Article Written By EIH Researcher And Writer
Aparnna R. Menon
Kanchipuram, one of India’s cultural hubs that is home to some of the architecturally majestic temples, also carries the tag of a silk city. Standing the tests of time, Kanchipuram silks and sarees are often dubbed as heirlooms passed on from generation to generation. It is hard to come by any weddings or auspicious occasions in the South without these six yards of sheer elegance.
Legends claim that the Kanchi silk weavers are descendants of Saga Markanda, a master weaver of Gods, who is credited for creating tissue from lotus fibre. Silk is said to be a favourite fabric of Lord Vishnu. The early Sanskrit and Tamil literature, such as the Sanskrit poem, Jānakīharaṇa by Kumāradāsa records Kanchi as a place famed for fine textiles. The urban market scenes are vividly described in the epics, and textiles and weavers are mentioned in numerous inscriptions and literary texts. The patronage provided by Pallavas and Cholas is denoted to be significant in the flourishment of the silk textile. The Pallava dynasty pioneered the production of Kanjivaram silk, while the Chola dynasty saw its heyday. The popularity of Kanchi as a temple town urged weavers to relocate. R. Tirumalai, the epigraphist–historian, along with other earlier scholars, has noted that the Madras Museum Copper Plates of Uttama Chola (tenth Century) describe the importance of merchants and weavers (saliyar) in the early medieval economy of Kanchipuram and the taxation structure mediated by the nagaram or market centre during the late tenth century A.D . Prof Balasubramanian Thirugnanam in his article Crafts and Craftsmen in Chola empire mentions about certain taxes that were collected by the officials of the Chola empire at Kanchipuram and its subregions. Evidence from the village of Tirupputkuli during the reign of Chola monarch Vijayagopala notes a tax on looms called tari arai. A stone inscription provides a glimpse into the taxation system in the merchants’ quarter of Kanchi Managar. This Chola royal decree, as well as an agreement by all merchants, weavers, dealers, and other inhabitants, transferred Katamai, or land charges, to the temple. It also abolished cesses on weaving looms, also known as saliyar vari. These references to merchants and weavers are very important because Kanchipuram has a long history of being associated with clothing with Cholas constituting a major clientele of fabrics. During Krishna Deva Raya, the Kanjipuram textile art seems to have certainly taken off. Weaving as a predominantly community activity is evidenced by the presence of two weaving groups, the Devangas and the Saligars, supposed to have migrated from present-day Andhra Pradesh and settled at Kanchipuram. They are also attributed to the curation of two beautiful silks known as devanga pattu and saligar pattu, named after the communities.
India is home to numerous textile industries. But what makes Kanchipuram or Kanjivaram sarees stand out is the intricacy. Handwoven from pure mulberry silk, they are made using the Korvai process, which links yarns of various colours for the body and border. The korvai method involves the employment of two or more shuttles, each carrying two or more separate weft yarns, to create a single weft passage. N N Mahapatra, an Indian textile expert and writer opens a window into the fascinating realm of silk sarees. He elaborates on the tedious processes that undergo in the making of these exquisite fabrics. The procedure begins with twisting the silk thread, which is then coloured and sun-dried. The weaver then makes the border, body, and pallu separately before interlocking them together in a joint that cannot be detached. Mulberry silk thread, metallic thread (zari), and dye constitute the primary components. Zari is created by dipping the silk thread into liquid gold and silver. A decorative saree has Zari woven into the silk; the “zari” work in the border and the pallu is often done with silver threads that have been dipped in gold. This heavy gold weaving enriches the grandeur of the silk sarees. Materials from various parts of the country are brought to weave these luxurious fabrics. The mulberry silk thread is acquired from the state of Karnataka, and the metallic thread which is intertwined with the silk to produce the metallic effect comes from the state of Gujarat. The dyes are also not locally produced in Kanchipuram. Yet these materials are all brought here, where professional weavers use handlooms to weave them into one-of-a-kind works of art. A wide variety of alluring motifs are embellished into this to enhance the appeal and worth. Temple borders, checks, stripes and floral “buttas” traditional motifs are commonly found woven into the sarees. Fashioned in some of the most vibrant colours, these sarees traditionally were restricted to conservative stripes or gold dots. Later, motifs of peacocks, parrots, sun, moon, chariots, swans, lions, coins, mangoes, and leaves emerged as some popular Kanchipuram patterns. A jasmine bud with a square or round frame locally called Mallinaggu became another imprinted design. While thandavalam design where parallel lines run across the body of the sari is a typical pattern, sarees deriving inspiration from Mahabharata and Ramayana have also seeped into the textiles along with some contemporary patterns. Since these garments play a major role in sacred events and rituals, the aspect of auspiciousness tied to these textiles needs to be underlined. Aarti Kawlra, a notable social anthropologist, discusses the aspects of auspiciousness and authenticity of the silk wear that is also correlated to the communities who create them. A specialized weaver producing the saree is said to increase the auspiciousness of the garment. Additionally, the korvai pattern, in which opposing boundaries are attached to the main body of the saree, evokes the union of opposing parts which is associated with the Tamil word for auspiciousness, raasi. The contrasting borders in korvai sarees are used to also prompt married status in women who wear it along as borderless sarees are to be plain. The colours in the textile are also believed to enhance good fortune with vermillion red and turmeric yellow being the most and black being the least favoured.
Referred to as South India’s answer to Banarasi silk, Kanjivaram pattu stands for its shimmer and permanence. Aarti Kawlra claims that the national acknowledgement of the Kanchipuram sari as a symbol of cultural refinement and taste is linked to the nationalist development of Bharatanatyam as India’s traditional dance form in the first half of the twentieth century. This silk and gold contrast-bordered sari’s elite status is the creation of theosophist and dancer Rukmini Devi Arundale, who is said to have re-settled silk handloom weavers from areas of Kanchipuram to Kalakshetra, her institution for the arts in Chennai intending to develop a suitable dance outfit. She continues by saying that the legitimacy of the sari is derived from the colonial reinterpretation of artisanal labour as local/regional “craft traditions” and the process of “traditionalisation” of products and producers that followed. In 2005, the Kanjivaram sari gained the GI (Geographical indication) tag which made it much more familiar to the global audience. As a timeless piece, these silk sarees continue to be a must essential in every saree-lover’s wardrobe.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Kawlra, Aarti. (2005). Kanchipuram Sari: Design for Auspiciousness. Design Issues. 21.
54-67. 10.1162/074793605774597451.
Mahapatra, N. N. Sarees of India. Woodhead Publishing, 2016. Pg 86-93
Kumar, Vivek & Kumari, Pratishtha & Yadav, Pooja & Kumar, Madan. (2021). Ancient to contemporary-The saga of Indian handloom sector*. Indian Journal of Fibre and Textile Research. 46. 411-431.
Thirugnanam, Balasubramanian. (2020). CRAFTS AND CRAFTSMEN IN THE CHOLA EMPIRE. 10. 170-176.
Aarti Kawlra | IIAS. www.iias.asia/profile/aarti-kawlra.
Image Credits
Kanchipuram: A Silk Handloom Hub Is on the Verge of Losing Its Identity. www.cnbctv18.com/india/kanchipuram-a-silk-handloom-hub-is-on-the-verge-of-losing-its-identity-14434632.htm
