India has a wide range of textiles of varied designs and manufactured by numerous techniques when compared to other countries in the world. The styles depend upon the location of the place, climatic conditions, cultural influences and trade contacts. The varied topography of India from the snowy mountains to the rich river valleys and from the lush forests to the arid deserts as well as the various cultures brought down here from the invaders have influenced the growth of a number of textile weaves.
Bengal and Kerala where the land is lush and green mostly wear white clothes. The desert area, which comprises of parts of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi sport intense sun- burnt colors with strong linear patterns. Embroidery and mirror works are predominant here.

In India, Varanasi is one of the most famous silk weaving centers. Originally, it produced cotton and was a cotton-weaving center. Silk weaving started in Varanasi for producing saris, dhotis and chaddars for use in worship. Later with the growth of trade and demand for silk fabrics, it began to produce a variety of textiles in silk for personal uses. The specialty of the region is the heavy gold brocade, which has an extra weft of rich gold thread running across the warp threads. Embroidery is also a fine art of the Kashmiri people. The double-sided shawl called Dorukha is a fine piece, in that, the right side cannot be differentiated from the wrong side