-By Afrin
Nurtured in a small town called Gadwal in Andhra Pradesh, Gadwal wedding sarees are known for their beautiful mix of fabric and designs.
They were the Hand woven varieties of sari, which were the main source of livelihood for the weavers of Andhra Pradesh.
Gadwal sarees were a big hit, right from the beginning.
Hence, some weavers from Gadwal were sent to Benaras by the king to learn the art of weaving this particular style.
The outcome was hand woven variety of Gadwal saris that became immensely popular.
Gadwal sarees from AP are famous all over the world for its beautiful weaving.
Gadwal Saree is a mixture of cotton and silk, where the entire drape is completely cotton-weaved and while, the borders are of silk.
The cotton and silk fabrics are woven separately and then attached together.
Rich traditional designs adorn the pallu and the border while the mango motif is usually used in the designs.
Though they were initially available only in Earthen Colours,Yellow, parrot- green, pink and beige are the colours used most often these days.
Attributing its designs to the temples and their architecture, one can see beautiful and exotic shapes adorning the borders and body of the sari.
The weaving technique used to design the Gadwal sarees is the interwoven weft technique which was traditionally known as Kupadam and the weaving style for the borders was known as kumbam. Interlocked weft borders wherein the designs are made available in contrasting colours.
One can get the Gadwal sari in small, medium and large borders.
The golden zari work along the lengths of the borders gives it an exquisite touch.
These sarees were woven in pure Silk as well and were available in contrasting colors like lime green or a canary yellow.
The best part of a Gadwal saree is that it can be folded to match the size of a match box without ruining any part of the saree.
Silk or Cotton, or a hybrid of the two defines the Gadwal sarees the best.
MANGALAYAMAE!! 