Weavers and their Ecosystem
Most of us associate the saree with just the weaving process. The loom in other words. Not so. The loom is but the last step...
Kanchipuram
Kanchipuram Silk Saree Colours and their Meanings
The colours of Kanchipuram weaves have musical names, all of them in native Tamil. Some of them come from the names of the fruits, flowers,...
Caring for your Kanchipuram Silk Saree
Don’t stack them up using the same ironed folds, because those are the folds from which they will tear. Instead roll-up your sarees and rotate...
Why is the Kanchipuram Weave Special?
India is a land of a thousand weaves: native to land, specific to region, linked to caste and community, and patronized by its local people...
Dyeing Kanchipuram Silk Yarn
Dyeing yarn is done by another group. Srinivasan, a young “distributor” of silk sarees says that in the old days, the weaver did everything, from...
People of Kanchi
“You young women are so stupid,” said the old crone. She sat under a tree in the outskirts of Kanchi. Frogs frolicked around a nearby...
Doyennes of Textiles: Sabita Radhakrishna
Sabita Radhakrishna is a doyenne of textiles. Her passion is South Indian weaves, specifically Kanchipuram. She is a woman of many avatars: founder of Amrapali,...
What is a Kanchipuram Saree?
Kanchipuram sarees are defined (or differentiated) by a few things. The first is the weight. In the olden days, they were made of “murukku pattu”...
History of Kanchipuram Silk
Kanchi is linked to the svadhishtana chakra behind the genitals because its presiding deity, Goddess Kamakshi is the goddess of love....
