Sarees
1. Varanasi Brocades
Famous worldwide for their magnificent quality and beauty, the textiles of Varanasi have graced royal courts and the corridors of power from ancient times to the present. They are best known for their matchless brocades, which represent one of the oldest textile weaving traditions of the world.
The characteristic feature of a brocade weave is the use of supplementary or extra weft threads. Any fabric is woven by the interplay of the warp (the threads that run through its length), and the weft (the threads that run through its width). In a brocade weave, in addition to the primary weft that holds the warp threads together to weave the ground, an extra weft is thrown by the weaver that only weaves the motifs and is independent of the ground. Thus, were the extra weft threads to be removed from the fabric, the ground would still be intact.
Zari (the golden threads seen on festive silks)
The “zari” is a silk thread twisted with a thin silver wire and then gilded with gold. Typically, 1 kilogram of zari would have approximately 500g of pure silver and around 5g of gold. In ancient times, when precious metals were easily available and affordable, only real zari threads were produced. Nowadays, silver electroplated copper wires are often used in place of pure silver threads. However, top-of-the-line Kanjeevaram sarees of South India continue to use pure silk threads dipped in a pure gold solution!
2. Kanjeevaram
A must-have in every South Indian woman’s wedding trousseau, the Kanjeevaram silk sarees are known for their double warp and double weft. The border, body, and the pallu (the shoulder overhang) are woven separately and then interlocked. This is woven so strongly that even if the saree tears this pallu will not detach.
The gold in the motifs in these silk sarees is incorporated by dipping the silk threads into liquid gold and silver. This enhances the beauty and value of the silk. The Kanjeevaram silk sarees are woven from pure mulberry silk and have an enviable texture, luster, and finish. The sarees come in an array of dazzling colors, are available in every imaginable design and variety, and can weigh as much as 2 kilograms.
Few Diwali celebrations in South India are complete without the women wearing one of these for the festivities!
3. Baluchari
These exquisitely opulent silk sarees from Bengal are defined by gorgeous borders and pallus that depict tales and scenes from ancient epics and religious texts. These silks go back to the 18th century and involve a very elaborate weaving process. It takes between three and four months to weave a saree of very intricate patterns. Unlike any other Indian textile genre, the Baluchari designs go beyond the purely decorative and tell a story.
4. Paithani
The Paithani weaving technique goes back some 2000 years. Born in the town of Paithan, in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, Paithani grew under royal patronage. Paithani uses the ancient technique of tapestry where multiple threads of different colors, along with gold and silver threads, are woven together to form a fascinating piece of silk.
Paithani’s distinctive motifs that set it apart from other traditional fabric are drawn from nature and include the lotus and peacock, India’s national flower and bird, respectively. The designs are also heavily influenced by the Buddhist paintings of the Ajanta caves. The peacock symbolizes renewal, beauty, royalty, wisdom, and dignity and is also associated with the Goddess of Learning, Saraswati.
5. Ikat Weaves
The term ikat refers to the resist-dyeing process where bundles of yarn are tightly wrapped together and then dyed as many times as is required to create the desired pattern. The yarns are dyed before being woven into cloth, whereas in most of the other resist-dyeing techniques, such as batik, it is the final cloth that is dyed. Once the yarns are dyed, the weaver lines them up on the loom to form the pattern. The design takes form as the yarn is woven into cloth.
This is an incredibly complicated process, as the weaver has to dye the threads precisely and place them correctly so it forms the desired pattern when woven. The Pochampally fabric, named after the village where this is made, with its intricate designs is representative of the ikat weave.
6. Telia Rumal
Literally, “oily handkerchief", this textile is an example of a double ikat weave. The yarn is treated with oil and castor ash to help it retain its color, hence the name. Each of the warp and weft yarns—which can be cotton or silk—are tied to the loom precisely before weaving. Usually, only three colors—red, white and black—are used to create geometric motifs.
7. Kani Weave
One of the most difficult weaving techniques, Kashmiri kani work is usually seen in pashmina shawls. The intricate color patterns seen in the flora and fauna motifs are woven separately from multiple yarn bobbins, one for each color, using the interlocking twill tapestry technique.
