Venkatagiri Town situated in the Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh – is famous for the cotton handloom sarees.   It has got it’s own unique weaving excellence and one need not compare with any other technique – whether it is hand woven or machine made.  Even today – once can specify and get a designer sarees for a price – and that will be made for only one person one time.  In fact in the earlier days – these weavers used to weave very few sarees for the Kings, and the return they get from them was sufficient for whole of the year.

The art of weaving and dyeing of cotton was known in India some 5000 years ago. We can say that it has taken its birth in India and then went to Egypt and China at a latter date. This has been established in different occasions in various modes and in several methods.  There may be disputes from other people – because today they are technologically superior and they can re write their history.
 
Cotton fabrics are woven almost throughout the length and breadth of India.
In West Bengal they are called Jamdani and follow the traditional patterns. Twisted yarn is closely woven together and so the saris are more lasting. Initially the Jamdani saris were woven for the nobles of North India. Now this art is still practiced in Tanda and Varanasi. This inlay technique is fully indigenous. This Jamdani technique of patterning is found in the cotton centers of Venkatagiri in Andhra, Morangfi in Manipur and Kodialkarruppar in Tamilnadu.