One of the legacies of Himachal Pradesh from last 300 years is the ‘International Lavi Trade fair’ held Rampur Bushahr, near Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, which was once a major trading centre on the old silk route of Kinnaur, Tibet, Ladhakh and Afganistan. Held between 11th to 14th November every year, it attracts thousands of people from all over India and many from across the globe either visit the fair for trading or touring purposes (Rampur is also a famous tourist destination)

The fair is believed to have started as a memorial to the treaty concluded in 1681 between Tibet and Bushahr State during the rule of a king -Kehri Singh (1636-96 AD) thereby immensely increasing the trade between the two, a situation China now wishes to continue to develop.

From pashmina wool, varieties of dry fruits ,machine manufactured goods Chinese artifacts, such as jewellery, Chinese Jackets, Track Suites, Crockery, handicrafts, tea, herbs and even ‘bushy Yak tails’ are being displayed on the Tibetan and Kinnauri stalls .Special cultural programmers are also organized in the evenings to give the environment a complete feel of social, cultural and economic linkages.

So those of you who are excited to be a part of the biggest trade fair of the greater Himalayas and have been waiting to buy those “real” pashmina shawls and other products, set in your calendars now for the next year.

India-China trade has been picking up recently – with Kunming just establishing direct flights to Kolkotta (Calcutta), another reopening of trade paths that have been closed for over 60 years. Indeed, Kolkotta possess India’s largest China town having been the main port of exit for goods from Lhasa during much of the time of the Dalai Lama. With previous tense border situations now a thing of the past, both China and India are keen to reestablish ancient traditional and previously lucrative trade between the two countries, and Tibet, sandwiched between the two may reemerge as a trading centre.