Silk Saree Towns of India

Here, I would like to share information about the various silk saree towns of India that I have been to and where the weavers sell the sarees directly. You get a good variety and direct from the weavers. Visiting these places and buying from there not only gives you options and savings but also encourages the weavers by avoiding the middle men/agents.

Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu: Kanchipuram has been famous for its silk sarees for quite a few centuries now and synonymous with the bridal wear mostly in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. The sarees also known as Kanjivaram silks here are made of pure silk and look a bit heavy. This being a major ancient temple town, there are a lot of tourists who visit this town throughout the year. There are a lot of cooperative societies and commercial stores(small and big) mainly on Gandhi Road and Mettu Street that sell the sarees with prices ranging from few 1000s to lakhs of Rupees.

There is a lot of variety and people come here from all over India but mostly South India to shop for weddings and other ceremonies. Kanchipuram saree borders look different from rest of the sarees and can easily be identified. Beware of the auto and taxi drivers who would take you to the shops that give them commission. Kanchi is around 75 kms from Chennai and hence well connected by Air, Rail and Road. There are few famous temples to visit like Kanchi Kamakshi Amman temple, Ekambaranathar temple and Kailasanathar temple.

Uppada, Andhra Pradesh : Uppada is a beach town in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh state and on the outskirts of Kakinada town. Uppada silk(pattu) is famous for it’s silk-like texture, lightweight and beautifully designed hand woven sarees. The weavers take around 10-20 days for one saree. The sarees are lighter than Kanchi and Dharmavaram sarees. There are quite a few shops lined up on the main road that sell sarees directly from the weavers and there are a few shops on the beach road also. There is a very beautiful beach very close by and the Telugu movie Uppena was shot here. One can reach here by road from Kakinada town or Rajamahendravaram. The shops are generally open after 11 am IST.

Dharmavaram, Andhra Pradesh: Dharmavaram is a small town in Anantapur District of Andhra Pradesh and famous for the silk sarees which are woven by hand with mulberry silk and zari.The distinct feature of Dharmavaram sarees is double shading of the saree body created by the use of two colours in the weaving process. They also feature a solid colour contrasting border and broad pallu with gold zari detailing on the border. It is also called the silk city of Andhra Pradesh and the economy of the town is dependent on the weaving industry. The shops are mostly located in one small area and are very small. They sell the sarees directly from weavers.

Venkatagiri, Andhra Pradesh: Venkatagiri is a town around 55 kms from Tirupati town in the state of Andhra Pradesh. The distinctive feature of Venkatagiri saree is a big Jamdani motif of a peacock, parrot, swan, mango or leaf in the pallu(top part of the saree). The fine hand weaving and unique zari designs of the sarees made them the preferred choice of royalty in Andhra Pradesh. They are popular for being easy-to-drape, simple, and woven in attractive color combinations and also for handloom cotton sarees. This is a very small village and has very few shops that sell the sarees directly and most of the shops are sent to other major towns and cities for sale.

Arani, Tamil Nadu: Arani is a small town in Tamil Nadu around 140 knos from Chennai and 40 kms from Vellore. Arani or Arni handlooms are famous for the softness and durability. The mixture of color gives the durability. Arni silk sarees in texture and design are different from Kanchipuram silk sarees and are lighter in weight, elegant for formal or casual events & perfect for travel. The unique feature of Arani sarees is that one side of the body of the saree will be in one colour and the other side in another colour. There are very few shops here that sell the sarees directly and most of them are sent to Kanchipuram and other places for sale.

Maheshwar, Madhya Pradesh: Maheshwar is a town in Madhya Pradesh state around 95 kms from Indore on the banks of river Narmada. It is famous as the place where Rani Ahilyabai Holkar of the Maratha Empire lived in 18th century and she is famous for building many Hindu temples and dharmashalas throughout India. Maheshwari Saree is a type of saree prepared using pure silk and cotton fabric. They are available in a wide variety of designs that are woven using brocade or zari. These designs could be checks, stripes, floral borders, and so on.

The distinguishing feature of Maheshwari sarees is that the border design is reversible, they are heavier than Chanderi sarees and normally there is no designing work with extra threads in the body of the saree. There are quite a few shops spread around the Maheshwar fort and the prices range from 1000 to around one lakh Rupees.

Pochampally, Telangana: Pochampally, also known as Bhoodan Pochampally to commemorate the Bhoodan Movement that was launched by Acharya Vinobha Bhave from this village on April 18th, 1951. Pochampally is a small town in Nalgonda district of Telangana state around 50 kms from Hyderabad. Pochampally Ikat is a well-known form of saree and popular for their traditional geometric patterns with the Ikat(Tie and Dye) style of dyeing. The village is famous across the world for its finesse in hand woven Ikat products in both silk and cotton.

Ikat weaving involves an 18-step sequence of tying and dyeing sections of thread tied in an intricate pattern of predetermined colors before weaving. The sarees are hand woven and no machines are used. It takes around 7 to 10 days to make one saree. Pochampally Ikat received Geographical Indicator(GI tagging) in the year 2004. Pochampally was also announced as one of the best tourism villages by UNWTO(United Nations World Tourism Organization). It is also famous for cotton sarees, bedsheets and towels. There are quite a few shops on the main road and also few in the lanes which are mostly in front of the homes of weavers. There is also a Telangana Govt Cooperative society outlet. There are two types of silk sarees, single weaving and double weaving.

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