KANCHEEPURAM - DREAMS IN SILK
a dress (saree) done
in blue kancheepuram
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A quaint little town, hugging the highway, merely two
hours away from the city of Chennai ( Madras ).
in southern India. At dawn, you see nimble
fingered weavers emerging from the cool confines of
the shadows thrown by the looming temple towers,
to begin work on their looms.
Spinning magical lengths of gossamer silk, in dazzling
colors. Evenly punctuated by golden motifs. A visual
feast fit for the Kings.
History has it that Kancheepuram rose to eminence during
Krishna-Deva Raya's reign, when two weaving communities
- the Devangas and the Saligars transmigrated to
Kancheepuram from Andhra Pradesh. Primarily because
within this seemingly minuscule town there were more
than 129 finely crafted temples. And silk was always
considered the ceremonial wear at religious rituals
and weddings. So Kancheepuram held the potential of a
large off take of silk.
The Devanga and Saligar weavers were reputed for their
weaving silks. Legend speaks of their having woven
garments from lotus fibers.
Every Kancheepuram silk saree is amongst the most
superior silks in the world. Thanks to its double
warp and double weft. Besides which, the gold in
the motifs is incorporated by dipping the silk
thread into liquid gold and silver. This enhances
the beauty and the value of the silk.
back to obituaries in kancheepuram.
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