STATEMENT OF CASEKANCHIPURAM SILK "SAREES"

FAME OF THE KANCHIPURAM SAREE:

The silk fabrics of Kanchipuram are as well known as those of BenaresSarees. The things that makes the saree known to the length and Breadth of thiscountry are (i) The superb texture (ii) The colour and (iii) The Lustre. Theextreme durability, easy washability and brilliance of colour which never fadeswith the passage of time makes it a universal favorite at all time.

GEOGRAPHTCAL |NDICAT|ON OF TriE KANCHTPURAM (,THE S]LKcrw')

Towards the south-west of Chennai City at a distance of 70 kms lies thetown of Kanchipuram which was known to the British as .Conjeevaram."

Thepopularity of this town was based on the temples and still more famous for theoutput of silk fabrics.

In the visions of the Historians, the glorious past is remembered whenKanchipuram was the capital city of the pallava Kings. Actually it was in the partof the Thondamandalam. The chola king Karikala will own the credii ofintroducing amenities and benefits of civilization to Tondaimandalam.Kanchipuram's throne was ouccpied by pallavas from 200 A.D. to the end of gttcentury. Later to the cholas who held sway till about the end bf 13h Gentury AD.Then under the control of the Vijayanagar Rulers. After that Kanchipuramb€came that domain of the Mughals placed under the immediate control of theNawabs of Arcot Mohammed Ari wailajah, the Nawab of Arcot, the Deceansubedhar of the Mughal Govt. conferred this area, then comprising about 16pergamas on the British East India co. in 1760 as the reward ior their servicesrendered to him and to his father.

This Acquisation of Kanchipuram is regarded as the 1d important tenitorialpossession in South India for the East India co. The conferment was ratified bythe Emperor Sha Alam in 1763.

we have not been abre to trace any authentic record rerating to the originof th.e silk Industry in Kanchipuram. But the craftsmanship and s-ilk oroducinotradition w-ere. continued by ail the rurers of Kanchipuram riiini rro,n df c"nirriy:y. yI Asol(a the great Mauriyar King. The great Satarahams (230 BC to 2CAD). Thereafter also, this tradition was lracticei vigorously.

ummer: Max. 36.6u CWinter : Max. 28.70 C Min. 19.80 C

Languages spoken Tamil, Telugu and EnglishSTD Code o4112

ORIGIN OF THE CRAFT & CRAFTMEN

According to the famous epic poem, Silappadhikaram which was probablywritten in 2no Cen A.D. speaks of weavers who were excellent fabrics out ofCotton, Silk and Wool. In an authoritative on this poem written by SriVenkatasami Nattar in 1937. in this it has been stated that the weaversmentioned in Silappadhikaram were really patta Saliyars who were .excellentfabrics orlt of silk & cotton'.

When ths Maritime city of Kanchipuram submerged by the sea it is quiteprobable that some of the Saliyars migrated to places like Kanchipuram forsafety.

This wide explanation though looks imaginatory is purely based on thefacts that out of 6500 looms owned by different communities in kancheepuram,the Saliyars own 1620 looms. Some of the original pattu salivars ofKaveripoompattinam which was submerged in the 2M century'A.D. might gaveintroduced silk weaving in Kanchipuram. As Kanchipuram, was the capitat otmany reigme like Pallavas and Cholas, it is likely these weaver took to silkweaving io cater to the needs of the members of the royal family.

MODE.OF PRODUCTION:

The Chief equipment used in for this Industry are of 2 types.

1 . Throw shuttle Looms2. Fly Shuttle Looms

In Kancheepuram, Cotton Cloths are woven by the fly shutile looms. Thetexure of the cotton fabrics is loose. Artisans accustomed to weave loosetextured fabric need no requisite skill.

while the burk of sirk fabrics are woven on Throw shutfie rooms. TheTexture in silk fabrics is tight and close as that of Lungies. This type of tenuieneeds a special requisite skiil and needs patience to produce ti6rics ot nighpicks on throw shuttle looms.

As mentioned above, 2 typ?s olFquipments are broadly used Fly shutflelooks and rhrow shutfle Looms. But rty snutte rooms are noimaily engaged inwoving plain blouses and shirting pieces in devoid of any design.

Only throw shutile looms are engaged in woving silk sarees.

