Saree Tassels and Pom Poms: Designs, Types and How to Add Them
Saree tassels are small bunches of thread, beads or trim that hang from the end of the pallu, and sometimes from the corners of the border or the ties of the blouse. Many people, especially in Karnataka, call them saree kuchu; a hanging ornament on a blouse tie is usually called a latkan; and a pom pom saree carries round tufts of yarn along its edges instead. This guide explains each name, the main types of tassel, how they are knotted or stitched on, how to add them through a tailor or at home, which fabrics carry which weight, pom pom sarees, blouse latkans, styling, safety and care.
What Saree Tassels Are: Kuchu, Latkan, Jhalar and More
A tassel is a finishing ornament: a bunch of threads gathered or bound together and knotted at the top, with the ends hanging free below. On a saree it most often sits along the pallu end, giving the loose edge a little weight and a finished look. Several Indian words cover similar, but not identical, ideas.
Textile makers often sort these into two families. Tassels and pom poms are point ornaments: each hangs from one spot. Fringes, cords and braids are linear ornaments: they run along an edge. That is the simplest way to tell a tasselled pallu from a fringed one.
Tassels have finished Indian textiles for a long time, well beyond the saree. Banjara headdresses and ornaments from the Deccan have been finished with cotton and cowrie tassels, and some weavers in Kutch finish handwoven stoles and shawls with tassels and braiding. For the gota and zari behind many festive tassels, see our zari saree guide.
Types of Saree Tassels
What a tassel is made of decides how much it weighs and how it washes, which matter more than looks.
Most saree kuchu combines two or more of these: a crochet head with thread below, or thread tassels with a pearl at the knot. Thread and crochet are the easiest to live with: light, flexible and simple to repair. Stone, mirror and heavy bead tassels add real weight to the pallu end, which matters on a light fabric.
Woven In or Added On: How Tassels Are Attached
There are four ways a tassel gets onto a saree, and each repairs and comes off differently.
Tassels made from the warp belong to the saree: the same threads run the whole length of the cloth, so their colour and fibre match exactly. Knotted and crochet tassels, added by hand after weaving, are what most people mean by saree kuchu. Stitched trims are the quickest and can be changed later. To check a saree, turn the pallu end over: a hem or tape on the back means the tassels were added.
Which Sarees and Fabrics Suit Tassels
The most useful rule is weight. A row of tassels hangs from the very edge of the pallu, so it pulls on a single line of cloth all day. A crisp, firm fabric carries that easily; a light, sheer one can pucker, stretch or tear along the edge under heavy tassels.
Light fabrics: mul cotton, mul modal and chiffon
Mul cotton is light and soft, so it suits thread tassels, crochet kuchu and pom poms, which move with it. Mauve Kiss shows the idea well: a pink mul cotton saree with embroidered lotus motifs and zari, whose pallu ends in pink and white tassels. The tassels repeat the saree’s own colours, so they finish the pallu without adding a new idea. It is dry clean only and has no blouse piece, so plan a pink or white blouse; our embroidered saree guide has more on worked cottons. Mul modal is breathable with a softer, more fluid fall, so the same light tassels suit it.
Pure chiffon is the most delicate base. Fine thread tassels, or thread with a few small beads, suit a printed pure chiffon such as Juliet in pink; stone or heavy bead kuchu drags the sheer pallu and can catch on its own fabric. Our chiffon saree guide explains how chiffon behaves.
Crisp fabrics: linen, tissue and silk
Handloom linen has body, so it carries thread, crochet, beaded and zari tassels without pulling out of shape, and tasselled pallus are common on handloom linen sarees. A zari tassel picks up a zari border neatly: think of Composure in pink, Main Event in maroon red or On Repeat in yellow, all pure handloom linen with zari borders. Our guide to what a linen saree is explains its weave. Cotton tissue such as Miss Earth, a yellow handloom cotton tissue with embroidery and zari, takes zari or beaded tassels that echo its sheen. Silk sarees are often sold with tasselled pallus, and a firm silk carries even heavy kuchu; our guide to types of silk sarees covers the weaves.
