Ministry of Textiles

Government of India

w w w. i n d i a h a n d l o o m b r a n d . g o v. i n

Manual for
India Handloom Brand
Products

A rich history of Indian Handloom for the modern world

 Manual for
Handloom Brand

The products are

woven using natural
fibers like cotton
(organic, non-
organic), silk
(Mulbery, Tassar, Eri,
Muga), Wool, Linen,
Jute and their blends.
1. What is Handloom Brand • Skin friendly dyes- Products have
It is an endorsement to quality of been coloured with dyes free
handloom products in terms of raw from banned amines which are
material, processing, embellishments carcinogenic. So the branded fabrics
and other parameters beside social do not have any bad impact on
and environmental compliances. It health of the users, specially the
differentiates high quality handloom fabrics which are worn next to skin.
products. It is an initiative of Ministry of • Organic Cotton- A special category
Textiles, Government of India. of products using organic cotton is
available.
2. What is the Gain
• Natural Dye- Natural dyes like
• 100% Handloom- The products are
Indigo, Kattha, Harda, Pomegranate,
woven on handlooms and not by
Onion, Turmeric, Heena, Majistha
machines. Human skill and intensive
etc are used for an exclusive range of
labour are involved in its production.
products.
Since hand woven, these are softer
and more comfortable than machine • Socially Compliant- There is no child
products. There are endless varieties labour involved in producing the
of design, colour, pattern, layout and fabrics.
texture which are not possible in • Defect free- The products are tested
machine products. It may be stringently in the laboratory of
customized also. Textile Committee for their quality.
• 100% Natural- The products are Branded products are defect free as
woven using natural fibers like per standard parameters.
cotton (organic, non-organic), silk 3. What are all the products branded
(Mulbery, Tassar, Eri, Muga), Wool, Hand woven products of all States
Linen, Jute and their blends. No have been covered. It is a continuous
synthetic yarn is used in the product. process.
Products of natural fibres are more • Sarees
comfortable because they absorb • Dress material/fabrics
moisture/ perspiration quickly from
• Shawls
the body. They are more breathable
also because more air pockets are • Stole/Dupatta/Scarf/Muffler
present in the yarns and fabrics. • Home furnishing, Bed linen, Kitchen
• Assured fast colours- Colours of the linen, Table linen.
product are very fast to sunlight, • Garments of India Handloom Brand
washing, dry-cleaning and rubbing. fabrics.
So the colours of the fabrics will not
fade during its use.

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4. How to Know the Branded Products • Officials from Weavers’ Service Center
• Every product carries a label with India visit the production facility/premises
Handloom Brand logo and registration for verification.
number. • Stringent quality testing of fabric
• A separate tag mentioning quality samples is done in the laboratory of
parameters like type & counts of yarn, Textiles Committee, Mumbai.
ends/picks per inch, size is affixed. • Periodic surveillance visits are made to
• Genuineness of the label may be the premises of the registered users by
verified from a list of registered users officials from Weavers’ Service Centre.
hosted on www.indiahandloombrand.gov.in. • Registration is cancelled if the product
fails to meet specified quality
5. Who are Registered for Brand
parameters.
• Producers of handloom fabrics.
• Producers of garments and made-ups 7. How the Brand Helps
using India Handloom branded fabrics. • Customers will be assured of high
• No traders are registered for the brand. quality products with fast and safe
dyes.
6. How the Brand is Registered • Weavers will be able to get higher
• Applicants can apply online at wages by interacting directly with the
www.indiahandloom.gov.in. market.
• Registration fee is ` 500 + service taxes • Buyers and exporters will be able to
as applicable per item in each product source branded fabrics.
category with maximum fee of ` 5000 + • Lists of registered manufacturers and
service taxes as applicable for all items the dedicated stores are hosted on the
applied by the same applicant. official website of India Handloom Brand
(www.indiahandloombrand.gov.in).

