Jamdhani has been derived from a Persian word- “Jam” meaning Cup and ‘dani’ meaning Container. From the available literature it is given to understand that the art of Jamdhani weaving at Uppada and Kothapally is 200 yrs old. The rulers of ‘Pithapuram, Bobbili, Venkatagiri, Nuzividu and Guraja’ princely states patronized the art. A small kingdom namely Chitrada Samsthanam (17th Century AD) with Pithapuram as capital, was instrumental for the upcoming of Uppada Jamdhani Art. Pithapuram still exists in the same name now. Weavers of Uppada, Kothapally and Pithapuram used to weave sarees exclusively for queens and were not allowed to publicize the style of weaving. Under their royal patronage, these weavers prospered well and produced some beautiful and unique products. The raw material i.e. Fine Cotton of counts 150s, 120s and 100s , Jari and Gold yarns, which are also used for weaving, were imported for weaving traditional Jamdhani Products. With the passage of the time, the Art lost its importance due to change in consumer demand patterns. During the slag period, cotton saress with small buta were woven with the help of Lattice Dobby. The Jamdhani weaving of the Uppada is cluster based and scattered in mainly five villages of Kothapalli mandal. The five villages are ‘Uppada, Kothapally, Ameenabad, Komaragiri and Ramannapalem’. Among these, Uppada and Kothapally are the most important centers and more than 60 percent of Jamdhani Weaving is practiced at these two villages.
