Paithani Sarees

Poem in Gold :

Chitra Balasubramaniam

The use of gold has not been confined just to the making of ornaments in India; its application has transcended to clothes and paintings too. Zari, the golden thread, brings only one thing to mind the saree. And Paithani, a fascinating dream in gold and silk, best exemplifies that.

The Paithani saree derives its name from Paithan in the Indian state of Maharashtra where it originated. This saree has indeed come a long way, as its origins go back to nearly two thousand years. Ancient Greek records contain references to the wondrous fabric from the trading centre Pratisthan as Paithan was known in the days of yore.

Situated on the banks of the river Godavari, Pratisthan was one of the oldest cities and a very important trading centre. From here exquisite silk and gems were exported far and wide. It also received tremendous patronage under the Satavahana rulers (2nd century BC). Legend has it that the coronation of the Satavahana rulers could only be complete after they wore the Paithani brocade.

Though the origin of this form of weaving, like many other traditional Indian arts and crafts, is buried in the layers of history, some historians nevertheless opine that since its weaving is similar to the art of tapestry weaving, this technique was introduced by the merchants trading with Pratisthan.

The local weavers possibly then adapted this technique and turned it into a fine art form and created these astounding sarees. Whatever be the origins, these were much in demand and were very well known in those days. The kings and their edicts may no longer be in place, but this painstaking craft exists even today to prove the timelessness of the Indian culture.

This art has been handed down the centuries by the patient weavers. Their method of weaving remains the same, as it was hundreds of years ago, and the original looms are still in use.

The gold in the old Paithani sarees used to be so pure and fine that the shine of the saree could even mirror the face of a person. Today, this has changed in view of the enormous costs involved, even vegetable dyes of the yesteryears have given way to the chemical ones. What remain unchanged however, are the patterns and the method of weaving.

Paithani saree, often described as a poem in silk and gold is very rich and elaborately woven and quite time-consuming. The method of its weaving is very complicated, unlike the common weaving practice, no mechanical device like the jacquard or jalas are used. Among other things, spindles or small tillis are used to create the designs.

Little bobbins are attached along the weft and multiple weft threads are interlocked to produce the woven surface. How time consuming is the process is described by C.R. Qureshi, a Paithani weaver from Aurangabad, who says that a very intricate Paithani saree takes about six months to one year to weave.

In the Benarasi brocades or Kanjeevarams the gold or silver motif is brocaded on the silk, while in Paithani sarees the silk is brocaded on the gold or silver borders. The fineness of the workmanship is displayed when Qureshi shows the reverse side of the saree.

While in most other sarees the knots and other threads remain visible, in the Paithani weave the motifs and threads bear a finished look at the back also.

Irresistible Lure

Every woman in Maharashtra yearns to wear a Paithani saree at least once in her lifetime. Such is the craze and lure of these exquisite sarees. The nomenclature of these sarees is based on their colour patterns. The two-colour sarees having shaded effect are known as Dhoop Chhaon, the black ones are called Chandrakala, the yellow Paithanis are Sonkala and the red are popular as Kunku.

The most difficult aspect of Paithani weaving is its nakkashi work, which in fact determines its cost as well. Nakkashi can either be traditional or contemporary.

Paithanis having floral motifs are called Aaswali, those with lotus flowers are named as Lotus and the ones with peacock motifs are Saakhli Moor.