MANALI
Roadside stalls between Manali and Solang selling 'Himachali handicrafts' that are largely mass-produced imports rebranded as local. Better handicraft buys are at the government-run Himachal Emporium on Mall Road, which has fixed, marked prices.
The roadside stalls near Manali's wildlife sanctuary area and along routes like Rangaki sell Kullu-valley handicrafts including hand-woven Kullu shawls, pattoo textiles, wood carving and woolen caps produced by local Himachali and resettled Tibetan artisans. This informal trade grew directly out of Manali's post-1960s tourism boom, as traditional home-based weaving and craft production, once made mainly for local use in the valley's cold climate, shifted toward souvenir sales for the growing number of visitors. The stalls sit near the forested Dhungri/Van Vihar belt that also functions informally as habitat corridor and local sanctuary land bordering the Beas valley.
