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The
delightful and colourful bazaars of
Rajasthan still have the distinct
easy-going atmosphere, typical of
the medieval times. Nothing much seems
to have changed till today - not even
the commodities in the market.
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The
numerous fairs and festivals in this
sparsely populated state are essentially
an opportunity for people from far
and wide to converge and shop.
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In
the electrically charged cacophonic
atmosphere, one can pick up exotic
trinkets, beads, bangles, old tribal
silver jewellery, a range of handicrafts
and of course, animals.
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This
is true of the towns and cities as
well. Chaotic and noisy, people jostling
against each other, stray cows butting
in, lots of bargaining....
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In
the old days, the bazaars were segmented
product-wise. An entire lane of
lac bangle makers, a market of utensil
makers and so on. Although a few
stray shops have cropped up, the
tradition continues to date.
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| Shopping
In Rajasthan |
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| Carpets
& Durries |
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Though
a bulky item to carry home, the woollen
carpets of Bikaner and Jaipur (generally
based on Persian and Caucasian styles)
and the traditional cotton durries
(cool light rugs, mostly in pastel
shades with a sparse use of geometrical
motifs) can liven up even the dullest
of floors.
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| Jewellery |
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Rajasthan
became famous for its jewellery industry
from very early times, being an important
source of precious and semi-precious
stones such as emerald, garnet, agate,
amethyst, topaz and lapiz lazuli.
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Though
Jaipur is internationally renowned
for its exquisite Kundan
(the art of setting precious stones
in gold) and meena (enamel)
jewellery, meenakari is also
done in Nathdwara near Udaipur.
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Lac
and glass bangles are a special attraction
of Rajasthan and are made in a variety
of colours and designs in Jaipur and
Jodhpur.
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Silver
is commonly worn by rural women and
one can pick up old tribal silver
jewellery as well.
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| Leather
Wear |
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Jaipur,
Jodhpur, Barmer and Jaisalmer are
traditionally known for their footwear.
Incredibly comfortable and sturdy,
the jootis have artistically
emroidered uppers.
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Leather
is also an essential raw material
for making musical instruments, especially
percussion instruments (such as the
tabla and dhol)
and the stringed instruments (like
kamaycha) used by Rajasthani
folk musicians.
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