Chendurthi village in the East Godavari district is home to several Jacquard Uppada weavers who primarily create silk and polyester Uppada sarees for master weavers-turned-traders, who control pricing and design.
As part of the JIYO project of the Asian Heritage Foundation, we organised workshops wheresome young weavers were encouraged to experiment with new designs, breaking traditional boundaries by altering yarn thickness and incorporating hand-inserted extra weft to create unique patterns within the Jacquard repeats.
The project also introduced Khadi (hand-spun cotton) yarn, enhancing the environmental sustainability of the sarees. The combination of Khadi with mulberry silk resulted in beautifully textured fabrics overlaid with zari patterns. The weavers also explored new products such as dupattas and yardages alongside sarees.
The temple
Flora Yardage
Dravida
Starflower pattern with changing borders
