Background
Balaramapuram is a small town in the Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala, India. Balaramapuram is famous as the center for the production of traditional varieties of handloom textiles meant for the contemporary cloth wearing style of Kerala. Its unique craftsmanship makes it an ideal heirloom. The weavers use a primitive type of throw-shuttle pit looms for the production of exclusively cotton fabrics with pure zari.
They do not use any type of improved appliances such as Dobby, Jacquard, Jala, etc.
for the production of designs with extra warp and extra weft. The identical appearance of designs, including warp and weft stripes on the face and backside of the fabric is obtained by this technique of weaving. The variety known as Pudava and Kavani”
(veshti and upper cloth with pure zari) still remains as a prestigious bridal gift in marriages. The designs with zari or coloured yarn, using the age-old technique still has unparalleled appeal which can attract even the most sophisticated customers.
Details –
Number of handlooms – 16.000
Number of weaver – 20,000
Handloom products – fine count sarees (cotton and silk), double dhotis, matching sets (women dhoti and shawl), Ladies suit etc.
Cluster Accessibility –
Balaramapuram is well connected with Roadways, Railways Roadways
Railways-15 km away from Thiruvananthapuram railway station.
Reference – http://handlooms.nic.in/User_Panel/UserView.aspx?TypeID=1242
