Handloom textile art in the Telugu speaking states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, India: Historical evolution and current status

Handloom textile art has a long history in the Telugu speaking regions of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Many towns and villages in these regions have been engaged in handloom production for many centuries. Differnet production centers are famous for different type of handloom textile art based products. These centers have gained international level prominence for their products. Now they are facing competition from powerloom based textile products. The powerloom based textile products are sweeping the markets. They are relatively cheaper when compared to the handloom products. The production capacity of the powerloom industry is also very high when compared to the handloom industry. This type of competition is forcing the weavers from handloom industry to shift to powerloom. While a significant percent of artists have shifted to powerloom based textile production, still a significant percent of artists have been engaged in handloom textile art production. This artice is an attempt to explore the history, style, influence, market pressures and the condition of handloom textile artists in the Telugu speaking state of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.