Weaves of Yemmiganur

Some days back we went on a weekend jaunt or a pilgrimage trip of sorts to Mantralayam. It is a temple town on the banks of Tungabhadra river in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. The temple town is about 100 kms from Kurnool town, one of the prominent towns of AP.

We drove from Hyderabad to Kurnool on the highway, which was a beauty and a very smooth ride. At Kurnool, we took a turn towards Kodumoor village off the highway where we lost our way as there were no signs for the directions to Mantralayam.

From Kodumoor village, we went to Yemmiganur town where we found out that it is a prominent town of villagers indulged in Handloom weaving. The Yemmiganur Weaver's Co-operative Production & Sale Society Ltd, was established in the year 1938.

The society has been founded by Padmasri Machani Somappa and the board consists of a Secretary, Board members, and a Committee to overlook the management.

(Above picture) Shri Machani Somappa with some of the prominent members of his time.
The staff along with the manager of the co-operative society.

Some of the advantages of Handlooms are its Durability and Fast Colors, Correct measurement. The society supports approximately 5000 families for their livelihood.


The society deals in weaving of Bedsheets, Mosquito Nets, Shirtings, Towels, Napkins, Lungis or Dhotis, Gauze (used in Hospital Supplies) and Bandage (Lining Cloth).



We had a chance to see the process of winding, warping, Appraisal, Yarn issue, Before Warping and After Warping of the yarn.


The process of Warping.


The process of winding.
Above photo shows the process of Appraisal.
The staff responsible for disbursing the wages to the weavers.

We could not find time to go to the weavers' home to picture the looms that are used to weave these beautiful fabrics as it was raining and was close to dawn.

From Yemmiganur, we drove to Mantralayam, had darshan of Sri Raghavendra Swamy. While in Mantralayam, when visiting the swamy, there is a strict dress code that must be observed. Also, there is a list of do's and don'ts while inside the mutt as listed here http://www.raghavendramutt.org/node/8
Me in dhoti and angavastram (as per the dress code).
High-way stop for Fuel refill.

Lush green landscape along the way.
Overall we had a very good time during the trip.