Guides to Bangladesh's crafts and the people who make them, and gift ideas that last.
Gift ideas
Pair the salami with something that lasts. Under ৳1,000, think kantha-stitched purses, table mats or cushion covers, or a painted shokher hari; up to ৳5,000, a Nakshi Kantha wall hanging or bed sheet; above that, a kantha quilt, a fine jamdani sari or kansa tableware. Check each piece's delivery date against Eid.
Pack things that are light, flat or sturdy: a Nakshi Kantha throw or cushion covers, a jamdani scarf or sari, rickshaw-painted trays, a small Shital Pati mat, brass or well-wrapped kansa bowls, and handmade jewellery. In the US, declare every plant-based craft, such as Shital Pati or straw; in the UK, check plant and allowance rules.
Guide
Prothom Alo found jamdani saris in Dhaka in November 2024 from about ৳2,500 for coarse 40-count yarn to ৳20,000–৳1,00,000 for fine 100-count half-silk, with machine-made imitations at ৳650–৳1,500. Yarn count, design work and weeks on the loom drive the price. At a 2025 Dhaka fair, a weaving-factory owner said some saris can reach ৳1,50,000.
Turn the sari over. In handwoven jamdani each motif is woven in with its own thread on the loom, so the pattern shows on both sides. Motif edges cut with scissors, machine-identical repeats, a rough or synthetic feel and a suspiciously low price point to cutwork, powerloom or print. Ask who wove it, and where.
Turn it over and look closely. Hand running stitches vary a little in length and spacing, rows wander gently, and you'll find knots or joins where a thread ran out. Machine quilting is evenly spaced and dead straight, often with a continuous thread on the back. A real kantha is layered, soft and gently rippled, not flat.
In January 2026 Prothom Alo found Nakshi Kantha quilts in Dhaka shops from about ৳1,250 to ৳20,000, with cushion covers under ৳600 and New Market prices from ৳900. A craftsperson told The Daily Star in 2021 that an intricate one can cost about ৳25,000. Price follows hours of stitching: size, stitch density and motif detail first, then the cloth.
A good wedding gift in Bangladesh is either cash, which every couple can use, or something handmade they will keep for years: a Nakshi Kantha bedcover, a jamdani sari for the bride, kansa or brass tableware, a shokher hari for the tottho, or a name-stitched piece for their new home. Set a budget first.
Good handmade gifts from Bangladesh include Nakshi Kantha throws and cushion covers, jamdani saris, Shital Pati mats, shokher hari painted pots, kansa and brass tableware, jute baskets and rickshaw-painted trays. Match the craft to the person and the occasion, check the maker and place, and buy from someone who can say how it was made.