The design on the dyed piece of handloom fabric becomes apparent as A.K. Ramesh and his wife Vasumathi slowly pull apart the knots they spent weeks tying by hand. And like the pretty geometric patterns that emerge from the negative space, the history of the Sungudi sari mingles with that of the Saurashtra community, which has made it the calling card of Madurai’s weaving industry. It also highlights the link between this once-migrant populace in southern India with its homeland Gujarat, a tie that has kept them bound to the craft of weaving despite changing times.
Hailing from Saurashtra in peninsular Gujarat, the community is thought to have fled repeated invasions, notably of Mahmud of Ghazni (971-1030), and sought refuge in southern India several centuries ago. They were employed mostly as weavers of silk vestments of the royal families in the Vijayanagara Empire, and later, under the patronage of Thirumalai Nayakar, in Madurai and surrounding regions. In Tamil Nadu, Saurashtrians are also known as Pattnool karargal (silk threaders). At present, most of them are settled in Madurai, Thanjavur, Kumbakonam, Paramakudi, Emaneswaram, Tiruchi and Salem.
