Travel Guide

No tour is complete without shopping. According to a considerable number of tourists, shopping and traveling go hand in hand. The city of Jamnagar, in Gujarat is known to attract a lot of tourists purely for the sheer experience of Shopping in Jamnagar.

 
Seen as one of the major travel destinations in India, Jamnagar is rich in its history and traditions. Owing to these historical and traditional linkages, when it comes to art and craft, Jamnagar has to offer a great deal.
Over the years, the residents in this part of the world have inculcated these various forms of art which has eventually become their livelihood.

 
Finally, in order to do justice to their skills, the shops have started selling these items, much to the delight of the tourists visiting the place. Thus in this way, Shopping in Jamnagar, India has become one of the important activities for tourists.

 
The ‘Bandhani’ has become one of the hallmarks of ornamentation in Jamnagar. Bandhani in Hindi means tie-and-dye. This form of art is primarily noticed in all kinds of dress materials.
Apart from these, manufactured articles like bangles ornamented in brass, Beetle nut crackers, Paperweights made from agate, Kumkum, Kajal, Surma, and brass covered wooden chests are some of the popular items which can be found while Shopping in Jamnagar.

 
Shopping in Jamnagar is altogether a delightful experience. The hustle and bustle surrounding the shops adds color to the atmosphere. The essence of a traditional market places are perfect examples of the mode of shopping people used to follow in olden days. The shouting of hawkers who occupy a substantial portion of the pavements and the bargaining of the customers are typical characteristic feature of an Indian Market Place which can be observed while Shopping in Jamnagar.

 
The city of Jamnagar is historically known as Nawanagar, which means ‘the new city’. Previously, Jamnagar was one of the princely states of Saurashtra. Jamnagar is located 310 kilometers away from Ahmedabad via Rajkot, and 92 kilometers from Rajkot.

 
The Bandhani `tie-and-dye’ of Jamnagar is well known the world over
Apart from these, artifacts like Bangles with inlay of brass, Beetle nut crackers, agate paperweights; Kum kum, Kajal, Surma, ; brass covered wooden chests etc, are available at the Khadhi Bhandars around Hotel President.
Modern articles can also be bought from around the city.  Easiest place to shop in Jamngar is the Super Market..
One can easily spend a couple of hours exploring the lanes leading out from Lindi Bazaar & Chandi Bazaar.

 
Bandhani
It’s a unique expression of a very time-consuming process of tying thousands of tiny knots in a piece of fabric that has first been folded upon itself a number of times. This is then dyed in several stages using different colors. The knots are pulled apart and the fabric is unfolded to reveal a repeating pattern in a variety of hues. The process, believed to have been used in the area for up to 5000 years, is used for Saris, Shirts, Shawls, Bedsheets, Curtains, Table Cloths, Bags, and other items.

 
‘Bandhani’ (tie and dye fabric) of Jamnagar, Mandvi and Bhuj are famous for their intricate designs and patterns, which are used, in wedding outfits called as ‘gharchola, odhni’ and sarees.

 
The tie-dyed fabrics of Gujarat are perhaps the best produced in India. Also known as ‘Bandhej’, it is produced on super fine cotton ‘mulmul’, muslin sometimes combined with gold checks and motifs worked in the ‘jamdani’ technique.

 
Dyeing is a hereditary art. In the past cloth was dyed in colours extracted from trees and flowers.
TIE N’ DYE: The Proccess
The highest intensity of Bandhini dyeing is in Kutch, but some of the best works are from Jamnagar.
The printed portion of the fabric are pinched and pushed into small points and then knotted with 2 or 3 twists of thread. The knotted parts remain uncoloured and the fabric is dyed in the lightest shade first, retied and dyed in the darker colour.

 
The fabric may be tied and dyed several times, depending on the number of shades in the final colour scheme. The price of the ‘bandhani’ depends not only on the fabric, but also on the number of times it has to be tied and dyed and on the intricacy of the design.

 
The Bandhani, tie and dye variety of sari is a very popular women’s wear. It involves an intricate process of tying knots on the fine white fabrics, which are dipped in colours. The hues of deeper shades are used over the previous ones to form the coloured background of the cloth.

 
‘Bandhani’ sarees are easily available in all the bazaars and shopping centres of Jamnagar and here you can also find them brocaded with fine gold thread zaris.

 
The shops where one can buy Bandhani fabrics are Umar Ibhrahim (outside Kalavad naka) Vanza (in Darbargadh Circle), Mahavir Bandhani (Chanid Bazaar), they have extensive and beautiful collection of new and old designs