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Special characteristics
of
Branded products

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 Balaramapuram Saree
• Traditional Saree produced at
Balaramapuram in Thiruvanantha-
puram district in Kerala, in which
design appears very prominently on
the saree because of rib weave.
• Design appears identical on both sides
of the fabric. There is no rough or
unfinished-like appearance on the
back side of the fabric.
• Basic texture i.e., thread density of the
fabric is higher than that of similar
cotton sarees.
• Less starchy finish in the saree so it is
softer to touch.

Chendamangalam Dhoti
• Very popular Dhoti produced at
Chendamangalam in Ernakulam
district in Kerala is woven with undyed
grey cotton yarns.
• Design appears very prominently on
Kasavu both side border and cross
border.
• Basic texture i.e, thread density of the
fabric is higher than that of similar
cotton dhotis.
• Less starchy finish in the Dhoti to get
softer touch.

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 Chettinadu Cotton Saree
• Traditional saree woven at Chettinadu
in Shivaganga district of Tamil Nadu
has small stripes in different colour at
the joining of the borders in warp way
on both sides.
• Simple extra warp designs are
employed.
• The texture of the saree is relatively
thicker.
• The sarees are having broad stripe or
check patterns.
• Chettinadu sarees do not have extra
weft designs in the body.

Gujarat Single Ikat Saree

• Contemporary saree woven in
Surendranagar district of Gujarat is
perfectly reversible cloth with same
appearance of the design on both
sides.
• Intensity of the colours in the design
also appears same on both sides of
the fabric, whereas if the fabric is
printed, then colours in the back side
of the fabric will be lighter.
• Contours of the designs are always
hazy.

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 Kasargode Saree
• Traditional Saree woven in Kasargode
of Kerala is having stripes, check
patterns in tie & dye technique to
obtain solid border on pallu appearing
very prominently.
• Basic texture i.e, thread density of the
fabric is higher than that of similar
cotton sarees.
• Lesser starchy finish (loom sizing) in
the saree so it is so soft to touch.
• Catch card system is also used for solid
border.

Khandua Silk Saree

• Khandua Silk Saree or ikat produced in
various districts of Odisha is different
from the Pochampali and Patola of
Gujarat due to its yarn grouping
systems.
• Geometrical pattern are found in
Pochampally or Patola. Continuous
floral pattern/ and shaded effects are
seen in Odisha Ikats.
• Designs on face and back side of the
fabric appear same.
• Blurriness is noticed in the designs
due to yarn tie-dye.

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 Kuthampully Saree
• Tr a d i t i o n a l S a r e e w o v e n a t
Kuthampully in Thrissur district of
Kerala in which designs appear very
prominently in side borders, body and
pallu.
• Sarees are mostly woven with undyed
yarns like Balarampuram Sarees.
• Basic texture i.e, thread density of the
fabric is higher than that of similar
cotton sarees.
• Less starchy finish in the saree to get
softer touch.

Matka Noil Home Furnishing

• Produced in Bhagalpur, Bihar &
Malda, West Bengal, the fabric is
densely woven and is apt for home
furnishing range.
• The surface of the fabric has short
fibres which gives rough texture on
the fabric.
• Fabric handle is soft when compared
with similar cotton fabric.
• Different woven structures like
basket, hounds-tooth, diamond etc
are used.

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 Rib Mat / Place Mat
• Produced in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and
Panipat has thick ribs in weft or
horizontal direction.
• It is one of the components of table
linen.
• It is rectangular piece of cloth of size
30-35 cm width and 45-50 cm length.
• It is generally woven in plain weave
texture to get a firm texture.

Runner/Place Mat
• Produced in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and
Panipat is one of the components of
table linen.
• It is rectangular piece of cloth of size
33-35 cm width and 150-200 cm
length.
• It is generally coarser and has woven
texture.
• If can be plain, stripe or checks design
depending upon the market need.

