WEAVING IN TAMIL NADU
Type : Weaving
Main Centres: Kanchipuram, Madurai, Salem, Coimbatore, Arni, Thanjavur, Kumbakonam
Over the ages, India has conjured up different images at
different times, but one constant through the centuries has been its
textiles and one region, which has always been in the picture in this
regard, has been Tamil Nadu.
History
Early records speak of fine muslin and silks and hand painted calicos
that the Greeks came to buy from Tamizhagam, the home of Tamil.
Uraiyur/Karur and Madurai, situated close to the cotton fields, were major
centres of weaving. They still are the most prominent centers for the
exquisite weaving products.
Weaving was a highly regarded profession. It is said the Chola princes
wore only cotton. The king's robe was of quilted cotton, with a garment
worked with gold. Soldiers also used quilted cotton fabrics.
Raw Material
The raw materials used in the silk weaving centres are not indigenous to
Tamil Nadu for 'Zari' comes all the way from
Surat
while neighbouring Karnataka
supplies the silk. Indeed Karnataka meets the silk needs of not just
Kanchipuram but the whole of
India.
Wide Range Of Textiles
Tanjavour is well known for
its cotton weaving with several centres around the state. Cotton has long
been the mainstay of the textiles of Tamil Nadu and one sees a wide range
here. Madurai and
Salem specialise in fine gold-bordered Dhotis,
with Madurai's Dhotis considered a little superior in their weaving and
Zari to those of Salem.
The Chettinad Saris
From the coarse Chettinad saris (also spelt as sarees), to the saris of
Salem, Rasipuram and Coimbatore,
to the fine gold bordered muslins of Madurai
or its more recent medium weight reasonable saris that are printed or
resist-dyed and are popularly referred to as the "Madurai Sungudi",
the weaves of Tamil Nadu offer wide choices.
The Chettinad saris are mainly mustard, brick red and black, of 91 cms
width instead of the standard 120 cms of other regions, which reach only
till the calves to allow the women to display their anklets.
The State has also emerged as one of the leading producers of household
furnishings and linen and contributes a significant share to the textile
exports of India. One sees the weaves of Karur in some of the best stores
of the world.
Kanchipuram Silks
Kanchipuram is famous for its silks. As the vast range of cottons are not
withstanding, these textiles are overshadowed by their glamorous
counterpart, the silks and more specifically those from
Kanchipuram.
From Cotton To Silk
Research
suggests that silk was a new entrant into
Kanchipuram, for till a
century and a half back, Kanchipuram was primarily a cotton-weaving
centre. It was the Thanjavur
-Kumbakonam belt and 'Arni' along with Salem that produced the "Pattu
Pudavai" Today the finer, better-woven and more expensive silk saris
are from Kanchipuram.
Kanchipuram silk saris are woven in
two parts. The Pallu-and-border are woven as one unit and attached to the
body of the sari, which is woven separately. The motifs used are derived
from traditional temple architectural forms.
Specialising in heavy weight "Murukku Pattu" the weaves of
Kanchipuram weave three ply, high denier threads, using thick Zari threads
for supplementary warp and weft patterning. The main characteristic of
this sari lies in the time consuming method of interlocking its weft
colours as well as its end piece and in the process creating solid borders
and a solid 'Mundhi' (end pieces). If well done one hardly sees where one
colour ends and the other begins.
Over the years inputs from weavers, designers and the weaver service
centres have led to an increasing variety of designs and colours and
created a special market niche for the Kanchipuram silks.
Thanjavur And Kumbakonam
Silks
Thanjavur is another silk center, which specialises in the use of Zari
and brocade work. These saris are heavy and opulent.
Thanjavur and Kumbakonam
create saris similar to Kanchipuram but the Mundhi or end pieces are
finished differently. Using a technique called "Porai" the
weavers pull the warp threads, at the join of two colours, into loops at
the back and then cut it close.
Arni - Centre Of Silk Fabrics
Arni, a town near Kanchipuram,
produces light silk, often shot fabric, mainly in checks of orange and
red. This town once wove very expensive silks but now concentrates on
single colour lightweight textiles with zari borders and zari 'Pallus'.
But with increasing labour costs pushing up the prices of Kanchipurams,
Arni is slowly coming into its own with attempts to weave the
Kanchipuram at competitive
prices.
Tamil Nadu silks are long lasting. Traditionally, they
were washed by being beaten on a granite stone (it is so even today in
many homes) and they survived many a generation.
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