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Udaipur is one of those cities where I can set out with a perfectly sensible plan and still end up stopping every few minutes to look at something. A carved doorway. An old balcony. A tiny shop tucked into a lane. A lake view that makes you forget you were supposed to be somewhere else.
It is also a city where shopping can become part of the travel experience. Not the frantic kind where you rush in, buy something because a guidebook told you to and leave. The kind where the building, the people, the craftsmanship and the stories become part of what you remember.
That is exactly what seems to be happening at Ganesh Emporium. The Udaipur institution began in 1980 as a tiny 100-square-foot shop after Vipul Shah’s parents and uncles moved from Ahmedabad to the city. Today, it occupies a restored 17th-century haveli with 65 galleries, filled with antique textiles, vintage Pichwais, miniature paintings, old artefacts and collections gathered by the family over decades. And travellers are increasingly planning their Udaipur days around a visit.
Vipul Shah is the founder of Vipul Shah Bags and part of the family behind Udaipur’s Ganesh Emporium, which began in 1980. He draws on his family’s collection of antique textiles to create bags that carry the history and craft traditions of Rajasthan.
Speaking exclusively to HT Travel, Vipul Shah says this change happened slowly.
“I don’t think it happened overnight. It happened quietly over the years. People weren’t just coming to shop anymore. They were coming to experience the place itself.”
That last bit is what caught my attention. Because you can buy a bag online. You can even find plenty of beautiful bags in other cities. What you cannot replicate is walking through an old Udaipur haveli, looking at fabrics that have already lived another life and hearing the stories behind them.
How a 100-square-foot shop became a Udaipur destination
The Shah family’s story is closely tied to Udaipur. Ganesh Emporium started small, but each generation added something to the business. There was the preservation of textiles, the collecting of art, restoration work within the haveli and new ideas brought in by the younger generation. When Vipul joined the family business after graduating, he began looking at the family’s antique textile collection differently. Those fabrics eventually became the foundation for Vipul Shah Bags.
Some of the textiles used in the bags have histories of their own. They may have been wedding textiles, dowry embroidery or tribal costumes. In other words, the material had already had a life before it became part of a handbag. That is quite a nice way to shop for a holiday souvenir. You are not simply taking home something made in Udaipur. You are taking home something with a story that started long before your visit. Vipul says he first realised Ganesh Emporium had become more than a shopping stop when people began contacting the family before even planning the rest of their Udaipur trip.
“They weren’t asking what to buy. They were asking when they could spend time at the haveli.”
And that says quite a lot.
What makes the haveli worth visiting?
The first thing to know is that the building is very much part of the experience. You walk through carved stone windows, old balconies, winding staircases and rooms that seem to lead into yet another room. The galleries contain vintage Pichwais, antique textiles, miniature paintings and artefacts collected over many years. It does not feel like walking into a conventional boutique.
Vipul describes it as being closer to exploring a home filled with stories, and I think that is a much better way to approach the visit. Give yourself time. Look around. Ask about the textiles. Have the tea. Let someone explain where a particular fabric came from. There is no need to rush in, choose a bag and rush out. The slower pace also fits Udaipur rather well.
The city has plenty of big attractions, but some of my favourite travel memories usually come from the small things in between. Walking through an old lane. Finding a shop I had not planned to visit. Sitting down for something to eat because I was hungry rather than because it was on an itinerary. Ganesh Emporium seems to work in much the same way.
Why are travellers so attached to the bags?
There is a difference between buying something because it looks nice and buying something after you have heard its story. At Ganesh Emporium, that story starts with the textile.
Vipul says the family has worked with fabrics that have come from weddings, dowries, tribal costumes and generations of family collections. Once visitors understand that history and meet the people involved in the craft, the finished bag takes on a different meaning.
Every piece can have its own character because the starting material is not simply new fabric produced for that particular collection. The family has also welcomed designers, collectors and travellers from around the world over the years. Many have returned with friends and family.
For Vipul, that repeat visit is the biggest compliment. I can understand why. The best travel souvenirs are often the ones that take you back to a place the moment you see them again.
The bag is only part of the Udaipur story
For Vipul, separating the bags from Udaipur itself would be almost impossible. When he joined the family business, he realised that much of the inspiration he needed was already around him. It was in the textile collection, the artisans they worked with and the city outside the haveli. The architecture of the building, the craftsmanship and the slower rhythm of the old city all become part of the experience.
“The haveli reflects the city,” Vipul says.
He also enjoys hearing from visitors who tell him they saw a different side of Udaipur because of their visit. That may be the real reason the atelier has become part of people’s travel plans. It offers a way to experience the city through something very specific to it. The bag is what you carry home. The memory is everything around it.
What would Vipul Shah do with a day in Udaipur?
If Vipul were planning your day in Udaipur, his first instruction would be simple. Slow down.
- He would start with an early morning hike in the Aravalli hills, something he enjoys doing when friends visit.
- After that, he recommends walking through the narrow lanes of the old city, visiting local temples and spending time in the flower and spice markets. These are the places where you get a sense of everyday Udaipur rather than simply ticking off attractions.
- Then, of course, there is Ganesh Emporium. Vipul suggests giving yourself enough time to explore the collections and the haveli itself.
- The City Palace should also be on the list if you want to understand more about the city’s history.
- By evening, he recommends a sunset boat ride on Lake Pichola. It is one of those very familiar Udaipur experiences that still works beautifully. From the water, the city’s old buildings and palaces look completely different, particularly as the light starts to soften.
- And then comes food. Vipul’s recommendations are wonderfully uncomplicated. Kachori and gulab jamun.
I like that. After all the sightseeing, sometimes you do not need a complicated food trail. You just need something local, delicious and preferably eaten while still warm.
What should you take home from Udaipur?
If you ask Vipul, it is not really about taking home a bag.
“If someone takes home a Vipul Shah bag, I hope they’re also taking home a little piece of Udaipur. Its craftsmanship, its warmth, and the feeling of discovering the city beyond the obvious.”
That feels like the right note to end on. Udaipur has plenty of places that deserve a spot on a first visit. The City Palace, Lake Pichola and the old city are obvious choices. But there is also something to be said for leaving a little space in the itinerary for a place that was not originally on your list. Ganesh Emporium is one of those places.
Come for the bags if you like. Stay for the textiles, the art, the architecture and the stories. And give yourself enough time to actually look around. Because sometimes the thing you remember from a holiday is not the attraction you spent two hours queuing for. It is the old haveli you wandered into on a quiet afternoon and the story you brought home with you.
Ganesh Emporium Udaipur at a glance
* Prices and opening hours are indicative and should be confirmed with Ganesh Emporium before visiting.
