Shajar stone workshops and jewellers
The district's ODOP craft, cut from a stone found only in the Ken and sold as jewellery across India.[3],[5]
- Close-up photo and video replies
- Stage and dispatch notes on orders
- New-stone notes to opted-in buyers
Uttar Pradesh · Updated 2026-10-20
WhatsApp Business API for Banda's Shajar stone workshops, jewellers and shops
In Banda a stone from the Ken river becomes a ring, and more and more often the buyer sees it first in a chat.
Shajar stone is found only in the Ken river, and no two pieces carry the same fossil pattern. That is why a buyer far from Banda wants to see the exact stone before paying, and why the photo now travels before the ring does.
For Banda's Shajar stone workshops and jewellers, the shops of the Chitrakoot Dham divisional town, milk collection centres and the lodges and cars that take visitors to Kalinjar: how each grows from a counter sale to WhatsApp orders across India, which messages need a Hindi template, and what each costs.
Market brief
Banda in eight lines
From the Banda district administration's pages, Invest India's ODOP list and IBEF's Uttar Pradesh profile.
- 01
Banda lies on the eastern edge of Bundelkhand, bordered by Fatehpur, Hamirpur, Mahoba and Chitrakoot. The town is the headquarters of the district and of the Chitrakoot Dham division.[1]
- 02
The district covers 4,408 sq km in five tehsils, Banda, Baberu, Atarra, Pailani and Naraini, with 8 blocks and 768 villages; it counted 17,99,410 people in the 2011 census and lists Hindi and Bundeli as its languages.[1],[2]
- 03
The district takes its name from the sage Bamdeo, Bamda becoming Banda. Banda became the headquarters of a new southern Bundelkhand district in March 1819, and Chitrakoot was carved out of it in 1998.[2]
- 04
Kalinjar fort, a Chandela stronghold, was besieged by Sher Shah Suri in 1545; he died just before it fell. Fort Bhuragarh, on the western bank of the Ken, probably dates from about 1746.[2]
- 05
Shajar stone, also called fungus or tree augite, is found only in the Ken river and carries fossil patterns like leaves or trees; Banda's craftsmen make it into jewellery sold across the country.[3]
- 06
Invest India's One District One Product list names Shazar (Shajar) stone craft for Banda, under handicraft.[5]
- 07
Banda station is in the Jhansi division of North Central Railway, with trains to Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Lucknow; NH-86 runs to Kanpur, and Khajuraho and Kanpur airports are each about 140 km away.[4]
- 08
In March 2026 Uttar Pradesh approved a new dairy plant in Banda with a capacity of 20,000 litres a day.[6]
See it work
From a counter in Banda to buyers across India
A Shajar stone workshop sells most pieces to people who hold them in their hand. Climb the ladder to see what each step on WhatsApp adds, and why a workshop takes it.
The first rung costs nothing to set up: a buyer writes, the workshop answers. The second needs one approved template per stage of the order. Only the last rung, writing to buyers who have not asked today, is marketing, and it depends on each buyer's recorded opt-in.
A Shajar workshop's ladder, one rung at a time
4 / 4
- Tier 1Tier 1: At the counter (below the current tier)Sold in handSold in hand
- Tier 2Tier 2: Photo replies (below the current tier)Close-ups inside 24 hoursClose-ups inside 24 hours
- Tier 3Tier 3: Order updates (below the current tier)Utility templatesUtility templates
- Tier 4Tier 4: Shared inbox (below the current tier)Workshop and shop on one numberWorkshop and shop on one number
- Tier 5Tier 5: Opted-in buyers (current)Marketing templatesMarketing templates
Move 4 of 4Climbs a tier
Tier 5 · Opted-in buyers
Marketing templates
Why: Repeat buyers ask to be told first when new stones are ready.
Buyers who asked to hear about new stones get a note when a fresh lot is cut, each with a way to stop.
Move 4 of 4: climbs to tier 5, Opted-in buyers (Marketing templates). Repeat buyers ask to be told first when new stones are ready.
Who in Banda writes first
Four kinds of business in the divisional town and the district, and the messages each sends most.
