Illkal sarees from Karnataka and the Narayanpet textiles from Andhra Pradesh are also much sought-after. Gadwal and Wanaparti produce materials of thick cotton, mostly in checks with a contrasting silk border. Nander is famous for its fine quality cottons sarees richly worked in gold thread with silk border. Venkatagiri manufactures sarees of the Jamdani technique with stylized motifs woven in half cotton and half gold threads. Bandhani materials are made using resist-dyeing techniques popularly called Tie and Dye (internationally this technique is known by its Malay-Indonesian name 'Plangi'). These patterns are commonly seen on long scarves, sarees, turbans,. The prosperous state of Gujarat and the princely land of Rajasthan have long been famous for the cultivation of cotton and the use of bright colours obtained through the dyeing process.

The Coromandel Coast of India was historically the source of some of the most beautifully coloured and delicately worked cotton fabrics. Here mordents, resists and brushes or pens were traditionally applied and used to produce exquisite figurative and floral designs. This Kalamkari cloth of south-east India had been known as "pintado" by the Portuguese and "Chintz" by the English. Around the mid nineteenth century, printing blocks were introduced and from then on very little freehand kalam (pen) drawing was done. Baluchari materials essentially have a silk base with silk brocaded designs. In spite of a rich composition, the Baluchar bootidars avoid strong contrasts.

The Baluchari sarees have large floral motifs interspersed with 'flowering shrubs. Traditionally, the Muslim community was known to produce Baluchars with figured patterns depicting court scenes, rider on a horse, women smoking hookahs and much more. These textiles were developed mainly in Murshidabad in West Bengal. Brocades or the kinkhabs have a long history dating back to several centuries. Varanasi or Benaras is the undisputed centre of India's zari-figured silk weaving (brocade) industry. Other well-known brocades are Baftas, Potthans, Kimkhabs, Amrus and Tanchois. Kanchipuram-the silk brocade sarees of south India are considered very auspicious and are worn on ceremonial occasions.

Today, brocades have a very strong mass .market. Due to the glitter and beauty of this textile, its appeal is increasing not only in the field of garments but also in accessories like purses, belts, caps, shoes and cushions.Ikat is a type of weaving where the warp, weft or both are tie-dyed before weaving to create designs on the finished fabric. Ikat fabrics of Gujarat, which involve a sequential binding of sections of yarns, are well known. Patola, which is also called double ikat, comes from Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Gujarat.

Ikat textiles of India have the distinction of being among the most highly priced textiles in the world. Worn during marriages, they1.re also used as coverings for royal elephants and horses or as hangings in temples and for the adornment of deities. The designs that predominate in Patola textiles are geometric, floral and figurative motifs. Bright colours like green, yellow, red and black are commonly used. A saree length takes two men seven months to complete.

Orissa's style of ikat has a long tradition dating back to the 12th century. Weavers migrated from the Patan area in Orissa, took the basic techniques which then developed over time to a unique style of flowing designs. The resist tying is done finely on two-thread units giving greater detail and fine curves. These units are tied freehand without marking out the threads beforehand.

Andhra Pradesh has some of the busiest hand weaving villages centered around a co:operative producing thousands of meters of ikat each month. They specialize in warp ikat particularly suitable for furnishing fabrics made from cotton. Sarees are also produced, with a never- ending demand as the average middle class woman owns at least 100 sarees, Jamdanis or the figured muslins are amongst the most exclusive of Dacca muslins. These muslins had lyrical names like Shabnam (evening dew), Malmal Khas (muslin reserved for kings) and Abrawan (flowing water). The base fabric for Jamdanis is unbleached cotton yarn and the design is woven using bleached cotton yarns so that a light-and-dark effect is created.

From the south comes the Temple Sari, the Kanjeevaram, from the town of Kanchipuram, The Kanjeevaram sari was first woven around 400 years ago and since then this vibrantly coloured saree has become one of India's most popular materials. It is woven mainly in contrasting colours with silk or gold threads used as borders or motifs. The colours are normally bright deep colours, and the silk is among the finest in India.

Gharchola sarees carry tied and dyed patterns. These sarees are traditionally bought for weddings and they carry a gold thread for the checks with small golden motifs like a peacock or a lotus in the centre. IIfhe final red colour of the Gharchola saree is traditionally dyed in Jamnagar because of the special quality of the water there. Rajkot in Saurashtra is another important centre for the sarees.

Katwa and sujini and kantha are embroideries that use a running stitch and some satin stitch to turn out a magical array of exquisite quilts, duvets and running yardage, Embroidered textiles from the desert dunes of Rajasthan and Gujarat, shimmer with colour in a bid to make up for the bleak landscape.

Mirrors glint, set in satiny colour-filled embroideries that adorn houses as talismans as well as making regular appearances as blouses, huge rich tapestries and lehengas (skirts), Each handcrafted piece is unique and amazingly well thought out, Chikan, embroidery from Lucknow that looks like lace, has recently been revived and looks beautiful on pastel coloured sarees in summer,

India's great tradition of vegetable dyeing is unequalled anywhere in the world, However, the European development of synthetic dyes in the mid 19th century ended the export market for colourful textiles as well as the natural dyes. The technical skills of vegetable dyeing were lost to all but a minority of textile craftsmen. However, today there is renewed interest in natural dyeing due to bans being imposed by Governments, because of health risks from numerous synthetic dyes developed.