plants,
- precious metals.
Despite the fact that a lot has been written on the Indonet on the topic of gifts, souvenirs and shopping in general in India, they constantly ask me: What to bring to loved ones, family, colleagues and friends.
IMHO, it is very easy to choose gifts in India, if you know to whom, I will try to write useful tips from this point of view, based on my own experience, as usual.
Almost all women will love the Kashmiri embroidered thin and light cotton blouses -shirts.
Jewelry with natural stones from silver in India is in huge quantities, but it is often difficult to choose what will suit or like. So my advice is astrological decoration
(Navratna), this is the most demanded souvenir among my friends, probably already wearing 6 (brought to order). Navratnu is made with rings, earrings, pendants, bracelets ... the thing is beautiful, universal, and the main thing with meaning.
If you are going to buy decoration with natural stones
- buy in stores, not on trays, there is only glass and plastic, yes, and do not think that turquoise and coral cost 100 rupees, they will sell you for these ceramics ...
Women can also bring Ayurvedic cosmetics or a gift set from Himalaya (read about it), Beauty and others. India also has a huge selection of fragrant soap and various gels based on natural oils.
What to Buy in India for Parents and Elderly Relatives
For seniors buy fluffy so-called "Tibetan shawls" made of acrylic, they are cheap and very warm, half of India wears them in winter, there are striped or with patterns, the latter are a little more expensive. These shawls are large, completely replace the blanket. At first glance, they are not very good, but then they will tell you that your gift is very warm and soft.
Natural Ayurvedic remedies
If a woman is a relative or a friend and she is over 35 years old, buy her female Ayurvedic herb as a gift, it is recommended simply for women's beauty and health, packages are different from powder to capsules and tablets.
For general cleansing of the body, which often leads to weight loss, you can bring triflu (triphala, triphala), it is written on it
There are many articles on Ayurveda on the Indonete, Ayurvedic shopping for me personally is the main one, and I bring it to Russia in kilograms for myself, my mother and friends, so by searching you can find many useful crafts. Remember one thing - not analgin, the course of taking such drugs is months, so do not expect the effect on the 2nd day :)
Gifts from India for lovers of oriental style and exotic
As a gift for children and youth you can bring pseudo-ethnic clothes such as Aladdin-Afghani harem pants, T-shirts, hoodies with ethnic prints, as well as exotic.
Sports style for children and adults- buy T-shirts with embroidery as a gift or simply painted, there are a huge number of them, and all are very Indian :)
Religious people can bring a rosary - from lotus seeds and other plants, from different types of wood and natural stone, for example, such
For homely lovers of oriental style, you can choose textile
- a heating pad for a teapot with an elephant (look at), a cotton bedspread with an ethnic print, and if you have money, then a wonderful carpet (pile) woolen or mixed of wool and silk. There are also lint-free carpets in India, embroidered with silk and wool, they are lightweight and relatively inexpensive (about $ 50-100 for a size 70cm x 1.2m).
In addition, India has excellent cotton and silk underwear; earlier, Indian cotton was supplied to the USSR.
Incense (incense sticks) and scented oils need to be chosen with care as they are more than just scent, so read first. Oils should only be bought from those who hide them in the shade, as they deteriorate and can cause skin inflammation. It is optimal to buy aroma oils in stores, they come in small packages, which indicate the production date and expiration date.
If you want to please a person, sympathetic to Indian culture, you can give him the palms of Namaste, where Lakshmi and the elephant-headed Ganesha are carved, or just a figurine of Ganesha, this gift brings prosperity and abundance to the house, it is also good for business, since both deities are associated with money.
I will not recommend the purchase of figurines of Gods in general and ritual objects to anyone, on the contrary, I believe that bringing an object of such a property to a house simply because it is beautiful in the absence of knowledge and understanding of what kind of energy it carries can sometimes be unsafe. Buy such things only if you know exactly who it is and understand that you need it, and not just liked it!
Probably you can bring other useful souvenirs from India, I just ran out of imagination :) So additions are welcome.
Enjoy the shopping!
PS Since most of the tourists and travelers leave India via Delhi on the indoneet there are articles about shopping in Delhi, indicating the best markets and shopping malls, as well as recommendations on how to shop, bargain and protect yourself from fraud. If you are poorly guided or do not know English, you can order a 1-2 day shopping tour in Delhi from its resident and one of the authors of the indonet, who organizes and helps in the bargaining as a translator, read her announcement in more detail to contact Tatiana in her (!) ad, not here.
