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The Weave Guide · Cornerstone

India's woven landscape

Every tradition we have documented, with its region, its fabric, and an honest note on how often it is faked. Start anywhere — each guide stands alone.

Start with Banarasi
Three folded sarees labelled pure silk, silk-cotton and pure cotton
Banarasiबनारसी
Varanasi, Uttar PradeshKatan silk · zari

Kadwa, cutwork, jangla and tanchoi — the deepest guide on the site.

Verified handloomPriority 1
Kanjivaramकांजीवरम
Kanchipuram, Tamil NaduMulberry silk

Korvai joins — body and border woven separately, then locked.

Verified handloomPriority 2
Paithaniपैठणी
Paithan, MaharashtraMulberry silk

Tapestry pallu woven without a shuttle, motif by motif.

Verified handloom
Chanderiचंदेरी
Chanderi, Madhya PradeshSilk-cotton

Sheer, glossy, and endlessly faked by mill copies.

Verified handloom
Maheshwariमाहेश्वरी
Maheshwar, Madhya PradeshSilk-cotton

Reversible borders — and a great deal of powerloom in the market.

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Jamdaniजामदानी
BengalFine cotton

Supplementary weft worked by hand against the warp.

Verified handloom
Pochampally Ikatपोचमपल्ली
TelanganaIkat cotton / silk

Tie-dyed yarn before weaving. Check whether the ikat is printed.

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Ajrakhअजरख
Kachchh, GujaratBlock-printed cotton

Sixteen stages of resist and natural dye, both sides printed.

Verified handloom
Bandhaniबांधनी
Kachchh & JamnagarTie-dyed cotton / silk

Thousands of hand-tied knots; the grid tells you the tier.

Verified handloom
Kalamkariकलमकारी
Srikalahasti, AndhraHand-painted cotton

Pen-drawn or block-printed — the two are priced worlds apart.

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Showing 10 of 10 documented traditions
An Ajrakh artisan block printing natural dye fabric in Kutch, Gujarat
Sixteen stages of resist and natural dye. Ajrakh is printed on both faces of the cloth. Kachchh, Gujarat · Nakshapatta
Print traditions

Not everything woven is woven.

Ajrakh, Bandhani and Kalamkari are surface traditions — the cloth is plain, the craft is in the dye. They are judged by different tests, and faked in different ways.

Read the print guides

The Nakshapatta Edit

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