The parts that are involvedKanchipuram silk sarees are:

1. The Slay2. Treadles3. Reed4. Healds

in creating the magnificient designs of

5. Warp beams6. Cloth beam7. Shuttle with pin

_8. Lease Rods

The Reed through which the warp passes is fixed to the slay. lt ismanually operated by hand. The treadles are attached to the healds and inconjunction with the lease rods pravide the necessary shedding for the shutfle topass through in the process ofweaving. The shutile containslhe pirn on whichthe weft yam is wound the warp beam is primarily designed to provide thenecessary tension while weaving and the cloth beam is used to red the clothwoven. The shuttle tr:ivels to and fro and is thrown by hard from one end to theother. The warp-wise threads are called ENDS while the weft-wise tnreaas areknown as'picks'. The reeds used by weavers at Kanchiupuram are manufactureout of bamboo sticks or stalks of cholam.,

The other material tools used for weaving are

1. Country Bobbin and stand (parivattam and Tappal Kattai).2. Vertical Charka with pirn3. Twisting Machine commonly known as Dola.4. Warping Machine.

Raw material used in the manufacturing process depends upon the kind of sareeproduced. one kind saree is woven out of pure silk without gold ra"e anJin"other kind is heavier and most lustrous called tissue sarees.

Gold Lace & Gotd tnTg"9-!!{ is a'Marc, weighing 245 gms containingeight skeins, the length of which2200 to 2400 yards.

-Foiwet tni weaveri usE

lace wound on Bobbins. one Marc contains 4 bobbins. Frattened sirver wire iscoiled round filature reeled raw silk conceal the silk thread. This silver thread iscoated with gold to produce lace used in the production of silk sarees.

The total constituents of the Lace.

SilversitkGold

191 .00 gms (78%)51.55 gms (217o)2.45 qms

245 gms. 100%

.-..__The.following 3 preparatory processes are common to both JAR| orwARP and the sAppuRr .or we* Firsty, the koia is attachea to in" ""r"trvstand or TAPPAL KATTAT from which it- is wound on to the pARrvATrAiil.

secondly, the Kora wound on the parivattam is now rransrerred to prRNS withthe aid of the verticar charka. The rotary rou"r"nt of the charka *inJ, in"l(ora on the pirns. The next proc.ss consists in twisting the yarn into ,r,"inr. -Ji

pirns are attached simurtaneousry to the twisting rr.r,rn" ,i,. tn" ooLnlni teyarn on 32 pirns is twisted by this machine inil to skeins. in t[i. pr"*rr'Jitwisting, 2 strands of Kora or Raw sirk are twi;ted;;to a singre firament. ln the_"1:9

ol ,Sgnnuri or_weft yarn, the twisted t<ora wnicn is in thi f"r, ;i ;lJil;'[removed from the Dola and dyed before weaving. in the;;; i;rilru;;yarn' the two twisred firaments from the dora are agarn wound on to theParivattam. Thus four twisrej kgrp tramenlsioim J'ringi'" nr"r""t

"r,iir,; y"i".The Parivattam containino the kora yarn rn tarlnlJ tne warping machine andwarps of 1_8 yards are preiared.

2. DEGUMMING

Each warp or weft yarn to be dyed weights one pound. This weight isknown as 'THADAI'. Three Thadais are immersed in a copper vessel containingcold waterfor three to five minutes. They are then squeezed and inserted intotwo bamboo rods of size 3' x |W. In the meantime, about4 gallons of water areraised to boiling point in a copper pot of diameter 2' and height 1W. One bar ofUSNA SOAP weighing about 600 grams is dissolved in the boiling water. Thissoap is made locally with lime and caustic soda, coconut oil and resin. TheThadais are immersed in this bath and constantly turned at intervals of 2 to 3minutes. While so turning the Thadais, care is taken to ensure that they do notcome into contact with the sides of the vessel unlerss there is water. After 15minutes, it is found that the silk has a wavy appearance which indicates that theprocess of de-gumming is complete. The yarn is then squeezed and rinsedthrice in three separate vessels, each vessel containing four to five gallons ofwater.

3. DYEING

Two Thadais (2lbs) are tied at a time. Coloured powder as perrequirements is dissolved in two gallons of water. The quantity of powderdepends upont the type of colour required and the exact nuances of shade andeffect needed. The Thadais are immersed in this bath and frequenfly turned for 3to 5 minutes. They are then removed and squeezed. The coloured water left inthe vessel in then poured out into a copper pot containing three gallons of waler.The pot is placed on the hearth and the temperature raised to boiling point. Assoon as the colour bath begins to boil, two thadais are once again immersed intothis bath with the aid of bamboo rods and turned over once in two or threeminutes. After 15 minutes, the dyeing process is completed. The Thadais areremoved, squeezed and rinsed thrice in cold water. Each Thadai so dyed istreated with the juice of lime fruit to improve its luster and to remove the dirtwhich is at times retained in spite of the washing in cold water. The juice of 5lemon fruits is squeezed into a mud or copper pot containing two gallons ofwater. This water is then filtered and poured into another vessel and the dyedwarp or weft yarn is immersed in this solution for 3 to Sminutes and subjected tofre_quent turning. Apart from removing the dirt and improving luster, this impartssoftness to the raw silk. lf lemons are not available, acetic acid is used, half anounce of acetic acid being sufficient for 1 lb. of yarn. During the season r.e.,January to March, when lime fruits are available in plenty, welvers find it moreeconomical to use lime juice than acetic acid. The yarn is then removed from thebath, squeezed out and dried in the shade.

