When in Bangalore, Shopping Has to Be Part of the Itinerary! Here's What to Buy in Bangalore and Where From (2020)

Planning to visit Bangalore and want to save time on shopping? Follow our advice and choose from the wide range of things you can buy for yourself and family.

The culture of Bangalore is mixed with vibes of tradition and modernism. Areas like Church Street and Indiranagar have lots of delicious variety of foods, the handicrafts and dance village shows uniqueness at its best. The luxurious shopping experiences from bookstores to handcrafts will give you some quality time there. Some of the recommended things that you can surely try in Bangalore are:

Sandalwood is the second most expensive wood in the world and it is associated with Indian culture. The wood is treasured for its aroma and it is one of the finest natural material for carving. It is dubbed as ‘royal wood’ which is extracted from the core of the trunk called the ‘heartwood’ and the roots of the tree. Sandalwood grown in Mysore is said to be of the highest quality. Sandalwood is used for various purposes as making oil, perfumes, cosmetics, aromatherapy, incense stick, soaps and pharmaceuticals.

In the state of Karnataka, a form of folk embroidery is practised in a traditional way called Kasuti. It is a very intricate form of art which sometimes involves putting up to 5,000 stitches by hand in the traditional dress wear like saree. It involves very intricate patterns like gopura, chariot, palanquin, lamps ad conch shells. It is performed by counting each thread on the cloth-making the work laborious. The patterns are re-stitched without making knots which ensures both sides look alike. The kasuti sarees are famous from Dharwad and the Karnataka Handicrafts Development holds geographical indication protection for it.

Mysore rosewood inlay in the area of Mysore covers a range of techniques used by the creative artisans by inserting pieces of contrasting coloured material like Ivory shells, mother-of-pearl, horn and sandalwood, into depression resulting in ornaments or paintings that normally are flush with the matrix. It is an ancient art of Mysore - the city which is blessed with abandoned rosewood trees. The exquisite paintings are wonderful creations of nature and man made work which is one of the main attractions of visiting Bangalore and shopping there.

The cardamom garlands are the ‘elaichi’ malas which are full of fragrance and are used in traditional and auspicious occasions. The mala is enhanced with colourful and shimmering ribbons which are made by traditional artisans from South India. The long-lasting mala is made with natural elaichi and it is used in various purposes such as to offer Lord Hayagriva for blessings of memory and improvement and progress in the field of education and in wedding ceremonies to welcome guests.

The spicy masala cashew nuts are mostly fried with chilli, pepper, black salt and chat masala with some home ingredients of Karnataka. It is a famous snack in Bangalore. If you visit the place, never forget to try some of the best places where you can find these, such as Satvikk Speciality Foods, Happilo International, etc.

Hasker fruit market is the biggest wholesale market in Bangalore with a huge variety of fruits all at one place. K R Market is also famous for fruits and if you visit there in the early morning, many fresh fruits dealers are available from whom you can buy large quantities of fruits at cheaper rates. Also, you get many farmers behind the market complex, from where you can buy fruits in best deals. You can also get doorstep delivery of fruits with an additional cost. There are many fantastic farms in and around Bangalore, where you can get perfect fruit and vegetable picking opportunity. The farm of Bannerghatta road gives the freedom to kids for forage, pick wild greens, and learn to find foods in the unlikeliest places, plant a new patch of turmeric, ginger and come back home with bags full of papayas, litchis, chikoos and wonderful edible greens.

If you are thinking of buying leather items from Bangalore, you can consider yourself lucky regarding weather as well as the availability of shops and stores in Bangalore. Some stores specialize in leather jackets while others are famous for leather footwear. Some of the best stores you can visit there are Karnataka Leather Crafts on Commercial Street, which stocks up all kinds of leather jackets both for men and women. They also make customized jackets.

Thunderbird Leather Classics have all kinds of leather jackets like racer, biker, bomber, bags, belts, suitcases and other accessories. Leather coats at HSR, have some wonderful leather apparel and accessories, in all kinds of finishing, giving more choice in range and products. IRich, Leather Forum, Hoofs and Hides, are some of the places where you can head for buying leather gifts.

