I’m afraid there’s been a delay in posting V but there was a major miscalculation of time on my part . I had a ton of things to do , and too little time to do them.

Apart from a lack of  time, there was a toss up between which two southern beauties I should write about. Valkalam or Venkatgiri?

Venkatgiri

But let me start with Venkatgiri, soft, pure cotton that my mother loved so.  These saris are woven in the town of Venkatgiri in Andhra Pradesh. Once upon a time, these saris were the patronized by the royal family and nobility of Nellore . This was largely because the saris were customised so that each piece was unique! Even today this tradition continues and you can be sure that your Venkatgiri is truly one of a kind. What sets this apart from the normal south cotton is the fine weave and the use of large Jamdani style motifs in the Pallu. Using mango, peacocks, parrots or swans in fine zari, and set in a sharply contrasting background, these  saris have a simple elegance.

And combined with the comfort of cotton, this becomes an unmatched favourite for daily wear. With Zari thread worked in, the sari becomes more expensive and is the obvious choice for a summer celebration.

Valkalam

Ever since I got my first and only Valkalam, I’ve been fascinated by the name .Valkalam sounds exotic as it runs off the tongue. Made of pure silk, it’s border and pallu is woven with contrasting coloured threads.

Unfortunately I can’t find much information about this weave except that it’s rich satiny feel makes it an ideal sari to wear for special occasions.

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