Two lbs. of raw silk are degummed and dyed at a time. The yarn isimmersed in a cold bath containing coloured water as explained earlier. Afterhaving turned it three or four times, it is taken out of thb bath, squeezed indinserted into 2 bamboo rods. The pots in which there is remnant of colouredwater is then placed on the hearth, 5 gallons of water are poured into it and thetemperature gradually raised. Usna soap weighing 400 to S00 grams is added tothe solution. As soon as the temperature reichel 1400 F, thiraw slil. wnicr, i.held on the bamboo rods is immersed in this bath, turned three or four times,taken out and squeezed. when the water reaches boiring point, the yarn is;n;;again immersed and turned once in 2 or 3 minutes. This immeriion is of 15minutes duration by which time the process of degumming and dyeing iscompleted. The yarn now has a wavy appearance. rt G then tf,ateo *rin

"J"ti"

For all dyes produced by the firms of "GErGy" and "rcl" which are direct corours,this process is applicable.

Degumming is to be done prior tq dyeing for the following colours:

acid or lemon juice as alreadyfollowing colours:

1. Brown2. Nelson Blue3. Grey4. M.S. Blue5. Manure

1. lCl Procion colour2. Green3. Black4. Kanakambaram5. Orange

Dark Shades

M.S. blue 4% of weight of yarn

Green 4o/o of weight of yarn

Chilli red 4% of weight of yarn

BlackT .5o/o

Arakku 5%

indicated. This process is limited only to the

6. Chilli Red7. Olive8. Raw Coffee seed colour9. Magenta

6. Arakku7. Rathi Blue8. Ramar Green9. Anandas10. Violet

Light Shades

December 0.5%.

Geva colour 1.5%.

Nelson Blue 2.5%

The quantity of po,vderdye.used depends on the quantity of yarn to be dyed.For dark shades, the percentage.is higher whire for ri'ght shadd, tne peiceniageis proportionately lower. A few dark and light shadel with the percentages iiegiven below:

4o-

-do-

The figures- are approximate.. The quantity of powder used varies according tothe depth o{.shade required, the maximum ior darker shades being 5%;;;6id,black in which case it isJO%. lh-e_fjrlns supplying cotours are the lmperialchemical Indusrries, crBA and GErGy. triopir, a ureacr,ing"Jg;nimanufactured by GErGy is used onry when white sarees are to be producedFor 2 lbs. of raw silk, 6 gram.s otiinopal

"r" "O-a"O with Usna,o"p,n-,Ldegumming. After degummhg, the yarn ir rqu""i"o and rinsed in cold water.This is again immersed in a ba-th coniaining 1i t;s Tinopat dissok; ;;l;;gallons of water,

6. DRESSING:

The weaver who receives the coloured warps and dyed sappuri proceedsas follows:

- The.wgrp is given a dressing by_stretching it out in the open. For thispurpose, stout bamboo rods are taken, -fixed

crosi-wise and firmry secured uv arope passing over a treste.to a.peg or pote tirmty tx"J to tt" grouil0. ri,J-*"i,] i"then stretched over these bamuools uv roopinginem-"t"""r,inJ. br.f""a iii

are removed from the threads and broken ends are carefully mended'Alterwards the warp is removed by a person as follows:

He stands at one and removing this end rolls the warp round his two arms

so that it forms a loop until he reaches two thirds the way' Afterwards, her€moves the looped warp and proceeds to twist the yarn into a hank till hereaches the other end. (For an appreciation of this performance please seephotograph on the opposite page.).

6. SIZING:

Sizing is done before sun-rise to ensure that the ends do not stick to oneanother. Firstly, 3/4h Madras Measure of boiled rice is taken and rice kanji orrice gruel is prepared by boiling this rice with water. This is allowed to remain for2 days, taken out, filtered and diluted in a pot containing about 1% gallons ofwater. One-fourth of ounce of coconut oil is added to this solution. The warp isthen dropped into this solution and turned constantly for 5 minutes to enable6very portlon of the warp to get a uniform 'Sizing". The warp is then taken out ofthe vessel, squeezed and stretched once again as in the case of 'Dressing" sothat it may dry in the sun. within an hour, the warp is dried. The "Sized" warp isthen rolled as before and brought to the loom.

