9 Famous Places To Shop And Things To Buy In Mahabaleshwar (2024)
Mahabaleshwar is the beautiful hill station in Maharashtra snuggled in the lap of the Western Ghats. It is a small, cozy, and tranquilizing hill station. It is visited by millions of tourists from all over the world every year. Mahabaleshwar is famous for family trips, also famous for a getaway for a group of friends and it has always been a romantic destination for the couples. It is a perfectly peaceful and uplifting place in the lap of mountains where one can get respite from the daily grind. While the traveler in you is enjoying the beauty and calmness of Mahabaleshwar, you can take care of the shopaholic in you too as the places has numerous things to buy and to bring back home. You can indulge yourself in street shopping or local shopping and you can also go to the famous stores and bring back things.
You can buy things like strawberries, local Maharashtrian spices, and junk jewelry from Mahabaleshwar. The place is especially famous for the freshly plucked out of garden strawberries, raspberries, and mulberries which are irresistible. You can also buy fresh locally made jellies, honey, jams, marmalades, and more. You can also shop for handicrafts, all sorts of goods made of leather, and the very famous Kolhapuri footwear amongst many other things from your visit to Mahabaleshwar.
Famous places to shop and things to buy and bring back home from Mahabaleshwar are mentioned below:
1. Town Bazaar: Town bazaar is the busiest and crowded market in Mahabaleshwar and you will always be greeted with the hustling of the shopkeepers and hawkers trying to see their products and to call you to their shops to buy the local items. You can buy items like handcrafted walking sticks, leather goods, tribal trinkets, and junk jewelry which most people would not be able to resist from buying.
2. Imperial Stores: This is a heritage store in Mahabaleshwar and has been an important place since the British era. It is a family-owned store and has a special place in Mahabaleshwar and is the most famous departmental stores in the area. This is the best place where you can buy exquisite wines and also for delicious, locally grown strawberries. This store also sells snacks like burgers, pizzas and some desserts which are very famous among locals here.
3. Mapro Garden: A park and a picnic spot which can also be an educative spot for children. Mapro garden is on the way from Mahabaleshwar to Panchgani and is famous amongst locals and tourists. Tourists from all over the world come here to see and eat the fresh berries produce and to witness the process of plucking the berries. One can also buy products made from fresh berries from this place. Locals also go to Mapro garden on the weekend to enjoy their time, relax and enjoy the scrumptious food. The garden also has a restaurant where you can enjoy fresh shakes, salads, and ice-creams, etc. Mapro garden also has a local chocolate factory that should not be missed during your visit to the garden.
4. Laxmi Farms: Another farm famous for berries in Mahabaleshwar is the Laxmi farm. You can witness berries plucking and buy fresh produce of strawberries, raspberries, and gooseberries from this place.
5. Indo Kashmir Collection: Although they do not sell local products, this place is very famous for its Kashmiri clothing collection. They have beautiful shawls, stalls, and suit pieces sourced from Kashmir. This shop is very famous among the tourists as well as locals. Do not forget to look at their collection during your visit to Mahabaleshwar.
6. Amit Supermarket: If you are planning to stay for a long time in Mahabaleshwar or looking for something essential during your visit, Amit supermarket is the place for you. It is a huge and very convenient supermarket where you will find all types of essentials items and commodities. They sell all sorts of items starting from vegetables, fruits, chips, chocolates, sauces, etc. you will find it all here.
7. Shivaji Circle Market Panchgani: Shivaji Circle is the most popular market for shopping in Panchgani. You will always find it crowded with locals and tourists. The market is always crowded with tourists as well as locals. The market is famous for its leather products of all kinds including different types of bags, handmade slippers, and footwear and handicrafts, etc. with unique designs and excellent quality. The market is also famous for other products like local Maharashtrian spices, local snacks like chikki, chana, and lemon. This is an affordable market where you can buy good quality stuff at the best prices.
8. Buddha-Ka-Bazaar Panchgani: The Buddha bazaar is a famous weekly market in Panchgani. The market is set up every Wednesday and has a wide variety of locally grown products at affordable prices. Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani have a large variety of locally grown berries and you can find fresh berry products sold by vendors at this market including jams, jellies, marmalades, mocktails, organic and fresh honey, candies, and strawberry crush, etc. In addition to eatables, you can find many Maharashtrian snacks. If you have a sweet tooth you can go to Roach and Sons or Kerala Bakery nearby for delicious desserts.
9. Devrai Art Village Panchgani: Devrai Art Village is a very interesting and unique initiative in Panchgani. It has a core group of highly skilled Adivasi craftsmen and artists from the Naxalite affected areas of Gadchiroli and Chattisgarh. These craftsmen live in Panchgani to find a livelihood and a safe shelter here. Devrai art village brings together the Adivasi craftsmen and through their skills and they come up with distinctive and alluring products made of different elements and mediums such as iron, brass, stone, wood, bamboo, and fabric. This initiative helps educate these craftsmen in terms of instilling innovative design and marketing ideas and also helps them become financially independent by helping them create sources of income for them. An interesting phenomenon is that the artwork is inspired by the idea of mutual dependence between humans, animals, and plants. Importance to nature has been given in all of the artworks. The craftsmen make beautiful paintings and rock-carved sculptures. These can be the beautiful souvenirs that can be brought home and decorated in your house and garden and are also good gift items.
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