Shopping in Kerala: 20 Famous Things to Buy, With Prices and Where to Buy Them

This is the whole list at a glance. Prices are what a traveller pays at the places named, checked in September 2026. Each item has its own section further down with more detail.

If you want something that only Kerala makes, buy one of the state’s GI-tagged products. A GI tag means the product’s name is legally tied to a region and a method, and only registered producers can use it. The Kerala Bureau of Industrial Promotion’s GI register lists 30 products . These are the ones a traveller can actually carry home.

Kerala Tourism’s own list of things to buy names six heritage items. They are the Pavithra ring, Aranmula Kannadi, Nilavilakku, Uru, Nettur Petti and Nettipattam. All six are in the 20 above.

For women, the most loved Kerala buys are a Kasavu saree or set mundu, temple jewellery, and Ayurvedic skincare. Here is what to shortlist, roughly from lowest to highest spend.

• Jasmine and hair accessories. Fresh jasmine strings sold outside temples cost ₹30 to ₹100, and brass or gold-plated hair ornaments start near ₹200.
• Coconut-shell and terracotta jewellery. Earrings and pendants from Kovalam and Fort Kochi stalls cost ₹150 to ₹600.
• Kumkumadi oil and herbal soaps. A 10 ml bottle of kumkumadi from Kottakkal or Oushadhi is a small, light gift.
• Mural-painted stoles and dupattas. Hand-painted cotton stoles cost ₹600 to ₹2,500 in Fort Kochi and Guruvayur.
• Kasavu saree or set mundu. Start with a Balaramapuram or Kuthampully set mundu from about ₹800, and move up to a pure-zari saree for a wedding gift.
• Temple jewellery. A gold-plated palakka mala costs ₹1,500 to ₹5,000. The gold version is priced by weight.

Honeymooning couples often buy a matching Kasavu saree and mundu set, which is also the outfit for a Kerala temple visit.

The best cheap buys in Kerala are the edible ones. Banana chips, pepper, tea, cashews, jaggery and halwa all cost under ₹500 in a small pack and are what people back home actually want. Kerala me sabse sasta kya milta hai? Mostly spices, chips and coconut products, bought at the source.

The famous thing to buy at Sabarimala is Aravana payasam, the dark, sweet rice-and-jaggery prasadam sold in sealed tins at the Travancore Devaswom Board counters at the Sannidhanam. Unniyappam, small fried sweets of rice, banana and jaggery, is the second prasadam. Buy both only at the official counters, since tins sold outside the temple or online by third parties cost several times more and are not always genuine. Pilgrims also buy black and blue mundu, irumudi kettu bags and brass Ayyappa idols at Pamba and Erumeli. The counters sell only while the temple is open, which means the Mandalam and Makaravilakku season from mid-November to mid-January and the first five days of each Malayalam month  verified .

Guruvayur is a better shopping stop. The streets around the Sri Krishna temple sell bell-metal Nilavilakku lamps, Nettipattam hangings, Kasavu sets for the temple dress code, and Krishna murals from the Institute of Mural Painting next door. Palpayasam from the temple counter is the edible prasadam here. Our guide to shopping in Guruvayur maps the temple street shop by shop.

Kochi is the best all-round city for shopping in Kerala, with spices, antiques, handloom and malls in one place. Trivandrum and Kozhikode have the best traditional markets. Each city below links to our full shopping guide for that town.

Kochi

Start in Mattancherry, where the spice market and Jew Town’s antique lanes sell pepper, cardamom, old brass and Nettur Pettis. Fort Kochi, a short walk away, is the place for Kathakali masks, mural galleries and cafés. Across the water in Ernakulam, Broadway is a long, crowded market for chips, spices and household goods, and MG Road has the textile showrooms. Branded shopping is at Lulu Mall in Edappally and Forum Kochi at Maradu. Our shopping in Kochi guide goes shop by shop.

Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum)

Chalai Bazaar, near East Fort, is the city’s oldest market and the cheapest place for spices, brassware, kitchen goods and fabric. Connemara Market at Palayam sells fresh produce and household basics. MG Road has the big textile shops, and the Balaramapuram weaving streets are a 30-minute drive south. Lulu Mall Thiruvananthapuram covers brands. Our shopping in Trivandrum guide maps every market in the city.

Munnar

Munnar is for tea, homemade chocolate, spices and essential oils. The KDHP Tea Museum shop has the widest estate range, and the town bazaar sells loose tea by weight. Marayoor jaggery is sold along the Marayoor road. Our shopping in Munnar guide lists the best tea and chocolate shops.

Thekkady (Kumily)

Kumily’s main road is Kerala’s best spice street. Shops here buy straight from nearby plantations, so cardamom, pepper, cloves and nutmeg are fresh and fairly priced. Many offer plantation walks. Our shopping in Thekkady guide covers the spice street store by store.

Alappuzha (Alleppey) and Kumarakom

Alappuzha is the coir town. Showrooms and cooperatives sell mats, rugs and wall hangings, and snake-boat models are everywhere around the boat jetty. Kumarakom, across Vembanad Lake, has fewer shops but good handicraft stores near the resorts.

Thrissur

Thrissur is Kerala’s gold capital, with dozens of jewellers around the Swaraj Round. It is also the place for Kuthampully handloom, Nettipattam and fresh banana chips. Our shopping in Thrissur guide has the jewellers and handloom stores we rate.

