The Sawantwadi palace lacquerware workshopSawantwadi
Lacquer-turned fruit, boxes, toys and hand-painted ganjifa packs
Housed in the Durbar Hall of the palace and run under the former ruling family; the ganjifa painters work in the same rooms.
South Konkan · Western Coastal Strip
Shops and premises
Thakar Adivasi Kala Angan, PinguliPinguli, near Kudal
Chitrakathi pothi paintings, string and shadow puppets, and performances on request
Run by the Gangavane family — a working household rather than an institution, so it is worth calling ahead.
Devgad taluka mango growers' co-operativeDevgad
Alphonso sold under the growers' own collective mark, direct from the orchard
Buying direct in April and May is the only reliable way to know which orchard the fruit came from; the geographical indication covers a much wider area than Devgad alone.
The Harnai beach auctionHarnai, Dapoli taluka
The day's catch sold on the sand as the boats land
Late afternoon, every fair-weather day. It is a working auction and not arranged for visitors.
Malvan's family khanavalsMalvan and Tarkarli
A fixed-price thali of fish curry, sukka, vade, rice and sol kadhi
The khanaval — a household serving meals at a set rate — is the region's real restaurant tradition, and still the best version of the food.
The kokum co-operatives of Sindhudurg and RatnagiriKudal, Sawantwadi and Ratnagiri
Sol, agal, kokum syrup and kokum butter
Mostly women's self-help groups and farmer producer companies; the GI is registered in the name of the two districts' kokum.
Vengurla cashew processorsVengurla
Raw and roasted cashew from the Vengurla-series varieties
The research station at Vengurla bred the planting material that most of the Konkan's cashew orchards are grafted from.
Famous shops, markets and workshops in South Konkan, and what each is known for. (7)