The dazzling colors of the elegant Paithani attracted all kinds of people right from warriors to merchants and paupers to kings. In various ceremonies, women clad in the graceful Paithani and many others keep on wondering what makes the Paithani so special. So we thought of making this answer simple for you.
The saree is nothing less than a canvas for the weavers as each and every Paithani they design is unique. It takes around 6-12 months to get the awesome royalty in its look depending on the intricacy of the pattern.
Centuries ago, silk was imported from China and zari was derived from pure gold. Nowadays, mulberry silk of Banglore and jari from Surat are used for the same.
Right from choosing the perfect golden silk and silver jari to weaving the patterns, everything is a time-taking process.
Firstly, the silk is sorted on the basis of length, lustre and strength. Then the material is bleached, dyed with brilliant shades and left to dry for about 3-4 days. The silk threads are sent for winding up and then are warped into six/nine yards sarees. The uniqueness in weaving lies in looms where all threads are keenly woven together for binding them into a heavenly structure. Then the real skill of an artisan comes into picture who dedicates his focus on the ecstatic weaving process dealing exclusively with the colors and patterns. Based on the weaving process, Paithani is calssified into 2 types- Traditional Paithani- woven with Ek dhoti i.e. single shuttle used for weaving with 2 different colors.
It is identified withtraditional motifs, Narali border & simple buttis like paisa and watana. Kadiyal Paithani- is made by interlocking. Its border is warped and weft with same colors, while the body has different colors of warp and weft. All Paithanis have a symbolic meaning attached to it with respect to the variety of colors & patterns.
So, do you know any secret behind the motifs or colors of Paithani?
