Andhra Pradesh is the eighth largest state of India, which is extremely rich in culture and heritage. Costumes of this state are quite popular for the cotton and silk textiles. However, traditional dress of Andhra Pradesh is quite similar to that of other south Indian states. The traditional weaving styles have been developed over 3000 years ago.
Traditional Dress of Andhra Pradesh for Men
Dhoti, kurta, shirt and lungi are the traditional dresses of Andhra Pradesh for men. A dhoti is a long piece of cloth, which is worn by wrapping it around the waist and tucking in between the legs. The length of the dhoti depends upon one"s preference. It can be up to knee length or ankle length. Lungi is another long piece of cloth which is also wrapped around the waist. Men often like to wear this traditional attire. Muslim men of the state wear pajamas instead of dhoti and kurta with a fez cap (cylindrical red cap). Kurta is made of cotton and the length of the sleeves is either full or three-fourth or half. Men also wear shirts instead of kurta with dhoti or lungi.
Traditional Dress of Andhra Pradesh for Women
Traditional dress of Andhra Pradesh for women is saree, which is six yards long and wrapped around a woman"s lower part of the body; worn with a blouse. Langa Voni is another traditional attire of women, which is a two-piece or a half saree worn by girls or young women in Andhra Pradesh. It consists of a skirt, blouse and a dupatta. Girls generally wear Langa Voni before they get married or before they hit puberty.
Traditional Sarees of Andhra Pradesh
Traditional dress of Andhra Pradesh also includes some of the most popular cotton and silk sarees which have their own weaving style with traditional designs and motifs like Ikkat, Gadwal, Jamdani, Dharmavaram silk etc. Some of the most popular sarees are detailed below:
Pochampally sarees: These sarees are also known as "ikkat", which are produced in a small village of the same name in Nalgonda district. The specialty of this saree is its weaving style, which is known as ikkat- tie and dye. Ikkat saree is hand woven using silk or cotton fabrics with traditional and contemporary designs.
Narayanpet sarees: These sarees are produced in the town of Narayanpet in Mahbubnagar district. This traditional dress of Andhra Pradesh is mostly designed with plain or checks body with border and pallu contrasting with the body of the saree. Border and pallu are designed with zari with only lines on it. Main feature of this saree is its light weight and the easiness to carry it.
Gadwal Sarees: Traditional dress of Andhra Pradesh has also been popularized for Gadwal sarees. These sarees are produced in a small town of Gadwal in Mahbubnagar district. Gadwal sarees are very famous for their zari border and zari pallu on the cotton fabric. Vibrant colours like parrot-green, maroon, yellow and beige are often used in these sarees. Locally, the weaving style of the saree is known as kupadam or tippadamu.
Mangalgiri Sarees: Mangalgiri is a town located in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh. This place is famous for its handloom sarees. Mangalgiri sarees are designed with gold or copper threads used on borders. The body of the saree is cotton, which either has stripes or checks on it and the pallu is simple with small stripes of zari and the colours of these sarees are often vibrant. The sarees are weaved on a pit-loom.
Dharmavaram Sarees: Dharmavaram is located in Anantapur district. It is a very famous place for heavy bridal sarees made of rich golden zari. The sarees are of silk and have rich pallu and border of zari brocade. The pallu and borders of the saree contrast with the body of the saree. Dharmavaram sarees have different types of designs and patterns. A bright combination of different colours like yellow, maroon, pink, blue and green may be found on these sarees.
Uppada Sarees: Uppada is a beach town that is mostly popular for beautiful cotton sarees that have unique colours, patterns and designs on the fabric. Uppada sarees have rich patterns with gold and silver zari on it. The weaving technique of Uppada sarees is called "Jamdani".
Venkatagiri Sarees: Venkatagiri is a small town in Nellore district. This town is mainly popular for Venkatagiri handlooms. Venkatagiri sarees are available in cotton and silk fabrics. The "Jamdani" weaving style is used to weave the sarees. Mostly the sarees are in bright and pleasant colours with dots, parrots and leaves on it. Golden motifs are also used on the sarees, which are slightly dull. Venkatagiri sarees are of light weight and they can be worn in all types of occasions.
