Regional drapes
The Telugu Nivi
The Nivi as worn in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, often with a pleated pallu pinned neatly at the shoulder.
In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana the Nivi is the usual drape for women of all ages. A common formal touch is to pleat the pallu in advance and pin it flat on the left shoulder, so that its woven design faces the front and stays in place through a long ceremony.
Wrapped step by step
Each drawing shows the cloth so far, with the newest step outlined in gold. The figure is a front view; the wearer's left is on your right.
Step 1 Tuck the plain end into the petticoat at the right hip. Step 2 Wrap the cloth once round the waist so it falls to the ankle. Step 3 Make a row of even pleats at the front. Step 4 Tuck the pleats in at the navel. Step 5 Fold the pallu into small, flat pleats, and lay it across the chest. Step 6 Carry the pleated end over the left shoulder and pin it. Step 7 Let the rest of the pallu fall down the back. Finished The Telugu Nivi, seen from the front.
Where it comes from
The Nivi style is widely linked to the Deccan and to the Telugu country, though no one can name a date for its beginning. The region is also a source of cloth: Pochampally and Gadwal are well known weaving towns, and Venkatagiri is known for fine cotton. A drape and a loom tradition grew side by side here, and the sarees made locally are cut to suit the Nivi.
How it looks
The first turn goes round the waist, the pleats are tucked at the navel, and the pallu crosses the chest to the left shoulder. For weddings and festivals the pallu is folded into small even pleats and pinned, so that the border and the pallu design show clearly. In daily life the pallu is left loose and often tucked at the waist when working.
Who wears it and when
Silk and ikat sarees are worn for weddings and for festivals such as Ugadi, Sankranti and Bathukamma in Telangana. Cotton sarees from Venkatagiri and Gadwal are worn to work. Brides commonly wear a silk Nivi, chosen by family custom for its colour and border.
Sarees worn this way
Also part of it, and being written: Pochampally Ikat (Ikat from Telangana, woven in cotton and silk.), Venkatagiri sari (A fine cotton saree from Andhra Pradesh with a zari border.).
Sources and further reading
Original text and drawings by the EveryPallu desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. The drawings are simplified diagrams of the order of wrapping, not a lesson: how a drape is worn differs from family to family. If we have something wrong, tell us.