Shops and wholesalers
As headquarters of a division bordered by Mahoba, Hamirpur, Fatehpur and Chitrakoot, Banda's shops take orders from well beyond the town.[1]
- Order and stock replies
- Order-ready notices
- Payment-due reminders
Milk collection and dairy suppliers
A new 20,000-litre-a-day dairy plant was approved for Banda in March 2026.[6]
- Collection slips for milk weighed
- Payment confirmations
- Pickup-time changes
Lodges, cars and guides for Kalinjar
The fort the district calls historically and architecturally significant draws visitors who book cars and rooms ahead.[1],[2]
- Car and room confirmations
- Pickup from Banda station
- Directions to the fort
Hindi templates, replies in Bundeli
Meta approves each template once per language. Most Banda businesses write Hindi first and English for buyers in other states.
Bundeli, which the district lists beside Hindi, is not a Meta template language, so templates go in Hindi. Inside the 24 hours after a customer writes, staff can reply in Bundeli or any language they choose. InfiQ's own support works in English and Hindi.
| Language | Meta code | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Hindi | hi | Buyers, shopkeepers, farmers and visitors across Uttar Pradesh |
| English (India) | en_IN | Jewellery buyers in other states, invoices and offices |
Prices in ₹, with USD and EUR
What each Banda message costs, from photo to dispatch
A plan from ₹999 a month, then each delivered message at the India rate: ₹0.145 for each photo or reply to a buyer, ₹0.19 for a stage or dispatch note, ₹0.94 for a new-stone note to opted-in buyers and ₹0.14 for a login passcode.
Snapshot rates · as of 20 Oct 2026, 00:02 UTC
Lite
₹999 / month≈ $10.51 USD
₹833 / month, billed yearly≈ $8.76 USD
Growth
₹2,999 / month≈ $31.55 USD
₹2,499 / month, billed yearly≈ $26.29 USD
Enterprise
Custom volume pricing, custom SLA and dedicated infrastructure.
Per message to Banda · India
| Category | ₹ INR | USD |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing | ₹0.9435 | $0.0099 |
| Utility | ₹0.1941 | $0.0020 |
| Authentication | ₹0.1402 | $0.0015 |
| Service | ₹0.1450 | $0.0015 |
Per-message rates for all 47 markets, in ₹ and USD
| Market | Marketing | Utility | Authentication | Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | $0.0572₹5.4352 | $0.0241₹2.2874 | $0.0241₹2.2874 | $0.0241₹2.2874 |
| Bangladesh | $0.0678₹6.4397 | $0.0034₹0.3254 | $0.0034₹0.3254 | $0.0034₹0.3254 |
| Brazil | $0.0578₹5.4970 | $0.0063₹0.5981 | $0.0063₹0.5981 | $0.0063₹0.5981 |
| Chile | $0.0822₹7.8162 | $0.0185₹1.7585 | $0.0185₹1.7585 | $0.0185₹1.7585 |
| Colombia | $0.0116₹1.0993 | $0.0007₹0.0706 | $0.0007₹0.0706 | $0.0007₹0.0706 |
| Egypt | $0.0596₹5.6629 | $0.0033₹0.3167 | $0.0033₹0.3167 | $0.0033₹0.3167 |
| France | $0.0795₹7.5588 | $0.0278₹2.6393 | $0.0278₹2.6393 | $0.0278₹2.6393 |
| Germany | $0.126₹12.0088 | $0.0509₹4.8386 | $0.0509₹4.8386 | $0.0509₹4.8386 |
| Hong Kong | $0.0678₹6.4397 | $0.0241₹2.2867 | $0.0241₹2.2867 | $0.0241₹2.2867 |
| Hungary | $0.0795₹7.5596 | $0.0323₹3.0700 | $0.0323₹3.0700 | $0.0323₹3.0700 |
| India | $0.0099₹0.9435 | $0.0020₹0.1941 | $0.0015₹0.1402 | $0.0015₹0.1450 |
| Indonesia | $0.0380₹3.6133 | $0.0231₹2.1979 | $0.0231₹2.1979 | $0.0231₹2.1979 |