7, PIECING:

The reeds in the loom are made out of stalks of cholam and aremanufactured by the Muslim families in Kanchipuram. There are 2 sizes ofreeds, one 50" width for sarees and the other 36' to 42' width for skirt pieces.The healds which consist of two bamboo rods at the top and two at the bottomare prepared by the Sathanies. The dimensions of these are similar to the reeds.The next parts are the 'PUNIES' or shedding rods placed at a distance of 6"from the healds. Certain portions of the old yarn of the saree already woven onthe loom remains behind after the saree has been cut out and during this stageeach yarn or thread of the newly prepared-warp is attached to the correspondingthread of the previous saree. The Punies or shedding rods assist in separatingthe individual threads of the old warp before it is joined to the new warp. This isa ctelicate and slow process and requires great skill and patience on the part ofthe weaver. This process takes anything between 8 to 12 hours depending onthe individual ability of approximate the weaver. lf there is no member in theweaver's family to do this operation, he has to incur an expenditure of Rs.1.75 aswages to complete the work;

8. ALUPPIDUTHAL:

The new warp which has been jgined to the remnants of the old warp isagain stretched in the streets for the next process known in local patois asAluppiduthal, i.e., to ensure that all ends are even and are not tangled. Brokonends, if any, are also mended. lt is at this stage that the weaver pushes forwardthe healds and the reed to as to bring the ends of the new war.p within the reedand healds. Two persons stand on either side of the warp and by operating thehealds weave 12 picks with white cotton thread by manipulating the throw shutilefrom end to end of the new warp so that the reed may not slip out of the warp. Atthe end of this operation, the warp is once again rolled and brought to the'loomwhere the reed is fixed to the slay of the loom. This operation tikes about twohours. The preparations are now complete and the actual weaving operationoommencea.

9, FIXING THE WARP TO THE LOOM:

The yarn is divided on the loom into 18 segments. One end of it is fixed tothe cloth beam (PADAMARAM) and the other end to the warp beam(OODUKATTAI). The distance between the cloth beam and the warp beam is '12

ft. For a normal 6 yards saree, the warp has to be stretch€d to this distance inordei to weave 3 yards of the saree. After weaving this length the warp has to bestretghed once again to make a 6 yards saree. lf the distance is less than 12 ft.thd weaver cannot weave three yards without stretching it again. Hence he mayhave to slretch it more than once, a process which is likely to be ratheroumbersome. The length of the stretched warp should be such as to ensuretension while weaving and should be adequate enough for the free operation ofthe slay.

10. JQ|NTNG OF LACE:

The designs are prepared by appliances named Jungu or Adai made ofbed-room lamp wicks and twine. Apart from the nine expert designers, there areseveral other designers also in Kanchipuram who prepare saree border designson graph sheets and transfer the designs lo the harness known as Adai. iheweaver takes these design Adais to the loom in his house, gives the necessarycord connections while the gold threads on either side of the warp are drawnthrough the eyes of the design healds. The joining of lace or gold thread is adifficult process and is done as follows:

The healds through which the lace has to be passect are known to theweaver€s PEfiuvlzHUDU or Design Healds which consist of pear drop piecesof cotton threads, multi colour glass beads in the middle and tilreaded'throuohlong iron needles known as lingoes. At first, some old silk threads ar" pas"Edthrough the glass beads in the design healds. Now lace which has beenprepared from the warping machine is connected to these old silk threads inorder to avoid contact of fingers with the lace. The lace is stretched on the outersides of the warp yarn to the same length and is fixed to one end or both sides ofthe warp beam depending on whether the saree has a one-side or a double sideborder. The old silk threads which have been joined to the lace (gold thread)have to be. passed through the healds. The hole or gap in the desigi healds arerelated t_o the corresponding hole or gap in the healds. After passirig through thehealds, 2 pieces of silk thread which are attached to the gold ihreao-are;oiiec totwo pieces of the silk thread.which have already been palsed through the reeds.Now to pass the threads with the attached gold lace through the re6ds, a cottonstring is tied.to the segments. on top of the sirk yarn. ihe cotton string ii",b€tween the joined pieces of lbce and silk. Aftenrvards, the shutfle is iniertedbe{ee1- the attached pieces of gord race and sirk yarn and the threads arepushed

fonrvard through the dents in the r,eed. Then the old silk threads to *ni"nthe gold threads are attached are firmry fixed to the croth beam. After this isdone, the lace which has been tied to bne end of the warp beam is detachedTdJi€9.t9 the separate rod known as the.pATTU OODU lGTTAf" oit_"""ueam. I nrs beam ries berow the warp beam. A thick rope is attached to this lace::-1T,T_d this is taken.up over the toom, runs tengtirwise to the d; ";Jl;orougnr oown where weights are attached to it. This not onry horos the race inthe conect position but arso provides the necessary tension whire weaving.

