Gone are the days of palaces and kings, of Sanskrit pundits who held forth the Vedas, of preachers and their religious discourses. Paithan is a small town and quiet religious place on the northern banks of the river Godavari in Aurangabad district in Maharashtra. The intricate weaving, in all its hues and colours, when brilliantly executed, makes the fabric highly prized. It takes a master weaver an entire day to weave just an inch, thus, it takes a year-and-half to weave the entire sari. Traditional creative artistry and painstaking workmanship combine to form this unique cloth and make it an experience for the visual and tactile senses. and have been handed down from mother to daughter for several generations. Paithani saris have been a precious heirloom since the Shalivahan era of 2 nd Century A.D. It’s made from natural silk or cotton, along with precious gold and silver metal threads, that gives Paithani the Midas touch. Paithani uses the ancient technique of tapestry where multiple threads of different colours along with gold and silver threads are weaved together to form a fascinating piece of silk. Purchasing a new Paithani is akin to investing in jewellery because it can be handed down from generation to generation and has virtually become a status symbol. Paithani saris are known the world over among those with a discerning and refined taste, as a poem hand-woven in silk and gold. It was her grandmother’s wedding sari, and whenever Shelke held it close, it reminded her of her grandmother’s “ soft, silken caress”. One of them was a green Paithani sari with a coconut motif within brocade checks. The late Marathi writer Shanta Shelke rummaged through an old cupboard to find mothballed dresses. O golden squares of my grandmother’s sari, There are moments when I hold the PaithaniĬlose to my heart as close can be its soft, silken caress
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January 2023
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