Pochampalli Sarees – Brief History and Its Production Process

In this article, we have covered the following topics

• What are the Pachampalli arts, 
• What is the origin of Pachampalli sarees,
• History of Pochampolli arts
• The production process of Pochampolli sarees
• Pochampolli motifs

The term Pochampolli is also written as Pochampolly.

Pochampalli saree is a heritage of and one of the finest and most well-known gifts of the Indian Handloom sector. The art initially originated back in the 1970s in the village of Pochampally in the Nalgonda District of Telangana and has traversed through time being among the designs that can only be produced via. handlooms till today. 

This art has become the first of its kind to be patented under Geographical Indication by the Govt. of India [1]. Pochampalli art, commonly called Ikat or tie and dye weave, is an age-old printing technique, where warp or weft or both are resist printed before weaving into fabric. 

For Pochampalli sarees single Ikat (warp or weft printed) and double Ikat (both warp and weft printed) variants are available.

History of Pochampalli sarees

The history of Pochampalli dates back to 1970 when a few of the village leaders decided to use degummed silk along with cotton for weaving.

The Pochampalli known today also uses the site (Silk cotton) yarns for weaving. The history of Pochampalli is obscure; however, some believe that a few weavers from Chirala relocated to Pochampally and carried their “Chit-ki” weaving method with them. It is also thought that the Nizams backed a few Mashroo weavers (brocaded cloth with cotton inside and silk outside) who subsequently utilized Ikat [2].

Pochampally, once known as silk city has been turned more into a cottage industry with more than 10,000 weaving families dispersed across 100 villages contributing to its manufacturing using traditional looms. Pochampalli sarees known today are handmade and their specifications are patented to prevent counterfeiting.

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Also read: History and production process

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Specifications of Pochampalli silk saree:

Silk warp and weft 16/18D to 20/22D and Cotton 22/24 D warp and weft 45” wide and 5.50/6.20 meters [1]

The production process of Pochampalli sarees:

Pochampalli sarees are made using a traditional weaving technique known as ikat. The steps to make a Pochampalli saree include:

1. Preparing the yarn: The yarn is soaked in a mixture of water and rice paste to make it stiff.

2. Tie-dying the yarn: The yarn is then tie-dyed using natural dyes such as indigo, pomegranate, and myrobalan. The ties on the yarn create the patterns that will appear on the finished saree.

3. Weaving the saree: The dyed yarns are then woven on a traditional handloom to create the Pochampalli saree. The weaver skilfully interlaces the yarns to create unique patterns and designs.

4. Finishing the saree: The saree is then washed, ironed, and checked for any defects. The final product is a beautiful, handwoven Pochampalli saree that is a true work of art.

Pochampalli motifs

Pochampalli motifs are generally the same for the face and back sides which makes it suitable for home décor alongside sarees. Pochampalli motifs are today seen in dress materials, pillow covers, bed sheets, furnishings, ready-made garments, and towels as well as other value-added items such as bags, file folders, purses, mobile pouches, etc. [2].

With such a variety of applications, this motif generates a staggering ₹10 cr. annually. Celebrities’ endowment, like Aishwarya Rai Bachchan who donned a Pochampally saree on her wedding day, also contributes to its value.

The government today has taken several steps to preserve the various handloom motifs and arts. Integrated handloom park is one such initiative. The Pochampally Handloom Park Limited (PHPL) was founded in 2008 to preserve distinctive art. The park was founded by 35 entrepreneurs in the Pochampalli district. With 500 looms and other facilities, this park has been one of the indigenous means of keeping this art alive. Further several NGOs also NGOs serving as export intermediaries have been instrumental in this art [3].

References

[1] G. Savithri, P. Sujathamma, and C. Ramanamma, “GLORY OF INDIAN TRADITIONAL SILK SAREES”.

[2] G. Savithri, P. Sujathamma, T. Sundari, and B. C. Kumar, “Pochampally – An unique silk handloom cluster,” Int. J. Multidiscip. Res. Dev.

[3] R. Santape, “Designing a Holistic Brand Experience for the revival of IKAT”.