Pochampally Ikat- Heritage of Telangana

Pochampally is an ancient Ikat weaving center in the Nalgonda District, Telangana State. Ikat is an ancient way of creating a design by tying and dyeing. The uniqueness of the Pochampally Ikat lies in the transfer of intricate designs and coloring onto warp and weft threads first and then weaving them together. It is known as the double ikat textiles. The fabrics used are cotton, silk, and silk cotton, and a mix of exquisite silk and cotton. The colors are from natural sources and blends.

What sets these Ikat designs apart is that instead of dyeing the fabric as a whole, each thread is dyed in a pattern and woven in accordance with the design into the cloth. This makes it a complex and long process. That is why when you look at the finished product, it is identical on both sides of the fabric. The Pochampally sari received Intellectual Property Rights Protection or Geographical Indication (GI) status in 2005. It is the registered property of Pochampally Handloom Weavers Cooperative Society Ltd and the Pochampally Handloom Tie and Dye Silk Saris Manufacturers Association.

History

This place is a result of the Bhoodan movement by Acharya Vinoba Bhave (1951) wherein land was donated by the erstwhile zamindars for community welfare. It is from here that this town gets the name ‘Bhoodan Pochampally’—the first village to be created by this movement.

The weaving happens in the villages of Pochampally, Koyalgudam, Chowtuppala, Srirpuram, Bhubangiri, Chuigottala, and Galteppala.

Telia Rumal is another indigenous Double Ikat that has evolved from what it originally was – headgear to Arab Travelers. As the name suggests, the yarns are treated with Oil (Tel) before weaving. Thus, Telia’s distinct red, black and white color, diamond, and flower patterns are famous. The craft had seen a major decline in the late 90s. It has in recent times picked pace due to the unflinching support from handloom lovers and collectors.

Weaving

There are two different types of Ikat, Single, and Double. The Single Ikat method is where either only the Warp or the Weft is tied and dyed with different colors so as to create patterns. The second and the most advanced method is Double Ikat where both the warp and weft yarns are resist-dyed. This makes the weaving process complex and grand. The Double Ikat is produced only in three countries: India, Japan, and Indonesia.v

Looms

The different kinds of weaves include the Single Ikat Akshara design (a close-knit detailed design),
Single Ikat Mungi design (a plain design), Double Ikat Onku design, Combination Ikat Chepa design
(a fish pattern), and Silk Teliya Rumal. The types of looms used in Pochampally include pit and frame loom.

The pit looms where the weaver sits with his or her legs in a pit where there are two pedals that open the warp threads allowing the weft to shuttle used for shuffling the thread to pass through freely. Pit looms are more popular than other looms, as less wood is required to build them. On a pit loom, the weavers’ hands are free to pass the weft shuttle from side to side and compress the weaving as they go. The speed of a pit loom is relatively more compared to weaving on a frame loom.

Frame looms on the other hand are made of rods and panels fastened at right angles to construct a form similar to a box to make it more handy and manageable. This type of loom is now popular now due to its portability.

Design and Motifs

Motifs used are intricate geometric patterns or square grids, diamond, floral, peacock, and parrot are woven to weft and warp threads, which are then woven together. Striped or Chevron forms are also used as patterns. Zari borders are usually with diamond design. The fabrics used are silk and cotton as well as a blend of silk and cotton known as sico with zari. Natural dyes are being used on these saris. All bright colors are on silk but in cotton, white is prominent with a contrast border.

Revival and Exhibition

• It is interesting to note that Air India air hostesses wear silk Pochampally saris that were specially designed as their uniform.

• The Pochampally Handloom Weavers’ Co-operative Society Ltd was established in 1955 and helps market the saris and other garments made by weavers all over India. The fabric is marketed through the cooperative society and APCO—the Andhra Pradesh Cooperative Organisation. The condition of the workers is comparatively better in the nearby Handloom Park. This park was set up by the Union Ministry of Textiles and employs about 400 weavers to make a host of products including bedspreads, table covers, quilt covers, and bags, apart from saris. While designs on the saris woven in homes are mostly traditional, those in the Handloom Park have modern designs as well, done by a team of dedicated designers.
• The Government has initiated the Integrated Handloom Cluster Development Programme, sponsored by the Ministry of Textiles. Puttapaka, a village in Nalgonda where the art still thrives, was chosen under this scheme. Thanks to the initiative, Telia Rumal saris which were hitherto mere relics from the past hope to find a place in the markets soon. The three-year Cluster Development program implemented through the Crafts Council of Andhra Pradesh has succeeded in providing marketing facilities.
• Another initiative is the creation of a Pochampally handloom park that will be an integrated handloom textile designing, dyeing, and weaving facility spread over 24 acres and is meant to promote Ikat designing, on both national and international platforms.

References

Traditional Textiles of Telangana – Textile News, Apparel News, Fashion News (textilevaluechain.in)

Pochampally – Ikat Weaves – Bindu Gopal Rao, Freelance Writer & Photographer

072-Ikat-bindu.pdf (bindugopalrao.com)

Pochampally – Decoding the Warp and the Weft – Bindu Gopal Rao, Freelance Writer & Photographer

Pochampalli Ikat – History, Background and Making (utsavpedia.com)

HERITAGE IKAT – TEXTILES OF INDIA