Narayanpet Sarees, Traditional Patterned Weaves Shining In Revival

The Narayanpet Saree is a ‘fine’ silk or cotton fabric characterized by zari check patterns on the body, contrast colour temple border and plain border on the sides. Made up of brilliant hues, the fabric is lustrous and retains its shine for long.

Narayanpet Sarees are traditional handlooms made in Narayanpet, a town in Mahbubnagar District, abricA.P., India. The characteristic Zari check patterns on a silk or cotton body with a contrasting colour temple border and plain border on both sides, are distinguishing features of the Narayanapet Sari. A family tradition involving all its members, the Narayanpet handlooms are woven in silk and cotton, though the preference was once more for silk on account of the returns.

Narayanpet Sarees originally came through a Marathi influence; the royal patronage of Shivaji, the Marathi ruler. Later Lokapalli Sansthanam, an organized body, devoted efforts to see this traditional art form flourish. Even today, wearing a Narayanpet Saree is considered auspicious, and offering of the same is meant for the Goddess.

The Narayanpet saree has a fineness count of 80:80. Fineness count is a number expressing how fine the fabric is. Higher the count, finer the material. Here fineness is indicative of the fibres per unit length of warp and weft.

The handloom weaving of the Narayanpet Silk fabric could take 2-3 days to complete. Comparatively, a Narayanpet Cotton Saree would take a day to weave. It is roughly estimated that there are about 1000 families or slightly more, involved in the making of this ethnic fabric. Employing vegetable dyes, the Narayanpet Saree has colours both rich and bright. The colour is mostly retained throughout the life of the fabric.

The Saree making process involves separation of gum from the yarn, bleaching so that the yarn loses its natural colour and would readily acquire the vegetable dye colour. Washed again after colouring and dried in shade for fastness of colour to be retained, the yarn is spun into threads. Threads are laid out on the warp (length wise lay) and rolled onto small sticks for the weft (breadth wise weaving).

A weaver makes 30 sarees from one beam of warp. It would take a month to complete weaving of one beam. Narayanpet handloom sarees are traditionally woven in the interlocked-weft technique.

Geographical Indication(GI) Status has been awarded to the Narayanpet Saree in April 2013. The GI status recognises the valuable contribution made by these weavers in keeping alive a cultural heritage of Andhra Pradesh and is a big relief to the beleaguered weavers of Narayanpet.

Narayanpet Saris are worn in their various forms for different occasions.

Fancy block floral prints on narayanpet cotton saree is preferred for daily casual, by college professors, corporate women and teachers.

The Pure Handloom Narayanapet Sari is fashionable wear with its kundans on thread embroidery designs, and zari border with an attractive pallu. It is generally worn for college parties, festivals and event functions.

Unnati Silks has believed in healthy fusion of traditional and trendy.Combining the basic fabric with different combinations of prints, patterns, colours and applied to different styles, new seamless versions have emerged.

Pure cotton plain body with traditional pattern designer pallu and coloured borders,

Or pure cotton sarees with block prints on body with designer block-printed pallu with multi-colour double borders,

Or pure cotton plain body sarees with temple design zari border and zari border pallu with plain borders in moderate colours.

These are but a few examples of Unnati’s innovative experiments on healthy fusion with Narayanpet sarees.

The author is a young lady, a freelance specializing in ethnic fabrics, more devoted to sarees. With a penchant for travelling at will and to ethnic destinations in particular, She could be contacted at press@unnatisilks.com or 040-64555251.