The lightweight hand-woven saris from Gadwal in Telangana have a cotton body, silk pallu, and a zari border. They are commonly referred to as "Sico", which means silk-cotton. The weavers believe themselves to be the descendants of Jiveshwar Maharaj. He was revered in lore as a weaver to the gods and goddesses. In recent times, Gadwal saris available in pure silks have become more popular than cotton saris.

The book Saris: Tradition and Beyond, by Rta Kapur Chishti and Martrand Singh, notes that Gadwal weaves received patronage from Seetaram Bhupal, the ruler of Gadwal. He is believed to have sent three weavers to Banaras to learn the craft over a century ago. However, the skilful mastery of these weavers did not get influenced by the Banaras school of weaving. This helped the distinctive Gadwal tradition to thrive.

The sari stands out with its double joints: a vertical joint attaching the border and the horizontal joining the pallu. To join the pallu, the weaver employs the interlocking weaving technique kuttu. This is a highly skilled method using the thumb and index fingers, to intertwine threads from the body of the sari and the pallu, twisting them together with natural gum.

Gadwal motifs borrow from nature and temple architecture, with checks and buttis adorning the body. The handloom was certified with the Geographical Indication (GI) tag in 2010.

Gadwal saris, famed for being feather-light, are said to fold into the size of a matchbox. Traditionally, the weavers create the sesha vastram (sacred cloth), or eruvada jodi panchalu, in yellow, maroon and red for the annual Brahmotsavam of Lord Venkateswara at the Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple of Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh. They also weave the inner cloth, the gadwal yeeravada.

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