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...Everything you ever wanted to know about Sikkim

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   SHOPPING   

  
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SHOPPING:   The main markets for shopping are Old market, New Market and Lal market. Here one finds shops of all kind which offer good range of items to be purchased. For a tourist there are many attractive items to be bought as carved furniture, the dresses, Lepcha weave bags, Carpets & Durries with intricate designs and colourful decorations. One can also buy wooden and bamboo artifacts. For a collector of handmade

decorative   pieces Gangtok is a paradise.
 

The items from Gangtok leave a long lasting impression on the mind of the visitor. The Hindi speaking Marwaris dominates many of the shops in the Gangtok market.

The handicraft and handloom directorate office and the showroom are on crossing of MG Marg and New market. The Gramin Vikas Agency showroom is also located here. In these showrooms you can buy carpets, masks, bright Choktse tables, Thangka hangings.

Besides the places of interest, Sikkim also offers the added attraction of shopping.

Handicrafts
A wide variety of handicrafts is available for the tourist to take back as souvenirs, showpieces and even items of daily use in the Government Institute of Cottage Industry and the many curio shops in Gangtok. It is 'worth taking a few handicrafts back home to decorate your Drawing rooms as a remembrance of your visit to Sikkim.

Canvas wall-hangings depicting painting on different aspects of Sikkim can cost from Rs. 20/- to Rs. 200/-. Most of these paintings portray face profiles of tribals, eight lucky signs, dragons, religious processions etc. Thangkas or religious scrolls can also be purchased but these are very expensive and cost above Rs 500/-. Choktsees are small wooden tables about one and half to two feet in height with intricate local Tibetan designs on the sides. They are collapsible and can easily be carried.

Carpet and Rugs
 Tibetan woollen carpets are very expensive and are adorned with intricate designs and patterns reflecting the art and culture of this state. Made of pure sheep wool, these carpets use brilliant vegetable dyes.

Jewellery
The exquisitely carved Dragon sets of silver and gold inlaid with precious stones are unique to Sikkim. These consist of finely designed dragons on earrings, pendants, finger-rings etc. and can be ordered either in silver or gold.

Tea
 Sikkim tea, which is mainly grown in Temi Tea Estate, is famous the world over and carries a big premium in the world market. The tea is characterized by its exotic taste and flavor and costs about Rs 100/- a kilogram. It sells by the brand name of "Solja" and "Khangchendzonga" and it is a good idea to carry a few packets back home.

Big Cardamom or Bari Klachi
Cardamom or Elachi grows in abundance in Sikkim and costs about Rs 150/- a kilogram. A few hundred grams should be purchased.
 

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M.G. Marg Main Market

# closed on Tuesdays. 

Every major town in India has a Mahatma Gandhi Road and Gangtok is no exception. Slightly less than a kilometre in length, the road is flat and is lined with shops which constitute the Main Market and downtown of Gangtok. Overlooking the M.G. Marg is the Statue of Unity which depicts the meeting of the Bhutia Chieftain Khye Bumsa with the Lepcha leader Thetong Tek and his wife Ngo-kong-ngol. Almost midway, is the bust statue of Mahatma Gandhi. The market has hotels, restaurants and shops selling all types of consumer goods. There are many liquor shops and bars too. The shops are open by 8 am and close by 7 pm.

 

Lal Market

Located just below the Main Market a few minutes walk away, was an open space market encircled with shops. This market was built in 1956 and named thus in honor of J. Lal, a Dewan of the Chogyal. If you were interested in seeing how different cultures - old and new as well as diverse - blend together here in Sikkim, then a visit to the Lal Bazaar on Haat Day, that is on a Sunday was a must. Villagers in bakhus (Bhutia dress), daura - saurals (Nepali dress) and Bihari businessmen in dhotis brush shoulders with urbanites sporting jeans and chic fashions communicating with each other in Bhutia, Lepcha, Nepali and Hindi over the blare of both Indian and Western songs - a seemingly Tower of Babel! The wares on sale were equally diverse - from local cottage -cheese, incense sticks to the latest electronic gadgets. The smell of fish, spices, cheese and vegetables permeates the air. 

Presently this market is shifted to Children's Park while new construction is coming up where it used to be.