History of Cotton Sarees

Cotton was first cultivated and woven as a sari like garment in the Indian subcontinent from as early as 2800-1800 BCE in the Indus Valley Civilisation and has evolved as the fabric of choice for weaving sarees that are suited for daily wear given the hot and humid conditions in the subcontinent. Cotton as a fabric for the saree has also found adaption beyond India to South Asia covering Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. Every state in India has its own traditional cotton weaving practice with local expertise in cotton fabric weaving, different types of weaves, textures, motifs, printing techniques and colours that have evolved over time. The most popular ones are Chanderi from Madhya Pradesh, Jamdhani from Bengal, Sambalpuri, Bomkai and Vichitrapuri from Orissa, Narayanpet, Venkatagiri and Pochampally from Andhra Pradesh, Maheshwari from Uttar Pradesh, Kanchi, Sungudi and Chettinad from Tamil Nadu. The dyes used in cotton sarees have largely been unchanged with time, with the most popular ones being indigo, red madder, lac and turmeric being used since the origins of cotton weaving.