Madurai Sungudi

Sungudi is Madurai's tie-dyed cotton saree, a craft of the Saurashtrian weavers who settled in the city under the patronage of Tirumalai Nayak in the 17th century. Before dyeing, tiny points of cloth are pinched up and bound tightly with thread so they resist the dye, leaving patterns of fine dots on a coloured ground; block printing is also used on Sungudi today. Madurai Sungudi was among the first Geographical Indications registered in Tamil Nadu, in 2005.