Bengal cotton sarees shopping 2023: What started as India’s first seamless garment, went on to become the symbol of Indian femininity. A sari consists of an unstitched drape varying from 4.5 to 9 metres (15 to 30 feet) in length and 600 to 1,200 millimetres (24 to 47 inches) in breadth that is typically wrapped around the waist, with one end draped over the shoulder, partly baring the midriff. It is traditionally worn in the countries of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal. There are various styles of sari manufacture and draping, the most common being the Nivi style, which originated in the Deccan region. The sari is worn with a fitted bodice commonly called a choli and a petticoat called ghagra, parkar, or ul-pavadai. In the modern Indian subcontinent, the sari is considered a cultural icon. Discover even more info at shop Indian sarees online.
A factory-made cotton sari can cost as little as 500 rupees (US$7), while a handcrafted sari that takes anywhere from a few weeks to a few months to make can cost upwards of 200,000 rupees. The most expensive sari was sold for 3.93 million rupees in 2008. Over the past few decades, the demand for cheaper saris has made power-loom saris popular, making it difficult for hand weavers to compete. However, of late, handloom weaves are being reinterpreted in contemporary designs, and forgotten craftsmen are making a comeback. A beautiful sari is a living, breathing and enduring piece of art. It holds in its folds the history of an entire subcontinent, the skill of its craftsmen and the memories of the women who lovingly cared for it for the next generation.
In West Bengal, Balchuri saris flaunt trim based on designs found on the walls of the region’s burned clay terracotta temples. “Every sari has a story about the society and people around it,” says Darshan Dudhoria, the chief executive officer of online retailer Indian Silk House Agencies. Still, globalization and competition for ever-cheaper merchandise have made machine-loomed saris prevalent in recent decades. Many bad copies of traditional garb are being shipped in from China. Long-time weaving families have found themselves out of work, their looms worthless.
The stitched fabric was deemed unclean in ancient times. The one-piece saree was considered auspicious and was (and still is) worn for significant Hindu occasions such as religious ceremonies, marriages, festivals, childbirth rites, and so on. The saree draping style evolved from the concept that the navel and belly should be left uncovered since they were regarded as the life source (as they connect to the umbilical cord). This is documented in the Natya Shastra, a 200-year-old South Indian scripture. With the mention of Rani of Jhansi wearing a sari and fighting the atrocities of the colonizers, one can only wonder about the feeling of empowerment while wearing a sari that has been bestowed with such a heroic legacy.
Most of our products are handcrafted and the weavers have been chosen with care in order to ensure the best quality of handwork is brought to our customers. In fact , some of our empaneled weavers have won awards at the highest national level and have been associated with this work for generations. Our products and weaves are authentic, artisanal and sourced sustainably , curated by Karigars from different parts of India like West Bengal, Varanasi, Rajasthan, Gujarat etc. Read more details on silkpetalss.com.
That a long, unstitched rectangular garment used to drape the female form for 5,000 years and worn every day by hundreds of millions of women from the Indian subcontinent flourishes as a fashion choice of the 21st century woman makes the story of the sari a fascinating one. The earliest records of a garment similar to the sari can be traced back to the Indus Valley Civilisation that flourished between 2800 and 1800BC in what is today northwest India. The word sari is believed to be derived from a Sanskrit word meaning strip of cloth.