SHIMLA
Small market near Mall Road selling prayer flags, singing bowls, and 'Tibetan' jewelry — a lot of it is mass-produced, not handmade. Treat listed prices as opening offers, not final ones.
The Tibetan Market near Shimla's Ridge was established by Tibetan refugees who settled in Shimla following their exodus after 1959, part of a wider pattern of Tibetan refugee markets that also took root in Delhi, Dharamshala, and other Indian hill towns. Vendors sell handcrafted jewelry, woolens, and artefacts, sustaining a livelihood and cultural identity for the displaced community. The market functions as a living extension of the Tibetan diaspora's presence in the Indian Himalayas rather than a colonial-era institution.
