Rich Magenta, Electric Blue, Emerald Green, Bubblegum Pink are among the many shades one gets to see in the saris being woven on looms in the Gadwal district. The weavers are now gradually on the decline, their silhouettes blurred by the sheer lack of numbers involved in making one long winding cloth with consummate skill.
Nurtured in a small town called Gadwal, formerly part of Mahbubnagar district in Telengana, Gadwal saris are known for its beautiful mix of fabric and designs. It was registered as one of the Geographical Indication from Telangana by Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999.
The entire sari is made of cotton while its borders and pallus are designed in silk. The silk border and pallu is made of Mulberry and the body is made using unbleached cotton. Attributing its designs to the temples and their architecture; one can see beautiful and exotic shapes adorning the borders and body of the sari. The Gadwal saris were hand woven varieties, which were the main source of livelihood for the weavers of Andhra Pradesh. Gadwal saris were a big hit, right from the beginning. Hence, some weavers from Gadwal were sent to Benaras by the king to learn the art of weaving this particular style. The outcome was the hand-woven variety of Gadwal saris that became immensely popular.
Popular since 1930s, it is the silk borders of these cotton saris which make them stand out. Simple in their look, but with a sophisticated elegance, they have a certain nostalgia to them, often reminding one of ladies of class and grace who would sport these beauties, even at weddings.
The striking feature of this sari is that, while the body is made from cotton, the borders and the pallu are made from mulberry silk. There is complicated joinery involved and this gives the silk/cotton mix sari its charm. For weaving each sari, 4-8 days of effort by two weavers is required.
Most Gadwal saris are woven with interlocked - weft borders of contrasting colours. Attaching the silk border and pallu to the cotton body is called doing the 'Kechchu'. Gadwal Saris are woven traditionally according to the interlocked-weft technique (Kuppadam or Tippadam) or Kotakomma (also known as Kumbam) with respect to the design of the borders. Hence, these are also known as Kotakomma or Kumbam saris. This is most difficult to do and is also what sets the Gadwal sari apart from other saris. The body of the sari is woven from unbleached cotton yarn and contains patterns made using coloured cotton or silk thread. The weaving of the patterns is done using threads coated with gold or copper. Traditional motifs are used in the sari. The motifs of the Murrugan (peacock) and the Rudraksh rule as the favourite along with the temple motif (Kutabham or Kotakomma). Other variations include Mango or Paisley design buttis all over the body, enriched by a dark contrast colour pallu having intricate geometric pattern zari design or self-striped or tiny checked design in body with zari buttis all over the sari field.
These saris might have different types of borders - narrow border, medium border, heavy border (weight of the sari doesn’t vary). Also, Kuttu border, Turning border, One side border are some other terms in use.
A Gadwal Sari is normally of 80 counts cotton for warp and weft in the body, and 20/22 D filature silk is used in the border and pallu. 'Kuttu' (a joining) at the border for any GADWAL sari, is one feature that helps recognize it. Also, any GADWAL sari, whether Cotton or Silk, always has a Silk border.
When shopping for a Gadwal Sari, the most important fact to be remembered is, that in an authentic Gadwal Sari, the part/length of the Upper Border, which is meant to be tucked in, is always woven in the same motif as the rest of the Zari border, but in cotton thread. Just goes to show the importance that was paid to even the minutest details … tucking in the Zari border not only bruises the skin but also causes wear and tear. Most of the Gadwal saris available these days do not have this feature; instead, what you get is just a plain light silk border without any woven motifs. Guess this also helps in cost-cutting.
