Mangalagiri cotton is one of the few Indian handloom fabrics with its own GI tag. It is woven on pit looms in homes and small workshops throughout the older parts of town, in a tradition that goes back at least four hundred years. The signature is the contrast border — a wide band of zari or solid colour against a plain or striped body — with no woven motifs in the field of the sari.
You can walk through the weavers' quarter on the lanes south of the bus stand any morning and watch the looms at work; weavers are usually happy to talk visitors through the process. The APCO showroom in town and the weavers' cooperative society next door sell sarees, dress material and stoles at fair prices. Expect to pay from 800 rupees for a simple cotton sari up to 5,000 for a fine zari-bordered piece.