The allure of Kanjeevaram weaving, in Hyderabad

A unit of Kanjeevaram looms in Hyderabad, established by textile designer Gaurang Shah and run by erstwhile Gadwal silk weavers, looks to revive heritage designs

The steady, rhythmic rattle of the looms is audible as we enter a house in Injapuram, on the outskirts of Hyderabad. Brothers Yadagiri and Nagaraj, who were earlier part of the Gadwal silk weaving community at Amangal, Ranga Reddy district, in Telangana, now oversee the 12-loom Kanjeevaram unit in Injapuram, established by Hyderabad-based textile designer Gaurang Shah. 

There is a steady output of premium handwoven Kanjeevaram saris from these looms, with some of them reviving heritage designs and colours. Gaurang had initially collaborated with weavers in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu, but it required frequent travelling to oversee the weaving process. “There was also the risk of designs being plagiarised or our supply of pure silver and gold zari threads being replaced with non-genuine material,” he explains. When the erstwhile Gadwal weavers from Amangal expressed interest in working on Kanjeevaram saris, it turned out to be a win-win situation for the weavers and the designer. 

“The weaving process is not very different for Gadwal and Kanchi silk saris,” says Gaurang. While a few weavers who knew the basics of Gadwal weaving joined the team, others with no prior weaving experience were trained.

On these looms, Gaurang is on a mission to revive some of the traditional designs inspired by sculptures in the temples of Tamil Nadu. For instance, he shows a design sheet that features a procession of elephants and has motifs of chakras, temple pillars and animal figures. “Some of the old sculptures we came across had designs that fuse the body of one animal with the head of another. We have tried to bring back such designs,” he explains. 

Designs are hand drawn, then computerised to be transferred or punched on cards. The punched cards, with holes, are used in the jacquard on the looms. This mechanised transfer of designs on the jacquard looms allows complex patterns to be woven with ease.

The warping process, which used to be done by hand in the early years, is now mechanised. The weft yarn is then transferred to the bobbins with the help of charkhas. A spindle fill the weft yarns into bobbins for the shuttles. In these looms, simple weights such as water bottles filled with sand help maintain the tension of the warp. 

Gaurang explains how the Kanchi saris are known for their contrasting borders that differ from the body of the sari. He shows a sari and explains, “The warp is pure gold zari while the weft is blue.” At the other end of the loom, yarn in the traditional ‘arakku’ colour (a deep pink-red hue)is awaiting the loom process.