Saree Search

Cotton Chettinad Saree Chettinad is an area in Tamil Nadu comprising about 70 villages which the Nattukottai Chettiars (also known as the Nagarathar community) call their home. They are a business community believed to have shifted to the Kaveripoompattinam port area (from Kanchipuram) during the reign of the Cholas (which belief is supported by the Tamil epic Silappathikaram ), and tales of their maritime trade go as far back as the 8th century although it isn't at all clear whether the tales are true. What is well established is that by the 17th century, the Nattukottai Chettiars were trading in salt and, by the 18th century, many of them had immigrated to Burma and Ceylon where they acted as moneylenders. It is with the Nagarathar community that Chettinad or Chettinadu sarees, also known as kandaangi , earlier often in silk, are associated. They are primarily woven in Karaikudi in cotton using pit looms. The colours tend to be bold and earthy with green, mustard, and r...

Emaneswaram Cotton Saree Emaneswaram in Tamil Nadu is one of two towns on either side of the river Vaigai; the other is Paramakudi. Both towns (which were, incidentally, 'merged' for administrative purposes in 1964) boast a long tradition of weaving although their arts are are not thriving. Emaneswaram is a temple town in which the God of Death, Yama, is believed to have worshipped Lord Shiva, asking to be reinstated, after the latter tossed him there — legend has it that Yama mistakenly threw a lasso around a Shivlinga at which a young Sage Markandeya, then destined to live only sixteen years, was praying for longevity; Yama had been aiming for Markandeya. The town of Paramakudi too is steeped in religion. Amongst the many well-known temples located in Paramakudi is one dedicated to Muthala Parameswari or Muthalamman, a benevolent manifestation of Shakti, who is worshipped by artisans (and scores of others). It is believed that the ancestors of contemporary weav...

Possible Arani Saree #RoughSketch Arni or Arani sarees are made at Arni in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruvannamalai District. Although they may be without zari, if zari is used, it is generally silver zari that’s been dipped in gold. Traditionally, Arani sarees were made of silk and cotton although by the 1920s, they began to be made of pure silk. There are three main types of Arani sarees: (1) Korvai sarees which have a zari-filled end pieces and double borders, (2) Tobi sarees which have a plain body and, possibly, a little zari in the end-piece, and (3) jacquard Arni sarees which are likely to have rather a lot of zari. The borders – often bold temple borders – of Arani sarees are generally in colours which contrast with the main body of the saree, and the end-pieces of these sarees tend to be rather intricate. The sarees are also often woven in a manner that makes them reversible.

Sungudi Saree In the 17 th century, King Thirumalai Nayak of Madurai is believed to have supported the artisans who introduced Sungudi or Chungidi sarees to Madurai and who had apparently migrated from Gujarat and Saurashtra. These sarees begin as unbleached cotton sarees upon which markings are made, possibly square or circular ringed dots, often to form the kind of designs which may be seen in rangoli . If the markings on the sarees are made with resist, the sarees may then be dyed directly. More commonly, however, once marked, each mark is tied with thread to enable to tied portion of fabric to later resist being dyed. Sarees can have up to twenty thousand marks or puttas which need to be tied before they are dyed; once dyed, the thread is removed, and the parts of the fabric protected by thread appear as white dots against a dark background. Traditionally, the colours red, green, and orange were primarily used but, with the introduction of chemical dyes, there are no res...

The same saree with/sans flash (L), close ups of the tassels and selvedges (R). I was told that this saree is a Chinnalapattu handloom silk saree. The material felt rough and unfamiliar to me, a bit like what seemed to be Kanjeevaram-lite, not quite Kanjeevaram but somehow reminiscent of it. The saree has no zari, is of indeterminate colour (which is to say that it's stunningly beautiful and keeps changing colour depending on how light hits it), and cost much less than one would expect to pay for a Kanjeevaram. I didn't know the first thing about sarees like this though so requested Maith Iyengar , my go-to person for knowledge about South Indian sarees, for information. Here's what she had to say: “Chinnalampati saris used to be considered a lighter (cheaper) alternative to kanjeevarams. My grandmothers both wore them for daily use. They are handlooms alright though the CPs I remember didn't have zari. The two colored effect is common with Chinnalampati – ...