Paithani (Maharashtra)

To my best knowledge, very few times my mother and my mother-in-law have 100% agreed on something, especially when I am the topic of their discussion. First such agreement both of them had was about which sarees I should wear for my wedding. I am an ardent fan of Tussar and reshim & prefer embroidery over zari. So back then, convincing me to wear a heavy zari saree, such as Kanjeevaram or Banarasi brocade was a challenge in front of them. However, both ladies strongly believed that I need (rather “I must”) wear something a bride typically should be wearing.

Both ladies gently cajoled me, rather negotiated with me, saying I get to choose other two sarees, ( one for pre-wedding and one for wedding ceremony) as long as I give my approval for “Paithani” for the wedding reception. That is how I was first introduced to this timeless beauty. It took me over a decade to appreciate the astonishing design, and pride of owning a graceful Paithani saree.

While researching for this blog in past week, I continued chatting with my mother and my mother-in-law over phone and sharing unique motifs and various Paithani saree images with them over WhatsApp. I am sure both of them are now fully convinced that they have passed down the woven love and care for Paithani to this daughter to pass on to their grand-daughter one day.

Named after the town responsible for its inception Paithani saris are said to be hand woven poems in gold and silk. The identifying characteristics of this garment include the peacock or parrot designs on the pallu along with a pattern comprising of oblique squares on the border.

Paithani is a handwoven silk saree with a rich, ornamental zari (gold thread) pallu and border, which is characterized by borders of an oblique square design, and a pallu with a peacock design. Named after the Paithan town in Aurangabad, Maharashtra state where they are woven by hand. Made from very fine silk, it is considered as one of the richest sarees in India.

Origin/History: The art of weaving Paithani is more than 2000 years old, developed in then splendid city of Pratishthan ruled by the legendary Satavahanas ruler Shalivahana, now Paithan by the Godavari in Marathwada, some 50 km from Aurangabad.

Paithani evolved from a cotton base to a silk base. Silk was used in weft designs and in the borders, whereas cotton was used in the body of the fabric. Present day Paithani has no trace of cotton.

The Nizam of Hyderabad was also an ardent admirer of Paithanis. After decline of Mughal influence, the Peshwas of Pune once again took Paithani under their wings by settling weavers in Yeola, a small town near Shirdi. Here Paithani acquired new dimensions in both design and popularity. Asavali, a motif of flowering vine is credited to the Peshwa period.

The traditional coconut border (Narali) was the most common Paithani border until the end of 19th century. Coconut known as sriphal in India is the fruit of gods. It symbolizes complete usefulness, selfless service, prosperity and generosity. Coconut tree is termed in Hindu mythology as the tree that grants all wishes.

Region: The weavers of Paithani Saree & Fabrics are mainly in Paithan and Yeola in District of Maharashtra, India.

Material and Variations: While these sarees tend to incorporate a kaleidoscope of colors, making them incredibly visually striking, plainer designs with single colors are also quite coveted by women throughout the country. A Paithani Saree is considered to be unique because of the way it is woven.

A thread of color is used to weave the fabric lengthwise while a different color is used to weave it widthwise, which is how the kaleidoscopic effect is achieved. This is why an original saree also does a play of color as light reflects off it and the saree appears to change its color.

Despite the craft being centuries old, the Paithani sari is still woven in the same traditional manner. It is woven with extreme caution as the silk threaded sticks are very fragile. This makes Paithani one such fabric that cannot be matched with any other fabric of its kind.

Making of a Paithani involves only manual techniques and no mechanical means are resorted to weave such wonderful creations. The Paithani saris are still made in the traditional way and it takes one day to set up the silk threads to the loom.
The key noticeable traits of ‘Paithani’ sarees are the manually created ‘borders’ and the ‘pallu’ that is decorated with golden ‘zari’.
The most interesting part about the Paithani handloom is that both sides of the saree look exactly the same. Yes, even the border and pallu. In fact, this feature is the telltale sign of a handloom Paithani.

There are three types of silk threads used:
Charkha: This is widely used. It is cheap, dull and uneven.
Ciddle-Gatta: Fine quality silk, thin shear, shiny, smooth and even.
China silk: Very expensive to use.

Each Paithani is woven to a standard size of 6-1⁄4 yard which also includes 1⁄4 yard blouse piece. One Paithani consumes about 500-575 gms. of silk and 200-25 gms of zari.
A finished Paithani depending upon its type may weigh from 600-750 gms.
The width of border ranges from 7 to 9 inch. Borders are named after the motifs used in them or the name of the village where they originate from, e.g. Asavalikath Narlikath, Pankhakath, Paithanikath. The Pallu is either single pallu of 28” or double pallu of 40” width.

The traditional Paithani saree used to have limited 2 to 3 dark magenta and blue color with different designs. However today Paithani is available in almost 30 to 40 colors with different traditional and modified weaving in Pallu and Border. Intricate designs on Pallu and border is a specialty of Paithani sarees.

The borders are created with interlocked weft technique either with colored silk or zari.
In the border woven with a zari, ground colored silk patterns are added as supplementary weft inlay against the zari usually in the form of flower or a creeping vine.