Amrut Whiskey, the company translates it as ‘Elixir of Life’, is a single malt whiskey which is often considered the third-best in the world. This brand started producing malt whiskey in 1980 in Bangalore, and it strived to provide a better product that would meet global requirements and took help from the experts of Scotland to perfect the process. Amrut Single Malt Whiskey is made from barley, and for some variants, the peated barley. Barley is produced in India and peated barley is imported from Scotland. They have eleven different varieties like Amrut Fusion, Single Malt Whiskey, Peated Single Malt Whiskey, Madeira Cask Finish, Kadhambam, 10 Year Old Greedy Angels, Naarangi, Peated Cask Strength, Portonova, Double Cask, Two Continents, Raj Igala, Peated Port Pipe, to name a few.

Handicraft is precisely expressed as handmade artisans handicraft, which needs just hands as tools. Handcrafting has its roots in rural crafts, it is going on since ancient civilizations, and carries cultural or religious significance. Handmade is one of the most effective definitions to emphasize the quality and uniqueness of a product. If you want to buy wholesale brass or rosewood handicrafts in Bangalore, eworldtradefair.com is a nice place to start. Indycult, Artesania Arts and Crafts, Decor Handlooms, Tarang Arts, Gurunath Weaver, Tamara, Ever Exotic, Mother Earth, Sapthagiri Handlooms and Cauvery Handicrafts Emporium are some of many places to find the beautiful handcrafted items in Bangalore.

The saree is a one-piece item of clothing adorned by Indian women, perhaps the only draped garment of its kind. These sarees are timeless, as they are passed in through generations. It is worn by women of all ages and are a must-have in Indian wardrobe. There are many traditional sarees you can find in Bangalore which have traditional motifs and designs. Bangalore Silk, Kanjivaram, Kerala Kasavu are some of the traditional sarees which you can get in abundance in Bangalore.

Nalli Silks started in 1928 has fame everywhere. It has the designs in Chanderi, Mysore silks, Maheshwari and more. Prasiddhi Silks has elegant traditional prints but comes with a little higher price tag. Mysore Saree Udyog is a one-stop store for all festive sarees and any kind of fabric needs. Sudharshan is a multi-level store offers eye-popping silks for brides and family but they have limited choice for daily wear sarees.

India is a country where jewellery is used by most of the women in all parts of the country. Bangalore is a place where the shops are specialized in making all kinds of jewellery whether heavy like traditional or sleek and lightweight daily wear ones. Lalitha Jewellers, Kalyan Jewellers, Prakash Jewellers are some of the renowned shops where you can find all kinds of jewellery that you want to buy. Unniyarcha at Mahadevpura has a variety of traditional as well as modern and minimal jewellery collections which are easy to wear with quirky outfits or contemporary office wear. Check out their online collections too at unniyarcha.com. Shubhsatinicollection.com has pure cotton handloom Kasuti sarees which have beautiful embroidered designs and also these sarees are one of the major traditional sarees of the state.

Marathahalli is mostly famous for the brand outlets for easy and low price shopping of branded products. The products range from jeans to shoes and you can get the best bargain if you are lucky enough. Located near the airport, it is one of Bangalore’s suburbs on Varthur Road, where all the retail action is concentrated. There are regular factory outlets like Nike, Adidas, Colour Plus, Van Heusen, Levis, Louis Phillipe, etc. on both sides of the street. The usual sales in these outlets are generally 50% and above. It also has home furnishing, lighting, soft furnishing, and a lot more. The area also consists of movie theatres and food complexes. Overall an entertaining place for shopping without any hassle.

Bangalore is not only the ‘Silicon Valley of India’, the leading IT hub of the country but also a major destination and attraction for the tourist because of its culture and historical evidence along with many interesting shopping areas. A perfect blend of old and new things at one place, Bangalore street shops offer a variety of clothes and accessories at the lowest price.