Bhavani’s 300-year-old Jamakkalam weave finds new life through house of Jamakkalam
Bhavani, Tamil Nadu – In a cluster of 30 pit looms in Bhavani, 56-year-old weaver Agilandam continues to weave the Jamakkalam, a thick, striped cotton weave made for nearly three centuries along the Cauvery plains.
The craft, which earned a GI tag in 2005-06, is in decline. Industry estimates suggest active weavers in the Bhavani cluster have fallen from around 20,000 two decades ago to about 3,000 today as government cooperative orders dried up and younger generations moved away from looms.
At the centre of an effort to continue the tradition is 26-year-old Varsha Sivakumar. Varsha grew up among the looms in Bhavani. While studying at NIFT Delhi in 2017, a guest lecture on Jamakkalam by an outsider made her look closely at the craft she had grown up around. She began documenting the weave and sitting with artisans.
In 2026, she founded House of Jamakkalam (HOJ), which now works with 30-35 weavers.HOJ’s approach is built on continuation rather than revival. Designs start from the cluster’s own archive. Its best-known product, the Smiling Pouch, borrows from the traditional Pallu Mutham stripe arrangement, named for its pearl-like teeth.
The initiative also changed the economics. While standard yarn in the cluster costs Rs 60-70 per kg, HOJ sources finer dyed yarn at Rs 206-550 per kg and absorbs the cost. Weavers, who typically earn Rs 200-350 a day when work is available, are paid upfront in cash with a 30-35% premium on complex orders. Flawed pieces are also bought at full price.
For weavers like Agilandam and Mariyamma, who returned to weaving after her husband’s death, the work provides independence and community. “Weaving isn’t easy, given the health issues involved, but this income has given me independence,” Agilandam said.
The cluster has found new buyers through Instagram, including the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora. Custom pieces range from Rs 10,000 to over Rs 30,000 and take two weavers four days to complete.
Varsha recently became the youngest in her cluster to receive a Central government weaver’s card. HOJ aims for regular monthly orders for every loom in the cluster and a presence in two to three countries by end of 2026.
