Dharmavaram handloom pattu sarees and paavadas are textiles woven by hand with mulberry silk and

zari ''Zari'' (or ''jari'') is an even thread traditionally made of fine gold or silver used in traditional Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani garments, especially as brocade in saris etc. This thread is woven into fabrics, primarily silk, to make i ...

. They are made in Dharmavaram of Anantapur district in the

Indian state India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, with a total of 36 entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into districts and smaller administrative divisions. History Pre-indepen ...

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

. It was registered as one of the

geographical indication A geographical indication (GI) is a name or sign used on products which corresponds to a specific geographical location or origin (e.g., a town, region, or country). The use of a geographical indication, as an indication of the product's source, ...

from Andhra Pradesh by ''Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999''.

History

''Kriya Shakthi Vodavaru Swamy'' named Dharmavaram after the name of his mother, Dharmambai in the year 1153–54 AD. By 19th century, silk handloom industry emerged as the main occupation. Paintings on the roof wall of Lepakshi temple and Latha Mandapam depicts the designs of Dharmavaram saris.

Stages of production

The production of the Dharmavaram saris and Paavadas includes different stages which includes: *''Raw materials'' – pure Mulberry silk in yarn form or raw silk, zari threads of red, green, silver and gold, acid dyes, soap and soda for degumming, water *''Quality of silk'' – cocoons are boiled in steam to obtain yarn and ''Denier silk'' and undergoes twisting and formation of warp and weft. *''Degumming of silk purification'' – process involves boiling of yarn with soda ash and soap to remove natural gums. *''Plying of Yarn'' –

Plying In the textile arts, plying (from the French verb ''plier'', "to fold", from the Latin verb ''plico'', from the ancient Greek verb .) is a process of twisting one or more strings (called strands) of yarn together to create a stronger yarn. Strands ...

of yarn is done to create a balanced yarn which is done for both sari and pavadas. *''Dyeing'' – usage of acid dyes for shades from rainbow colors, plied yarn absorbs dye in hot water, the entire process involves certain aspects like liquor ratio, temperature, chemicals in dye, pH etc. Kuttu Dharmavaram sari weaving involves Tie and dye method *''Drying'' – after the above process, the yarn is dried indoor on bamboo sticks. Pre-loom process *''Winding of hank yarn into warp and weft'' – charka, shift bamboo and bobbin are used to form

warp Warp, warped or warping may refer to: Arts and entertainment Books and comics * WaRP Graphics, an alternative comics publisher * ''Warp'' (First Comics), comic book series published by First Comics based on the play ''Warp!'' * Warp (comics), a ...

. While, the

weft Warp and weft are the two basic components used in weaving to turn thread or yarn into fabric. The lengthwise or longitudinal warp yarns are held stationary in tension on a frame or loom while the transverse weft (sometimes woof) is dra ...

is made with help of a pirn. *''Street sizing'' – the warp extension, spraying of rice conjee ensures suitable weaving followed by drying. *''Weaving process'' – it involves

Warp and Weft Warp and weft are the two basic components used in weaving to turn thread or yarn into fabric. The lengthwise or longitudinal warp yarns are held stationary in tension on a frame or loom while the transverse weft (sometimes woof) is drawn ...

method of weaving and sometimes replaced by

Jacquard weaving The Jacquard machine () is a device fitted to a loom that simplifies the process of manufacturing textiles with such complex patterns as brocade, damask and matelassé. The resulting ensemble of the loom and Jacquard machine is then called a J ...

and

Dobby Rhyan Clapham, known by his stage name Dobby (stylised as DOBBY), is a Filipino-Aboriginal Australian musician. He describes himself as a "drapper", a contraction of rapper and drummer, although he also plays other instruments and is also a compo ...

. Usage of only pitlooms for weaving and no powerlooms and petni technique. *''Cutting and folding'' – designing and cutting per the goods demand for marketing take place

Usage

The saris are worn in

winter Winter is the coldest season of the year in polar and temperate climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Different cultur ...

or cold conditions, for functions, and are mostly used by dancers of Bharath Natyam and Kuchipudi.

References

{{Reflist Anantapur district Geographical indications in Andhra Pradesh Handloom sarees