| Iraq | $0.0316₹2.9992 | $0.0073₹0.6943 | $0.0073₹0.6943 | $0.0073₹0.6943 |
| Israel | $0.0327₹3.1045 | $0.0049₹0.4662 | $0.0049₹0.4662 | $0.0049₹0.4662 |
| Italy | $0.0735₹6.9847 | $0.0277₹2.6369 | $0.0277₹2.6369 | $0.0277₹2.6369 |
| Kazakhstan | $0.0559₹5.3098 | $0.0166₹1.5824 | $0.0166₹1.5824 | $0.0166₹1.5824 |
| Kuwait | $0.0733₹6.9671 | $0.0407₹3.8671 | $0.0407₹3.8671 | $0.0407₹3.8671 |
| Malaysia | $0.0796₹7.5644 | $0.0130₹1.2314 | $0.0130₹1.2314 | $0.0130₹1.2314 |
| Mexico | $0.0367₹3.4877 | $0.0079₹0.7471 | $0.0079₹0.7471 | $0.0079₹0.7471 |
| Morocco | $0.0383₹3.6425 | $0.0213₹2.0218 | $0.0213₹2.0218 | $0.0213₹2.0218 |
| Netherlands | $0.148₹14.0494 | $0.0463₹4.3987 | $0.0463₹4.3987 | $0.0463₹4.3987 |
| Nepal | $0.0678₹6.4397 | $0.0031₹0.2990 | $0.0031₹0.2990 | $0.0031₹0.2990 |
| Nigeria | $0.0478₹4.5421 | $0.0062₹0.5898 | $0.0062₹0.5898 | $0.0062₹0.5898 |
| Oman | $0.0316₹2.9992 | $0.0228₹2.1709 | $0.0228₹2.1709 | $0.0228₹2.1709 |
| Pakistan | $0.0438₹4.1620 | $0.0139₹1.3200 | $0.0139₹1.3200 | $0.0139₹1.3200 |
| Peru | $0.0651₹6.1843 | $0.0278₹2.6392 | $0.0278₹2.6392 | $0.0278₹2.6392 |
| Poland | $0.0338₹3.2105 | $0.0113₹1.0702 | $0.0113₹1.0702 | $0.0113₹1.0702 |
| Qatar | $0.0316₹2.9992 | $0.0111₹1.0547 | $0.0111₹1.0547 | $0.0111₹1.0547 |
| Romania | $0.0795₹7.5596 | $0.0268₹2.5436 | $0.0268₹2.5436 | $0.0268₹2.5436 |
| Russia | $0.0742₹7.0520 | $0.0370₹3.5173 | $0.0370₹3.5173 | $0.0370₹3.5173 |
| Saudi Arabia | $0.0532₹5.0537 | $0.0099₹0.9401 | $0.0099₹0.9401 | $0.0099₹0.9401 |
| Singapore | $0.0678₹6.4397 | $0.0148₹1.4072 | $0.0148₹1.4072 | $0.0148₹1.4072 |
| South Africa | $0.0351₹3.3385 | $0.0088₹0.8369 | $0.0088₹0.8369 | $0.0088₹0.8369 |
| Spain | $0.0654₹6.2161 | $0.0185₹1.7578 | $0.0185₹1.7578 | $0.0185₹1.7578 |
| Sri Lanka | $0.0678₹6.4397 | $0.0019₹0.1759 | $0.0019₹0.1759 | $0.0019₹0.1759 |
| Turkey | $0.0101₹0.9587 | $0.0008₹0.0792 | $0.0008₹0.0792 | $0.0008₹0.0792 |
| Ukraine | $0.0795₹7.5596 | $0.0275₹2.6138 | $0.0275₹2.6138 | $0.0275₹2.6138 |
| United Arab Emirates | $0.0532₹5.0537 | $0.0145₹1.3811 | $0.0145₹1.3811 | $0.0145₹1.3811 |
| United Kingdom | $0.0587₹5.5795 | $0.0204₹1.9346 | $0.0204₹1.9346 | $0.0204₹1.9346 |
| North America | $0.0231₹2.1976 | $0.0031₹0.2989 | $0.0031₹0.2989 | $0.0031₹0.2989 |
| Rest of Africa | $0.0208₹1.9796 | $0.0037₹0.3516 | $0.0037₹0.3516 | $0.0037₹0.3516 |
| Rest of Asia Pacific | $0.0779₹7.4057 | $0.0105₹0.9938 | $0.0105₹0.9938 | $0.0105₹0.9938 |
| Rest of Central & Eastern Europe | $0.0795₹7.5596 | $0.0196₹1.8595 | $0.0196₹1.8595 | $0.0196₹1.8595 |
| Rest of Latin America | $0.0684₹6.5048 | $0.0105₹0.9934 | $0.0105₹0.9934 | $0.0105₹0.9934 |
| Rest of Middle East | $0.0363₹3.4490 | $0.0084₹0.7998 | $0.0084₹0.7998 | $0.0084₹0.7998 |
| Rest of Western Europe | $0.0548₹5.2054 | $0.0158₹1.5019 | $0.0158₹1.5019 | $0.0158₹1.5019 |
| Other | $0.0559₹5.3098 | $0.0071₹0.6769 | $0.0071₹0.6769 | $0.0071₹0.6769 |
Plan prices are monthly, in rupees, excluding GST; yearly billing is two months free. Messages are charged per delivered message on top of the plan, at the rate for the recipient’s country. Full details: InfiQ pricing. A buyer on a foreign number is billed at that country's rate, published in rupees on the pricing page. Invoices are in rupees and carry your Uttar Pradesh GSTIN.
