Rang Mahal

Himachal Pradesh


Up on the hillside above the Chowgan, the rusty-coloured 18th-century Rang Mahal looks like a Victorian prison but was originally the royal granary and treasury. It now houses the State Handicraft & Handloom Centre, making local crafts, and the modest Himachal Emporium, which sells them.

The emporium's offerings include examples of the Chamba rumal – pieces of cloth finely embroidered in silk, with the same pattern showing equally well on both sides – and shawls from Chamba and elsewhere in Himachal.


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