11. PREPARATI9N oF ApAl

To prepare the Desig.n Adai or Jungu, an oulhne saree border design isfirst drawn to scare on drawing paper and inil ii tn"" traced on "

.h;"a;f d;j;

paper. The necessary weaves are given to the designer ahd inked-in squaresare marked by him on the gridded paper for the portions where figures come in.now the design is ready for the harness or Adai preparation, a country stylejacquard attachment whereby th6 various designs and patterns on the sarees areachieved. Suppose the design has 50 Ends (Warp yarns) and 40 picks (weftyams). Then 60 green twine strings are fixed on to a rectangular wooden frame.'Ihe design is read towards the weft way and as many green threads as there areblank spaces in the first line in the design starts with 2 blank squares, one black.4 blank, 8 black squares, 2 blank and so on. Then the first two strings are takenup, the._third string left out, the 4th, srh, 6th and 7th taken up, Bh to 1Srhleft out, 16thand 17' taken up and so on. The collected strings are preserved in this order byattaching them to a bamboo stick through which a reel thread is passed; now asmooth plank of wood g'x4' and %" lhick is placed over the green threads.loops are made over this plank and the first and last ends of the reel thread arejoined by means of a knot. The plank of wood is then removed and a tabularband is connected to the tops of the loop. This completes one pick (weft yarn).In the same way, the harness for other picks is also prepared. Next the harnessframe is reversed and all loops made with the green thread are collected andjoined to a mounting c.ard 2/z yards in length. Then the loops of the next greencord are collected and another mounting cord is attached to it. After connectingall the mounting cords, 60 in number, all the green strings are pulled out of theloops and the harness is taken to be attached to the loom. The lower portion ofthe mounting cords are connected to the design healds with the glass beads inthe middle and the iron needle known as Lingoes at the bottom bf the healds.The gold threads are now passed through the glass beads and through the reeoand the loom is ready for weaving.

12. WEAVING:

The right end cord of the Jungu is pulled down and fixed to a nail 6,,below its original position. The weaver presses down the right treadle of theloom to obtain lhe necessary shedding of the warp, throws th6 shutfle from theright hand side to the left and the pick is beaten. The right treadle is releasedand the left treadle pressed down to once again obtain the shedding and theweaver now throws the shuttle from the left to the right. Two pickJ are thuswoven for one Jungu cord. The Jungu cord fixed to the nail is now released andtf'q nex! cord is pulled down and attached to the nail. The shutile is pushed fromright to left and again in the reverse direction, the treadles being operated. rntni.wey all the cords are utilized to complete the design. Every iime

" n"*

"orJ i.pulled down and fixed to the nail, the weaver pressels the right treaote ano ttirows

the shuttle from right to left.

JVlost of the Kanchipuram sarees have contrast borders and borders onboth..sides ranging from 2, to g' on each side. For this type ot weavid, ilr;;shuttles are used. The weaver works the reft side border ind "

uoy *"""u", in"right side w-ith separate shutfles. This operation utilizing three shutiles covers 5/zyards in a 6 yards saree and_the MUNDHT or pALLU, the wide border at the endof the.saree, is produced conforming to the colour oiiheborder. F.,. thi, ;;;il;;warp having the colour of .the. border is.arranged over the existing ;;t;";threads are drawn through the healds and the rded so that one tnrea? or ifie oiJ

9

warp and one of this new warp are contained in each gap of the heald and fourends pass through each dent of the reed. The warp above is firmly held andwoven closely for about 11 to 1W . After cutting out the warp ends the cloth iswoven upto a length of 4' to 6'. The threads of the earlier warp are cut out andthe threads of the new warp retained and woven upto a length ol yz. loot tocomplete the saree. This forms the "pETNl'.

UNIQUENESS

THq ASTqNJSHTNG OUALtnES

PETNIl

This name is given to the processoolour to the body of the saree in such a

thev arg different pieces of cloth. The width of the Mundhi is 1g,' to 22n .nA

6

of joining the Mundhi of a differentmanner that the

yards saree and 27" to 32', in a g yards saree. After weaving 5Tz yards or grzyards depending on the length of the saree, another warp with thieads of thecolour of the border is arranged over the existing warp and ihe threads are drawnthrough the healds and reed in the manner described above. To hold the newwarp tightly 60 ends of the warp are tied together to a rope which is fastened toan iron rod held in position by two vertical bamboo rods tied with two ropes. Theweaver then weaves over a length of one inch and the body warp or the old wirpis cut out with a knife. The ends so cut out are pushed ui uy a brush to enablethe weaver to remove all traces of the old ends.a length oi q,,'to o,' is then wovenand the ends of the two warps are again neafly trimmed so that th6 body of thesaree_ and the Mundhi appear.to blend together as one piece. extra waies iiepaid for this operation. This is the glory of the Kanchipuram saree ,nt-it e

