Ethnic Indian Sarees Art

Sophistication lies in simplicity of urban
Savannah, I'm coming home Savannah, by Philly K what a way to start this monsoon breeze and being cozy yet inspired! Kotpad weaves from Koraput district of Orissa, its a small village in Orissa, the fabrics of Kotpad are absolutely unique, breathable due to natural fibre, its glad to say Kotpad Handloom fabrics was first to receive GI(Geographical Indication) tag from Odisha and Kotpad adivasi tribes are still preserving the core aesthetics, making Orissa honored.

The Empire of south, traditional handloom Gadwal sarees
I was listening to Keith Urban-Little Bit Of Everything. How pleasant it is ha? I want little bit gold, earthy cotton and lavish silk of everything, flashed me glorious Gadwal saree, which has little bit of everything! Gadwal a place known for harmonious coexistence of the cultures, situated between the rivers 'Tungabhadra' and 'Krishna' of Mahbubnagar district, Telangana state, India.

Kantha Embroidery or Kantha art work
Kantha is one of the oldest forms of embroidery that originated in India. Earlier the Kantha sarees were usually draped by the women of West Bengal as to protect themselves against the cold weather. Kantha work is done by simple running stitches. Motifs such as fish, birds, ducks, trees, mountain, boat, footprint, animals, mosque, ratha, kantha motifs are very few examples.

The irresistible Handloom saree, that drapes like a dream
Indian textiles are rich in artifacts, Begampur is a small town in Hooghly district in West Bengal, the sarees woven here carries deep and bright colours. The economy of this place depends on textiles and also famous for dhotis. What reminds everyone when you say Bengal is handwoven cotton sarees and is the center for fine cotton weaving and these Begampuri cotton sarees are known for loosely woven light-weight and translucent and are extremely comfortable to drape. These cotton beauties would take one to two days to weave which are very simple ones and more intricate designs could even take five to six days to complete, although the saree fabric named after the city, the subtle madness look after wearing them is absolutely sophisticated.

64 squares in a saree game?
Inspired by Game of Thrones this season, what a way to start, chuckles! Their black and white squares that resembles a chess board, oh yeah I am talking about Pasapali handloom sarees, from Bargarh district of Odisha, the name Pasapali is derived from pasa or gambling games using chess board, these gorgeous sarees have intricate checks patterns of contrast colors resembling the chess boards which gives it such name and traditional square design. Its a feast for any saree connoisseur to have one. Masterpieces sarees are woven in the regions of Barpali, Sonepur and Baunshri.

Blessed Sungadi cotton sarees by Madurai Meenakshi
On the banks of charming 'Vaigai river' the beautiful Madurai city is localled, the district, in Tamil Nadu state, India, this place is referred and called by various names 'Madurai', 'Koodal', 'Malligai Maanagar', 'Naanmadakoodal' and 'Thirualavai'. During 16th century due to economic crisis weavers from 'Saurashtra' and 'Gujarat' migrated to Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and neighbouring states and some of them settled down in inviting 'Madurai'. These 'Saurashtrians' are highly skilled manufacturers of beautifully crafted fine silk garments and were patronized by Kings and their families, they were called by 'Patnulkarans' the Tamil name by which these people is well known in southern India.

Delicate devotion and passion, lies sophisticated threads
Jamdani is one of the finest muslin textiles of Bengal, produced in Dhaka District, Bangladesh for centuries. Jamdani originally known as 'Dhakai' named after the city of Dhaka, is called by varies names such as popularly known as Dhakai Jamdani or simply Dhakai. The word ‘jamdani’ is believed to be of Persian origin, 'Jam', meaning flower and 'Dani' meaning vase or a container, named after decorative floral patterns which discovered from Dhakai textile. This unique hand technique of weaving was called jamdani in the old days, while the weave was called Dhakai, these sarees are traditionally woven around on the brocade loom. These beautiful intricate weaves are available in mediums such as cotton and silk. One of the most expensive product of Dhaka looms, Jamdani requires the most dedicated and passionate weaver and during olden days only royal families were able to afford such luxuries.

The finest spicy Grandmother's attire, nostalgic saree!
Each thread narrates of a story that weaves into a magical saree, red hot Guntur city lies on the south eastern side of Hyderabad in Guntur district of Indian, state of Andhra Pradesh. This city residents are referred as Gunturians, purest forms of the language can be heard here is Telugu(regional language). One can see largest Asian market for red chillies here, this place is main producer and renowned globally for exporting of most varieties of Chillies and chilli powder from India to countries like USA, UK, Latin America, Middle East, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and South Korea. Guntur sarees are known for finest cotton sarees, these sarees are worn by particularly in the coastal areas it's so simple and sober, which feels comfortable for everyday wearing. Main body of Guntur saree has single plain colors and patterns scattered here and there, with or without checks patterns and has small woven butis all over.

Land of vibrant colors, handcrafted tiles, majestic architectural mansions, being a food and saree lover nothing is less while I walk you through the journey of ultimate heaven of sarees and foods!
Karaikudi is known as the capital of Chettinad, Chettinad in southern Tamil Nadu is a region of the Sivaganga district that is known for weaving the Chettinad sarees. The people here are very friendly and invite people with a warm smile, the language of communication here is Tamil. Chettinad is the home of the Nattukottai Chettiars(Nagarathar), this community faithfully follow traditions. The major communities involved in weaving Chettinad cotton sarees are Devanga Chettiyars, who are the skilled weavers from ancient days.

