Silk Sarees from South India are among the most famous and desired
of silk fabrics anywhere.
Ever since it was first discovered, ostensibly by Chinese Empress Hsi Ling Shi
some 4500 years ago, silk has been the most coveted of world fabrics. In India
not only do we love silk, we luckily produce tonnes of it (in both saree and fabric
form), and of extremely high quality. And throughout the southern states you will
find the most exquisite silk sarees in radiant colours, a thing of irresistible
beauty.
Silk
Sarees are often created with Zari work on them. In particular Kancheepuram
and Tanjore in the south are famous for heavy silks sarees with broad decorative
borders and contrasting colours. But also from the south are Ikat weaves, the
most famous of these coming from Pochampally in Andhra Pradesh, while Sangareddy
and Dharmaswaram in Andhra Pradesh and Kolegal and Molkalmoru in Mysore are also
famous silk weaving centres. Though Kerala does not have a tradition of weaving
silk sarees, the women in the state wear and love silk sarees like anywhere else
in the south. Typical wedding sarees from Kerala usually have a gold border on
a cream base.
Kanjeevaram
silk sarees are perhaps the most well known of Indian silk sarees. Though the
town of Kancheepuram, near Chennai, has been making these sarees for only 150
years, the Kanjeevaram saree is now an artefact of legendary status. These are
sarees of vivid colour contrasts with traditional patterns derived from the Pallava
temples, palaces and paintings. Today however you will also find scenes from the
Ramayana and the Mahabharata and Bhagwad Gita being incorporated into these works
of art. And works of art they are, for the creation of a Kanjeevaram saree is
no easy task. The process beings with the arduous task of the silk thread being
twisted then dyed and dried in the sun after which it is ready for the weaver's
loom. The weaver creates the border, body and pallu separately and then
interlocks them together in an impossible to detach joint. However, what makes
these sarees world-famous are their exquisite designs. Simple Kanjeevaram sarees
take about 10-12 days to weave and decorative ones could take up to 20 days of
a weaver's efforts. A decorative saree contains Zari interwoven with the
silk; the more the Zari the more expensive you can expect the saree to
be. And yes Kanjeevarams are expensive, they can cost anything from Rs.2000 to
Rs.50,000 and more. So if you find that you are being offered a great deal at
a few hundred rupees, you 're probably not looking at a Kanjeevaram.
Not
only is the Kanjeevaram the saree of choice for weddings in South India and elsewhere,
they are also worn at all other auspicious and religious occasions. Little surprise
then that today families bequeath Kanjeevaram sarees like heirlooms, in much the
same way they might pass on jewellery or diamonds. A Kanjeevaram saree is made
to last a lifetime.
Tanjore and Kumbakonam create sarees similar to the
sarees from Kanchipuram but the pallus are finished differently. Tanjore
specialises in weaving the rich, broad-bordered sarees used in weddings and as
temple offerings. The pallus are knows for their patterns derived from
temples; common motifs are the lion, or tiger.
Pochampally
in Andhra Pradesh, is known for its unique design and has about 5000 handloom
weavers who create sarees in traditional ikat work. The ikat weaves involve the
yarn being dyed first, with each strand dyed on the basis of the final pattern
that has been decided. This means that everything has to be very precise and requires
the skills of true artists. This method is very similar to the tie-and-dye method,
the real difference being that here the yarn is dyed before weaving- a rather
complex procedure.
From Andhra Pradesh you also get a variety of handloom
sarees most of which take their names from the place where they are mad: Dharmavaram
and Peddapuram, for instance, also produce silks with rich designs.
Karnataka's
most famous silk saree is definitely the Mysore silk, which comes in traditional
designs and colours. Gold thread (Zari) on the border and pallu
adds elegance and grace to the sarees. Besides traditional weavers in villages
like Kollegal, Chamarajanagar and T.Narasipur, the Government factory in Mysore
produces world-famous silk sarees. Visitors can stop at this factory and watch
the weavers at work. Mysore silk draws its fame from the purity of the silk and
the painstaking production process. But don't be fooled into thinking these elegant
sarees are delicate, they are in fact not only washable, but highly durable.
