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Shopaholic? If you are one such person who would simply fall in love with the colours, textures and the feel of various textiles, we highly recommend you visit these destinations spread across the country and get your hands on the various textiles found.
India is a country which is home to various unique types of textiles which are multihued; one can say they are the brand ambassadors of their respective regions. There are places which are well known for their produce, such as Kanchipuram, which is well known for its silk sarees, Maheshwar is known for Maheshwari sarees and many more such places are found in the country.
Have a look at some of such places and plan your next holiday to one of these locations.
1. Bagru – Rajasthan
The village of Bagru is wrapped in the hues of indigo, purple and taupe which is a sight to behold. The village is located about an hour away from Jaipur, and is well known for its mud resist block printing technique, which is practised by a local community called Dabu, who make use of a paste of lime, clay, natural gum and chaff.
The fabrics are dyed in natural colours and are purely hand-printed and woven. An interesting fact is that the artisans have a signature which is carefully put in the beautiful geometric patterns which is visible only to an expert.
2. Patan – Gujarat
It is not surprising when one comes across the double ikat silks of Patola, which are said to ward off evil and bring luck to those who wear them. The patterns on the fabric are inspired by the symmetry and designs of the beautiful stepwells of Gujarat, which give it a magical appearance.
The Patolas are woven in hues of red and green along with geometric patterns which also include elephants and parrots, butterflies and flowers. A word of caution, the sarees don't come easy on your pockets and one will also have to wait for over a year to get their hands on them as it takes 6 months or more for two craftsmen to weave out a single saree.
3. Kanchipuram – Tamil Nadu
The moment a person hears the name Kanchipuram, the first thought which would cross their minds is the sight of the beautiful silk sarees. The silk sarees here are woven out of pure mulberry silk threads, are handwoven and are known for their wide contrast borders, which comprise temple borders, checks, stripes and floral prints. The designs on the sarees are inspired from scriptures found in South Indian temples along with the epics of Mahabharata and Ramayana.
What makes the Kanchipuram silk sarees unique is the fact that the body and borders are woven separately and later delicately interlocked together. The joint is woven so strongly that even if the saree splits, the border does not disconnect itself from the body which makes it different from other silk sarees.
4. Sualkuchi – Assam
The mekhela chador is said to be so comfortable that one could go hiking wearing it. The mekhela is woven with indigenous silks known as muga or pale pat silk as well as in cotton. The sarees depict the motifs of local flowers and vines, peacocks and butterflies and the rhinos of Kaziranga as well. The designs would take you back in time to the Ahom dynasty; they also get their influences from the traditional jewellery.
PC: Offical Site
5. Bagalkot – Karnataka
The sarees gets their name from Ilkal in Bagalkot district. The sarees from here come with vivid contrasting colours which are known for the use of the top teni technique which attaches a separate border and pallu out of silk or artificial silk to the body of the cotton saree. The sarees are given a dash of embroidery dating back to the Chalukyan era.
6. Bishnupur – West Bengal
The Baluchari sarees are truly masterpieces out of silk and are an exquisite tribute to the Indian history and mythology. The borders and the pallus showcase scenes from the court of the Murshidabad Nawabs along with horses from the stables of the British and weave out scenes from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.
7. Sambalpur – Odisha
It is said that the colours of an authentic Sambalpuri ikat would not fade. The sarees are woven out in silk or in cotton; the sarees use tie-dyed yarn which creates designs on backgrounds of bright orange and pink along with the hues of yellow and black. The designs are taken from chakras and patterns from the carvings at local temples and also from marine life and wildlife.
PC: Sujit kumar
8. Varanasi – Uttar Pradesh
Many brides in the country have been decked up with the silk from Varanasi. The fabric is well known for its floral designs, peacocks, paisleys and other patterns which take you back to the Mughal empire, the colonial rule and further back. The sarees are considered to be one of the best ones to be found in the country.
PC: Ekabhishek
9. Maheshwar – Madhya Pradesh
The Maheshwari sarees were originally woven only in cotton with borders of zari brought from Surat; the sarees are now a combination of silk and cotton. The geometric patterns on the borders take their inspirations from the steps and layouts of the ghats of the town and by the outlines of temples in the area, which gives each saree a sense of identity and also a touch of history.
10. Pochampally – Telangana
The village of Bhoodan Pochampally is well known for its single and double ikat patterns on silk and cotton. The weavers here exhibit an unusual mix of the ordinary with the extraordinary. The style of ikat was brought to the region in the early 1900s and a large number of villages in the Nalgonda district adopted the style and mixed various colours as per their imagination. The village of Pochampally, since then, evolved to become the main centre of double ikats.
