Bagelkhand · Central Highlands & Forest Belt
The GI-registered Sundarja mango
Bought at the orchard in June and July. The GI covers a limited belt around Govindgarh, and most fruit sold as Sundarja outside the season and outside the district is something else.
Prasad, devotional recordings, brass and steel puja ware
A pilgrimage market rather than a craft one. The town's musical inheritance is almost entirely absent from its shops, which is worth noticing.
State-certified handicrafts, including bamboo, terracotta and tribal metalwork
Government-run and fixed-price. The most reliable outlet in a region with almost no organised craft retail of its own.
Mahua, chironji, tendu, honey and sal-leaf products
The state-supported collection points through which minor forest produce is bought from gatherers. Prices are set administratively, and the gap between what a collector is paid for mahua and what it fetches in a city is large and well documented.
Bamboo baskets, grain bins, forest produce, live poultry, iron tools
The actual commercial institution of the forest districts — a rotating market that meets on a fixed weekday in a fixed village and is where the region's craft is genuinely bought and sold.
Famous shops, markets and workshops in Bagelkhand, and what each is known for. (5)