"nyother saree produced in the South,

SELF MUNDHI

Generally, these sarees have the same side border design worked acrossMundhi. .To weave this type of saree, a separate harness cariea sgr-p eberlspr-e!3l_d and the green cores are retained int the frame catteo tne sgliLADDER' Here, there are no mounting cords and the tuburar cords areconnected to the harness. This frame is fixed at a distance of 3 feet rrom tn"weaver- The body design has60 ends gnd 40 picks whire cross border of thesame design gets a quarter turn i.e., 900. The design now has 40 ends and 60picks, and so in the SELF ADA| there. are 40 green itrings and oo oesign knois.The harness frame or serf Ladder is herd iver the room at the back of thehealdsalong with the SELF ADA|. Harf heards are tied for every rnree enos or ii.iebody threads. The heard which forms part and parcel of the ,.i"0 .oniirt. oi t*oloops which gives the n.cessary shedding for the shutile to pass hrougn- Buiinthe weavins of sELF MUNDHi ano eoby currns

"nodn"r tvp" oi ii";il i;uced which consists of onry one roop. rt is a made of twine. rnri ioop is oiviceoinj?.

ry.o portions by a knoi. Green'cordsai" J"*",f through th;;6;;;;j;;

yftlle tftg corresponding warp ends rerating to ine body putta or serf Mundhi arJ!T^.-"9

tfigysh_the rower portion. These 6arf hearoi ir6 oisrriout"a i" "

,tiiigi.,iorder over-the 40 green skings Tfre weaver emproys usuaty two assrstanis"aithe back of the rook to operate the serf Adai *niieii,Z,e"uer himserf works theP::9g 9-"-tg":. Usua'y, the weaver atons w'h his wife takes rhe .""t"t*", oi'Iooy or-some other person. The two assisiants at the back puil one narn".ir.not:ld 3

f9y sreen threads so-.g?yl acco_rdins to the olsisn. Th"y;;;;-il;;t;;i<"of wood known as the RAK'*ppntnORt, ine wiAtn ot-wnicfr I i", b;hiE;il;

10

green threads one on each side. As the half healds are connected to the greencords, those green threads that are above the planks of wood lift the body warpthreads. The weaver now passes another plank is 6". He then presses thetroadle and inserts one pick or weft thread of silk and for the next, a gold lacepick, he removes his feet from the treadle, brings the plank of wood in the warpthreads near the healds so that the warp in front of the reed opens according tothe design, and into this opening he inserts the gold lace. He then takes theplank again away from the healds and works a silk pick along with border. Theplank of wood is once again brought near the heald to insert the gold thread.Now the weaver inserts a silk pick. At this stage, the boy assistant pulls awaythe plank of wood or Self Palagai from the warp threads and from the greencords in the frame, he pulls the second knot of the Self Adai and lifts the greenthread by means of RAKI(APPALAGAI. The Weaver then passes the SelfPalagei through the warp threads to get the necessary shedding through whichthe 3'' and 4"' gold thread picks are thrown. When all the knots in the Self Adaiare used up, the weaver may, at his discretion, repeat the process for speciallace work effects in the Mundhi.

PUTTA

In a like manner, the spotted extra weft designs are worked in the Mundhiand in the body of the cloth with a special Butta or putta Adai. These Butta Adaisare prepared in the same way as the self Adai and the harness building frame isarranged above the loom as for the self Adai designs. one again, hafi hlalds arepreparsd over the warp threads... wherever required, two tfrreadsaretaken fromthe first half heald, the 3rq and 4tn from.the second half heald, 5th thread left outfor binding the extra weft and once again the second two are taken and onethread missed. The boy assistant at the back of the weaver words Adai knots asin the case of the self Mundhi saree. The weaver now works the Butta. Hesometimes works with 4 to 5 shutfles for each butta if ghe design calls fordifferent colours.

ZARI

-.. ^ Another major raw materiar that enhances the beauty of Kancheeuram

silk sarees in Gold Lace popularly known as Zari. surat in Gujarat state infamour for Zari production, wtich meets major demand of the country'i ,""uingcommunity. Apart from this.Tamilnadu Zari Ltd., a state owned unit-functioniniat Orirukkai Kancheepuram is also meeting the demand of Zari.

