VISAKHAPATNAM: The looms may no longer hum as they once did, and weaving returns barely justify the hours spent at the loom.
Yet in Payakaraopeta, Nakkapalli, Yelamanchili and other parts of Anakapalle district, families continue to work with yarn, shuttle and thread, keeping alive a craft passed down for generations.
Despite low incomes, weak demand, rising raw material costs and climate challenges, many remain committed to handloom. For most, it is no longer a dependable livelihood but a tradition they refuse to let disappear.
Payakaraopeta offers a glimpse into both resilience and decline. Once known for delicate silk and cotton sarees, the town still has more than 300 handloom families, though only a fraction weave regularly.
The Andhra Pradesh State Handloom Weavers Cooperative Society once described Payakaraopeta sarees as lightweight creations of intricate beauty, weighing barely 600 grams. GV Nageshwar Rao, manager of the local cooperative, says the description still fits, though it belongs largely to a bygone era.
Today, 24 women work regularly at the society, while another 292 members contribute intermittently. The cooperative continues to produce Jamadhani sarees, introduced here in 1994. Known for all‑over designs, intricate borders and palla butta motifs, Jamadhani sarees take more than 10 days to complete and cost between Rs 3,500 and Rs 20,000. They reach markets in Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai.
Marketing remains a challenge. Raw materials come from Hyderabad, Vijayawada and Chirala, while weavers depend heavily on traders.
The lack of branding and organised marketing has made it difficult for Payakaraopeta handlooms to compete with power looms. “Despite the challenges, Payakaraopeta Jamadhani sarees remain impressive because of their intricate borders and all‑over designs,” Nageshwar Rao says.
In Yarraveedhi, shop owner Malla Sambasiva Rao recalls another part of the town’s heritage – Nool Number fabric – now almost extinct. “If our ancestors had branded Nool Number, it would have stood alongside Uppada or Padanur cotton,” he says.
The decline of cooperative society shops further weakened cotton weaving, leaving artisans dependent on private suppliers.
For many families, weaving has become supplementary. Veteran weaver G Trimurthulu continues largely because he has few alternatives, while his son combines weaving with masonry. Rising silk and yarn prices have squeezed incomes, with workers producing barely six sarees a month and earning around Rs 6,000.
“Although sarees are being made, there is not enough income due to lack of fair pricing,” says artist G Naga Satti Babu.
Yet persistence remains the brighter side. Across Anakapalle, weaving communities continue to produce varieties linked to the region’s tradition, including Mangalagiri, Uppada and Dharmavaram sarees. Climate change adds another challenge. “We work from 4.30 am to 9 or 10 pm, taking turns as a family. Increasing heat prevents afternoon weaving, as even a drop of sweat can stain the saree,” say Nakkapalli weavers.
For younger generations, weaving has lost appeal, leaving an ageing community to carry forward a tradition that once provided both livelihood and identity.
“Our survival depends on recognition, support and renewed interest in preserving traditional weaving against mechanisation,” says Bandaru Ramalakshmi.