We had planned to purchase spices, teas and scents even before coming to India. When we told our guide about this he pointed out that the market has varying qualities that may not be ideal for us or longterm storage. He suggested Maharani Spices as an alternative and we found this tip to be awesome. Naveen Bahndari, one of the owners is quite entertaining and found a pleasant way to suggest new things to us, as well as giving us time an space to check every single offer in the basement. at the end we had loaded teas, spices and scents for almost 28k rupees an received a generous free gift as good first time customers. Prices are slightly higher than at the market (which we also checked) but the quality was convincing. We tried many teas freshly made from Naveen and also the scents were of highest category (e.g.: Oudh tree). It should be noted, that Naveen employs young males with a challenging history, thereby giving them a chance in life - we thought this to be a very thoughtful policy. If you are interested in teas etc., a Jodhpur visit should be made complete with a stop at Maharani Spices.

We went to the market and found this little but amazing shop on our way back to hotel. The owner Naveen is a gentleman and knows how to treat well the customers. He showed us various spices and fragrances with patience and answered many of our questions with diligence. He even accompanied us to a very interior shop selling the clothes and requested the shop owner to offer us a decent discount on it. He showed to us a famous sweet and arranged some for our journey back to our place. I highly recommend his business and wish him lot of success in it.

We arrived at Maharani Spice shop at the suggestion of our wonderful guide. We were met with a warm welcome by Naveen, where he kindly talked us through the amazing selection of spices and teas, while we enjoyed a delicious Jodhpur Chai. Naveen was laid back, but oozed kindness. He wasn’t forceful or pushy at all. Instead he was kind and knowledgeable. Naveen helped us pick the spices we were most likely to enjoy, introduced us to a new kind of tea and sat in the floor with us as we picked out incense. He also led us to the best deals. Not only did we leave with a big bag of quality goodies to take home, we also left feeling like we made a new friend. If I ever make it back to Jodhpur, I’m headed straight to the spice shop for a big from Naveen. Naveen, thank you for your kindness and hospitality!