Shopping in Kerala makes for a delightful experience. The land is traditionally rich in handicrafts. The skilled hands of the artisans of Kerala have crafted out a wide variety of objects dart that find a buy among the tourists,especially foreigners.
Owing to the abundance of forests and coconut groves in Kerala, wood, jute,coir and coconut shells traditionally remain the base of such handicrafts. A whole range of souvenirs,curios and trinkets are made from these. Artifacts made of teak, deep-wine rosewood and fragrant sandalwood may arrest your eyes while shopping in Kerala. Buffalo horn is also popular with Kerala artisans as a raw material for the handicrafts.
The sea-fringed state of Kerala is also the land of spices. Since long past, Kerala has carved a niche of its own in the global spice market for its rich flavored spices. Spices are used in medicines, preservatives, perfumes and above all in cooking. They serve as exquisite shopping products that enjoy international value.
Kathakali-masks made of wood or papier-mâché are also favourite buys with the tourists.There are a large number of private shops and government emporia, which are scattered all across the state.Nevertheless Kochi and Trivandrum are the best places for shopping in Kerala. You can also check out the street side vendors or the artisans directly.
Some of the popular tourist shopping products in Kerala are coconut shell craft,coir items,woodcarvings,metalware,tea, coffee and spices like black pepper, cardamom, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, etc,metal inlaid wood craft,horn carvings,bamboo/jute mat paintings and kathakali masks.
