दुकानें और बाज़ार

TTD laddu counters, TirumalaTirumala

The GI-registered Tirupati laddu, issued as prasadam

Sold only at the temple's own counters against a ticket, with a daily limit per pilgrim. Anything sold as a Tirupati laddu elsewhere is outside the GI.

Srikalahasti kalamkari workshopsSri Kalahasti

Hand-drawn kalamkari panels, hangings and yardage

Clustered in lanes near the temple and along the Swarnamukhi. Ask to see the drawing and the dye vats — a hand-drawn panel has visible pen variation and slightly irregular repeats, a printed imitation does not.

Dharmavaram silk weavers' cooperative societiesDharmavaram

Heavy mulberry-silk sarees with broad zari borders

Buying at the society rather than at a city showroom is the difference between a weaver's price and a retailer's; the town also weaves temple cloth to order.

Nimmalakunta puppet artisansNimmalakunta, near Dharmavaram

Tholu Bommalata leather puppets, lampshades and painted hide panels

A village of puppeteer families rather than a shop. The full-size performance figures are made to order; the lampshades are what keeps the trade alive.

Allagadda sculptors' workshopsAllagadda

Stone temple images carved to Agama proportion

Open yards along the highway, with work in progress at every stage from rough block to polished image.

Kadapa kaja stallsKadapa and the Rajampet road

Madatha kaja

Sold from roadside stalls and bus-stand counters rather than from a single famous house; the fresh ones are made through the afternoon and are best warm.

Lepakshi Handicrafts EmporiumTirupati, Kurnool and other town branches

Kalamkari, leather puppetry, stone and wood craft at fixed prices

The state handicrafts chain, useful for seeing several regional crafts together before going to a cluster.

Nandyal and Banaganapalle mango marketsNandyal, Banaganapalle

Banaganapalle mangoes in season

The GI belt is small; fruit sold as Banaganapalle across India is usually the same cultivar grown elsewhere.

Yemmiganur handloom societiesYemmiganur

Cotton durries and coarse handloom cloth

Ghani oil mills, Anantapur and KurnoolAcross the groundnut belt

Cold-pressed groundnut oil

Rotary-press oil is darker, cloudier and far more aromatic than refined groundnut oil, and it is what the region's food is supposed to taste of.