The cloth market at the centre of Chirala is the commercial engine of the entire town. Dozens of shops and wholesale dealers line the main bazaar streets, selling Chirala sarees, dress material, and fabric by the metre at prices that bear no resemblance to what the same goods cost in Hyderabad or Chennai. The sarees produced here are made from fine cotton on traditional handlooms and are known for their durability and clean, simple designs — they are not embroidered or heavily decorated, but that restraint is precisely what weavers and buyers prize.
The best time to visit is in the morning, when the market is busiest. Some shops will allow you to walk into the weaving sheds behind the retail front to watch the looms in operation — the mechanical rhythm of a pit loom running at speed is genuinely hypnotic. Bargaining is expected for retail purchases, though wholesale prices are fixed.