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 Tussar Silk Saree/Fabric
• Produced in Chattisgarh, Bihar, West
Bengal and Odisha generally hand
reeled Tussar (Kosa) is used in natural
state in weft.
• Rough, coarse texture and weft bars
are visible due to unevenness of the
yarn.
• Color varies from yellowish beige to
brown in natural state.
• Causes creases / wrinkle easily,
especially with water.
• Creates rustling sound when rubbed
together.

Baluchari Silk Saree

• Traditional saree woven in Bishnupur
in West Bengal can easily be identified
from the construction of long pallu
and placement of its design motifs in
perfect rectangular closed corners
maintaining continuity of the designs
without break.
• Basic fabric is heavier and more
compact than Benarasi Saree.
• Designs are made with extra weft
using silk yarn. No jari is used as done
in Benarasi or other silk saree.

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 Benaras Brocade Saree /Fabric
• Woven in and around Benaras in Uttar
Pradesh made of silk and jari are
heavily designed with intricate floral
and / or spotted motifs.
• Satin weave used in the base fabric.
• Metallic visual effects prominently
appear in the fabric.
• Floats of wefts are not found in face or
in back side of the fabric.
• It has heavy weight due to use of
metallic yarn and compound texture.

Benaras Cutwork Saree/Fabric

• Woven in and around Benaras can
easily be identified by viewing cutting
edges of extra weft threads at back
side of the fabric.
• There will be no clean outer edge of
the designs.
• Since design threads are cut from both
sides, the same may be taken out
easily from the fabric with the help of
a pin.

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 Chanderi Saree/Fabric
• Produced at Chanderi in Ashok Nagar
district of Madhya Pradesh in which
warp thread is un-degummed
mulberry silk whereas weft thread is
cotton, which is not commonly used in
any textile products.
• Due to un-degummed silk warp, the
fabric texture is somehow not very
soft.
• The fabric is not compactly woven. It is
transparent and light weight, very
suitable for summer wear.

Maheshwari Saree/Fabric
• Traditional product woven at
Maheshwar in Khargon district of
Madhya Pradesh in which generally
the border design of the saree is
reversible. The design looks similar
from both sides.
• In warp, un-degummed mulberry silk
yarn and in weft cotton yarns are
used.
• These sarees are heavier and more
compact than Chanderi Saree.
• Normally, there is no designing work
with extra threads in the body of the
saree.

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 Kancheepuram Silk Saree
• Woven at Kancheepuram in Tamil
Nadu, the saree is the heaviest among
all other silk sarees.
• Separate set of warp threads are
attached in the pallu using petni
technique. Trimings are noticed in the
joining.
• Solid borders of contrast colours are
woven using ‘Korvoi’ technique.
Interlocking of threads in the borders
is noticed.

Jamdani Cotton Saree

• Woven in Nadia and Burdwan districts
of West Bengal. Jamdani fabrics can
easily be distinguished by seeing the
extra weft which is usually inserted in
the ratio of two ground thread and
one design thread.
• Bulging effect is seen at the design
portions of the fabric since design
thread is coarser than ground thread.
• The extra un-cut weft is interlaced
with warp threads to form the design
from left to right and vice versa in such
a way that it cannot be pulled off.

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 Kullu Stole/Shawl
• Traditional products of Kullu district of
Himachal Pradesh in which designs
are developed with different coloured
weft threads of short length.
• No continuous thread from one end to
other is used in design area.
• Basic fabric has diagonal twill lines.
• Kullu shawl is famous for its intricate
multi-colour strong geometrical
pattern woven with woollen yarns.

Mangalagiri Cotton Saree/Fabric

• Popular product of Mangalagiri in
Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh has
basic texture more compact than that
of similar cotton sarees.
• Extra warp designs are spread
continuously without any gap upto
the selvedge of the saree.
• The texture of the fabric is relatively
soft since there is not starch finish.
• Mangalgiri dress materials do not
have any extra weft designs on the
body.

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 Pochampally Ikat Saree/Fabric
• Traditional product of Pochampally in
Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district of
Telangana is perfectly reversible cloth
with same appearance of the design
on both sides.
• Intensity of the colours in the design
also appears same on both sides of
the fabric, whereas if the fabric is
printed, then colours in the back side
of the fabric will be lighter.
• Contours of the designs are always
hazy.

