Details

Gadwal sarees are produced in Gadwal and surrounding areas, in the District of Mehabubnagar in Andhra Pradesh. The origin of Gadwal Sarees can be traced back to about 200 years ago. Then the Gadwal city was the capital of a small Kingdom, locally called a “Samasthanam”. The Maharani of the said Kingdom namely ‘Adhi Lakshmi Devamma’ promoted the craft with help of a few weavers who had come to Gadwal from various coastal areas. Initially, Gadwal Sarees were called ‘Mathiampeta’. The raw material used in the production of Gadwal Sarees is silk and cotton along with zari. Cotton yarn is used, in the warp and weft in the body, whereas silk yarn is used in the warp and weft in pallu and border. However, other combinations are being used presently by the weavers. The unique feature of Gadwal Sarees lies in the interlocking or joints during weaving. There are two joints; one is called the vertical joint or vertical interlocking of the body of the saree with the border. The second joint is the horizontal joint or horizontal interlocking of the body of the saree with the pallu. The body of the saree is made of cotton threads whereas the border and pallu are made of silk threads. The best part of a Gadwal saree is that it can be folded to match the size of a matchbox without ruining any part of the saree. One can wear it to a simple party and even a grand wedding. This saree forms one of the timeless collections of stylish designer sarees in India.