The history of the Kasavu Mundu saree is abundant, and it can be traced back to the beginning of the handloom industry revolution in India. The earliest traces of the saree can be witnessed in the beautiful paintings of Raja Ravi Varma. Even the costumes worn for the dance forms like Mohiniattam and Kaikottikali during the Buddhist era comprised of Kasavu sarees.

The Kasavu saree originated in Kerala by weavers who resided in Tamil Nadu. The concept of the Kasavu saree was introduced in the 19th century by Maharaja Balaramavarma and his chief minister Ummini Thampi. 

The leaders started a revolution in the handloom industry, offering the weavers of the Nagercoil community respect. The weavers showed gratitude by using cotton to make handwoven garments for the royals of Travancore. 

To begin producing a kasavu saree, the raw fabric must be sourced first. Cotton is procured from Tamil Nadu’s Salem, while the zari threads are bought from Surat, Gujarat. Raw cotton is transformed into yarn by hand-spinning it. Weavers stomp on the rolls with their feet daily to remove starch and dirt. Doing this ensures that the yarn is as soft as it can be. After a week, the yarns are taken out of the solution and dyed as required. Next, the yarn is stretched to create the warp. This is traditionally done at a specific time, between 4 a.m. to 7 a.m. - because the temperature and climate are the most suitable then.

As soon as the yarn is ready, it is wound on the loom beam and tightly knotted to the previously placed yarns. Melted wax aids in this step to make the fingers non-slippery. All attached yarns are then stretched and made ready for weaving. Zari threads are prepared by passing them through the eyelets and rolling them onto the warping beams.

These eyelets shift from one end of the warping frame to the other and continue to do so until the desired length of thread is obtained to begin weaving.

The production process time of the plain sari with just the border on edge takes three to five days. For more elaborate variations of the saree, made for special occasions like weddings, it can take up to a month to complete.