Thakur Bhrata

Great pickle shop.
Garlic are too raw. Tasted better.
Yam is very tasty.
Gobi is also very good.
Jack fruit is good.

One of the oldest shop for pickles. Lots of varieties of pickles are available here with good taste. Famous all over city for pickles and citrus items which makes good taste of food in every kitchen. Must purchase once from this shop to taste of your love towards pickles.

Mango pickle worth the taste and price.

One of the oldest shop, more than 200 yrs. Old in Shimla. Lot of varieties of pickles are available here. Authentic taste nd purity # different types of honey of flowers are available here. Others medicines nd oils for all type of body pain are also available with them. Highly recommended for genuine products.

Great shop for purchasing pickles, ayurvedic medicine and churana. The sellers are very professional and highly competent. The only drawback is that the shop close around 6 in the evening. The taste of pickles is amazing whatsoever.

This beautiful small shop is run by two brothers, who serve you with a smile, the shop, history goes back to the British era.
You can enjoy the best Murabbas here and they also serve you with an amazing variety of Pickles.
Added: you also get Ayurvedic medicins at this shop.

All things chickeney and mutton’y, taste better far when served with chutney”, was a Brit-saying during the Raj. Vijay Kumar and Rajendra Kumar, the Sood brothers, selling mouth-watering pickles and chutney today at Thakur Bhrata completing 83 years of its existence, support the saying and confirm that favourites with the British was sweet and sour chutney, less-soured brinjal pickle and mango kasaundi (a grated pickle).

Thakur Das (9), a primary class pass small boy, left his Paragpur village in Kangra in 1911 to work at Dagshai, but greener pastures in Shimla attracted him here in 1917 to serve in a general merchandise shop at the central Lower Bazaar on Rs 5 per month.

He gathered courage to hire a shop on the east end of Lower Bazaar from owner Mangat Ram on May 3, 1925, where he started selling Lahore-made pickles.

When his brother Prithvi Chand, working for a clothier, joined him in 1927, they became Thakur Bhrata and started making pickling at home. They made pickles and chutneys in the old-fashioned way, following ancient traditions, being respected even today.

The vegetables or raw mangoes for pickling are washed and left to dry in the sun completely as slight water develops moulds in the pickle. Smothering with salt, another bout of sunning, spicing, stuffing in crocks, giving the required mustard oil-dip and finally the pickle is left to mature.

The preparation is given a swish with a wooden ladle repeatedly. When ready, the pickle is kept for sale on shelves in the shop in attractive looking, big rectangular jars made of thick glass.

These jars have a historical value as these are the outer covers of Leclanche cells used in Shimla for electrification prior to and even after the functioning of Chaba hydroelectric station in 1913. Lala Thakur Das purchased 22 of these jars from a kabari for a rupee and-a-half each in 1925.

The USP (unique selling point) for Thakur Bhrata since then has been the use of the finest quality of spices, the purest oil and the fresh vegetables and this home-made mouth-watering achaar and chutney sells like ‘hot cakes’. Thakur Bhrata has established itself as an institution of quality products in Shimla attracting many a customer from the hills and plains alike. The, Wife of the first Indian Governor of Punjab, Sir Chandu Lal Madhav Lal Trivedi, used to personally visit the shop for purchasing pickles of her choice, also Bhim Sen Sachhar, the Chief Minister of Punjab (1952-56).

The ever-young Dev Anand, on his visit to Shimla and stay at Clarke’s Hotel, used to get the pickle and honey picked from Thakur Bhrata.

They had started selling ayurvedic products of Gurukul, Haridwar, since 1935. This is the only addition that the Soods have made in their old shop. They had acquired it in 1985. Vijay, an educated gentleman and Rajendra, a metallurgical engineer from BHU, had left their lucrative jobs to join the family business in 1972. Spiritual India, GAP Adventures writes ‘Shimla’s like a graceful old lady...she may have put on a bit of weight recently and got a few gimmicky clothes, but underneath she’s still elegant, still got class...’ and to taste its class recommends varieties of pickles and chutneys — from the common mango, lemon, garlic, red chilli to the unusual mushroom pickled by ‘a minor institution in Shimla’ — Thakur Bhrata.

Tailpiece

Both Lala Thakur Dass and Prithvi Chand, on the call of Lala Lajpat Rai, wore khadi apparel only. They did it lifelong. On the death of Thakur Dass in 1994, his sons brought the usual long-cloth to drape the dead body. Their uncle arriving from the village said, “How could my brother, who wore Khadi the whole life, perform his last journey in long-cloth?” The proceedings were stopped and all waited till Khadi Bhandar opened and the body was draped in khadi for performing the last rites.

Source: VIGNETTES Of chutney and achaar
by Shriniwas Joshi ( The Tribune Column )

a great experience.....achar and many more medicinal things ...sold here ....maintaining our diverse culture ...... it's a request that u should visit here at least once ...you will also have a great experience.......

Very good nd old shop of pickles.....

Their every product is great.. the achars the namkeen they make dayum tasty🔥🔥

Excellent shop with delicious pickles

A old and reliable shop for variety of traditional Indian #Pickle and #Murabha

Bamboo pickle is amazing...very soft shoots

Oldest place for pickles, ayurvedic medicine in Shimla

Good place for home made pickle in Shimla

Thakur Bhrata in one of the top best pickle manufacturing in Shimla .....

Good variety of pickles.

Good Place for making Pickles

Best pickle Shop in Shimla

Its only heritage shop selling swadeshi and pure produts