The royal beginnings 

Following the trail of these silken threads that weave an Uppada Jamdani sarees, one will wind up in the 17th century amongst gifted weavers that enjoyed the patronage of the Maharajas of Pitapuram, Venkatagiri & Bobili. Such was the prestige of Jamdani Sarees that they were exclusively woven for noblewomen belonging to the royal household. The precious sarees were strictly prohibited from being sold to anyone outside of royalty. On cotton cloths, the weavers weaved their magic from pure gold zari, entwining the threads with such finesse that mesmerising patterns emerged. 

Under the royal patronage, they were rewarded handsomely, and the community prospered. But with the fall of the kingdom, things changed for the weavers, and the Jamdani style of sarees faced a decline. In 1985, the craft was revived and the Uppada Jamdani Sarees found their way to the admirers, once again. 

A thread in line, a thread in time

Uppada Jamdani saree weaving is an intensive and precise art form. Sarees woven from yarns of cotton, silk, tussar or mercerized cotton (or a combination of two or more yarns) is most commonly seen in the Jamdani Sarees. Skilled weavers proficiently interlace silken thread with cotton warp; intricate, floral motifs inlaid during the process. The specialised use of ada, jala and thillis is unique to Jamdani production process. 

Woven by hand, with no use of mechanical tools, one can guess the sheer finesse of the task by the touch of the fabric so produced – the design blends into the cloth such that it is imperceptible to the fingertips. Another distinct feature of Uppada Jamdani Saree is that woven designs appear the same on both, the front and the back of the fabrics. Not a single loose thread survives the weaving, an accomplishment indeed!