Costumes & textiles of Tamil Nadu

Costumes & textiles of Tamil Nadu

1. Textiles of Tamil nadu

2. Costumes & textiles of Tamil Nadu

3. Costumes of Tamil Nadu…. Costumes of Tamil Nadu for the most part comprise the traditional wears. The women of this state are decked with these traditional sarees that mark them from rest of the communities. The ageless charm of these sarees is the identity of the people of Tamil Nadu. The South Indian costumes possess a certain aura within their dress materials, with zari work predominating amongst women and white dhoti amongst men. In Tamil Nadu women don the ubiquitous Indian saree and blouse, whereas, men wear ` lungi ` together with a shirt and ` Angavastra .`

4. Attires For Women…. The traditional Tamilian women prefer to drape her heavy Kanchipuram Sari around herself, the lower part of the calf uncovered, the extra bit of pallu created thereby wound around her waist. What is striking about her is that she wears the most gorgeous of Kanchipuram Sari in the most casual way; its like she’s dressed to go to a wedding every day. A sari is a rectangular piece of cloth, which are five to six yards in length. The style, colour and texture of this cloth varies and it might be made from cotton, silk or one of the several man-made materials. The sari has an ageless charm since it is not cut or tailored for a particular size. In Tamil Nadu, saris are available in a wide variety of fabrics - silks, cottons, chiffons, georgettes and crepes; the list could go on and on.

5. Attires for Men…. Men are generally encountered dressed in lungi , together with a shirt and Angavastra . The traditional and tremendously popular lungi originated in the South and it is purely a short length of material worn around the thighs, resembling a sarong. A dhoti is a rather longer lungi , but with an additional length of material hauled up within the legs. The lungi is a rectangular cloth, normally manufactured from cotton, draped around the waist and pleated in front at the groin. The Angavastra is an elongated piece of cloth wrapped around the shoulders. In earlier times it was donned instead of an upper garment, but nowadays men wear an angavastra over a shirt.

6. Textiles….. Textile Industry of Tamil Nadu is the forerunner in Industrial Development and in providing massive employment in the State. It is predominantly Spinning-oriented. The State Textile Industry has a significant presence in the National economy also. Out of 2049 large and medium textile mills in India, 893 mills are located in Tamil Nadu. Similarly, out of 996 small units in India, 792 are located in Tamil Nadu. The 893 large and medium textile mills include 18 Cooperative Spinning Mills, 17 National Textile Corporation Mills and 23 Composite Mills. This industry enables the Central and State Government to earn revenue, besides foreign exchange through exports . (A) FUNCTIONS OF TEXTILE MILLS IN TAMIL NADU…

7. B) COOPERATIVE SPINNING MILLS In Tamil Nadu, there are 18 Cooperative Spinning Mills situated in various Districts, which were started between 1958 and 1985 with an object of providing un-interrupted supply of quality hank yarn to the Cooperative Handloom Weavers at reasonable rates. The installed capacity of 4.69 lakh spindles have since been downsized to 2.86 lakh spindles.

8. Weaving in Tamilnadu … Early records speak of fine muslin and silks and hand painted calicos that the Greeks came to buy from Tamizhagam , the home of Tamil. Uraiyur / Karur and Madurai, situated close to the cotton fields, were major centres of weaving. They still are the most prominent centers for the exquisite weaving products. Weaving was a highly regarded profession. It is said the Chola princes wore only cotton. The king's robe was of quilted cotton, with a garment worked with gold. Soldiers also used quilted cotton fabrics. Tanjavour is well known for its cotton weaving with several centres around the state. Cotton has long been the mainstay of the textiles of Tamil Nadu and one sees a wide range here. Madurai and Salem specialise in fine gold-bordered Dhotis, with Madurai's Dhotis considered a little superior in their weaving and Zari to those of Salem.

9. From the coarse Chettinad saris to the saris of Salem, Rasipuram and Coimbatore, to the fine gold bordered muslins of Madurai or its more recent medium weight reasonable saris that are printed or resist-dyed and are popularly referred to as the "Madurai Sungudi ", the weaves of Tamil Nadu offer wide choices.

10. Kanchipuram Silks …. Kanchipuram is famous for its silks. As the vast range of cottons are not withstanding, these textiles are overshadowed by their glamorous counterpart, the silks and more specifically those from Kanchipuram . The temple city of Kanchipuram is also the silk city of India. It has a thriving handloom industry with an enviable reputation as the producer of the best silk sarees in India.

