South Odisha & Ganjam · Eastern Coastal Plains
Berhampur patta sarees and joda at fixed prices
The Odisha state handloom weavers' cooperative outlet. Worth using as a price reference before buying in the market, because silk weight and zari content are hard to judge by eye.
State handicrafts emporium — horn work, palm leaf, applique, textiles
Reliable for provenance and unexciting on selection, which is the usual emporium trade-off.
Patta sarees and joda bought from the loom
Buying here means buying from a weaver or a master weaver rather than a shop. The phoda kumbha border is the identifying detail and the joda is the more traditional purchase.
Chhena poda, chhena kheeri and fresh chhena sold by weight
A strip of small shops rather than a single famous house. Chhena poda is best bought in the afternoon of the day it is baked, and the top should be genuinely burnt.
Kewda rooh and kewda water
Working distilleries rather than shops, running from late monsoon through the flowering season. Most of the output is sold on to attar houses and the paan and sweet trades outside the state.
Morning sea catch and sun-dried sukhua
The boats come in early; by mid-morning what is left is going to the drying racks.
Graded cashew kernels sold by the kilo
Grades are sold by whole-kernel count and breakage, not by brand. Broken pieces cost a fraction of whole kernels and taste identical.
Combs, figures and containers worked from buffalo horn
A handful of family workshops; production is small and largely emporium-bound.
Famous shops, markets and workshops in South Odisha & Ganjam, and what each is known for. (8)