Mangalgiri|Kalamkari

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• Usually Mangalgiri handlooms are made in cotton, cotton silk or mercerized cotton.
• South handloom Mangalgiri cotton sarees are famous for their tightly woven structure, well knit borders, fine stripes and checks. Traditional nizam designs are exclusively used in pure mangalagiri cotton saris.
• The sarees of Mangalagiri are unique with a heavy zari border and simple mono-striped pallu of solid or striped zari threads. The count in a handloom fabric means the number of threads per square inch. The count used in weaving determines the softness or hardness of the fabric. In the Mangalgiri saree the count 80 – 80 is used for soft woven fabric and 40 – 60 for hard varieties.
• Heavy gold thread or zari borders, traditional Nizam designs, and simple mono-striped or multi-colour striped pallus adorn the Mangalagiri handloom saree.
• Various motifs like leaf, mango, parrot, gold coin that have appeal adorn the Mangalagiri cotton saree.
• Printing work and embroidery designs which enhance looks tremendously are synonymous with the Mangalagiri cotton saree.
• There are some features unique to the Mangalgiri Saree.
  • The soft and comfortable all-season fabric generally does not have designs on the body.
  • It also is known for not having gaps in its weave.
  • There is a rare missing thread variety of the Mangalagiri saree that is not commonly found.
• Mangalagiri sarees have a crisp finish.

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• A trait that sets the weavers of Mangalagiri weavers from most is their unceasing devotion to their craft. Having a clear idea about market trends they have organized themselves into family groups and co-operative societies. Thus through their joint efforts they are able to cater to the taste of the market with innovative designs and mesmerizing patterns.
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• There is a healthy capacity of the weavers to experiment. Initially zari was only used for lining the borders. Today it not only adorns borders but engages motifs and designs on the pallu as well.
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• Ikat tie & dye has been tried out successfully on the Mangalagiri handloom cottons, increasing their visibility, widening their reach.
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• The weavers use basic designs but incorporate some striking colour combinations such as baby pink with a magenta border, maroon with mustard stripes, olive green with navy blue and so on. The success of such experiments bolsters them to try other combinations as well.
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• Another speciality of Mangalgiri is the nizam border. The nizam border typically has tiny zari gopurs (temple tops), which run through the borders of many fabrics. Especially in shot cotton fabrics, they create magic. The weavers map out the warp yarns and then use different colours on the weft to create double shaded fabrics. If the warp threads are yellow, and the weft threads green, red, or orange, the end result is greenish-yellow, sunset orange, or a deep yellow fabric.
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• Mangalgiri cotton is available in a breathtaking array of colours. It is available as plain fabric, shot cotton, stripes, checks and special weaves. Almost everything is woven on the handlooms - dress materials, shirt pieces, double-coloured duppattas (stoles), butis (small woven motifs), stripes, checks, and sarees in an assortment of counts.
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• Mangalgiri offers an unmatched range of textile styles from a single weaving cluster. The fabrics are in high demand by designers, boutique owners, garment manufacturers, exporters and even furniture manufacturers.

Geographical Indication status has been granted to the Mangalagiri in 2013, a blessing for the beleaguered Mangalagiri weavers. The GI certification which is granted only after various inspections and scrutiny, where the authorities of intellectual properties wing verify whether the product possesses distinctive qualities, is found to be made according to traditional methods, or enjoys a certain reputation due to its geographical origin.

Mangalagiri handlooms and fabrics have already secured a logo registered for the product and grant of GI has further helped boost its market.

• You have mirror badla work evenly distributed over the field, you have elegant borders to match the tone.
• There are patterns of color stripes, large color bands, with lovely plain colored borders to match.
• You have lovely patli pallu sarees in half half, with wide borders and decorated with floral scapes.
• Ganga Jamuna border sarees with the typical but still popular temple border lined across the length, sarees with abstract art, floral, thematic hand paintings .
• There are prints, patterned shapes, lovely zari borders, designer pallus with zari or multicolor linings.
• There are bright hued sarees with light and dark self color bands, striped pallus that set off a style.
• There are the dark colored ones with wide golden zari borders and an additional temple pattern inner border that gives it lots of appeal.
• There are innovative prints, there are unique patterns, there are floral motifs, there are abstract shaped designer motifs – a whole lot of innovative and revolutionary facelifts to the ordinary plain background.

The temple town of Mangalagiri dates back to 1520. The Gajapathi rulers of Kalinga (ancient Odisha) lost it to the Vijayanagara empire. Many years later in 1807, Raja Vasireddy Venkatadri Nayudu had a temple constructed here whose lofty gopuram is considered an architectural marvel to this day and bears a testimony of the planning and sculpting of that age.

Somewhere then Mangalagiri came under attack by the Golconda Nawabs who stayed on for a long time. Many an attack at different times in history was made, that caused Mangalagiri to be plundered heavily. But during the Vijayanagar rule, the temples of Narayana Swamy had also been built and which gives the place a holy reverence to this day.