Rarh · Middle & Lower Gangetic Plain
Langcha, sold hot from dozens of adjacent shops
A stretch of the Grand Trunk Road where the entire local economy is one sweet. Buy from a shop with a fryer working rather than a display counter.
Sitabhog and mihidana
Both sweets carry geographical indications and both are sold by weight in unbranded boxes. Sitabhog keeps for a day or two; mihidana keeps longer.
Santiniketan leather, kantha, batik and dokra
A cooperative society growing out of the Sriniketan rural reconstruction tradition, and the most reliable place to buy the region's crafts at prices that reach the maker.
Craft, textiles, Baul performance and tribal jewellery
A weekly market held in the eroded khoai among the sonajhuri trees, on Saturday afternoons. It has grown substantially and now runs on more days; the Saturday market is still the original.
Chhau masks, both performance-weight and decorative
Buy from the households making them rather than from a roadside stall. Ask for a dance mask if you want the real weight and construction.
Bankura horses, elephants and terracotta plaques
Fired in open kilns at the village, so seconds and irregulars are available cheaply and are often the more interesting objects.
Baluchari and Swarnachari sarees, Bishnupuri silk
Cooperative showrooms and individual weaver households both sell direct. A genuine Baluchari takes days on the loom, and a price that seems impossible usually is.
Famous shops, markets and workshops in Rarh, and what each is known for. (7)