Gadwal sari

What is Gadwal sari?

Gadwal sari is a woven sari from Gadwal, a town in Telangana, India. It is set apart by how it is built. The body of the sari is cotton, the border is silk, and the pallu carries zari, the metallic thread that gives a shine to the end piece. Because silk and cotton are joined in one cloth, the silk-pallu version is sold under the name Sico sari. The weave is famously light, and a whole sari can be folded small enough to fit inside a matchbox. Weavers around Gadwal make these saris on handlooms.

Where does Gadwal sari come from?

Gadwal is the town the sari takes its name from, and the craft belongs to Telangana, India, where it is registered among the state's geographical indications, a status reserved for goods that are tied to a particular place. In 1946 a Gadwal Handloom Centre was founded by Ratan Babu Rao. The centre is credited with making detailed knowledge of the Gadwal sari widely known. The sources do not record when the weaving first began in the town or how it changed over the years.

How is Gadwal sari made?

These saris are handloom work, woven on looms worked by hand. Two fibres are brought together in a single cloth. Cotton is used for the body; silk forms the border; and the pallu is worked with zari, the gold or silver thread. Despite the silk and the metal thread, the sari stays light. It is fine enough to sit inside a matchbox, which is the detail most often repeated about it. The sources do not describe the dyeing, the preparations before weaving or the time a single sari takes.

Colours, motifs and borders

The design idea here is contrast. A simple cotton field runs beside a silk border, and the end is dressed with zari, whose metallic thread catches the light. The source names this pairing of a plain body with a richer border and pallu as the sari's most notable feature. No particular motifs, colours or patterns are recorded for the Gadwal sari in the sources.

When Gadwal sari is worn

Gadwal saris are part of temple ritual at Tirupati, where the Brahmotsavas festival begins with the deity's idol dressed in one. The sources do not describe other occasions for the sari, who wears it, or how it is chosen for a wedding, a festival or daily wear. What is clear is that the cloth carries both a plain cotton body and a dressed silk-and-zari edge.

Styles of Gadwal sari

One version of the sari takes a second name. When the pallu is silk, the weave is known as a Sico sari, while the better-known form keeps a cotton body with a silk border and a zari pallu. Two other weaves, the Ilkal sari and Mysore silk, are listed beside the Gadwal sari as related textiles. The sources do not discuss modern imitations or draw a comparison between handloom and powerloom copies.

What Gadwal sari means

Gadwal sari carries a geographical indication registration granted in Telangana. That official status ties the name to its home in India and is meant to keep it for local makers. The state holds several such registrations, and this sari is one of them. The Gadwal Handloom Centre, founded in 1946, is credited with spreading detailed knowledge of the sari and its weaving. The sources give no figures for the number of weavers or for how much the trade earns.

Questions people ask about Gadwal sari

Good reading and sources

• Gorgeous GadwalDeccan Herald, Article

• Gadwal sari on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• Wikidata recordOpen data