India GOWhat to buy in Chandigarh
The things worth bringing home from Chandigarh are Punjabi: phulkari, the dense floral embroidery on shawls and dupattas, embroidered juttis (flat slippers) and tasselled parandis for braids. Buy them at a fixed price in the state emporium on the Sector 17 plaza, or bargain for them in the bazaars of Sectors 19 and 22. Add a book from a shop as old as the city, or a box of ghee sweets.
What to buy
The list above shows the shops and markets on the map; here is what each is good for.
Phulkari
Punjab's signature embroidery, "flower work" in dense floral stitching on dupattas (long scarves), suits and shawls. For artisans' work at a labelled price, go to the Phulkari emporium on the Sector 17 plaza near the fountain, run by the Punjab Small Industries and Export Corporation, a state body set up in 1962 partly to promote handicrafts through its Phulkari emporiums. 1469 Original buys its hand-embroidered phulkari directly from the women who stitch it. In Shastri Market phulkari dupattas sell for about a third of emporium prices.
Juttis, parandis and bangles
Juttis are flat leather slippers, often embroidered; parandis are the tasselled cords braided into hair; bangles come in stacks. Sadar Bazaar in Sector 19 and Shastri Market in Sector 22 have all three, and the Phulkari emporium sells juttis at fixed prices.
Punjabi slogans and folk objects
1469 Original is named for the year Guru Nanak was born, and it built its name on Punjabiat, Punjabi identity as something you can wear: T-shirts with slogans in Punjabi, phulkari, juttis and small folk figurines. The flagship is on the Sector 17 plaza, with a branch at the Elante mall.
Crafts from across India at Kalagram
The Kalagram crafts village of the North Zone Cultural Centre stands in Manimajra on the Chandigarh–Kalka highway. Each winter it hosts the National Crafts Mela, which has drawn more than 600 artisans and folk performers from some 22 states: the best single chance to buy crafts in the tricity. Check the centre's events calendar before going.
Books
Three shops worth a visit: The English Book Shop on the Sector 17 plaza, open since 1952 and almost as old as the city; Capital Book Depot nearby, with more than a hundred thousand titles; and The Browser on Madhya Marg, a hand-picked bookshop, lending library and small publisher since 1995. More in bookstores.
Sweets to take away
Bansal Sweets on Himalaya Marg in Sector 22, an Amritsar-born house founded in 1981, is known for desi-ghee besan and motichoor laddoos and old-style barfi, and its boxes are a usual gift. More in sweets.
Where to shop: plaza, bazaar or mall
The Sector 17 plaza is the city centre Le Corbusier designed around a pedestrian square, and the place for fixed prices: the Phulkari emporium, 1469 Original and the old bookshops.
Shastri Market in Sector 22, right across the road, is the opposite: lanes of cloth by the metre, phulkari dupattas for about a third of emporium prices, juttis, bangles and tailors who will copy a garment overnight. Sadar Bazaar in Sector 19 is the one market of the planned city that behaves like an old bazaar, with family shops for cloth, phulkari, juttis and parandis.
Further out, Krishna Market in Sector 41 is where the residential sectors buy cheap clothes and footwear, and Patel Market in Sector 15, beside Panjab University, runs on student budgets. Nexus Elante, opened in 2013 with more than 300 stores, is for brands, air conditioning and anything forgotten at home. More on markets in Chandigarh.
Prices and bargaining
Two kinds of shopping, two sets of rules.
- Fixed prices on the plaza — The Phulkari emporium tags everything, which removes the question of whether a price is fair; there is nothing to haggle over.
- Bargaining in the bazaars — In Sadar Bazaar and Shastri Market the first price is an opening move: answer well below it and meet somewhere in the middle, in good humour. In Krishna Market ten to twenty per cent off the asking price is normal.
- Tailoring while you wait — Tailors in Shastri Market copy clothes overnight, and in Krishna Market they will take up a hem on the spot: useful if a bought suit needs fitting.
- Evenings are busiest — Sadar Bazaar and Krishna Market fill up in the evening; Patel Market gets crowded from late afternoon, when classes end.
FAQ
What is Chandigarh famous for to buy?
Punjabi crafts: phulkari embroidery on dupattas, suits and shawls, embroidered juttis and parandis for braids. Books from the old Sector 17 shops and ghee sweets are good gifts too.
Where can I buy phulkari in Chandigarh?
At fixed prices in the Phulkari emporium of the Punjab government on the Sector 17 plaza, and at 1469 Original nearby. Shastri Market in Sector 22 and Sadar Bazaar in Sector 19 are cheaper, with bargaining.
Why is Sector 17 famous?
It is the city centre Le Corbusier designed, a pedestrian plaza of shops and offices, and it holds the state crafts emporium, 1469 Original and bookshops dating from the 1950s.
What is special in Punjab to buy?
Phulkari embroidery, juttis and parandis are the classic Punjabi buys, and Chandigarh has them both at fixed state prices and in bargaining bazaars.
Can you bargain in Chandigarh markets?
Yes, in the bazaars such as Sadar Bazaar, Shastri Market and Krishna Market, where the first price is only an opening. Not in the Phulkari emporium or the malls, where prices are fixed.
Sources (5)
Facts checked: 15 October 2026. Prices and hours are approximate; check locally.
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