History

The antiquity of Telia Rumal is obscure, with contemporary weavers able to attribute the practice only as far back as their grandfather's generation. This has lead most historians to conclude that the practice developed in the mid 1800's.  However indirect evidence  places the origin much earlier.  It may be possible to find traces of the rumal being produced in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries as indicated by evidence in a mural painting in Tamil Nadu showing a lady wearing a sari with a geometric pattern similar to telia rumal.    Indian cloth samples found in Japan from the seventeen hundreds also have similarities to the rumals.

Historians agree that the technique spread from Chirala, Andra Pradesh, where in 1915, some 500 weavers were producing rumals, westward to Ponchampalli, Nalgonda District, a distance of 250 kilometers. At that time, the height of the export trade, two weavers went to Ponchampalli to train weavers in rumal weaving to increase the output.  Additional villages in the district, including Puttapaka, also joined in the craft, producing large numbers of rumals that were sent to the Persian Gulf, Aden and even East Africa where the cloths were used as turbans and loincloths. The oily finish of the rumals was said to be valued for keeping the head cool and free of dust. To test for authenticity, customers would sniff the cloth and chew a thread picked out of the cut edge to check for the oil and alizarin content. However 'tastes' changed and printed imitations of the rumals produced in Manchester undercut the market greatly, so by WWII the demand gradually declined. Hundreds of weavers lost their livelihood and turned to other work. By 1979 only one master weaver and dyer, supported by 5 families, still continued the rumal production in Chirala.

Ponchampalli and surrounding villages continued to weave ikat but diversified to other styles and products, changing to chemical dyes, developing new techniques and markets. They still wove rumals for the limited local market, but the new dye process lacked the softness and shading of Chirala pieces. The most intricate designs are achieved by Puttapaka weavers who are specialists in fine double ikat techniques. In Puttapaka, a backward Nalgonda district village, the Gajam family continued weaving the Telia Rumal using the oil and Alizarin process creating new design as well as implementing the older traditional ones. After India gained independence there were government programs to encourage and support handicrafts such as The Festival of India display exhibited overseas in London, New York, Tokyo, Moscow, Sweden, and Denmark. The Gajam family were invited to participate by having work included as well as to demonstrate the skill of ikat weaving. Today they are the only weavers left in Puttapaka remembering the traditional dye methods.