11. Each of the Kanchipuram silk saree is unique in itself since it is entirely hand woven with dyed silk yarn with interleaved designs made with ' Zari ' - a Silk thread twisted with thin Silver wire and then gilded with pure Gold. Technically, the silk thread used for weaving Kanchipuram Sarees is made up of three single threads twisted together. Woven from pure mulberry silk, these sarees have classic texture, luster, durability and finish. With their dazzling colors and exquisite designs. Kanchipuram silk sarees are worn by the rich and affluent across India.

12. From Cotton To Silk ….. Research suggests that silk was a new entrant into Kanchipuram , for till a century and a half back, Kanchipuram was primarily a cotton-weaving centre. It was the Thanjavur - Kumbakonam belt and ' Arni ' along with Salem that produced the " Pattu Pudavai " Today the finer, better-woven and more expensive silk saris are from Kanchipuram . Kanchipuram silk saris are woven in two parts. The Pallu -and-border are woven as one unit and attached to the body of the sari, which is woven separately. The motifs used are derived from traditional temple architectural forms. Specialising in heavy weight " Murukku Pattu " the weaves of Kanchipuram weave three ply, high denier threads, using thick Zari threads for supplementary warp and weft patterning. The main characteristic of this sari lies in the time consuming method of interlocking its weft colours as well as its end piece and in the process creating solid borders and a solid ' Mundhi ' (end pieces). If well done one hardly sees where one colour ends and the other begins.

13. Thanjavur And Kumbakonam Silks… Thanjavur is another silk center, which specialises in the use of Zari and brocade work. These saris are heavy and opulent. Thanjavur and Kumbakonam create saris similar to Kanchipuram but the Mundhi or end pieces are finished differently. Using a technique called " Porai " the weavers pull the warp threads, at the join of two colours , into loops at the back and then cut it close. Kumbakonam is also famous for Silk Sarees . Traditional silk sarees are available in kumbakonam . Mogurtha Pattu dhoties and sarees are specially designed here. Other than Marriage function, the people like these type of clothes for casual festivals like deepavali , pongal and other temple festivals. These types of sarees are export to all part of the India and other Countries.

14. Arni - Centre Of Silk Fabrics : Arni , a town near Kanchipuram , produces light silk, often shot fabric, mainly in checks of orange and red. This town once wove very expensive silks but now concentrates on single colour lightweight textiles with zari borders and zari ' Pallus '. But with increasing labour costs pushing up the prices of Kanchipurams , Arni is slowly coming into its own with attempts to weave the Kanchipuram at competitive prices.

15. Traditional Dress of Tamil Nadu.. Including colors, designs, motifs….. The basic and the most traditional women dress of Tamil nadu is the ' Pavada Davani ' famous by the name of half saree . It is a three piece clothing which includes a long lower garment resembling a petticoat or a long skirt; a choli blouse; and a long ' dupatta ' like strip of cloth which is about as long as a half saree . It is usually worn by the village girls in Tamil Nadu. However, the Kanchipuram or the Kanjivaram sarees are the most famous traditional costume of Tamil Nadu. The designs on the body of the sari are woven with gold thread and the saree have varied motifs on it, ranging from figures to temples, along the border. The rich silk fabric, elaborate weaving designs and contrasting borders have made kanjivaram sarees popular not only in Tamil Nadu and India but all over the world.

16. Many traditional Indian sarees of Tamil Nadu, apart from the famous kanjivaram sarees , constitute the traditional costume of Tamil Nadu. The Kodalikareppur or Karpur saris made in the village of Kolli Karpur is a mixture of hand painting, block printing and brocade weaving. The Kora cotton saris, woven widely in Coimbatore district, have a self-designed jacquard pattern all over. Kurainadu and Kodambakkam saris are made by blending cotton and silk with beautiful geometric and floral designs . The Poornakumbham cotton saris are the fine cotton textured saris woven with rudraksha motifs and highlighted with pearls and cross lines. The Chungadi sarees of Madurai are basically made with the technique of tie and dye. Bright colors like red, purple, blue and black are used in these srees which have unique kolam (geometric) or rangoli patterns with borders in contrast colors. The Tribhuvanam silk saris are made by highly skilled weavers and have floral and animal designs on them.

17. Inspiration: Kanchipuram Silks Fabric Swatch.. Rendered Croqui ..

18. The idea to develop the croquie was to keep the feminity and the traditional garment adorn by the females of Tamil Nadu. Sari is the essential wear for occasional and dancing or cultural programs. I’ve given bit exaggerated form of the traditional blouse and sari towards more contemporary mode. The sari is the most essential part of any women's wardrobe and it makes them look like a goddess / gives substance to their personality. The red color denotes the vermilion and usage of the color into their various traditions. The motifs are traditional with straight line borders.

19. Reference:--- www.indianetzone.com/costumes_tamilnadu.htm www.wikipedia.org Thank You…