Paithani is a type of sari that is handwoven from fine mulberry silk in the Paithan region of Maharashtra, India

paithni

1. Paithani and Pitambari

2. Known the world over as a poem of hand woven sareeein silk and gold. Paithani and Pitambari sarees are for those with discerning and refined taste. It is a beautiful saree after the village called Paithan in Aurangabad district of Maharastra . Paithani is the gauze like sari woven as heavy gold brocade. The uniqueness is its inverse of the usual brocading practice, that is metal zari threads on warp direction for background and pattern details are made of silk weft.

3. Places of Production The Paithani sarees are mostly woven in Paithan in Maharashtra. Yeola , Pune, Nasik and Malegaon in Maharashtra are the other centers where weaving of Paithani sarees is undertaken. Products The original Paithani is a rich brocade saree used by the ladies. Pitambars are bright coloured silks, five yards in length with gold borders on them. These are worn by men specially when performing any of the religious rituals.

4. Yarns As per the weaving specialty gold/silver zari yarn is used as warp and silk yarn as weft. Motifs Though modern-day weavers are trying to develop newer and innovative motifs, generally traditional motifs are used in Paithani sarees. The most commonly used motifs in the body of these sarees are ‘ kamal ’ (lotus flower), ‘ hans ’ (swan), ‘ asharfi ’ (coin), ‘ asawalli ’ (flowering vine), ‘ Bangadi mor ’ (peacock in bangle), ‘ rui phool ’ (cotton flower), circles, stars and clusters of leaves. In the pallu certain motifs are very commonly found. Some of them are ‘ Asawali ’, ‘ Panja ’ (a flower in a geometrical shape), ‘ Muthada ’ (a geometrical shape), and ‘ mor ’ (peacock).

5. Colour Combinations The borders and pallu have striking designs in bright and showy colours such as moss green, canary yellow, bright pink. The designs are worked in silks of blue, red and white colours , on the field of pure transulant gold/silver zari . The whole effect is gorgeous and is eminently artistic in its perfect harmony. Loom and Weaving Technique Setting up the loom is a meticulous job of careful handling where each thread is mounted to bring out the design, colour and details to convert these into a fabulous fabric. Ancient technique of tapestry weaving using three separate shuttles for weft threads is used here. This loom is called Kadiyal and the fabric is called as Kadiyal Paithani . The weavers use the method of interlocking of more than one weft with base cloth. Weaving could take between 18 to 24 months, depending upon the complexity of the design. Today there are many weavers who are working for the revival of this treasured weave .

6. Tapestry Loom used for Weaving Paithani Saree Cost Depending upon the intricacy of the designs and weaving technique the Paithani saree price range starts from Rs. 5,000, (single shuttle)10,000 (three shuttles) and so on .