The hand woven silk Sarees of Maharashtra has distinctive style of its own with bold patterns and traditional motifs conveying the typical cultural heritage. It has been originated in Paithan (Dist: Aurangabad) during the 6th century B.C. and subsequently spread to other areas like Yeola (Dist: Nashik) of the state. Paithani Saree and Fabrics received the GI Tag on September 3, 2010. The art style embedded in the product is innovative and has appealing dynamism. The uniqueness of the product lies with special designs in Pallu and its borders. The artisans have woven their art forms from the myths, faiths, symbol and natural surroundings providing an appealing dynamism. Intricate design on Pallu and border is the specialty of Paithani Sarees and fabrics. The motifs woven in the Sarees like peacock, lotus, mango and other designs have been borrowed from the rock-cut caves of Ajanta and Ellora. The weavers use silk yarn and zari with various specifications to produce their products. Zari is a metallic yarn, made of pure silver.
Why Paithan?
The name Paithani is derived from the town Paithan (in present day Aurangabad district), which was earlier called Pratishthana. It was the capital of the Satavahana dynasty (200 BC) and exported silks and cotton to the Roman Empire. The Satvahana rulers distributed cloth to Brahmins and Buddhist monks on auspicious occasions, strengthening the craft of hand weaving.
Yeola in Nashik and Paithan in Aurangabad are the two hubs of Paithani weaving in Maharashtra and received the Geographical Indication or GI tag for the craft in 2010. While the craft originated in Paithan, Raghujibaba Patil, the founder of Yeola city, took some families of expert weavers in the late 17th century from Paithan to Yeola. He paid them well and provided them with all amenities for a comfortable living. Over the centuries, Yeola became an equally renowned name in Paithani weaving.
Yeola now has around 3,000 looms which employ over 10,000 people involved in degumming, bleaching, dyeing and sorting of silks besides weaving.
The process of weaving Paithani
The process of weaving the Paithani saree can be segregated into four stages — sorting of silk, followed by degumming, bleaching and dyeing the threads. The next step is winding of weft (horizontal threads) on cones and joining warp (threads that run vertically through the loom). Finally, weaving and designing are done.
Degumming involves boiling silk to remove the silk gum. The process removes the natural shades of yellow and yellow-green from silk, resulting in dull white material. It is then bleached using hydrogen peroxide resulting in white colour which can well absorb other colours and enhances the stability of the fabric.
The silk is then dyed in various colours after which it is given a cold wash and allowed to dry. The bundles of threads are then sent to weavers. Traditionally, the weft threads were winded on cones, locally called ‘asaari’, using three wooden rods fixed in stones. Today, however, machines are used for this purpose.
Traditionally, wooden pit looms were used for weaving but today, metallic frame looms are also in use in both Paithan and Yeola. Pit looms are permanently installed in a pit and offer a good foundation, making it comfortable for weavers. The weaver raises or lowers the threads of the warp using footboards or paddles.
A drawing of the motif to be used is set as the base for weaving to ensure precision and exactness. “For older designs, we don’t use a drawing as we are well versed with patterns. Otherwise, a drawing is used,” says Shantilal.
The weaving is done using interlocking where more than one base colour is used. A coloured thread is used length-wise and another colour is used width-wise while weaving to create a play of colours when light falls on the saree.
The weavers arrange 58 warp threads according to the motif and incorporate the design in the saree with the help of extra weft without the use of any technical assistance.
The Paithani weaving also requires three additional sets of needles – one to control the warp threads, the second to control the zari or gold threads on the borders and the third for the zari threads which form the design in the saree’s main body. This third set of needles adds beauty to the main fabric.
Some Fun Facts about Paithani Saree
- During Satavahanas, Paithan was the centre for Zari and exporting centre of silk to Roman Empire. Satvahana ruler named Shalivahana promoted the growth of this craft. Later on Vakatakas, Rashtrakutas, Tughlaq, Mughals and Marathas all propagated Paithani Sarees and Fabrics.
- A single sari may weigh from 1.45 kg or more depending upon the weight of the silk and zari used.
- Weaving could take between 18 and 24 months, depending upon the complexity of the design.
- About one kg of zari can be used to make four sarees with big pallus (40 inches). Each pure silk saree requires about one kg of silk thread, which is bought at Rs 6,000 per kg from Bengaluru.
- An important characteristic of a Paithani is that both sides of the saree look the same, making it easy to distinguish the originals from fakes.
