Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh is a land of skyline touching domes, enriching landscapes, lovely street markets, and fascinating cultural history. The state still holds its ancient architecture and cultural heritage. The well-known crafts like Bidri, Kalamkari paintings, Kondapalli, and many more are still patronized by the people there. The state is also recognized for its hand-woven textiles. The weavers of Andhra Pradesh are considered to be the experts in fabricating hand-woven sarees and dress with unique and delicate designs on them. The sarees produced here have distinctive borders on them, they are mostly weaved with illuminating threads of gold and silver. These handloom masterpieces are mostly named after their places of origin or production if not something else. Looms of Narayan Peth, Dharmavaram, Pochampalli are well-known for their cotton and silk fabrics in India. 

Majorly the southern states of India, including Andhra Pradesh, prefer two types of fabric the most, cotton and silk. Some of the handlooms are-

• Kalamkari: Ancient style of hand-painting with a Kalam i.e. a pen (tamarind pen) with the use of natural dyes on mostly cotton fabrics.
• Paagadu Bandhu Chitki or Ikat: Tie and dye technique for patterning the fabric.

Some regions developed their own specialization:

• Chirala: Formerly known as Kshirapuri, a coastal town situated in the district of Prakasam, Andhra Pradesh is popular for its unique techniques and diverse range of fabrics. The town has an interesting ancient tale which states that rural artisans would weave a 7-yard saree that could fit in a matchbox. 
• Pochampalli: Famous for producing silk sarees of both single and double Ikat.  
• Koyyalagudem, Gatuppal, and Choutuppal: They are known for producing silk and cotton fabrics for shirting and furnishing.
• Putapaka: It produces silk and cotton sarees. 
• Dharmavaram: A place well known for its silk sarees globally which has a broad border of interwoven zari.  
• Venkatagiri: Venkatagiri sarees are known for their use of superfine pure cotton. These sarees have gold thread motifs all over their body and borders are made of pure silver zari or brocade designs using the traditional Jamdani technique. 
• Eluru: It is known for its thriving woven carpet industries. 

And the list goes on…