Planning a trip to Srinagar this summer? Worried about what to buy there as a souvenir? We have compiled an exclusive buyer guide to hot-selling items in Srinagar. Discover the top 19 famous things to buy in Srinagar and the markets from which you can buy them.
About Srinagar
Srinagar is a popular tourist destination with its picturesque beauty. Srinagar is a hub for business and has beautiful places to visit. It also has religious places where pilgrims come every year and enjoy the beauty of the town.
The town is undoubtedly the best destination and has snowcapped mountains, green gardens with colorful flowers, and beautiful lakes that attract tourists from all across the world. Kashmir’s second-largest lake, Dal Lake, is also situated in Srinagar with mirror-like water, which depicts the beautiful view of the Pir Panjal Mountains range.
Srinagar also has gardens relevant to Mughal history, and Asia’s largest tulip garden, the Indira Gandhi tulip garden, is also in the Zabrwan range of Srinagar. From beauty to adventure, this town has something for everyone.
Must read: Kashmir Trip Ultimate Checklist – What Documents Are Required
Top 19 Famous Things to Buy in Srinagar
For adventure enthusiasts, Srinagar also has a lot of activities to do, such as boating, trekking, water skiing, bird watching, and photography. Shopping lovers can enjoy shopping in the vibrant markets of Srinagar, which are full of handicrafts, dresses, shawls, and spices. These spices are used to create a delicious taste and boost the quality of food in the local cuisines of the town.
This buyers guide will enhance your shopping experience in Srinagar by providing you with information about markets and things that you can buy as souvenirs from Srinagar. You can buy anything you want, from traditional to modern, and from clothing to decoration.
Skillful artisans prepare every item in Srinagar, and their cultural diversity can be observed. We will list the top 19 famous things to buy in Srinagar that you can buy from budget-friendly markets.
1. Pashminas
Only come back with buying a pashmina shawl, stoles, and jackets from Kashmir. Srinagar has the best markets to buy these shawls. Pashmina shawls are rare and beautiful.
These are made of the soft wool of Himalayan goats, pashmina silk, or a combination of both. These shawls are lightweight and unmatchable in the warmth we get from them. Polo Views and Nishat markets in Srinagar are well known for buying the best and most unique pashmina shawls.
2. Kashmiri Tea
Kashmiri tea is the most demanding item in Srinagar. Its aroma and make it varied from the everyday tea that we have. Kashmiri tea is also called noon tea, pink chai, namkeen chai, and sheer chai. This tea is made of gunpowder tea and is a traditional tea of Srinagar and Kashmir.
Noon chai has many health advantages as well, as it is good for skin issues, cholesterol, and diabetes.
3. Copper Utensils and Products
Copper utensils and home decor items made of copper are also available in original quality.
Antique copperware such as trays, jugs, spoons, and bowls are the items to collect from the local markets of Srinagar, and Zaina Kadal market is famous for copperware and silverware.
4. Kashmiri Carpets
Kashmiri carpets are amazing and are available in abundance on the streets of Srinagar. Silk carpets are unique, and they can be handmade or machine-made. The weaving pattern, color combination, and intricate work of these carpets urge everyone to add them to their shopping list.
Badshah Chowk and Lal Chowk are famous for having the best Kashmiri carpets. This souvenir will need to be shipped home, as this heavy item is not easy to carry in and out of steep hills.
Kashmiri carpets are famous worldwide, and strong Persian culture can be observed in the artistic work on them. They are expensive, but as they are handmade, they are never tufted. These carpets are double-knotted and can be used from both sides.
5. Walnut Wood Products
Walnut wood items with beautiful wooden cravings on them are also the best things to collect. The craftsmanship of Kashmiri artists can be observed in these wooden items, which are expensive due to being made of original walnut wood. A coat of wax polish made them glossy.
These products have good textures and have long-lasting periods. From jewelry boxes to other handicrafts, they all look attractive. The Kashmir Government Art Emporium is a good place to buy walnut wood products.
6. Papier Mache Products
It is a method in which raw paper is turned into interesting shapes using adhesive materials. Papier Mache products are easier on the pocket, and you can easily adjust them with luggage constraints because the pulp of paper is used as a raw material to make them.
These products in Srinagar are really beautiful and have designs of various colors and patterns that can make the drawing room lovely. Badshah Chowk in Srinagar has the best quality paper-mache products.
7. Spices
Kashmiri spice chillies are specially used in local cuisines to make their food different in taste. Also, pick Shahi Zira, honey, brown cardamom, and star anise from the markets in Srinagar.
Kashmiri cuisines use these spices to give their dishes an authentic Kashmiri taste. Zaina Kadal market is the best place to purchase spices, as it is a haven for those who love the flavor.
8. Dry Fruits
Dry fruits of different varieties are worth buying in Srinagar, and the town has the best quality dry fruits that are rich in taste and crunch. Walnuts are abundant, and their different qualities, such as Burzil walnuts, won’t walnuts, kagzi walnuts, cashews, almonds, and figs, are also available in Srinagar.
Hari market is the best place to buy dry fruits, and hazelnuts can also be bought there.
9. Saffron
Srinagar is the best place for having Saffron of the highest quality, as it is grown in and around Srinagar. Saffron can be bought from the Hari market, famous for dry fruit and spices.
Usually, it is sold in tiny plastic bottles with 1-gram weight. But be aware of scammers, as they sell fake saffron with charges of real ones. To check its quality, some threads of saffron are on your finger. The original threads will not break, while the fake will break into small pieces.
