McLeodGanj is a suburb of Dharamshala Town in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, India. Tourism is an important industry in McLeodGanj and many people come here to study Tibetan Buddhism, culture, crafts etc. The town is also known for Tibetan handicrafts, thangkas, Tibetan carpets, garments and other souvenirs. This Photo Journey talks more about shopping at Mcleodganj and what is so special about it...
A Photograph showing various Necklesse options at Mcledoganj Market.
I have been to Mcleodganj many times (most of the times with boys) and was never able to appreciate the fact that Mcleodganj is a good place to buy some specific stuff. Many times, I tried to buy few things for home but high rates made be change my mind :) ... Later I got to know the about some special facts about shopping at Mcledoganj...
Stuff for Meditation,Yoga, Trendy cloths and Stone studded jewellery etc. -These are some of the most popular shopping stuff available in Mcleodganj Market. There are some shops of designer woolens, Kashmiri Shawls etc. In Mcledoganj street there are lot shops offer hand-made musical instruments.
A Photograph showing different types of Meditation Bowls made up of different types of metals and majorly with Ashtdhatu, which has some significance.
Tibetan Singing Bowls, rin gongs, Himalayan bowls or suzu gongs are a type of bell, specifically classified as a standing bell. Rather than hanging inverted or attached to a handle, singing bowls sit with the bottom surface resting. The sides and rim of singing bowls vibrate to produce sound characterized by a fundamental frequency (first harmonic) and usually two audible harmonic overtones (second and third harmonic). Check out following link to know about these Singing Bowls - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singing_bowl
Keep reading to know more about pricing and negotiations at Mcleodganj Market.
Different types of Budha Statutes can bought and huge range of sizes is available at Mcledoganj. Varous types include Health Budha, Sleeping Budha, Peace Budha etc. Apart from variation is sizes, some of the metallic Budhas are also studded with stones. We were evaluating them w.r.. visual beauty of the statues rather than the value of those stones or importance of Budha's posture.
After spending 1.5 hours in Mcleodganj Market we realized that there is huge difference between prices offered by various shops for almost similar stuff. Since none of us had any information about this stuff, we thought of buying some stuff from road-side kiosks which were comparatively cheaper than bigger shops. Although we were not sure if there was any different is stuff or not.
At the same time, we saw huge difference in offering price and started negotiating with them. It was unbelievable to buy some stuff at 1/3rd of originally quotes price. Some of the stuff was bought at half price. After some shopping we were in big doubt about actual pricing, because final pricing was also a good amount. Anyways, we didn't think much about it but it seems there is huge scope of bargaining at Mcleodganj Market. Also we realized that extended market towards Bhagsu was unnecessarily expensive than the main market near to Dalai Lama's Residence.
Singing bowls are used worldwide for meditation, music, relaxation, personal well-being. They are used by a wide range of professionals, including health professionals, school teachers, musicians and spiritual teachers. Singing bowls are used in health care by psychotherapists, massage therapists, cancer specialists, stress and meditation specialists. They are used to help treat cancer patients and also for post traumatic stress disorder. They are popular in classrooms to help facilitate group activities and focus students' attention. This was first time when we were knowing about these Meditation Bowls and we bought few in a belief that whatever we bought is authentic. Anyways, I like the vibration and sound it makes on rubbing a wooden stick against it's top part.
It has an average elevation of 2000 metres. Mcleodganj os situated
on the Dhauladhar Range, whose highest peak, 'Hanuman Ka Tibba' at
about 5700 metres..The
Tibetan government-in-exile is headquartered in McLeodGanj.
Apart from metallic stuff, Mcledoganj Market is also popular among foreigners for cloths. Even urban Indians also like the kind of cloths Mcleodganj Markets offer. I wish I had a photograph to show some samples. There are some art & craft galleries in different streets of Mcleodganj.
Apart from some unique shopping opportunities, there are some decent eating places inside Mcleodganj Streets. It's a great place to try authentic Tibetian food. Also there are some decent cafes to enjoy different flavors of tea and coffee. We shall try to share more about Eating options at Mcleodganj.
Mcleodganj streets can usually be seen with lot of foreigners like we seen in Rajasthani towns like Pushkar. Market is usually full of tourists and Monks who keep walking on main road which connects main chowk of Mcleodganj with Dalai Lama's Residence. There is anothr market near to Mcledoganj, which is situated near Bhagsu Temple and Waterfall.
A Photograph of Prayer wheel at Mcledoganj Market - Which can be installed on a wall.
A Photograph of Prayer wheel at Mcledoganj Market - Which can be installed on a wall.
So best way of shopping at Mcleodganj is to know what exactly you want, set your upper limit, negotiate hard to get right price. But of course, how to best price? If you already have any experience, please share with others through comments :)
To know more about Mcleodganj, check out - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McLeod_Ganj
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