Chanderi Sarees

Unprinted Chanderi saree 

The town of Chanderi in Madhya Pradesh is believed to have been established by a Chandella King, Kirtivarma, in the 11^th century although it appears that muslin Chanderi sarees began to be produced about 200 years later after the town was conquered by Ala-ud-din Khilji in the early 14^th century and weavers from Bengal, and later from Jhansi, migrated to it.

Muslins from Chanderi were earlier made using a local wild onion for counting and sizing; they were apparently finer than Dacca muslins. Unfortunately, this quality of Chanderi muslin is no longer made.

Contemporary Chanderi sarees are diaphanous silk, silk-cotton or pure silk. They are often embellished with a zari border, and zari motifs woven with supplementary weft threads may be seen on their bodies. The zari is patterned into a wide variety of bold designs although floral motifs dominate. In addition to this, Chanderi sarees are often printed with bagh and other traditional prints. The end-pieces of the sarees are often relatively simple with strips although more intricate end-pieces are also seen.