Manali is a picturesque haven for tourists and city slickers keen on escaping the claustrophobic confines of a chaotic concrete jungle. Apart from the spellbinding panoramic rhapsodies, the hill station is also famed for its exquisite handicrafts. Amongst the wide variety of souvenirs available, the splendid Manali gift pieces hold a special place.
The traditional legacy of Kullu valley is manifested in its quintessential collection of exotica. The Manali artifacts mainly comprise of the novel drift wood items made from the branches and twigs of the trees that are washed ashore by the rivers and diligently gathered, chiseled and polished by the local craftsmen. These Manali gift pieces are a rage with the tourists and flood the curio shops, gift stores as well as emporiums of the town.
Be it cute little baskets or hampers, key chains, keepsakes, showpieces, idols of the local gods and goddesses that are composed of the flakes of pine wood and decorative and vibrantly colored pine cones, the quaint valley shops are opulent in it all.
The shops selling these gift items are centered mainly around the Kullu and Manali towns. Some of the shops are also strategically lined along the national highway, so that tourists attracted by the splendid paraphernalia showcased in the outside display window stop by and pick up a few pieces that serve as a wonderful memorabilia of the sojourn.
The growing popularity of the Manali gift is evinced by the large number of shops in Himachal Pradesjh as well as other regions of the Indian subcontinent that sell these fascinating merchandise like hot cakes.