Muga Silk Fabric

• Heritage product woven at Sualkuchi
in Kamrup district of Assam has
natural rich golden color. Texture is
glossy and lustrous.
• Durability is beyond life time, which is
a known fact.
• As the fabric ages its golden luster
increases.
• Moisture regain capacity is about
30%, which are more than other silks.
• Muga silk fabric absorbs 85.08% of the
harmful ultra violet rays in sunlight.

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 Kota Doria Saree / Fabric
• Traditional product of Kota and Baran
districts of Rajasthan has basic texture
in combination of cotton and silk yarn.
Cotton yarn gives check effect and silk
yarn gives transparent effect on the
fabric.
• One small check has 4 micro checks
creating an illusion which is the
special characteristic of Kota Doria
Saree.
• Design does not appear very
prominently on the saree.
• It is a light weight open textured fabric
and soft to touch.

Uppada Jamdani Silk Saree

• These sarees are produced at Uppada
in East Godavari district of Andhra
Pradesh in which the designs are
perfectly woven along with the plain
ground cloth without any float on
both sides of the fabric.
• The extra weft is interlaced with warp
threads to form the design from left to
right and vice versa in such a way that
it cannot be pulled off.
• In Uppada silk jamdani saree, floral
patterns, parrots and animal designs
in bold form are woven by using silk /
zari.

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 Tanchoi Saree/Fabric
• Produced in and around Benaras in
Uttar Pradesh.
• Feel of the fabric is very smooth.
• Base fabric weave is satin.
• Density of warp is very high compared
to weft.
• No floats are visible in back side of the
fabric which is flat in appearance.
• Back side appears as a shadow of
designs of the face side.

Benaras Butidar Saree/Fabric

• Produced in and around Benaras in
Uttar Pradesh.
• Butidar fabrics can easily be
distinguished by seeing the Buta/ Buti
all over the surface.
• It is woven either by Karhwa/Fekua
technique of weaving.
In Karhwa technique, extra float is not
visible on backside of fabric, whereas
in Fekua the backside of the saree has
float, which may or may not be cut.
• Butis are arranged in straight /half
drop/any other pattern of repeat.

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 Begampuri Cotton Saree
• Begampuri Saree woven at Begampur
in Hooghly district of West Bengal can
be distinguished by the presence of
designs and ‘Chiur’ (Designs made by
wooden pattayas) technique of
weaving in some varieties.
• Contrast colours are usually arranged
in body and borders. Some varieties
are woven with ‘Khejurchuri’ though
it is originally derieved from
Dhanikhali gharana.

Cotton Pattu- Shawl/ Chadar

• Produced in Jodhpur, Bikaner and
Jaisalmer districts of Rajasthan.
• Design is achieved by extra weft
technique without use of jacquard or
dobby.
• Design is always in contrast colour.
• Coarser yarn is always used hence the
shawl is heavier.
• Only geometrical patterns like line,
zig-zag, diamond, triangle etc. are
woven.

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 Dhaniakhali Cotton Saree
• Dhaniakhali Saree produced at
Dhaniakhali in Hooghly district of
We st B e n ga l ca n e a s i l y b e
distinguished by the presence of
‘Khejur Chori’ design thread, an
arrangement of special weft threads
of twisted cotton yarns in two colours
woven in pallu portion.
• In this saree picks per inch is always
more than ends per inch.
• Grouping of two warp threads in the
saree is noticed since bamboo reed is
used.

Ilkal Saree
• Woven at Ilkal in Bagalkot district of
Karnataka has the uniqueness of
joining the body warp with pallu warp
with a series of loops is noticed in the
back side of the saree.
• Solid coloured border of the saree is
generally broad (4 to 6 inches).
• In the body of the saree, there are
coloured stripes and checks, but not in
the pallu.
• Generally, the traditional colour of the
saree is Red / Green /Yellow and the
patterns in the pallu are woven in
white colour.

