Bandhani or Bandhini

Bandhani is our own indigenous tie and dye method from the states of Rajasthan and Gujarat. Bhandhna ( बाँधना ) means 'to tie' and hence the name bandhani for this craft form. It is a simple craft form where in the areas that need to resist the dye are covered (by tying with strings) and the fabric then dyed. This results in spectacular patterns that are unique and cannot be replicated perfectly. Here is a crepe silk from Gujarat that has varying shades of blue due to the bleeding of colors in the washing process, but the inner patterns remain white. This was purchased at Pothys a decade ago.

Bandhani Crepe Silk

People from the Saurashtra region who migrated to the Madurai region during the Nayak period carried this craft form with them. The base color of the fabric is generally white or beige so as to let the pattern show through in the end product. The design is imprinted on the fabric and then the knots are tied (to resist the dye) as required to form a pattern and finally the cloth is dyed. Remove the threads and viola! You have a unique final product!!!

Bandhani - 1) Tied fabric 2) String removed 3) Fabric pressed to reveal pattern 4) Final product

I picked up this Bandhani cotton saree from Madurai. It has a chevron pattern pallu and a concentric circle pattern in the body with hand embroidery.

Bandhani Pallu of a Cotton Saree

 Body of the Cotton Saree which has Bandhani Pattern with embroidery done

 
As you can see, this is a labour intensive process as each knot has to be tied with hand. The more the number of knots, the more labour intensive it is and hence the price is also high. This has led to a decline in this craft form as patronage is low.The Crafts Council of India is working towards preserving this craft form.

A poor and cheap imitation of this art form is the local cousin Sungudi, for which Madurai is widely known.  This is created using screen printing method where in the pattern is created for the width of the saree and is printed repeatedly for the length of the saree. This is a Ranee Sungudi that I picked up from a recent Madurai trip - fell for the color combination!

Sungudi Saree

Wishing my (very few) readers a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2015!

The Kalakshetra Saree

Created and popularized by Rukmini Devi Arundale, the saree gets its name from the ubiquitous institution founded by her. This is a Kancheepuram silk saree weaved at the craft center in the institution premises in Thiruvanmiyur. Today, the center also supports the dying craft of Kalamkari. 

Kalakshetra Saree

The uniqueness of the saree is it's simplicity. There is no jari work in the body, border or pallu of the saree, only thread work.

The Pallu

Though there are many variants available these days, the saree featured here is an original. It is my mother's and was purchased at the Khadi showroom in Neyveli 3 decades ago. It has the original design of butta (filled dots) in the body and the rudraksha (ருத்ராக்ஷ) in the border. The workmanship is amazing - the front and back of the designs are so beautifully interlocking.

Close up of the Rudraksha

 After many hand washes, it is so soft and cozy to wear!

Thirubhuvanam Silk

Thirubhuvanam is a small town near Kumbakonam, very famous for it's weaving cluster and the Kambaheswarar (aka) Sarabeswarar Temple. We visited this temple during a temple trip to Kumbakonam, mainly to purchase a local silk saree! The temple is very lovely and the Goddess Dharmasamvardhini has a separate shrine.

Kambaheswarar/Sarabeswarar Temple, Thirubhuvanam

Couple of noteworthy points in this temple:

• The foresight in the construction of temples in olden days - temples are places of refuge in times of war, floods or any calamity. That is the reason for the many entrances (the four gopurams generally found in temples). In this temple, the sanctum is elevated and reachable by steps. This is done mainly to give shelter to people in case of floods.

• Another neat feature I found is the waterways or கால்வாய் found in the temple.All the water that is used to bathe the deities and the sanctum are piped to a holding tank which then connects to waterways that go the periphery of the temple, where it joins other passageways of the temple and is diverted to the temple gardens. And we talk about rain harvesting & water conservation these days!

Kambaheswarar/Sarabeswarar Temple Water Conservation System, Thirubhuvanam

And right on Sannadhi Street (the name generally given to the main street emanating from a temple entrance) are the numerous silk saree shops!! My diwali sari this year (2014) was a purchase from ThiCo silks (Thirubhuvanam Cooperative Society) on Sannidhi Street. It is a beautiful coffee brown with onion pink border. I paired it with a brocade blouse in pink and gold!

