Move Over Kanjeevarams! At Nearly Rs 1 Lakh Crore, India's Silk Capital Is Now Its Smartphone Capital

For decades or maybe even centuries, the name of Kanchipuram is resonant with thousands of weavers weaving silk sarees with signature gold borders, with motifs inspired from the numerous temples in the region. Even as that industry remains intact, the city is keeping up with the changing times, and now boasts of exporting the most smartphones in India.

Kanchipuram, located in Tamil Nadu, exported smartphones to the tune of almost Rs 1 lakh crore in the last fiscal year — almost twice as compared to Kolar in Karnataka, which ranked the second highest.

Kanchipuram's success in smartphone manufacturing indicates that the local economy is moving past Kanjeevarams - the iconic saarees with which the Tamil city has been associated with it.

Smartphone exports from Kanchipuram rose to Rs 0.96 lakh crore in FY25, with exports from Kolar rising to Rs 0.43 lakh crore, and exports from Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddha Nagar rising to Rs 0.39 lakh crore.

To be sure, until a year ago, Gautam Buddha Nagar, counted among the industrial hubs of Uttar Pradesh, was seeing the highest district-wise exports from India.

District-wise, Jamnagar in Gujarat, continues to remain the top export destination in India, exporting auto diesel fuel. As per HS code wise classification district-wise, smartphone exports from Kanchipuram comprise among the second largest export item.

India now ranks as the second largest smartphone producer in the world, aided by the introduction of PLI schemes from 2021, leading to a significant rise in smartphone exports.