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 Karvati Silk Saree
• Traditional saree of Vidarbha region of
Maharashtra in which hand reeled
tasar is used. Fabric appearance is not
flat and uniform. There are uneven
picks in irregular fashion.
• Feel is harsh and the colour is darker
beige
• Saw tooth designs of various sizes are
woven in the border of the saree in
tapestry technique.

Mekhela Silk Dress Material

• Heritage product woven at Sualkuchi
in Kamrup district of Assam has
natural rich golden colour. Texture is
glossy and lustrous.
• Durability is beyond life time, which is
a known fact.
• As the fabric ages its golden lustre
increases.
• Moisture regain capacity is about
30%, which are more than other silks
• Muga silk has proved that muga silk
fabric absorbs harmful ultra violet
rays in sunlight.

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 Pochampally Ikat Cotton Saree/Fabric
• Traditional product of Pochampally in
Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district of
Telangana is perfectly reversible cloth
with same appearance of the design
on both sides.
• Intensity of the colours in the design
also appears same on both sides of
the fabric, whereas if the fabric is
printed, then colours in the back side
of the fabric will be lighter.
• Contours of the designs are always
hazy.

Odisha Single Ikat Saree/Fabric

• Traditional product of various districts
of Odisha is different from the
products of Andhra Pradesh and
Patola fabric of Gujarat due to its yarn
grouping systems.
• Generally in Odisha the weavers
prepare grouping of yarn with 2,
3 or 4 picks where in Patola or
Pochampally designs are made out of 8
picks that is why we found geometrical
pattern in Pochampally or Patan patola
unlike Odisha Ikat here we find
continuous floral pattern/ also shaded
effects are seen in Odisha products
which are unique in Ikat products.

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 Pochampally Ikat Cotton Bed Sheet
• Traditional product of Pochampally in
Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district of
Telangana is perfectly reversible cloth
with same appearance of the design
on both sides.
• Intensity of the colours in the design
also appears same on both sides of
the fabric, whereas if the fabric is
printed, then colours in the back side
of the fabric will be lighter.
• Contours of the designs are always
hazy.
• Unlike multi-treadle designs its
surface smooth due to plain weave.

Salem Silk Dhoti

• The chief attraction of the Salem silk
Dhoti produced in and around Salem
in Tamil Nadu is its luster which is
created by flattening the surface with
the help of small brass / steel plate on
the loom itself.
• The jari in the border and pallu is also
unique. Design appears identical on
both sides.
• Solid contrast borders on both sides of
the Dhoti are woven with 3-shuttles.
• Many times, two differently coloured
borders are woven like Red & Green,
Blue & Red, Green & Orange.

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 Tangail Cotton Saree
• Woven in Nadia and Burdwan districts
of West Bengal, Tangail sarees can be
identified from the extra warp designs
in the borders essentially, and designs in
the body which are produced with the
help of Jacquard for lifting the threads.
• Coloured threads are used for the
designs as well as in the whole body of
the saree.
• Bulging effect is seen at the design
portions of the fabric.

Venkatagiri Cotton Saree

• Produced at Venkatagiri in Nellore
district of Andhra Pradesh, Venkatagiri
saree is not having very compact texture
as compared to Balrampuram Saree.
• Borders have plain Zari stripe without
extra warp design
• Small extra weft design in body and
pallow with zari adds beauty to the
Venkatagiri saree.
• Generally it is light coloured, light
weight and soft to touch since very less
designing is done and also less starch is
put on yarns.

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 Tweed
• Produced in various villages in Himachal
Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir, it is
medium-to-heavy weight fabric.
• Rough in surface texture and produced
in a great variety of colour and weave
effects
• Weave designs used in Tweed includes
herringbones, diamonds, chevrons,
cross twills and checks.
• Most tweeds are colour woven from
dyed yarns but some are piece-dyed.

