Unravelling the Art of Indian Handloom Weaving

By Mira Pawar.

Each state in India boasts its unique weaving techniques, patterns and materials resulting in a variety of textiles that are both artistically exquisite and functionally versatile. There is believed to be at least 16 best handloom saree weaving crafts in India viz., Banarasi silk, Kanjevaram silk, Chanderi, Paithani, Patola, Baluchari, Assam silk (Muga), Kota Doria, Pochampally, Jamdani, Maheshwari, Sambalpuri, Uppada, Kantha, Kasavu, Tussar.

On February 5, 2025, Ms Parvati Sastry gave an insightful talk about handlooms from various states of India, at the AFOCHS Ladies Club, Sainikpuri, Secunderabad. Although she is not a professional in this field, Ms Sastry has become adept in handloom textiles through her extensive research and study. As an employee of the Reserve Bank of India, she had to travel on posting to different states. This passion blossomed during her postings across the country, and she availed the opportunity to learn about it and developed a profound appreciation for sarees from different regions of India. With each posting, she acquired a beautiful saree representing the local handloom tradition, ultimately leading to her impressive collection that now includes sarees from nearly every state in India. The members of the Ladies Club present were delighted to view her remarkable collection and were inspired by her enthusiasm. Some of them, who had set aside their sarees in favour of more comfortable attire, chose to revive and embrace their sarees once again to honour both their cherished collection and the skilled weavers whose hard work went into creating each piece.

Handloom in India was invented at the site of Mohenjo-Daro and was discovered around the 18^th century. Farmers working on the fields during Indus Valley civilisation, were the forefathers of modern India weavers. Fragments of cotton textiles were discovered at Mohenjo-Daro, the estimated dates are between 3250 and 2750 BC. The community of weavers were known as “Julahas” and were believed to be socially and educationally unprogressive.

The northern Indian city of Panipat in Haryana has been a hub for handloom textiles for centuries and is called the “city of weavers”. The craft has been passed down through generation of skilled weavers and artisans. Panipat city is also the biggest centre of shoddy yarn in the world. Things don’t always remain the same and the traditional handloom weaving textile industry too had its ups and downs. A number of reasons are responsible for the decline in industry from the 1830s.The major factors were the industrial revolution in Britain, the collapse of the Mughal aristocracies and the rise of new markets for cheaper textiles. At present, Assam constitutes almost 50 percent handlooms in the country followed by Andhra Pradesh. Nagpur in Maharashtra is known as the city of cotton. However, the largest silk producing state is believed to be Karnataka.

In weaving, lengthwise yarns are called warp, crosswise yarns are called weft or filling. Most woven fabrics are made with their outer edges finished in a manner that avoids ravelling; these are called selvages. They run lengthwise, parallel to the warp yarns. Three basic weaves are plain, twill and satin. The simplest weave is created by interlacing warp yarns with weft yarns. The warp yarns are held parallel while the weft yarns are shot over and under the warp yarns.  Twill weave on the other hand, can be made with any fibre. Denim is made with a 3/1 twill weave. A satin weave is used to create silk. In satin weave, each warp thread floats over multiple weft threads. Satin weaves reflect light directly giving the fabric a high sheen.

According to Isha foundation, India has more than 136 unique weaves mostly in the form of sarees. Know your weaves is an initiative by them to bring awareness and promote traditional weaving techniques in India to preserve traditional weave and move towards sustainable living. They also encourage women to buy heritage designs directly from weavers in order to motivate traditional handloom weavers to continue their craft.