- What and where to buy in India
- Prices in shops in India
- Popular shops in India
Opening Hours of Stores in India
Most stores in India are open from 10:00 to 20:00, with the exception of large shopping and entertainment centers in large cities, which often remain open until midnight. Indian shops may close 2 hours earlier on weekends.
Traditional Indian markets in the villages are open from dawn to dusk (08: 00-18: 00). Large city markets are open from 09:00 to late evening.
What and where to buy in India
Shopping in India will delight, first of all, those who seek to purchase bright souvenirs, handicrafts, unusual clothes and exotic products. Although there are large stores and malls in the big cities of India that sell products of popular brands, most take away goods such as:
- indian silk
- jewelry made of gold, silver and precious stones
- indian clothes
- dishes and decor items (paintings, figurines) in the traditional style
- incense
- spices
- cosmetics and health products made according to Ayurveda recipes
Shopping in India has a pronounced regional focus - different regions of the country specialize in the production and sale of a certain type of product. It is at the place of production that you can buy these goods at the lowest prices and with the greatest quality assurance.
So Indian gems and silver are best bought in large jewelry stores in Jaipur, silk fabrics and products from them - in Varanasi, statuettes of stone and bronze - in Agra, and warm wool shawls - in Kashmir.
One-stop shopping spots in India are the central districts in big cities (eg Colaba in Mumbai or Connaught Place in Delhi) where there are many large shops and street markets. It is especially important to shop in the capital, because most of the goods in Goa and other resorts in India come from there.
Goa's large flea markets are also popular as traditional shopping spots in India, where you can buy literally everything from inexpensive beads and incense to electronics and vehicles.
Prices in shops in India
Prices in markets and shops in India are mainly determined by sellers, depending on the wealth of the buyer. When a foreigner is interested in a product, its price automatically “skyrockets” several times, compared to what is usually asked from local residents.
In India, there are a number of goods (mainly food), the price of which is fixed and indicated on the price tag glued to the package. Such goods are sold both in specialized stores (fixed price store) and may be present in the assortment of regular stores.
- The first rule of thumb when shopping in India is to always bargain (unless the price of an item is "fixed" and is indicated on the price tag attached to it). You can start the negotiation process with the phrase: "Is this your best price?" (Is this the best price you can offer me?).
- Before buying a product in the Indian market, try to find out the approximate price for it in one of the stores with "fixed" prices.
- Do not show your interest in the product right away - a slightly indifferent look at the beginning of the bargain will help bring down the price to the minimum value.
- If the price of a product is not indicated, it can be immediately knocked down 2 times from the price requested by the seller.
- Shop in the markets early in the morning. According to the beliefs of Indian merchants, the first customer is supposed to make the best discount so that the rest of the day will be successful.
2. Silver souvenirs
Market stalls in India, for example in Goa, where they sell silver and gold - whole cities with shops, shops, scurrying merchants and goods spread out right on the ground. Silver jewelry with embossing, filigree, stones - everything is luxurious, incredibly beautiful. Silver in India is of good quality and very inexpensive, but prices for gold are biting, besides, Indian gold is very soft. It is better to buy products with stones in salons: at the bazaar they can slip glass pieces under the guise of emeralds.In India, you can buy luxurious dining sets for a penny: tea, coffee, sets for the first and second. And what beautiful spoons, sugar tweezers, glasses and wine glasses sell! And each thing will be with a unique pattern.
3. Carved wood products
If you come to India, get ready to bring wooden interior items from there - it is impossible to resist them. Shelves, chairs, coasters, cupboards - everything is handmade, with exquisite national patterns. Some tourists send whole containers from India with carved furniture, which is of high quality and inexpensive before. Things made of sandalwood cost a lot, but you should definitely buy at least a small figurine of an elephant or an Indian god. 
4. Spices and tea
Eyes do not believe, but hands reach for a wallet - elite black Indian tea costs no more than $ 8 per kilogram at the bazaar in Delhi. Green, of the highest quality, is twice as expensive, but still it does not compare with European prices.It seems that the usual black pepper in India smells much stronger, in a special way, let alone the rest of the spices. It is worth buying spices that are produced in India: turmeric, white pepper, curry, cardamom (the latter is very cheap in India compared to other countries). Spices are sold in their pure form and mixtures for meat, fish, sweets. Indian spices are hand-picked and organic.
