Maheshwari & Chanderi Sarees

Maheshwari Sarees

An important political and cultural centre at the dawn of Hindu civilisation, Maheshwar is mentioned in the Ramayana and Mahabharata by its old name of Mahishmati. It was revived from obscurity to its ancient glory by Rani Ahilyabai of Indore in the late 18th century. Most of temples and the fort complex date from this time. Though it has nothing of excepetional tourist interest, Maheshwar is famous for a particular type of sarees – Maheshwari sarees – which are a speciality of this city.

Introduced by Rani Ahilyabai of the Holkar dynasty more then 200 years ago, these sarees are famous throughout India for their unique style. Originally the saree had a plain body, sometimes with stripes and checks, with a border woven in leaf or floral designs, mostly in cotton. It had the distinctive 5 stripes on the pallav running across its width, out of which three were coloured and two were white. But now a lot of experimentation with respect to the fabric and motifs has been done in Maheshwari sarees, no doubt to increase its appeal in a market of changing and varied tastes.

The weavers have now been organised by the descendants of the Holkar dynasty to improve working conditions and ensure a better return on their labour of love – the beautiful sarees, whose grace and elegance is hard to match.

Chanderi Sarees

An important military outpost in the past due to its proximity to the ancient ports of Gujrat as well as to the important cities of Central India, Chanderi has monuments on which the influence of the Pathan style is unmistakable. But today Chanderi is synonymous with its sarees, the sophistication of which is of a standard of its own. Woven in cotton as well as silk, the Chanderi sarees are very light and ideal for the heat of the summer months. There are two kinds. The plain ones with a border, and stripes and floral patterns – butis - on the pallav ; there are also ones which have butis on the body of the saree as well. The silk sarees are woven with zari borders and have zari and thread work all through the length of saree, giving it an elegant and dazzling look.

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