What you see - Tucked away on the first floor in a bustling shopping area on Ameerpet crossroads in Hyderabad is the showroom of Sri Gadwal Weavers Society. An elderly man, sitting under the makeshift arch in front of the staircase guides customers upstairs to the showroom.

Sri Gadwal is designed like any other saree showroom, with a counter running along three sides of the shop and a bunch of 20-odd assistants waiting behind. The fourth side is the display window where attractively colored sarees are showcased in their full length. There is adequate seating arrangement for customers. There are full length mirrors as well to help you see how the saree looks when draped. There is an abundance of colors, and as you look around rich reds, purples, greens and glistening golden zari catch your eye.

What you get - This is the kind of place that veteran shopping enthusiast take their friends, relatives and guests to in Hyderabad. The Gadwal Weavers Society largely sells through word of mouth publicity, considering the fantastic display of silk and cotton sarees that they have.

They specialize in traditional handloom silks and cottons and have Sico and Tussar varieties in each fabric. You will find Kanchi, Mangalgiri, Venkatagiri, Uppada silk, and pure silk sarees from all over Andhra Pradesh. Apart from these they have fancy sarees, matching pieces and Panchas (Dhotis) for men. They are also willing to custom-make your sarees with stone work, embroidery etc and even encourage you to go in for more elaborate works. They have their own looms and thus can weave and custom-make sarees to suit your taste. They boast of NRI customers and service special requests from all over the world. Their prices range from Rs. 300- Rs. 30,000 and on many sarees they claim that their prices are “less than market price”.

The store hands will drape and pleat the sarees to give a sense of how the final effect will be and Ram Gopal, the owner, offers to educate you about the weaves and designs. Due to the crowded location, parking can be a potential problem for four wheelers.

Our verdict - The sarees in Sri Gadwal are amazing and are a must have for any wedding, ceremony or celebration. They have a selection that can cater to all age groups of women. If you want to try some real handloom stuff and give yourself a classy look while enjoying some great bargains and a pleasant shopping experience then this is the place to go to.

Anytime between - 10 AM - 10 PM