Shantipuri Cotton Saree

• Woven in Nadia and Burdwan districts
of West Bengal Shantipur saree can
easily be identified from the extra warp
designs. No other saree will have unique
design arrangements like ‘Bhomra’,
‘Terchi’, ‘Rajmahal’, ‘Chandmala’, ‘Gont’,
‘Dorokha’, ‘Nilambari’, ‘Ganga Jamuna’
etc.
• Generally, no extra weft Buti designing is
done in the saree.
• Comparatively stiff starch finish is
applied on the same.
• Comparatively high ends and picks are
seen in the saree.

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 India Handloom Brand Products
Product Items
Cotton Sari Jamdani, Tangail, Shantipuri, Dhaniakhali, Begumpuri,
Bichitrapuri, Bomkai, Kotpad, Pochampally, Venkatgiri,
Uppada, Siddipet, Narayanpet, Mangalgiri, Chetinad,
Balaramapuram, Kasargod, Kuthampally, Awadh Jamdani,
Odisha Single Ikat, Madhavaram, Polavaram.
Dhoti Balaramapuram, Chendamangalam, Salem.
Silk Sari Baluchari, Muga Silk, Assam Silk, Khandua, Berhampuri,
Bomkai Silk, Benaras Brocade, Tanchoi, Benarasi
Butidar/Jangla, Benarasi Silk Satin Jangla/Butidar, Benarasi
Cutwork, Pochampally, Dharmavaram, Kanchipuram, Arni
Silk, Molkalmuru, Paithani, Patan Patola, Tasar Silk, Ashawali
Silk, Tirubhubanam, Uppada Jamdani, Ilkal, Gujrat Single Ikat,
Gujrat Double Ikat, Karvati, Salem Silk, Covai Silk.
Cotton-Silk Sari Chanderi, Maheswari, Kota Doria, Ilkal, Gadwal, Covai Kora
Cotton, Benarasi Cutwork.
Cotton Dress Material Odisha Ikats, Pochampally Ikats, Mangalgiri, Jamdani.
Silk Dress Material Tanchoi, Benarasi Cutwork, Benarasi Butidar/Jangla, Benarasi
Brocade, Odisha Ikats, Pochampally Ikats, Tasar Fabric, Muga
Fabric, Mekhela, Chadar, Tasar-ghicha Fabric, Eri Dress
Material, Dharmavaram Pavadas, Ashawali Brocade, Banarsi
Silk Satin Jangla/Butidar, Tasar Balkal Fabric, Tasar Dupion
Fabric.
Cotton- Silk Dress Material Chanderi, Maheswari, Mashroo, Benarasi Cutwork.
Cotton Bed Sheet Odisha Ikats, Telengana Ikats, Atobi.
Home Furnishing Tasar Ketia Fabric, Matka Fabric, Matka-Noil Fabric, Place Mat,
Rib Mat, Runner, Pattu Cushion Cover Fabric, Bath Mat, Cut
Shuttle Durry, Rugs.
Shawl/chadar Kani Shawl, Kinnori Shawl, Kullu Shawl, Tangaliya Shawal,
Kutch Shawl, Wangkhei Phee, Shaphee Lanphee, Cotton Pattu.
Stole/Scarf Woolen Stole, Silk Stole, Tasar Silk Stole, Tasar Dupion Silk
Stole, Cotton Stole, Odisha Ikat Cotton Dupatta, Kotpad, Kutch
Stole.
Tweed Woolen Tweed
Organic Cotton Sari Organic Cotton Sari
Organic Cotton Fabric Natural Dyed Denim Fabric, Plain Fabric, Twill Fabric (Stripe
or Check), Grey Fabric, Dress Material, Yoga Mat, Terry Towel.
Natural Dyed Non-organic Denim Fabric, Plain Fabric, Twill Fabric (Stripe or Check).
Cotton Fabric

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 100% Handwoven
100% Natural yarn
Assured fast colours
Skin friendly dyes
Socially compliant

w w w. i n d i a h a n d l o o m b r a n d . g o v. i n visit us at : www.indiahandloombrand.gov.in