Shopping in Anantnag

Anantnag is not only a district headquarter in Kashmir valley, it is also an epicenter of trade and business in this region. Since its establishment around 5000 years back, this ancient city has always been the trading hub of Kashmir. It was seen as a potential area with immense trading opportunities. This can be attributed to its fertile soil that produces wheat, barley, and rice in large quantities.

This Rice Bowl of Kashmir is also the largest producer of fresh and delicious apples along with world class willows. With these products and more, Anantnag is also a great shopping destination for tourists visiting this region to explore its natural beauty. The entire district is rich in merchandise including handicrafts and farm produces. Out of these, some are even exported to major parts of the world while they are also sold in the local markets.

As Anantnag is slowly recuperating from the insurgency of this region, it is still in the process to develop nay large shopping malls in its arena but still there are few local markets and areas where one can find the exquisite items being sold by local vendors.

Among the products being sold in the Anantnag markets, prominent ones are its fresh farm products and handicrafts. They include:

Quite an unusual item for those who love to shop for lifestyle products, Apples of Shopian in Anantnag district are world renowned for their sweet and juicy taste. The apples sold here are very high in quality and you can safely carry them back to home without getting them rotten in transit.

Willows or Cricket Bats of Anantnag are world famous and they are made to suit every format of the game. These bats are exported as well sold in domestic markets. There are many small scale industries involved in their production in Anantnag district. These bats are made of high quality wood to ensure better performance and durability. they are largely manufactured and sold on NH 1A in the villages like Brijbehara, Mirzapore, Sangam, Charsoo, etc.

Anantnag district is also quite popular for its beautiful crafted handicrafts. The items locally made in handlooms and other small scale industries include Kashmiri dress materials, shawls, Paper Mache items, carpets, rugs, Kashmiri embroidered items, pheran, gabbas, namdas, Pashmina items, wood carved products, and other souvenirs. These items are a must buy in Anantnag for their intricate handwork and quality.

Anantnag has few markets in entire city and adjoining areas to serve the shopping needs of its people. These markets are centrally located and easily accessible from all the areas in city. Most of the markets are situated in old city and they are crowded due to the variety of stuff sold in them. These markets are the business hub of city and hence, they are must visit if you wish to buy local merchandise in Anantnag.

Opened recently, this market is spanned over an area of 40 kanals and has more than 150 shops in it. It serves as a common place for the fruit and vegetables growers and dealers in the district.