Veshti Weaving
Venpattuveshti:
The Saurashtrian community weaves Venpattu or white silk veshtis and angavastrams in Salem. The body of the veshti is white, off-white or sandal. It has a warp-wise zari border close to the selvedge and a weft-wise border at the end of the veshti. Salem venpattu is registered under the Geographical Indications of Goods Registration and Protection Act 1999. Silk veshtis are worn for weddings and festive occasions along with the venpattuangavastram or upper cloth and a venpattuangavastram is used for the Githopadesam ritual of the sacred thread ceremony.
Noolveshti:
Nool (cotton) veshti is woven in various counts of cotton. 20s, 40s, 60s, 80s and 100s count cotton are woven where 100s count is the finest. Cotton veshtis are for everyday use and silk is worn on special occasions. The handloom cotton veshti weaving industry suffers from stiff competition from the power loom industry as the production rate is faster in power looms.
