Silk Silk fabrics have been made in India since ancient times. We learnt in the earlier chapter that the origin of silk was in China. However, some silk must have been used in India as well. Silk weaving is mentioned as early as the 3rd century BC., and distinction is made between Indian and Chinese silk.
The silk weaving centres developed in and around the capitals of kingdoms, holy cities or trade centres. As the weavers migrated, it helped in the development and creation of many new centres. Different regions in our country have specific silk weaving styles. Some of the important centres are– Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, which has an old tradition in weaving special styles.
Its best-known product is the brocade or kinkhwab . Its splendour and elegance and the high cost of the fabric gave it its name— kinkhwab meaning something a person cannot even dream of or a fabric which is seldom seen in a dream or the golden ( kin ) dream ( khwab ). West Bengal is traditionally famous for its silk weaving. By using a loom similar to that of Jamdani weavers, the weavers of West Bengal weave a silk brocaded sari called Baluchar Butedar .
This style originated from a place called Baluchar in Murshidabad district. It is now successfully being produced in Varanasi. Here the plain-woven fabric is brocaded with untwisted silk thread. The most characteristic feature of these sarees is their pallav or the end piece.
It has unique designs, depicting scenes from epics, royal court, domestic or travel scenes with riders and palanquins . Mango motif is most commonly used in borders and pallavs . Gujarat developed its own style of kinkhwabs . Very fine textiles were produced in Bharuch and Cambay, which were popular in the courts of Indian rulers.
The Ashavali sarees of Ahmedabad are known for their beautiful brocade borders and pallavs . They have rich gold or silver metallic background on which patterns are woven with coloured threads, giving the fabric an enamalled appearance. Human, animal and bird motifs are frequently incorporated into the pattern as they are an integral part of Gujarati folk tradition. Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu is a famous brocade weaving centre in South India from ancient times.
The traditional sarees display bird and animal motifs with rich brocaded pallav . Dark colours like red, purple, orange, yellow, green and blue predominate in South Indian fabrics. Paithan, located on banks of Godavari River near Aurangabad in Maharashtra, is one of the oldest cities in Deccan region. It is famous for a special silk saree with gold inlay weaving for borders and motifs.
The tapestry weave used in Paithan is the oldest technique of decorative weaving. It is known for its closely woven golden fabric. In the shimmering gold background, various patterns ( butas , the tree of life, stylised buds and floral borders) are worked in red, green, pink and purple glow like jewels. Tapestry weave utilises the principle of discontinuous weft or filling yarns, thus allowing multicoloured yarns to be used.
It results in the fabric appearing the same on its face and reverse side. Surat, Ahmedabad, Agra, Delhi, Burhanpur, Tiruchirapalli and Thanjavur are other traditionally renowned centres of zari brocade weaving.