Immersed in traditional spun
A hint of tradition, one of the classy handloom saree from Odisha state called Bomkai sarees, these sarees are also called by Sonepuri sarees, produced in the village of Bomkai in Ganjam district, India. Bomkai sarees is named after the village Bomkai. The community who is involved in weaving these handloom sarees are 'Bhulia' community of Subarnapur district. GI tag is been provided for 'Bomkai Saree & Fabrics'. People here are very friendly, medium of communication here is Odia.

Meticulously tying the bonds of colorful junction
Bandhani is derived from Sanskrit word, bandh known as to-tie and patterns, colours are limitless. Wondering what are the varies names to Bandhani? called and known by varies names such as Bandhej, Piliya, Ghar Chola, Patori, Bandhni and in Tamil Nadu its known as Sungudi. Khatri of Kutch and Saurashtra community involved in making this colorful art since ages. Places in Rajasthan like Jaipur, Sikar, Bhilwara, Udaipur, Bikaner, Ajmer, Tamil Nadu and Jamnagar in Gujarat are the well known centers producing odhnis, sarees and turbans in Bandhani.

Soaked in handloom tradition, deeprooted weaves
A small town called Shantipur, also called by Santipur, Nadia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Santipur is famous for handloom sarees from ancient times, this place and surrounding region has been famous for handloom sarees. Shantipur sarees are also called by name Santipore saree. This place is famous for handloom sarees from ancient times and elegant designs inspired from nature and especially known for its superfine dhoti and handloom saree with jacquard design. In this place, they generally use 'fly shuttle' frame looms filted with jacquard invariably used in Shantipur. Graceful looking sarees have been granted and awarded GI tag(Santipore Saree). To weave double-sided design they use Do-Rookha technique, the front and the reverse side of the saree looks extractly the same.

Roots of Karnataka 'Molakalmuru', Connecting Old is Gold
Living in the world of fast-moving fashion, where designer Ruffle Sarees takes a runway show stopper pace, I see the 'contrast' the traditional and the modern world. In India, especially when you focus on South India, Karnataka when we take a slice of the pie, the elder generation(mothers or grandmothers) still wear evergreen beauties like Ilkal, Udupi, Banhatti cotton sarees on a day to day bases, depending on the cultural belief system and comfort zone.

Blessed Sungadi cotton sarees by Madurai Meenakshi
On the banks of charming 'Vaigai river' the beautiful Madurai city is localled, the district, in Tamil Nadu state, India, this place is referred and called by various names 'Madurai', 'Koodal', 'Malligai Maanagar', 'Naanmadakoodal' and 'Thirualavai'. During 16th century due to economic crisis weavers from 'Saurashtra' and 'Gujarat' migrated to Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and neighbouring states and some of them settled down in inviting 'Madurai'. These 'Saurashtrians' are highly skilled manufacturers of beautifully crafted fine silk garments and were patronized by Kings and their families, they were called by 'Patnulkarans' the Tamil name by which these people is well known in southern India.

Every South Indian most desired silk saree is Kanchipuram, of course, I do love it too the core because of its elegance, traditional values, colors which makes this silk saree outstanding. Apart from Kanchipuram silk saree Tamil Nadu textiles have one more interesting cotton version of saree called as Kanchi Cotton Saree do experience this exquisite masterpiece in my video.

One of my vintage collection from Tamil Nadu is Kanchipuram Double Border Saree, it is a Beige color as you can see in the portrait and do check out for an overall look of the saree in my video of as well. It has that charm of subtle look yet gives that opulence. In a nutshell, I can say it's the best match for your temple wedding( muhurtham silk saree) gives that complete finish of that traditional look and feel with antique temple jewelry. This is my one of my wedding saree as well which I had shopped for which has a 'Double Border' the first border is bottle green in color with thread work and the second border is a blend of Zari( Gold, deep maroon and bottle green) as well. This saree credit goes to my dad since he selected this wonderful piece of art. When I go deep about this saree, the base of the saree has the emboss stamp a design(beige color) with leaf and other elements as well and when it comes to the pallu area it has Swan's bird motifs.

The Gods, Goddesses and Narayanpet sarees
This Beautiful small little town is renowned for exclusive splendid handloom silk and cotton sarees, Narayanpet in Mahbubnagar district, Telangana state, India. Primary source of income for people here is from weaving sarees. This charming place is extremely hot in summer and cold in winter. Since it's a business hub for sarees people known many regional languages such as Telugu, Kannada, Urdu, Marathi and of course English as well. Narayanpet sarees is known for its durability, affordability and lower maintenance. In this modern age of Indo-western twist and fast fashion outfits, Narayapet saree still remains classy.

Romance in Moonlight is one of my handpicked saree for my 'Reception' during my wedding, what I really love about this saree is the hues are just apt since it was an evening event. I had a personal perception I would look short, but I'm 'neither tall' nor 'short', I picked this saree for the combination of colors, the peacocks, they generally call this variety of saree as 'No border' or 'Without border' designer saree, all I had in my mind was I would look a bit taller and this saree really did justice for what I wanted.

Exploring Warli Art, the folk tales!
Warli or Varli are the indigenous tribe or adivasis, Warli tribe hailing from mountains, coastal regions in and around the borders of rural Thane district and Dhule district of Maharashtra and Gujarat states of India. The term Warli is derived from ‘warla’ or ‘varla’ meaning a piece of land. Originally hunters, the Warli tribe later settled down as tenders of agricultural lands. The Varlis are non-aryan tribes, who are firm believers of sun and moon. Practically, the Warlis never worshipped man-made idols. Warli people are a simple folk with simple beliefs that govern their lives. The language of communication with them is mostly in Marathi, Konkani, Sanskrit, Gujarati or Khandeshi Bhil.