The history of handlooms in India dates back to ancient times. There’s evidence that it was a prominent occupation during the Indus Valley Civilisation. Each region was home to diverse weaving practices.
According to Karnataka’s handlooms and textiles department, there are 40,000 handlooms in the state. They are used to make cotton, silk, and wool weaves. Notable saris from the state include Ilkal, Udupi cotton, Molakalmuru silk, Dharwad cotton saris featuring the kasuti embroidery, and patteda anchu from Gajendragad. Other handloom creations from Karnataka include Mysore silk saris, Guledgudd Khun, and Sandur Lambani embroidery.
Ilkal
Ilkal saris is said to have originated in Ilkal, Bagalkot district in 8 AD. It earned a geographical (GI) tag in 2007. It is known for its tope teni technique, which joins the borders and pall of a sari using separate threads with a unique loop method. The body is made of cotton, and pure silk is used in its border and pallu.
Vijaykumar Guled is a fourth-generation weaver. His family has been making Ilkal saris since 1875. “The border and pallu designs in these saris remain constant; only their colour changes. The pallu end is woven with 4- to 6-inch wide stripes in contrasting colours,” says the owner of P K Guled Ilkal Sarees.
There are only four types of border designs in Ilkal saris. “The gomi border is the simplest and also the oldest. The motif features barley seeds within two stripes. The chikki paras border features small triangles, resembling brinjal seeds, within broad stripes. The intricate dotted designs of the godda paras resembles khus khus seeds. The Gayathri border is a combination of all the above designs across lines,” he explains.
The temple motif was absent in traditional Ilkal saris until half a century ago. “We started incorporating tall temple motifs from the Kanjivaram weaving tradition,” Guled points out.
The cost of a handloom Ilkal sari can range from Rs 1,200 (cotton) to Rs 17,000 (pure silk).
Udupi cotton
Udupi cotton saris have a 200-year history. They received a GI Tag in 2016.
Originating from Udupi and Dakshina Kannada, these saris are woven with single-ply cotton. They feature plain or checkered patterns with contrasting pallu and border. A striking quality is the horizontal rib weave on the pallu, which gives it a pearl-like appearance.
Mamatha Rai, president of Kadike Trust, initiated the Udupi Sari Revival Project in 2018. “We dye the pallu after the warp stage and on-loom sizing. Motifs inspired by nature, such as floral or geometric patterns, are added by hand. The finesse depends on a weaver’s imagination and skill,” she says. For ease and uniformity, some weavers use a dobby mechanism to create these motifs.
Mamatha says most weaver societies have today switched to chemical dyes for ease of production and to achieve vibrant colours. “But our Trust has re-introduced natural dyes derived from madder, pomegranate, marigold, and indigo. These dyes yield beautiful, mild colours. But since these are difficult to produce, they are made in limited quantities,” she explains.
Udupi saris woven with organically dyed yarns cost between Rs 4,000 and Rs 6,000.
Molakalmuru silk
Molakalmuru taluk in Chitradurga is renowned for its namesake handwoven silk saris. These saris are celebrated for their shot effect — the fabric’s colour looks different under different lights or from different angles. These saris gained the GI Tag in 2011.
Yeri Swamy, a weaver with 25 years of experience at Sri Kanaka Silks and Saris, sheds light on its history. It was in the ’60s when the Swakulasali community from Maharashtra, and the Padmasali community from Andhra Pradesh introduced silk weaving with gold in Molakalmuru.
Molakalmuru saris are available in bottle green, black, blue, and turmeric yellow. Kanchana colour, commonly seen in Kanjivaram saris, is also popular, says Swamy. It is red in colour with black or brown undertones.
Common motifs include rudraksha (a circle divided into four parts with an X) and hamsa (swan). The sari features a single solid colour on the pallu and border.
D S Raghavendra is a proprietor of D H Srinivasa & Co. He says the rudraksha design was commonplace during his father’s weaving career through the 1980s. The design was incorporated between two lines over a solid 9-inch border.
“Motifs like hamsa, peacocks, checkered patterns (including pooja checks with grid lines forming 2x2-inch-squares that contrasted with the sari’s body colour), and Maheshwari checks (alternate black and white or yellow and orange checks) dominated these saris in those days,” he adds.
Saris with the gandaberunda (two-headed mythical bird) motif woven into the border are highly sought after, notes Vanjre Ramesh, head of Molakalmuru Town Silk Weaver’s Co-operative Society. The gandaberunda is the official state emblem of Karnataka.
A traditional Molakalmuru sari with Maheshwari checks and a 9-inch border costs around Rs 10,500. A plain sari with a contrasting 9-inch border, featuring two rows of rudraksha motifs and an intricate pallu, is available for Rs 6,500.
Dharwad saris with kasuti embroidery
Dharwad in northern Karnataka is known for enhancing plain Ilkal handloom saris with exquisite kasuti embroidery. Conferred a GI Tag in 2006, kasuti boasts motifs like ratha (temple chariot), gaja (elephant), pallakki (palanquin), and floral patterns. These designs are meticulously created on Ilkal saris and blouse pieces.
Aarti Hiremath, artist-founder of Aarti Krafts, says the kasuti work is done on many fabrics — from Maheshwari cotton and silk saris of Madhya Pradesh to tussar silk and cotton saris of Bihar and West Bengal. “I have also worked with kasuti on Mysore silks. You need a fabric thick enough to hold the thread work. That’s the only criterion for kasuti,” she says.
In the olden days, artisans would make designs by counting warp and weft as grid lines (without stencils or tracing). There are fewer artisans today and they use design sketches as templates. Aarti adds that natural dyeing of cotton threads has become rare and is done only on request.
A sari with kasuti embroidery starts from Rs 7,500.
Patteda anchu under GI consideration
Straight, thin lines running across the body of a cotton sari with a broad border are the distinctive features of the patteda anchu. Its GI tag status is under examination.
Punarjeevana Trust has been working on the revival of these saris. According to the team, these originated in the 10th century in Gajendragad in Gadag. While Ilkal saris were popular in the region, only the wealthy families could afford them because it used silk yarn. On the other hand, patteda anchu saris were made of cotton and silk thread and were designed for women working in farms and households. With no zari border and a shorter width (38 inches compared to the regular 44 inches), these saris were practical for daily use, shares the team. The use of a 40-count cotton yarn in the body also made them comfortable for daily use. Black colour patteda anchu saris were rare earlier. However, today, they are woven in black, blue, and indigo, featuring contrast borders and small stripes.
The cost of a handwoven sari created with organic dyes starts from Rs 2,000.