Dharmavaram Silk Weaving
Broad gold borders and a brocade pallu on deep, glowing silk.
Dharmavaram, in Sri Sathya Sai district of Andhra Pradesh, is a large silk-weaving centre — second in the South only to Kanchipuram — producing sarees and the paavadai (skirt) sets worn at weddings. Its sarees are distinguished by very broad gold zari borders joined to the body by the interlocked-weft (korvai) method and by pallus filled with brocade motifs of temples, peacocks, mangoes, swans and flowers. The silk is heavy and richly coloured, and a bridal border can be a hand's span deep on each side.
Craft at a Glance
Origin
Dharmavaram, Andhra Pradesh
Also Known As
Dharmavaram pattu, Dharmavaram handloom silk, Anantapur silk
Craft Type
Handloom silk saree and paavadai weaving
Practising Community
Devanga, Padmasali and Sali weaver communities, organised through master weavers and cooperative societies
Materials
Mulberry silk for warp, body and pattern wefts; gold- and silver-gilt zari, and tested zari for mid-priced pieces, for borders and brocade; acid and metal-complex dyes for the deep body colours.
Known For
Dharmavaram silk sarees with very wide interlocked-weft zari borders and brocaded pallus
Where It's Made
Dharmavaram town and surrounding villages in Sri Sathya Sai (formerly Anantapur) district, Andhra Pradesh
Time to Create
Five to ten days per saree; longer for a heavy bridal piece
GI Status
Dharmavaram Handloom Pattu Sarees and Paavadais is a registered GI of Andhra Pradesh
Process Steps
Degumming and dyeing the silk
Raw silk is boiled to remove the gum and dyed in deep body colours and contrasting border and pallu shades.
Warping
The warp for several sarees is laid, with heavy border warps placed at the selvedges for the wide zari borders.
Sizing and beaming
The warp is lightly sized, dried and wound onto the loom beam.
Loom setting
Warp ends are drawn through healds and reed, and a jacquard or adai is rigged for the pallu brocade.
Weaving the body with interlocked borders
The body is woven while the border wefts loop around the body weft at each edge, locking the wide zari borders to the body.
Brocading the pallu
The end-piece is woven as a dense brocade with extra zari and coloured-silk wefts forming temples, peacocks and flowers.
Cutting and finishing
Woven sarees are cut apart, checked for faults, and folded for the cooperative or trader.
Technique Glossary
Korvai (interlocked weft)
A method of joining a contrast border to a saree body so the two wefts are woven into one another.
Paavadai set
A South Indian skirt-and-blouse ensemble, often woven in silk for young women and brides.
Adai
A traditional string-and-pulley patterning device on South Indian looms, used before or alongside the jacquard.
Pattu
The Telugu and Tamil term for silk cloth.
Brocade
A figured weave in which extra pattern wefts float over the ground to build a raised design.
Zari
Metallic thread — traditionally gilded silver wire on a silk core — used for borders and motifs.
Butta
A small isolated woven motif repeated across the body of the saree.
A Craft Through Time
16th century
Founding and weavers
Dharmavaram is established and weaver communities settle to serve local temples and courts.
19th–20th century
Cluster growth
The town expands into one of South India's largest silk-weaving centres, with tens of thousands of looms.
20th century
Cooperatives and master weavers
Production is organised through societies and master-weaver networks.
Late 20th century
Power-loom competition
Power looms take much of the plain-saree volume, pushing handloom weavers toward heavy bridal work.
2009
Geographical Indication
Dharmavaram Handloom Pattu Sarees and Paavadais are registered as a GI.
Present
A bridal-silk centre
The cluster supplies wedding sarees across the South, its wide korvai borders the recognisable mark.
Did You Know?
Dharmavaram sarees are known for having some of the widest woven borders of any Indian silk — on a bridal piece the gold border alone can be a hand's span deep on each side.
Every craft has a story. Every story begins with tradition.