8. Mysore silk
These silks from South India are as minimalist as the Varanasi brocades of the North are ornate. Patronized by the royal family of Mysore, this is literally and figuratively a weighty saree. More than a kilogram of silk (that is, around 5,500 silkworms) goes into the making of one saree. A distinctive feature is the zari lace-like edging that runs through the length of the saree.
9. Chanderi
The Chanderi fabric goes back some 4,000 years and is characterized by its lightweight, sheer texture, and fine, luxurious feel. It is produced by weaving in silk and zari in traditional cotton yarn. Chanderi sarees are an impeccable choice for summer wear as well as for ceremonial occasions. It reached its zenith during the Mughal era (1526-1707) and was the favored choice of the queens.
The warps of the cotton sarees began to be replaced with silk in the 1930s. The transparency of the Chanderi fabric is attributed to the use of the “flature” or non-degummed yarn. When the glue of raw silk is not separated from it, this non-degumming renders a shine and transparency to the fabric.
10. Kota Doria
The Kota Doria from the desert state of Rajasthan is prized for its light, airy, gossamer feel. The distinctive “khats” or the little checks of the Kota Doria are formed by the cording of threads. For this, cotton is usually used as the warp thread, while silk is used for the weft. The difference in the fineness of fibers creates a striped pattern on the fabric, which on close observation, appears like square checks.
Typically, eight cotton yarns and six silk yarns are used to create a single khat. Approximately, 300 to 350 khats constitute the width of the fabric woven on the loom.
11. Tanchoi
The word tanchoi is derived from “tan”, a corrupted pronunciation of “san” (Chinese for three), and Choi, for the Chinese master of Shanghai, who taught this art to three Joshi brothers belonging to a family of weavers in Surat, Western India, and were sent to China by businessman Jamsetji Jeejeebhoy around 1856 AD.
This weaving technique involves a single or double warp and two to five colors on the weft. The fabric has a satin finish and the extra weft threads give these fabrics an embossed look.
12. Jamdani
The Jamdani is a vividly patterned, sheer cotton fabric, traditionally woven on a hand loom. These textiles combine intricacy of design with muted or vibrant colors, and the finished garments are highly breathable. It is a time-consuming and labor-intensive form of weaving because of the richness of its motifs, which are created directly on the loom.
13. Gadwal
These sarees go back some 200 years. One of the most notable features of the Gadwal saree is the use of a very fine count of cotton which makes it feather light.
There are two joints in a Gadwal saree - the horizontal and vertical joint. The vertical joint joins the saree with the border, and the horizontal joins the body of the saree with the pallu, or shoulder overhand. It is the horizontal joint's interlocking weaving technique called kuttu which makes this weave special. The interlocking process is carried out entirely by hand, using the thumb and index fingers. The weaver sews the joint by taking the thread from the body and the pallu and twists it together to make this kuttu. He uses natural gum to execute this technique, and this process requires immense skill and experience for perfection.
14. Bhujodi
Bhujodi weaving is a craft that takes its name from Bhujodi, a small village in the Kutch region of Gujarat, where this craft is practiced. The weavers mainly make shawls and stoles, although carpets and placemats are also now being made. Traditionally, these products were created to bear the harsh winters, but now cotton is also used.
The traditional Kutchi weaving was done on a vertical frame loom but later horizontal pit looms were used. The horizontal loom has four paddles with a pit where the weavers rest their legs to operate the paddles. The process of Bhujodi weaving is called the “extra weft” technique where intricate patterns are all created using fingers by lifting the threads of warp and inserting a weft thread in between. A single weft thread is passed through to create patterns along the border and multiple threads of weft are used to form motifs on the fabric. The weaves feature fine motifs, embroidery, and mirror work.
15. Khun Weave
A forgotten weave, which is making a major comeback, this fabric is woven only in pit looms in Bagalkote district of Karnataka state. It is also a brocade weave and is extremely lightweight. The khun is easily identified by the small intricate motifs and its very unique reddish-purple border.