Woven Leheria Cotton Kaddi Anchu -Details

The Leheria or wave pattern appears here in a dramatic woven fabric, drawing upon the tendency in historical Indian textiles for bold geometry. Being an important aspect of design considerations for Visvakarma, similarly patterned textiles were woven in Chanderi, Madhya Pradesh in brocade and in Patan, Gujarat in the double-ikat patola technique. Their popularity has continued well into the present. Such patterns and sensibilities are, equally, found across other decorative arts and architecture in India, and in materials such as wood, metal and stone.

The flat gold border, called kaddi anchu in Venkatagiri cluster is a distinct design element in the textiles woven in this GI tagged cluster. This exhibit has a broad gold frame inside which is a narrower strip and the zig zag patterns. Though flat gold border weaving is prevalent in many other handloom clusters, Venkatagiri specimens are one of the finest in India.