Know what would be the best souvenir to take back? A handmade delight, the making of which has been perfected through years of practice and the passing the culture through generations. Chaya store in Teynampet is a one of a kind gift store that retails Tanjore paintings, Kerala Murals, Warli paintings and other hand-painted gifts fused into contemporary products. The collection of Tanjore paintings it displays is quite exquisite to look at. These are all sourced from their places of origin.
Apart from these paintings, you can also find framed artworks and sculptures to take back home. If you have grown up in Chennai, you must have seen several traditional toys sourced from Tanjore in some of the old restaurants. You can buy these colourful and intricately hand-painted Tanjore dolls at Chaya. One of our favourite thing about the store is that they not just sell paintings but sell them through various contemporary products such as pouches, keychains, wall hangings, diyas and even hair clips. These all start at just INR 200.
They house some accessory boxes with Kerala Murals and cutlery with Rajasthani silk paintings too, the price for which can go up to INR 2000. They have some Uruli and Warli painted diyas also. Chaya's framed paintings vary in sizes and accordingly the prices vary. One of their collections named "Other Beautiful Creations" features work from artisan woman who not only make a living out of it but also are passionate about taking the art forward. This one has our heart.