Thirubhuvanam Silk

Thirubhuvanam silks have the GI status and are made from locally grown domesticated silkworms. What is unique about the saree is the way in which they are folded. The fold is narrow and if unfurled and wrapped correctly, the folds can form the front pleats of the saree. This way it retains the fold for a long time and is preferred by brides to get that perfect look on their wedding day!

Valkalam

Valkalam sarees are just like the Jamdani. They come with interwoven pallu and borders with exquisite thread work. They are created both in cotton and silk weaves, especially Benares sarees. Mine is a valkalam on Coimbatore cotton in a lovely grey with black thread work. I will let the pictures do all the talking ....

Valkalam Saree Pallu and Body/Border

Detail in the Valkalam Pallu

Pattern! Pattern! What pattern do you choose?

OLD IS GOLD! What my daughter is wearing below is something i wore a quarter century ago (oh my! how old does that make me?). It has found it's way into this post for a specific reason - due to the numerous patterns in a single piece of silk! This is a traditional South Indian Paavadai (long skirt) which is worn with a blouse.

It was purchased at ThiCo (Thirubhuvanam Cooperative Silk Society) in Neyveli, where I grew up. The color is a beautiful Kanakambaram - the color of the crossandra flower!

Pattu Paavadai & the Kankambaram poo (photo courtesy: wiki)

This long skirt has 6 different patterns:

1. Rettai pattai (ரெட்டை பட்டை) - literally meaning two strips
2. Chakkaram (சக்கரம்) or wheel pattern
3. Spear or eetti (ஈட்டி) pattern
4. checks
5. Veldhaari (வேல்தாரி) - a typical pattern of curves with dots in between
6. Butta ( புட்டா) or filled circles

Lovely patterns

Unique weaving patterns such as these are a treasure and these days (circa 2014) due to modernization and mechanization, the charm and beauty of owning something so intricate and elegant is close to impossible. Yes, they are exorbitantly priced, and even if you are ready to pay, you may not be able to own it because they are not available now. Yes, old is truly gold!

So, what pattern do you choose???

Kanchi Cotton

Just as Kancheepuram is famous for its temples and silk, it is also famous for its cotton sarees which go by the name 'Kanchi Cotton'. Three shuttles are used in the weaving and the end product is a fine close weave with generally a contrast border. The cotton sarees are made on the same loom used to make silk sarees.

Kanchi Cotton

Mine is a gift from my mother-in-law and comes with a unique border pattern which is very indicative of Tamilnadu - the temple tower or 'gopuram' (கோபுரம்). So traditional yet versatile the Dravidian temple tower design is, that it has lasted for decades of craftsmanship and creativity.

Kanchi Cotton Temple Border

Trivia - The temple tower of the Srivilliputtur Andal temple is the insignia of the Government of Tamilnadu!

Negamam Cotton

A nice and simple cotton to wear - from Negamam, near Coimbatore. It gets softer with every wash and is a pleasure to wear. Generally comes with simple thread work patterns in the body, border and pallu.

Negamam Cotton

This was a gift from my mother-in-law.

Vaira Oosi

What better than a Kancheepuram - the queen of silks - to start with?

I begin with a handwoven treasure! My mother's வைர ஊசி (literally meaning diamond needles) - every girl's pride - was gifted to her as a young bride. This is a wedding saree (the saree in which one gets married) in the Tamil Brahmin community. Well-off families buy it as a gift for the new daughter-in-law, it does cost quite some due to the amount of jari in it!

The name is given due to the shimmering effect the gold thread creates on the silk. Half a century later it is just as pretty as her with tender care and occasional use!!




This is a Kancheepuram silk, in a very traditional color (called arakku - அரக்கு - in Tamil). Arakku also stands for lacquer in Tamil and now you know why this color is given the name!!

Vaira Oosi Kancheepuram Silk

This is a 9-yard saree which is worn as a Madisar drape, which is different when compared to the regular saree (which is generally 6 yards in length) drape. Communities such as Gujarati's also wear 9-yard sarees other than the Tamil Brahmin community. But their drape is also different from that of the Madisar. Even within the Tamil Brahmin community, the Saivites and the Vaishnavites drape the Madisar differently. While the Iyengars' (Vaishnavites) drape comes over the left shoulder, the Iyers' (Saivites) drape comes over the right shoulder!

This wedding saree is worn on specific festive occasions every year like Pongal, Karadayan Nombu, and Karthigai. So, do you have any clothing so specific to your ethnicity? Would love to hear about it!!
 
 
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