DESIGNS

The silk sarees of Kanchipuram are jusily famed for their technicalexcellence and the noverty of their design. Even thbugh the traditional methodsor weavrng are adopted by the weavers, they have tried to keep pace with thechanges in preferences and.tastes. rt is precisery because of ihis far-sightedpolicy that the silk sarees of Kanchipuram have isteady demand ano are'aoteto cater to all varieties of tastes, youngand old, rich and middle class. To herothe weavers keep abreast of chingeJ in consumersj pr"t*"""". tn"

"rimiiiHandloom Board has opened a Wlavers, Service Centre at K"nJid;;l;cate.r to the. speciarized needs of ghe sirk handroom industry. in"-r""ri"gsection ofthis center has evorved.a nimber of designt, nou"r and traditionar, andare regutarty distributing them to the rocar produceE oi sik raurics. Jti" J".ig;;.are supplied free of cost to the co_operatives, while the following f; ;;;collected a from others.

ll

The Width of the solid borders of the saree varies from 4" lo 12". ln order tokeep down the cost of production, weavers manufacture sarees with borders ononly one side interlaced with delicate designs. The most popular designs or"Pates" as they are commonly known are'BRICK', 'leaf:, "mango', "naya paisa.,"sovereign:, birds such as Swan, Peacock, etc. the colour of the saree must bepleasing to the eye and plays an important part in evoking consumer demanc.The most popular colours are black, blue, green and mustard. Of late the co,llourwhich is displacing others in general popularity is known as "GEVA COLOU,', apastel shade. The following are some of the popular designs worked into thebody of the saree.

1. 'THANDAVALAM" or parallel lines where the stipes run along the length ofthe sarees.

2. 'KOTTADI" or "CHECK PATTERN' with suuares or rectangles of varyingdimensions where the stipes run both lengthwise and breadthwise.

3. 'PUTTAS" in which the figures and flowers are independenfly worked intothe saree and not joined to the pattern found on the saree. These',puttas,,are worked either with gold lace or silk yarn. lf gold lace is used the sareebecomes proportionately more costly. puttas are also worked on the"Mundhi' and on the borders.

4. 'TISSUE SAREES": The entire weft is woven with lace. This saree isnormally used for marriages.

Going to a cinema has replaced field games as the most popular pastime ofpeople during their leisure hours. As such, dresses wori by the hero anoheroines in films capture the imagination of the young and the impressionableand th€ tendency now-a-days among youth is to parade themselves wearing adre_ss with the same type of colour and design wom by the actors and actresJesin films. This shift in fashion has been utilised to advintage by the designers ofKanchipuram and now-adays one finds such sarees wovln in large qriantitiesand in great demand in Kanchipuram. The designs are copies by tf,e producersand the sarees named after the pictures in which the heroine wears thatparticular type of saree. Very popular among lhe women folk are designs called, KALYANA PARIS U', THEN N I LAVU",' PALUK PMHAMUM' EtC.

The following fabrics are produced at Kanchipuram in the sirk sector:

Fabrics 1. Pure Silk Sarees2. Tissue Sarees3. Shirting pieces4. Plain blouse pieces of the same width as sarees5. Skirts6. Scarves

As already mentioned the rength of the sarees ranges from 5 to 10 yardsand of width 46Y2" ro 47'. The weavers do not separatery weave utouse piecei.silk fabrics 18 to 21 yards in length are woven ani a"coriing to oemano, larees5 to 10 yards in rength are cut out. The remaining pieces are used for brouses.

- . The Lustre superb finish extreme durabirity easy washabirity and briilianceof colour which never fades may appear as the reason for which th; s;r;;;;;

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universal favourite. But the real uniquengss are the four important qualities thatdistinguishes these sarees from the others produced. Firstly, the heading (or)Petni as it is called, described elsewhere is cunningly and skillfully attached tothe body of the saree so as to blend into a continuous whole. This effect is notgenerally achieved in the case of sarees produced at other centers.

Secondly the Kanchipuram weaver uses 4 filaments of the Sappuri twistedon the dola as weft yarn.

Hence the Kanchipuram saree is more durable compared to othervarieties. Thirdly, the lace is skillfully. woven with the silk and gthe resultanttexture is soft enough to cause no discomfort to the weaver.

Finally the myriad rich colours are fast and the dyes are of high qualityshine, finish and matchless beauty so that the fabrics can be vyashed again andagain.

These characters makes the saree uncomparable to any of this kind ofsarees made in various places.

SPECIFICATIONS

Length of Saree Not less than 5.5 Mtrs.(without blouse).Not less than 6.20(with blouse)

Not less than 122 cms.

Not less than 2 cms.

Degummed/Dyed/Mulberry silk ofFi lature/Basin/Charca*Denier 2/18 to 20122'Ply:2 plyTPI: 19 to 22

(') Two threads twisted together with19-22 TPI while warping, two twistedthreads are joined together (i.e.) 4ply.

Degummed I Dyed I Mulberry silk off i lature/Basin/Charca.Denier:2124 to 28Ply: 3 plyTPI: 9 to 16

(') Two threads twisted together with9-16 TPI while warping, two twistedthreads are joined together (i.e.) 6plv.

