Shop Till You Drop in Jaipur

Jaipur is a mix of the old and the new, traditional as well as modern. On one side there are the glitzy malls and on the other side the traditional bazaars where the locals as well as the tourist can shop till they drop.Here you would find plenty of traditional designs and ethnic color schemes.

My search for authentic Rajasthani designs and traditional leharia work led me to Bapu Bazaar Jaipur.

It is a market made with the traditional pink stones that gives Jaipur its name.

Standing at the entrance I wonder from where to  start shopping as the market is lined with shops selling all kinds of things from traditionally designed Saris for the women to finely crafted jackets for the men.

After comparing the rates and the designs I head towards a shop with the most exhaustive designs and very reasonable pricing.

I am here to buy a Sari for my mom and my second stop would be bangles and foot wear for my sister.

I begin to see the Sari's. Each one is more beautiful than the earlier one.

The shop keeper painstakingly shows, opens and displays each saree one after the other. Every time he does that a plethora of traditional designs and color combination flash before my eyes.

After every display He asks me if he should add the Sari to the shortlisted set of garments? So that I may make a final selection later on.

Now I find this to be a very difficult question to answer for each garment is like a piece of art vying for my attention and I am finding it increasingly difficult to pick one over the other.

I came to this shop with the idea of picking up one Sari but refusing so many beautiful garments is going to be a very difficult task. The Shopkeeper is very patient and helps me go through the short listed set of Sarees . The list has come down to over 25 Sarees. I must admit it has been a brutal decision to pick these and leave the others out .

This shop has a very fine collection of garments. I take a break and look around. They have bed sheets and spreads. Children's garments and traditional suits for ladies

Then my eyes got fixed on a beautiful Lehnga  and I begin to think this would be perfect for my sister.

The choice of Lehnghas are fit for a princess or perhaps a new bride.

 After this refreshing break I get back to work that is to reduce my set of selected sarees further down. I try very hard and trim my selection down to 10.

I do not have the heart or the energy to further reduce the number of sarees so instead of one I ended up buying ten !

I try to reason with my self that one does not come to Jaipur every day and  this wide collection of garments would be hard to find elsewhere.

Since the quality is good and the prices are reasonable I have every reason to complete the purchase.

Before I make the final purchase and leave my eyes get fixed on a traditional bright jacket . Though bright red is not my color and I have never tried it but what is the harm in trying it?

So I give it a try and Hey ! I seem to like it

So it gets added to my list of purchased items.

I ask the shopkeeper where can I find traditional  bangles for my sister and luckily the shop just adjutant to his sells all kinds of bangles.

That is not all a guy is selling the traditional foot wear as well.

Shopping for footwear completes my shopping for the day.

Before I leave I have to note the shopkeepers address so that on my next visit to Jaipur I can do some more shopping.

I can vouch for the designs and pricing. As for the quality the sarees after several uses and regular washing and dry-cleaning are going strong so are certainly made up of high quality material

This is a must visit shop in Bapu Bazaar and within its compound one can get ample variety of not just garments but also bangles and foot wear .