It is believed that the weaving in Venkatagiri of Andhra Pradesh originated 300 years ago and was patronized by the erstwhile royal family seeking dhoti and turbans made of soft cotton and sophisticated embroidery from a group of about 40 weavers. The characteristics of Venkatagiri saree is made of pure cotton, dyed using vat or Napthol dyes, and woven by using silver and gold zari yarn obtained from Surat in Gujarat. The colours are bold, and everlasting & do not run when sarees are washed or soaked, which is largely attributed to the quality of the water in this region. The distinctive feature of Venkatagiri weave is its motifs of birds and resembling to nature. The intrinsic weaves and unique zari designs is one of the key characteristics of the product. It is important to note that   no other variety of cotton saree incorporates the amount of elaborate zari work as in case of Venkatagiri sarees