
Gadwal sarees are the famous sarees of Andhra Pradesh made in a style
influenced by the Banarasi weaves. The Gadwal sarees with lavish design in
pallu make them beautiful and rich looking sarees befitting for any festive
celebration.
Fabric in Gadwal Saree
Gadwal saree is made in cotton. While the ground of the saree is cotton,
there is a loosely attached silk border.
Colour
Traditional colours for these sarees are earth shades of browns, greys and
off-whites. However, brighter shades have been introduced for the North
Indian buyer.
The Process
The most distinctive aspect of the Gadwal saree (and the one most difficult
to do) is where the silk pallu is joined to the cotton body - this is called
'doing the kechchu' - back-breaking work that involves long hours of work
and is invariably done by women.
Design
- Copper or gold-dipped zari is generally used in these sarees.
- The motifs of the murrugan (peacock) and the rudraksh are popular.
- There can be mango design buttis all over body enriched by a dark
contrast colour pallu having intricate geometric pattern zari design and
rich zari work border too.
- There can also be self stripes design in body with zari buttis all
over enriched by a printed pattern work.
- Floral designer zari buttis and zigzag pattern zari work all over
body are also popular.
The silk cotton mix look in the Gadwal saree give the saree its unique
charm and elegance.