It’s The Season To Be Shopping!

Mention travel to me and you will instantly have my full attention. But travel for shopping? You’ve got a new best friend! The month of Aadi falls between July 16th and August 17th this year. And just as every year, this year too has come with a galore of offers, discounts, and more excuses to shop. We took a trip through the busy markets of Chennai, Kanchipuram and Kakinada to indulge in silk sarees and jewellery.

It’s The Season To Be Shopping!

Chennai’s Favourite Shopping District

The main shopping district of T.Nagar in Chennai houses lane after lane of large silk saree retail brands like Pothys, Nalli, and Kumaran to name a few. Walking through the streets we discover innumerable vendors selling matching accessories – shoes, bags, jewellery, even iphone covers! How cool is it to have your phone match your saree?!
Shopping in T.Nagar is an experience of a lifetime. The sights, smells and sounds are unique to Chennai and we are spoilt for choice when it comes to finding the perfect outfit.
The Grand Chennai by GRT Hotels is located in the centre of the shopping district – so we pop in and out for our meals and coffee breaks, all the while shopping away to our heart’s content.

A Day in Kanchipuram

The highway from Chennai to Kanchipuram is flanked by some of the largest manufacturing plants. We whiz past Saint Gobain, L&T, Hyundai and other factories. Driving into the town is a whole other experience. It’s a unique mish-mash of culture, development, and most importantly – retail.
We take a quick personalised tour of the famous Kailasanathar, Ekambareswarar, and Kamakshi Amman Temples. The architecture is stunning – a fitting backdrop to the handloom weavingthat the town is renowned for. We then stop over for a homely lunch at the Regency Kanchipuram by GRT Hotels before heading to dip our toes in some gorgeous Kanjeevaram pattu.
The shop has a handloom and we learn how much effort goes into making every single design! We’re impressed and have bagged more than a few beautiful sarees.

Craving Uppada

With Kanjeevaram pattu and unique designer pieces already bought, we’re now craving some light-weight sarees and of course, our next stop is Andhra Pradesh. Located in the Kakinada revenue division, the village of Uppada has established a strong foothold in the market for its unique style of weaving. (And also prawn fishing!)
On our hour long drive from the Grand Kakinada by GRT Hotels, we learn that the Jamdani style of handloom weaving originated in Bangladesh, was introduced to Uppada a few hundred years ago, and evolved with a local flavour since.
Thousands of weavers and looms work to produce stunning designs with geometric patterns and motifs, and the Uppada sarees have a unique sheen to them that can’t really be compared to anything else. Our personal shopping assistant displays his best uppada pattus, and we can’t help but take home a few!
Check out the limited period 25% discount being offered at the hotels in all three locations, or call 1800 425 5500 for details.

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