Pom Pom Sarees
A pom pom saree has rows of small yarn balls along its border, its pallu edge or both. The pom poms are usually a ready-made trim, often called pom pom lace: a narrow tape with the balls hanging from it, sewn along the edge. Trims vary from a few millimetres to about an inch, with balls on one side or both, and some are nylon rather than cotton, so check before you buy if fibre matters to you. Pom pom sarees are a contemporary style rather than the tradition of any one region, and many are light mulmul cotton, often block or batik printed.
They suit relaxed daytime events such as a haldi, a mehendi, a day festival or a summer lunch, more than the office or formal evenings. Yellow with pom poms is the best-known look, mostly for haldi; indigo or blue with white pom poms is the other classic pairing.
To add a pom pom edge yourself, start with a light cotton saree in a clear colour. Harvest Sun in yellow gingham is a mul cotton you hand wash, which helps at a haldi where turmeric paste may reach you; Sunkissed, lemon yellow mul cotton with red lotus motifs, green leaves and a striped border, already has colours to pick a trim from, though it is dry clean. Citrus Shift in blue and Forest Fantasy in teal blue suit a white pom pom edge. On a white saree such as Bright Side, a white mul cotton with a border, red or multicolour pom poms read cheerful. Our haldi saree guide and blouse for a yellow saree finish the look.
Saree Kuchu Designs by Occasion
Kuchu designs fall into a handful of styles. Choose by the saree’s weight first, then by the day.
How to Add Tassels: Tailor or Home
You can add tassels to almost any saree that has none. The edge has to be finished first, usually with a rolled, picot or zigzag hem, so the cloth does not fray where the tassels are knotted. A tailor or a specialist kuchu maker can do it, and simple knotted thread tassels are an easy project at home. Cost depends on the technique, the materials and how wide the pallu is, so ask for a quote with a clear brief.
Through a tailor or kuchu maker
An example for Composure, a pink handloom linen saree with a zari border: “Pallu end only. Rolled hem in pink. Pink cotton thread tassels with a small gold bead at each knot, about 2 inches long and about a quarter inch apart. Nothing heavy, and materials that can be dry cleaned.” Your numbers will differ; the level of detail is the point.
Knotting thread tassels at home
To make a single tassel to sew on, wrap thread round a piece of card, tie the bundle tightly at the top, wrap thread a few times just below the tie to form the head, cut the loops at the bottom and trim. For a pom pom, wrap yarn round a card or a fork, tie it tightly in the middle, cut the loops on both sides and trim it round. Test any new thread first by dabbing it with a damp white cloth; if colour comes off, choose another, since a bleeding tassel can mark the saree.
Latkans, Styling and Safety
On a blouse, latkans are the hanging ornaments at the ends of a dori, the cord that ties across an open back. They help hold the shoulders in place and add a small detail at the back. Our saree blouse neck designs guide covers dori backs and what to tell your tailor about latkans; on everyday cotton blouses, fewer cords and tassels mean less to repair.
A tasselled pallu looks best when it can be seen. An open pallu shows the whole row; a pleated pallu bunches it into a cluster at the end, which also looks neat; narrow butterfly pleats and long tassels tend to tangle. With a festive kuchu, a clutch is easier than a tasselled potli, since heavy beading and tassels can catch fine fabric, as our saree accessories guide notes. Match the metal of your jewellery to zari tassels, and see bangles with a saree for what to wear on your wrists.
Tassels also add length. Set your pallu drop with the tassels included, from the hip to the knee for most days and down to mid-calf for evenings, as our saree pallu styles guide explains, and never let them trail.
Caring for Tassels and Pom Poms
Tassels follow the saree’s own care rule, never the other way round. Plain mul cotton and mul modal are hand washed gently in cold water; Mauve Kiss and other embroidered sarees, linen, pure chiffon and chiffon, zari, tissue and sequin sarees are dry cleaned. Our saree washing guide covers each fabric in full; here is what changes when tassels are involved.