Work out your own monthly cost by message type.
Calculate your exact costOn InfiQ
What a Banda business runs on InfiQ
Matched to the ladder above.
- WhatsApp Coexistence
Keep using the WhatsApp Business app on the same number while the API runs alongside it, within Meta's coexistence limits.
A workshop already selling on the WhatsApp Business app can keep the app on the same number while the API runs alongside it, within Meta's limits.
- Shared team inbox
One WhatsApp number answered by a team: 10 users on Lite and 25 on Growth, agent and manager roles, transfers, private notes, labels and canned replies.
The bench and the counter answer one number, with private notes on which Shajar stone each buyer picked.
- Template manager and library
Draft, submit and track WhatsApp message templates for Meta's approval, starting from a library of 1,000+ ready templates in 27 categories.
Approve the cut, set and dispatched notes once in Hindi and English and reuse them for every order.
- Consent records and opt-out enforcement
Each contact's opt-in source and time are recorded, STOP replies are enforced at platform level (even against later imports), and the audit trail exports.
Record each buyer's opt-in for new-stone notes with its source and time, and honour every STOP automatically.
Nearby
Around Banda, on the map
City pages for neighbouring markets in Bundelkhand and central Uttar Pradesh.
The towns around Banda have pages about their own trades; this one stays with the Ken's stone, the divisional town's shops and the road to Kalinjar. The India guide covers DPDP consent, DLT and the rules for the whole country.
Guides for Banda teams
Questions Banda businesses ask
A buyer in Delhi wants to see the exact Shajar stone before we set it. Can we send close-ups and a video on WhatsApp?+
Yes. When a buyer writes, everything you send in the next 24 hours is a reply: photos, a video, the price and a payment link, each at ₹0.145. If the buyer writes again, the 24 hours start over, so a slow decision over several days needs no template.
Our Banda workshop cuts, polishes and sets a Shajar stone over several days. Can we update the buyer at each stage without waiting for them to write?+
Yes, with approved utility templates for an order the buyer placed: one for cut, one for set, one for dispatched, each at ₹0.19. Approve them once in Hindi and English with the order number and courier details as variables.
Visitors at Kalinjar fort buy our Shajar pendants. Can we ask them to stay in touch for new pieces?+
Yes. Ask at the counter or in a reply whether they want new-stone notes on WhatsApp, and record the answer with the date and source. Those who agree can receive marketing templates at ₹0.94, each with a way to stop; those who do not are left out.
With a new dairy plant approved for Banda, our milk collection centre gives each farmer a slip for the milk weighed. Can that slip go on WhatsApp?+
Yes. A collection slip for milk the farmer has delivered is a utility template, approved once in Hindi with the date, quantity and amount as variables, at ₹0.19 each. A farmer's question back opens a 24-hour window for free-form replies.
Many of our customers in Atarra and Baberu speak Bundeli. Can our templates be in Bundeli?+
No. Bundeli is not on Meta's list of template languages, so templates go in Hindi. Once a customer writes, your staff can answer in Bundeli for the next 24 hours, with no template needed, at the service rate.
Our wholesale shop in Banda takes orders from Mahoba and Chitrakoot by WhatsApp. Can two staff and the owner share one number?+
Yes. The shared team inbox gives 10 users on Lite and 25 on Growth, with transfers, labels and private notes, so the counter, the godown and the owner see every order and nobody answers the same customer twice.
Sources
Facts on this page were checked against these sources on the dates shown. Page updated 2026-10-20.
- [1]Banda district: official website · District Administration, Banda · read 2026-10-20
- [2]History · District Administration, Banda · read 2026-10-20
- [3]ODOP: Shajar stone · District Administration, Banda · read 2026-10-20
- [4]How to reach · District Administration, Banda · read 2026-10-20
- [5]ODOP product list, V33 (31 December 2025) · Invest India · read 2026-10-20
- [6]Uttar Pradesh: state profile (updated April 2026) · India Brand Equity Foundation · read 2026-10-20
Show Banda's Shajar stone on the chat buyers already use
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