Gadwal sarees are a beautiful and ornate part of the rich Indian textile heritage originating in Gadwal of Jogulamba Gadwal district in the Indian state of Telangana. About 200 Kilometers from Hyderabad City, Gadwal is very near to the banks of the Krishna River.

Traditionally, these sarees were used as Puja or prayer sarees.

History of Gadwal Sarees

The origin of Gadwal Sarees has been traced back to about 200 years ago. During that time, Gadwal was the capital of a very small Kingdom, locally called a “Samasthanam”. The Maharani of that Kingdom, Adhi Lakshmi Devamma, promoted the craft with the help of a few weavers who had come to Gadwal from various coastal areas. Initially, Gadwal Sarees were known as ‘Mathiampeta’.

In 1946, Gadwal Handloom Centre was established by the late Ratan Babu Rao. This establishment was mainly responsible for the widespread knowledge and detail regarding the Gadwal Sarees.

The Art and The Process

Base Material

The raw material used in the production of the Gadwal saree is silk and cotton with zari. In the body, cotton yarn is used wheres silk yarn is used to weave the border and the pallu. The body is of unbleached cotton and the silk border is of Tussar or mulberry silk. They even use coloured cotton for the saree and silk threads for checks. Weavers also make Gadwal sarees in pure silk. However, nowadays, other combinations are being used by the weavers.

What is the Weaving Process of Gadwal Sarees?

A Gadwal saree takes about 4-8 days of effort by two weavers to be completed.

Dyeing: The process of making a Gadwal saree starts with the dyeing of silk or cotton yarn. The yarns are dipped in boiled colour water at a very high temperature. These colours are applied based on the specification of weavers and orders from customers. Then these yarns are dried in shade.

Thread making: The dried yarns are then rolled over small sticks and finally converted to thread.

Weaving: The threads are then loaded as warp into the loom for the actual process of weaving. Traditionally, weaving of the Gadwal Sarees is done in the interlocked-weft technique (Kuppadam or Tippadam) or Kotakomma (also known as Kumbam) concerning the design of the borders. Thus, these sarees are also known as Kotakomma or Kumbam sarees.

Throw shuttle pit/frame looms are used for weaving these sarees. Depending on the design requirement, these looms may or may not be fitted with a Jacquard or dobby loom. A dobby loom is used for weaving simple design sarees. Whereas for complex designing, jacquard looms with up to 480 hooks are used. The weavers usually use three shuttles, one for body weft and two for border weft.

What are the Motifs, Designs and other details of a Gadwal Saree?

• When exploring traditional Indian sarees, one of the main reasons why women prefer buying a Gadwal saree is that these sarees have some brilliant colour contrasts. They also have subtle and elegant distinctions with the option of subtle, well-spaced embellishments.
• The zari embroidery of the pallu is not only done in strips or simple weaves; traditional patterns such as the nature-inspired paisley and peacock motifs and other motifs inspired by religious architecture are also used to adorn this classic saree. The pallu is often completely covered with these zari works and is very intricate.
• The saree body can also have booti weaves or different jaal designs, instead of the simple checks and stripe weave, like a Bangalorean silk saree or Paithani, but the identity of these sarees is from the border designs.
• The border may be thick or thin depending on the design concept. These borders have some very elaborate zari designs ranging from stripes, temples and coin motifs, florals, and leaf jaal motifs.
• The colour contrasts and the zari details make these sarees an ideal choice for formal events.
• When looking for embellishments in this saree, most Gadwal sarees have tassels made from the warp filaments of the fabric itself. This gives the saree a beautiful and elegant look which adds to the beauty of the wearer.

How to identify a Gadwal Saree?

• The body of the saree is of cotton threads, the border and pallu are of silk threads. However, nowadays, the Gadwal saree is made in pure silk or cotton and blends of silk and cotton as well.
• The unique feature of Gadwal Sarees is the interlockings or joints during weaving. There are two joints, the first is the vertical joint or vertical interlocking, the second joint is the horizontal joint or horizontal interlocking. The vertical joint or vertical interlocking is where the body of the saree is attached to the border, the horizontal joint or horizontal interlocking is where the body of the saree is attached to the pallu.
• The Gadwal saree is known for its contrasting colours. They have one colour on the body of the saree and another on the border and the pallu.
• They also have subtle, elegant and well-spaced embellishments on the saree. They showcase luxurious and elaborate zari work on the border and the pallu. The zari embroidery on the pallu of a traditional Gadwal saree covers the available width and breadth of the area and is very intricate.

What is the Price Range of an original Gadwal Saree?

The Gadwal sarees are handloom sarees. Therefore, the cost might vary depending on the designs and the time spent to complete the saree. The Sico sarees (with the cotton-silk blend) can cost anywhere between Rs.6,000 and Rs.16,000 approx depending on the intricacy of the work. A pure Gadwal silk saree can go up to Rs.20,000 or more approx depending on the intricacy of the work.

What is the Current Scenario of Gadwal Sarees?

• A blend of cotton and silk threads has given rise to one of the new variants of the Gadwal saree called the Sico Gadwal. Many women who wish to retail the sheen of silk in their sarees but want something lighter and affordably priced prefer this variant.
• The latest Gadwal sarees have embellishments in the entire saree instead of embellishments in specific sections in the pallu of the traditional sarees. The designs are in zari as well as colourful threads that are woven to form nature-inspired motifs. Many women who prefer wearing sarees to work choose this variant of the Gadwal saree as it is the perfect blend of the classic and the modern and lends just the right amount of formalness that a place of work requires.
• The Gadwal saree is a handloom textile that is considered an essential part of a bride’s trousseau. In south India, it is of great pride to gift the bride with silk Gadwal sarees.

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