Sarees are a significant part of India’s rich cultural heritage and remain central to contemporary fashion trends in the country. The Chanderi saree is a remarkable example of Indian craftsmanship in women’s fashion. This Chanderi weaving tradition finds mention in Indian mythology and ancient history, with references to the exquisite Chanderi silk, in the ancient Hindu texts, the Vedas.
The weaving culture of Chanderi silk gathered momentum during the 2nd to the 7th century, whereas the Chanderi saree weaving and trade picked up somewhere around 1350s. Chanderi sarees get their name from the namesake town of Chanderi in Madhya Pradesh, from where they originate. The narrow lanes of this town are abuzz with the constant rattle of looms churning out these gorgeous sarees endowing the Indian women with feminine beauty. The art of weaving these luxurious, delicate, light-weight and transparent Chanderi sarees, is passed on from one generation to the other; with each generation adding myriad elements of modern design and fashion to the traditional form. These sarees have evolved to meet the everchanging tastes and trends. They are liked by the younger generation as much as they are preferred by the older.
Chanderi sarees come in 3 types of fabrics: Chanderi cotton, Chanderi silk and Cotton-silk blends. They are recognisable by their finely woven, thin, transparent fabric that is luxuriously soft and light-weight. Legend goes that Emperor Akbar was gifted with fine Chanderi silk rolled and kept inside the hollow of a bamboo. The emperor was astonished to see emerge, a long length of finely woven silk, from a tiny bamboo cavity and wrap around an elephant with ease. The Mughal era is considered to be the golden era when the art of Chanderi weaving flourished and the weavers prospered. Originally, these sarees were made exclusively for the royals of Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh. Today, they are cherished and proudly worn by women across India.
In 2008, the Government of India offered the Geographical Indication (GI) tag to Chanderi ensuring that only traditionally woven sarees from the town of Chanderi, could bear the name – Chanderi; thus, offering a stamp of quality and authenticity to the original weave.
The Chanderi sarees, embellished with nature-inspired motifs of peacock, trees, birds, flowers, and in modern times, even the skylines of megacities, using gold, silver or copper zari, over the delicate soft fabric, contend to occupy the top spot among the plethora of sarees created across various states of India. These soft and transparent sarees create sensuous feminine silhouettes, seamlessly merging comfort and beauty by their light airy drape.
