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15
PUJA SARI ORANGE WITH RED
PALLAV
KANCHIPURAM, TAMIL NADU, 1958
Handspun and handwoven silk, real gold thread
(
zari
), synthetic dyes
214.75 x 46 in (546 x 117.2 cm)
$ 3,790 - 5,305
Rs 2,50,000 - 3,50,000
This sari was woven in Kanchipuram, a famous
temple town near Chennai. It produces brocaded
silks of superb texture, colour and brilliance. The
raw silk was brought in from Bangalore, the gold
zari
threads for brocading from Surat. The present
lot is washed in the waters of Kanchipuram, which
are said to contain properties that gave the silk its
lustrous sheen.
Widely known for silk saris with solid brocaded
borders, these weremade on a throw-shuttle pitloom
with a drawboy harness. Designs and patterns are
woven with extra weft threads and worked into the
body of the fabric by means of an indigenous device
known as the
adai
(which fulfills the same function
as the Jacquard). The solid coloured borders were
woven with the use of a technique known as
korvai
,
which employs three shuttles – one for the body of
the sari and two for the border. Usually woven by
two weavers rather than one, they sit at the loom,
interlocking the weft threads.
Kanchipuram saris often have a
pallav
and borders
that contrast in colour to the main field of the sari, as
seen in the present lot. These saris are based on the
collection of the legendary classical Bharatnatyam
dancer Rukmani Devi Arundale, who also set up the
important cultural institution Kalakshetra, as part
of the textile revival project initiated by Kamaladevi
Chattopadhyaya and assisted by Jasleen Dhamija.
Silk is considered pure and Brahmin women were
traditionally supposed to wear silk not only for the
act of worship, but also for preparing food for the
family as the act of cooking was also considered
a sacred ritual. This
puja
sari is woven in red and
orange-yellow. The main colour is yellow, the
satvic
,
representing withdrawal, while the red is the colour
of
shakti
, power. Together they create the chequered
pattern symbolising the sacred grid. The judicious
combination of the
satvic
and the
shakti
balances
these elements in our being which are needed to
create an atmosphere conducive for worship. Each
square carries a
rudhraksh
, representing Shiva, as well
as a circle that represents the
bija
, the basis of creation.
The
pallav
is exquisitely woven with multiple
designs and meanings that embody the Universe at
large. There are the sun and the stars, and the nine
planets, or
nakshatras
. The planets represent not
just the literal ones but go beyond that to connect
with cosmic energy. The Bindu symbolises the
emergence of life. Also seen is the
Hamsa
, the sacred
swan, associated with Brahma, and the lion or
Yauli
,
associated with the goddess Durga and Shiva.