The town of Gadwal, in the state of Telangana in the southern part of India, is considered to be one of the world’s famous centres for the weaving of handloom zari sarees. The local weavers of Gadwal are highly skilled wherein they are capable of folding anything more than 5 meters of saree fabric in such a way to fit into something as small as a matchbox.
The Sarees woven in Gadwal are traditionally woven in the interlocked-weft technique called Kupadam or Tippadamu locally in Telugu, often with Kumbam, also known as Kotakomma locally in Telugu in the weaving style for the contrasting borders, and these sarees are known as a Kupadam or Kotakomma or Gadwal Chira or Kumbam Sarees in the region.
The Gadwal town is located in between the Krishna and Tungabadra Rivers, around 150 km, away from Hyderabad. It is renowned for the symbiosis of harmony here between the cultures of Andhra/Telangana and Karnataka. Gadwal is also renowned for its handloom weaving industry.
The famous silk Gadwal sarees, another name for the Kumbam sarees are known for their beautiful zari work, uniquely crafted Kuttu borders, lightweight and very easy to maintain fabric, while the sarees made of cotton offer a perfect option to anyone wearing it.
The historic town of Gadwal is known for its signature cotton sarees that are available with an attached silk border as well as a silk pallu.
What is the History and Origin of Kumbam Sarees?
The origin of the Kumbam sarees can be traced back to around 200 years ago, to the time of Gadwal samasthanam and the efforts of Queen Maharani Adhi Lakshmi Devamma who appreciated and encouraged the craft.
Gadwal is a town with an area of about 800 sq. miles and is situated between the rivers Tungabhadra and Krishna. After the end of the Warangal Andhra dynasty around the 14th century, Gadwal bowed its allegiance to the new Bahmani kingdom. According to the history of the family of the Bahamani Kingdom, Pedda Veera Reddy, Peddanna Bhupaludu, Sarga Reddy, Veera Reddy, and Kumara Veera Reddy ruled Gadwal between the time of 1553 and 1704.
During the 1930s, the commercial sale of the Gadwal sarees was at its peak, when the weavers were aided by the spinning looms and other machines that were manually operated in the weaving of the sarees. There are various mentions in historical references also points about the efforts of the late Ratan Babu Rao, a veteran in the trade of handloom sarees who had started a Gadwal centre in Hyderabad in the year 1946 where the sarees became vastly popular and famous throughout the nation. Since then, Kumbam Sarees have been highly popular, loved, and adored by women for many decades.
What is a Kumbam Saree?
Kumbam Sarees are a style of saree that is woven traditionally according to the interlocked-weft technique called Kuppadam or Tippadam or Kotakomma, also called as Kumbam in reference to the design of the borders. Hence these sarees are also known as Kotakomma or Kumbam sarees. The materials used in manufacturing Kumbam handloom sarees are mainly silk, cotton, and zari. The silk border is made of Tussar or mulberry silk and the body of the saree is made using unbleached cotton. There is even coloured cotton or silk checks used. The weavers also sometimes make pure silk models of Kumbam sarees.
Kumbam sarees, made of pure silk are usually woven in bright contrasting colours such as canary yellow or lime green.
The motifs, patterns, and designs on the sarees have a strong Southeast Indian influence in the structure and in the looks as well. The spot where the border of the saree joins the body of the saree leaves a distinct wavy line which is often seen in the famous Kanjeevaram saree that has a similar interlocking technique.
A Kumbam saree is made of 80 counts cotton for warp and weft in the body, and 20/22 D filature border and pallu. This is also known as the SiCo saree, as the saree is partly made of cotton and partly made silk. Kumbam saree has a unique aspect and this is the reason that the cotton body part of the saree is combined with the silky pallu warp manually.
The traditional colours for these sarees are mostly earthy tones of tan/browns, greys, and off-whites. The pallu of a Kumbam saree may be filled with a heavy brocade but it is usually quite small, about just a little more than afoot. This Kumbam saree is available in exciting body-border combinations, with gold being common in all the sarees. The most common shades are white and black, off-white and maroon, beige and pink, black and pink, off-white and bright green, light-blue and dark-royal blue, and many more. The signature of a beautiful Kumbam saree is always characterized by its unique combination of the body of the saree and the border portions.
What is the process of weaving Kumbam Sarees?
Gadwal handlooms are very renowned for the use of multiple colours and the durability of the various colours that are used in the yarn. The perfect mixture of these colours gives durability. The count used in the weaving technique of this saree results in the smoothness as well as the hard texture of the fabric. The unique feature of each and every thread used in the making of the Kumbam saree is that it is handwoven.
For each Kumbam saree, the weavers require almost about 4-8 days. The yarn that is used to weave the sarees are first starched in a solution in order to remove dirt and other impurities and then laid out in the sun to dry and then the process of making a Kumbam saree starts. The process of making a Kumbam saree first starts with the process of dyeing the silk or cotton yarn, or both, depending on which fabric is being used. Dyeing is a colouring process that is achieved by dipping the yarns in a boiled colour water solution at a very high temperature. The colours on the saree are applied based on the specification by weavers and orders from customers specifying the required designs and colours.
After the yarn is laid out in a shade to dry, then it is then rolled over with the help of small sticks and then finally converted to thread. The yarn is now loaded as a warp into the loom for the actual process of weaving. The weaving process for the Kumbam saree is similar to the weaving process of any other cotton or cotton silk saree.
The price of a Kumbam saree ranges from INR 5000 to INR 30000 and more depending on the quality of the fabric being used, the motifs, patterns, and the required customized design.
The Kumbam saree is considered to be an amalgamation of cultures of various different communities and states and thus has a rich and versatile culture and heritage associated with it, that is reflected in the vibrant, colours, unique designs, and comfort of the saree. Thus, the Kumbam saree is a must-have for any woman in her wardrobe collection.
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