Types of Paithani
Traditional Paithani and Brocade Paithani. The traditional variety with a 28-inch pallu design usually takes a lesser time to weave as the work is less intricate. Brocade Paithani saree, on the other hand, have a complicated pallu design of 40 inches.

Paithani with a regular border has traditional design on the border, whereas the pallu has different designed motifs like Parrot, Peacock, Asavali (flower), Ajanta Lotus, Raj Hanse and Mango. The brocade Paithani is also totally hand woven with border,

This garment has such a regal air to it mainly because it is woven in the same fashion as tapestry weaving, as opposed to using standard weaves.

Borders and the pallu Two types of border are the traditional Coconut border (Narali) and the Pankha (hand fan).
Paithani Saree can be classified by three criteria: motifs, weaving, and colors

Classification by motif:
o Bangadi Mor – the word bangadi means bangle and mor means peacock. So bangadi mor means a peacock in a bangle or in a bangle shape. The motif is woven onto the pallu, the design sometimes having a single dancing peacock. The saris using this motif are very expensive because of the design.
o Munia brocade – The word munia means parrot. Parrots are woven on the pallu as well as in border. Parrots are always in leaf green color. The parrots in silk are also called tota-maina.
o Lotus brocade – lotus motifs are used in pallu and sometimes on the border. The lotus motif consists of 7-8 colors.

There are many different varieties of ‘Paithani’ designs and all of them exceptionally alluring.
Classification by weaving:
o Kadiyal border sari – the word kadiyal means interlocking. The warp and the weft of the border are of the same color while the body has different colors for warp and weft.
o Kad/Ekdhoti – a single shuttle is used for weaving of weft. The color of the warp yarn is different from that of the weft yarn. It has a narali border and simple buttis like paisa, watana, etc. Kad is also a form of lungi and is used by male Maharashtrians.

Classification by Dyes/colors: The very delicate colors of the Paithani silk saris give it a unique touch these colors can be pure or be created using a blend of different colored yarns. The colors that are typically used in these saris are:
‘Kalichandrakala’: The sheer black color and the red border is the special feature of this sari.
‘Raghu’: Green colored Paithani sari
‘Shirodak’: This is a plain white Paithani sari. The Shirodak is an immensely elegant white saree that is worn mostly by women during an extremely formal affair
Other names are, uddani (lighter black),  pophali (yellow),  neeligungi (blue),  pasila (a combination of green, red and pink),  pheroze (a blend of green, white and red),  samprus (a mixture of green and red) and kusumbi (a purple and red combination).

The very delicate colors of the Paithani silk saris give it a unique touch.

In the days of Peshwas, the borders and the pallu were made of pure gold mixed with copper to give it strength. The proportion was 1 kg of gold to 1 of copper. The borders and the pallu are woven in zari regardless of the color of the sari. The back and face of the sari is very similar as it is woven in tapestry method.

The time taken to create a completely hand woven Paithani can range from anything between two months to two years depending upon the intricate pallu and the border design details.
Passed on from one generation to the other like precious jewels, these heirloom sarees can cost anywhere from Rs.10,000 to Rs.2.5 Lakhs

Common designs: Small motifs like circles, stars, kuyri, rui phool, kalas pakhhli, chandrakor, clusters of 3 leaves, were very common for the body of the sari.
You can also find motifs of musical instruments like tabla, shehnai, sambal and tanpura on Paithani sarees. On the borders, you will usually see narali (coconut) and pankha (fan shape) motifs or barwa pattern (12 strands of a ladder; 3 strands on each side )

Butti Butti: The specialty is that the design being woven is done without the assistance of a mechanical contrivance like the jacquard or jaal on a frame loom. It uses multiple buttis or “Tillis”(little designs) or spindles to weave in the design. Butti is most commonly used

The added sense of greater beauty and aesthetics in motifs in these sarees are :
‘kamal’ (lotus flower),  ‘hans’ (swan),  ‘asharfi’ or paisa (coin),  ‘asavali’ (flowering vine),  ‘Bangadi mor’ (peacock inside a bangle),  ‘rui phool’ (cotton flower),  circles, stars and clusters of leaves, ‘Akruti (Geometric Design), tara (star),  mor (peacock),  popat (parrot),  kuyri (mango),  pankha ( hand fan),  kalas pakli (petal),  Ajanta kamal (lotus),  chandrakor (moon),‘Panja’ (a flower in a geometrical shape), Muthada’ (a geometrical shape), narali (coconut) and so on.
Many of these innovative motifs and designs are found on the border and pallu in different sizes and patterns.

Where to buy from: I am sure there are other shops, but I am listing those I know well & reliable from my experience.

Ranes Paithani, Mumbai
Peshwai Creations, Pune
Mysore Silk Udyog , Banglore , near commercial street.
Kankatala
Peshwai Paithani is the most exquisite version of Paithani, and its sold by very selected designer boutiques.

In the days of WhatsApp on mobile phones, my mother & my mother-in-law are now enjoying reading these blogs, and sharing their sari stories with me. Each one of them told me that they feel closer to Paithani, their own heritage, after reading this research. It motivated them to step outside the house to sari shop, this time not only to buy a sari but to know the sari better.
And for me, suddenly I have found many more things to chat every day and next sari story to weave during these conversations.