10. Silver Jewelry
Kashmiri artisans are perfect for crafting the silver jewelry and silver jewelry used for decor brides in Kashmir. With intricate carvings, you will find large silverware, from jewelry to decoration. It is said that this work originated in the Mughal era and was also inspired by the majestic beauty of Kashmir.
Srinagar is also known for having precious stones, which are inserted in traditional jewelry. Srinagar is a hub for buying ornaments and other souvenirs made with silver.
11. Kashmiri Embroidery
Kashmiri embroidery is well known for its unique pattern and beautiful blend of colors used in embroidery. This embroidery can be observed on shawls, traditional clothes, and many household items.
Table covers, cushion covers, handbags, and Kashmiri shawls are top-selling things due to the embroidery work on them. Usually, INR 5,000 can get you tablecloths, and you must pay INR 300 for a cushion cover. These prices are indicated, not confirmed, and also depend on the market and quality that you are buying.
12. Wicker Baskets
Wicker baskets, another traditional thing to buy in Srinagar, are made with Keanikaem and Veer Kani handcraft. Willow wood is used for the preparation of these baskets. Wickerwork is also used to weave trays, picnic baskets, curtain rings, and lampshades.
Floating markets Dal Lake, Hazratbal, and Raizya Kadal markets (Rajouri Kadal) are famous for buying wickerwork things.
13. Kashmiri Sweets
Hazratbal is a popular shopping place situated near Hazratbal Shrine and has traditional Kashmiri sweets as well as religious items. Tosha is a famous traditional sweet in Kashmir, which is prepared with flour and sugar. Dry fruits are also added to this sweet.
In Srinagar’s bakeries, this sweet is available for INR 50 per piece. This sweet is prepared to serve on occasions of joy and grief and is also used for religious purposes.
14. Kashmiri Dresses
Pherans and shalwar kameez are traditional Kashmiri dresses, and tourists love to wear them for photography. Pherans are two-piece dresses with loose sleeves, and these dresses are decorated with Kashmiri embroidery.
Kashmiri dresses are the most famous thing to buy in Srinagar, and Residency Road is the market to get them.
15. Kashmiri Shawls
It would be a mistake to return without buying a Kashmiri shawl from Srinagar. Kashmiri shawls comprise three threads: pashmina, shahtoosh, and wool.
- The woolen shawls have Kashmiri embroidery and are made with ruffle wool.
- Shahtoosh shawls are lightweight and soft.
Beautiful motifs and embroidery patterns on Kashmiri shawls made them attractive to buy.
16. Kashmiri Pottery
Kashmiri pottery is historical and dates back to 5000 years in the Kashmir Valley. The archaeological site of Burzhama in Srinagar is famous for its pottery.
The use of beautiful colors and designs in pottery makes things attractive to buy, and fairs are also arranged in Kashmir to exhibit the art of pottery. Oil lamps, tea kettles, kitchen stoves, and other pottery utensils.
The Kashmir Government Arts Emporium is the best place to buy these traditional handicrafts in Srinagar.
17. Kashmiri Paintings
Kashmiri paintings are also known as Pahari paintings, and the most prominent feature of these paintings is the use of vibrant colors such as blue, yellow, and red.
Pahari paintings have their own style, and each style has a different school of painting, from which the kanga school is most famous. Along with the Pahari flavor, Kashmiri paintings also have Mughal elements.
The Amar Mahal Museum in Jammu has a beautiful collection of Kashmiri paintings, and in Srinagar, art lovers can visit the Kashmir Government Arts Emporium to buy the beautiful paintings.
18. Kashmiri Books
Kashmir has a rich and wide literary heritage. It also has a long history of conflict and resistance. So, there are multiple books to read to understand the culture and history of the region and Kashmir’s determination.
These books will not only teach you about Kashmir but can also change your narratives regarding different aspects of life and the world.
Some of the famous books that you can buy to read are Curfewed Night by Basharat Peer, Gold Leaves by Mirza Waheed, Munnu: A Boy from Kashmir by Malik Sajad, Danger in Kashmir by Josef Korbel, Kashmir: A Disputed Legacy by Alastair Lamb, Kashmiri: Books by Language by Archive.org, and 6 definitive novels to read on Kashmir by Kashmiris by Vogue India.
19. Kashmiri Music
Sitar, Santoor, Surnai, Noot, Rabab, and Tumbaknari are famous musical instruments played in Kashmir. Each instrument has its own musical history and importance.
Rabab is used to play in the form of songs at weddings in Kashmir, and this instrument is made of mulberry wood. Rauf dance is a traditional dance of Kashmir, performed on musical instruments.
Aftab Market is well known in Srinagar for purchasing these instruments.
Final Assessment
This is all about the 19 famous things to buy in Srinagar. Shopping in Srinagar is interesting and enjoyable due to the presence of original and rare items. But remember to bargain because Kashmir is a tourist destigmatization, and every time thousands of people from all over the world come to Kashmir due to new people in the area, most shopkeepers try scamming by selling expensive items. Collect your souvenirs according to your luggage capacity, and choose a shipping option for bulky and delicate items. We hope that this guide will help you make your shopping list easier. Take advantage of these items to collect from vibrant markets that depict the culture and traditions of Kashmir. Also, you can share your experience with us.
Stay tuned for more adventure guides from Salam Travellers.