Press the saree by its fabric rule: chiffon is pressed dry on the lowest heat through a cloth, with no steam, because water can spot it; zari, embroidered and sequin areas are pressed on the reverse through a cloth. Store every saree folded in cotton, not plastic and not on a hanger, and wrap the tasselled end in muslin or soft cotton so it cannot tangle or snag the saree beside it. If tassels do knot, there is no shortcut: lay the pallu flat and free them one thread at a time. Re-knot or re-stitch a loose tassel or bead as soon as you notice it.
To remove tassels, it depends how they went on. Stitched trims unpick cleanly; knotted bundles can be cut out one by one; tassels made from the warp can only be trimmed shorter. For more on caring for worked sarees, see our designer saree guide and our guide to crease free saree care.
Sarees in This Guide
ComposurePink handloom linen, zari borderPair with Gold, white, maroon
Main EventMaroon red handloom linen, zari borderPair with Gold, cream, black
On RepeatYellow handloom linen, zari borderPair with White, rani pink, green
Harvest SunYellow gingham mul cottonPair with White, green, red
SunkissedLemon yellow mul cotton, red lotus motifsPair with Red, green, white
Citrus ShiftBlue mul cotton with borderPair with White, coral, gold
JulietPink floral print pure chiffonPair with Pink, silver, ivory
Bright SideWhite mul cotton with borderPair with Red, yellow, blue
Browse pink sarees for Mauve Kiss and its neighbours, linen sarees for crisp pallus that carry beaded or zari tassels, border sarees for borders to pick a tassel colour from, and haldi sarees and festive wear sarees for the days tassels suit best, or see all sarees. For the pallu itself, read saree pallu styles, and for blouse backs and latkans, saree blouse neck designs. Every MAYIN saree is 5.5 m long, and MAYIN ships across India and internationally.
Questions People Ask
What are saree tassels called?
Tassels, kuchu (the usual word in Karnataka, and widely used beyond it), latkan for a hanging ornament on a blouse tie, and sometimes jhalar for a fringed end. Pom poms are the round version.
What is saree kuchu?
Saree kuchu is the tassel work along the end of a pallu, usually knotted or crocheted thread, often with beads, pearls, zari or stones. The word comes from Kannada for a cluster of threads fastened at one end.
How do you make tassels for a saree pallu?
Hem the pallu end, then pull folded bundles of 8 to 10 thread strands through just above the hem with a fine crochet hook and lock each with a loop. Space them about a quarter inch apart and trim level.
Can I add tassels to a saree that has none?
Yes. A tailor or kuchu maker can finish the edge and knot, crochet or stitch tassels on; light thread tassels suit light fabrics, and heavier work needs a firm one such as linen, tissue or silk.
How much does saree kuchu cost?
It depends on the technique, the materials and the width of the pallu: plain knotted thread costs least, crochet and beadwork more. Ask for a quote with a written brief.
Which sarees look good with tassels?
Most sarees, if the weight suits the fabric. Thread tassels suit everything from chiffon to linen, pom poms suit mul cotton and linen, small beaded or zari tassels work on most fabrics, and heavy beaded, stone or mirror kuchu needs handloom linen, tissue or silk.
What is a pom pom saree?
A saree, usually light mulmul cotton, with rows of small yarn balls sewn along the border or pallu edge as a trim. It is a relaxed daytime look, popular in yellow for haldi.
How do you wash a saree with tassels?
Follow the saree’s care rule: hand wash plain mul cotton and mul modal in cold water, and dry clean the rest. Tie or bag the tassels first, never wring, and dry in the shade with them hanging free.
Can you iron tassels?
No. Keep the iron off tassels, beads and mirrors, and press the saree around them by its fabric rule; comb thread tassels straight with your fingers instead.
What is a latkan for a blouse?
A small hanging ornament, often a tassel or bead cluster, at the end of the dori that ties across an open blouse back. It weights the tie and adds a detail at the back.
