It wasn’t till my three years in Hyderabad that I was exposed to the rich heritage of Andhra weaves.

Gorgeous gadwals. Sublime Kalamkaris. Stunning Uppadas. Pretty pochampallis.

And the humble and earthy Narayanpets. With their brilliant hues and wide contrast-toned borders embellished with zaris, the weaving techniques of which, according to folklore, were introduced in the Andhra region from Marathwada following one of Shivajis campaigns.

This is a cobalt blue Narayanpet that my sister-in-law and I picked up in one of our first saree exploration sprees in Hyderabad. It remains one of my favorites till the day 🙂