Venkatagiri sarees, softest and most durable, reflect the ingenuity of weavers and are woven in Venkatagiri, a small town in Tirupati district. Soft in texture, with solidcolour bodies, ribbon like zari borders and tiny motifs of fruits, birds, leaves and more sprinkled all over, these sarees are as regal as ever and continue to be famous across the world. In the early 1700s, sarees, turbans, angavastrams and dhotis were woven from fine muslin exclusively for the royals of the Velugoti dynasty, Bobbili and Pithapuram dynasties and the zamindars of Nellore. The sarees, usually white with zari borders or coloured bands, were mostly woven for queens and noble women and soon became synonymous with an aristocratic appearance. Previously Venkatagiri sarees were made with fine cottons of 100s, 120s counts and had simple borders of gold thread and richly brocaded pallus. But in the recent times, weavers began experimenting with fabrics and patterns and now weave sarees in cotton- silk and pure silk as well. Nowadays, Venkatagiri Paithani sarees are also being woven in this region.