BodyBorder :

Picks/inch :

96s to 100s72 to 80s70-76

width

Border

Warp (') Count

Weft Count

Reed Count

IJ

Saree weight

Pure Zari

Above 500 gms.

-Gold content :

Silver :

Silver PuritY :

0.56 %0.53o/oO.760/o

INSPECTION

The totally woven sarees by different weavers are brought before the co-

operative societies. The society employs weaving experts who can be called as

Ciuality Controllers. These experts determine the quality of each saree. A single

saree is inspected in various mode.

1 . The Raw material used for weaving the saree is been inspected.

2. Then the Lace (i.e.) gold Lace called as Zati is been ciriticallyexamined.

3. In addition the skillful weaving of the saree is also noted.

4. The designs plays the major role in determining the quality.

5. The pallu is being examined.

Finally there will be a crucial examination made to check whether anymistake in weaving is made.

Afteiall this inspection made the cost of the saree is rated.

MARKETING

The silk sarees prbduced at Kanchipuram are mostly sold within India.They are in demand in all the centers where South lndians reside. But in recentyears many North lndians are particularly impressed by the texture and quality ofthe Kanchipuram saree and there is great demand even in far-off places likeBombay, Delhi and Calcutta. The main markets apart from Madras City areBombay, Delhi, Calcutta, Nagpur, Banares and Hyderabad. One possibleexplanation for this wide market may be the large concentration of South Indiansin those areas who might have created a favourable climate of opinion amongNorth Indians about the Kanchipuram Silk saree. Once an inilial momentum isgiven prevailing modes of fashion and the tendency to imitation take over and anoverall large scale demand is created everywhere.

slLK MARKEITN CHENNAT C|TY

In Madras City, Mylapore is the main center where Kanchipuram sareesare stocked and sold. A few shops are also situated in Mount Road. Suchimportant shops like Radha Silk Emporium, Sivaram & Co., and Kala Niketan,stock the latest designs in Kanchipuram silk sarees and a visit to such shops isalways included in the itinerary of a visitor to Madras city. In fact, in many casespeople get the latest vdrieties and designs in these shops at Mylapore and atMount Road then they would get in many of the shops at Kanihipuram itself,because most of the sarees incorporating the latest designs are invaiiably sent toMadras and the other main consuming centers and the residue stocked atKanchipuram. Moreover, themerchants in Madras have their fingers constan y

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on the pulse of consumer tastes, keep track of changes in fashion and pass onthe information to producers. Orders are also placed direct by these merchantson the master weavers or Co-operative Societies and therefore the pick of theproduction is invariably sent to Madras and other places.

NORTH INDIAN MARKET:

70 to 7 5o/o of the sarees produced in Kanchipuram are sole within MadrasState. Calcutta and Delhi where Kashmir and Banares sarees are popular do notconsume as much as Bombay. While Madras demands all designs includingone-sided border, Bombay, Calcutta and Delhi prefer double borders with Puttasor dots which run along the saree. Generally, Bombay women-folk prefer lightershades like Geva colour, Light Blue or contrast shades where the body differsfrom the border, with a minimum of gold lace. The silver lace is also morepopular than gold lace. Modern designs with very little of lace, with bright coloursand designs are very popular in Bombay and Delhi. The traditional type of sareeused for wedding with a large admixture of gold and ornamental colours like DarkRed, Orange, Dark Blue and Dark Green, Mustard are the colours preferred inMadras while light colours like manure, beige, Geve colour, light bl;ue, pale pinkare those which are preferred in Bombay,.Calcutta and Delhi.

DETAIL.S OF WORLD MARKET

1. Ceylon2. Malaya & Singapore3. Hongkong4. British East Africa5. Aden6. Persian Gulf7. U.S.A.8. U.K.9. West Germany10. ltaly11. U.S.S.R.

The All-lndia Handicrafts Board decided to do something to stabilize thisindustry. That led to the establishment of the Design Centre in 1955. adetermined attempt was made to revive the old designs by collecting them fromsarees in old temples and from some of the families. one of the achievements ofthis center has been the adoption of the phthon style for the Kanchipuramdesigns. The Python sarees once woven in Aurangabad had for some timegon6 out of fashion. There was only one master-weaver of this craft left and hehas been taken on the staff of the All-lndia Handicrafts Board. weavers fromKanchipuram were trained by him and the python technique has beensuccessfully adopted for the Kanchipuram deiigns. The centre,s workstimulated in-terest among potential buyers of the Kanchipur€m sarees and theindustry is finding its feet once again. Nevertheless one notable i""tur"especially -in. Kanchipuram Kamakshiamman co-operative society, are beinoproduced with silver lace instead of gold lace and with increased exports iiforeign countries and Delhi, Bombay and calcutta, it is hoped the future of thecraft will be assured.