Kanchipuram Silk Sarees

Kanchipuram, also known as Kanjivaram, is a temple city of South India is also known for making exquisite silk sarees, which has earned a lot of fan-following for its splendid weave, and its motifs.

The grandeur of the Pallava empire reverberates through their art in temples, and monuments, and also through the silk garments, which are still the most loved fabric for women. The legends of Silk in Kanchipuram is associated with saint Markala, who patronized and cogitated the art of weaving, by setting a definite structure and rules to weaving. Each saree is made from the mulberry thread, specially dyed and processed. It is then attached to the contrasting border, which has golden threads on it. The Pallu is the part that is hung on the shoulders and has a lot of designs, and motifs crafted on it.

Thus a cluster of families was originally taught by the Sage himself, and the art has been passed on to the generations. Even now, there are almost 5000 families, who are still experts in the art of weaving and making stunning pieces of garments. Owing to industrialization, the garment industry had made a paradigm shift by changing to mechanization, but the original flavor and goodness of a silk saree can only be obtained in the manual loom, crafted by the artisan.