Jammu & Kashmir is a paradise for shoppers, with some of the most beautiful and affordable handicrafts anywhere in India made and sold here.
Scarcely more costly are the hand-carved wooden boxes and small statues, carved in Srinagar’s backstreet workshops. Of course, the tiny packets of dark red saffron, grown, picked and dried at Pampore. Brightly coloured cotton or wool scarves and Buddhist trinkets from the Tibetan markets, are similarly affordable and take up little room in your suitcase.

Fake pashminas are everywhere (you’ll learn to spot them from their coarser texture and garish colours), but reputable retailers do have authentic cashmere shawls …. .
They naturally come only in shades of cream, grey and beige (the colours of the goats), though it is possible to get other colours if they’ve been dyed. Many of the more expensive pashminas are decorated with very fine embroidery sewn by hand.

Kashmir is famed for its hand-knotted carpets made from wool and/or silk. If you are contemplating buying one, take time to learn to differentiate between the varying qualities and to get a fair idea of the prices.

With acknowledgement and thanks to :
Lovell-Hoare, Sophie & Max  Kashmir : Jammu · Kashmir Valley · Ladakh · Zanskar  Bradt (UK), 2014.