Kozhikode (Calicut)

SM Street (Mittai Theruvu) is the reason to shop here, for halwa, fabric and footwear. Beypore, 10 km south, builds the wooden urus sold as models. Sargaalaya Arts and Crafts Village at Iringal is an hour north. Our shopping in Calicut guide covers SM Street and the malls.

Wayanad

Wayanad sells coffee, pepper, forest honey and bamboo craft. Buying from tribal cooperatives in Kalpetta and Sulthan Bathery means the money goes straight to the makers. Our shopping in Wayanad guide lists the cooperatives worth a stop.

Kovalam and Varkala

Kovalam’s beach road and the Vellar Crafts Village sell coconut-shell craft, rosewood elephants and handloom. Varkala’s clifftop is lined with stalls selling Kashmiri and Tibetan goods alongside Kerala spices and Ayurvedic oils, so check where things are made. Read our guides to shopping in Kovalam and shopping in Varkala for the stall-by-stall detail.

Kollam

Kollam is the place for cashews, bought from the Cashew Development Corporation outlets, and for coir and handloom near the Chinnakada market. Our shopping in Kollam guide has the market streets and outlet addresses.

Guruvayur, Kannur and Palakkad

Guruvayur is for lamps, murals and Kasavu. Kannur is for handloom (Cannanore Home Furnishings is a GI) and the Payyannur Pavithra ring. Palakkad sells Palakkadan matta rice and brass vessels. We have separate shopping guides for Guruvayur, Kannur and Palakkad.

Malls in Kerala

The biggest malls are Lulu Mall at Edappally in Kochi, Lulu Mall Thiruvananthapuram, Forum Kochi at Maradu and Lulu Mall Kozhikode. They are good for brands, food courts and air conditioning, not for local crafts. See the full list in our guide to malls in Kerala

Government emporiums are the safest place for crafts and handloom, markets are cheapest for spices and snacks, and malls are for brands. Here is how the three compare.

Kairali is run by the Handicrafts Development Corporation of Kerala, and SURABHI by the Kerala State Handicrafts Apex Co-operative Society. Both buy directly from artisans and have showrooms in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Thrissur, according to Kerala Tourism. Hantex, the state handloom weavers’ cooperative, runs handloom showrooms in every district.

Spices are the one thing almost every visitor buys, and the one most often sold stale or mixed. 

1. Go in the morning. Shops restock early, and you can see fresh sacks being opened in Mattancherry and Kumily before 10 am.
2. Check two or three shops first. Note the price per 100 g for cardamom and pepper at each. Prices on the same street can differ by 30 percent.
3. Test before you pay. Crush a cardamom pod, drop peppercorns in water, and smell cinnamon. Genuine Kerala spices smell strong at once.
4. Ask for the grade. Bold 7 to 8 mm cardamom and garbled, sorted pepper cost more but are what you’d pay far more for at home.
5. Buy small, sealed packs. Ask for 100 g vacuum or heat-sealed pouches so each one stays fresh until opened.
6. Take a bill and pay by UPI. A bill helps at customs abroad and lets you complain if a pack turns out to be old.

The best time to shop in Kerala is the Onam season in August and September, when textile, handloom and appliance sales run across the state. Here is the full shopping calendar.

If you are also planning when to visit for the weather, see our guide to the best time to visit Kerala.

• Bargain in markets only. A polite ask for 10 to 20 percent off is normal in street markets. Government emporiums and jewellers have fixed prices.
• Keep some cash. UPI works almost everywhere, including small stalls, but rural stalls and temple streets can have weak signal.
• Ask for the Handloom Mark on sarees and a HUID hallmark on gold.
• Buy Ayurvedic products from licensed pharmacies, and check the licence number, batch number and expiry.
• Buy local to support local. Coir, bamboo and screwpine goods from cooperatives pay artisans directly and replace plastic at home.
• Wrap fragile pieces yourself. Carry bubble wrap for Kathakali masks and mirrors, and tape oil bottle caps before packing.

Most Kerala buys fly home without trouble if you pack them right. These are the rules that catch people out.

• Dry coconut (copra) is banned in both cabin and checked baggage on Indian flights. The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security added it to the prohibited list in March 2022 because of fire risk. Coconut-shell crafts and coconut oil are fine.
• Liquids over 100 ml go in check-in. That covers coconut oil, Ayurvedic oils, honey and pickles.
• Sealed commercial packs clear customs most easily. Carry spices, tea and cashews in shop-sealed, labelled packs with a bill.
• Declare all food abroad. The UK, USA and UAE usually allow dried spices, tea, coffee and nuts for personal use when declared. Australia and New Zealand check every food item, so declare everything and expect seeds and some spices to be inspected.
• Ship heavy items. Kairali, SURABHI and most Alappuzha coir showrooms courier large lamps, rugs and furniture within India. India Post parcels abroad

• Ivory or anything claimed to be ivory. Its trade is banned in India.
• Sandalwood without a certificate. Sandalwood is controlled in Kerala. Buy carvings only from Kairali, SURABHI or shops that give a certificate.
• Wildlife products such as shells from protected species, feathers or animal parts.
• Unhallmarked gold, which may be low purity and overpriced.
• Loose “Ayurvedic” oils in unlabelled bottles, and spices sold ground with no pack date.

Buy spices, tea and handloom where they are made, and crafts from government emporiums. Pay attention to GI tags on the pieces that matter. A Kerala trip that takes in Kochi, Munnar, Thekkady and Alleppey covers 15 of the 20 things on this list without a detour. If you’d like help putting that route together, our Kerala tour packages can be customised around the markets you want to see, and the Kerala travel guide has everything else you need to plan.