Navalagunda is the name of a town. It is a small town located 40 km from Hubballi in the Dharawad District of Karnataka. Navalagunda means the hill of peacocks. This place was famous for our national bird and was later incorporated as a part of the pattern in the Jamkhana.
The highly decorative and intricate designs of the colourful Navalagunda Dhurri are its unique identity. Jamkhana (Dhurri) in the local language means floor covering mats widely used in homes on auspicious occasions like weddings and ceremonies. Navalagunda Dhurris (Cotton Dhurris) are known for their excellence in texture quality, originality of colour and form which makes them unique from other types of floor covering mats.
This craft originated during the reign of Ali Adil Shah of Vijayapura.
Jamkhana weavers migrated from Vijayapura to Navalagunda and continued to manufacture this craft. Even today, they continue to make this.
