Dubbaka is a small town in the Siddipet district of Telangana. The town is renowned for its temples and century-old traditional looms.
The major handloom variety of Siddipet was the Dubbaka sari with its exclusive butta designs, but the trend has changed in recent times. The handlooms now use the process of tie and dye technique where the warp and weft are tie-dyed before they are woven for creating unique designs on finished fabric.
The town had once been a large center of handlooms. The decline over the years has been sharp; from lakhs of weavers in 1980s to thousands in 1990s. Now, not more than a few hundred remain. Areas like Lacchapet, Ramakkapet, Habsipur, Chittapur are among the largest weaving sectors in the town. It is said that earlier, these areas put together would notch up a turnover of several lakhs a year and traders from the neighboring state of Odisha would make a bee-line to the town to place orders.
Many weavers are now modernizing their looms and creating a good market for these saris by organizing regular exhibits. Traditions are regaining prominence and the weavers are hopeful of a strong revival of the trade of Dubbaka saris.