Arani silk saree
A silk saree woven in Arani, Tamil Nadu, and noted for its zari thread work
Arani silk sarees are handwoven silk sarees from the town of Arani in Tamil Nadu, India, where silk weaving is the chief trade. They are built around zari, the metallic thread worked into the cloth, and the town's weaving cluster holds Geographical Indication status.
- Woven in Arani, a Tamil Nadu town nicknamed the Silk City of Arani
- Silver zari thread is a speciality of the local handloom cluster
- Over 35,000 weavers earn a living in and around Arani
- Geographical Indication status was registered in 2008
- A national award for the town's silk came in 2018
What is Arani silk saree?
Arani silk sarees come from Arani, a town in Tamil Nadu, India, where silk weaving is the chief work. Weavers use handlooms, and the cloth is known for zari, the metallic thread drawn through the weave. Among Tamil Nadu's silk saree centres, Arani is the best known after Kanchipuram, and the town is often called the Silk City of Arani. A saree is an unstitched length of cloth, usually four to nine yards long, so it is draped rather than stitched. The trade brings the town more revenue than any other in its district.
Where does Arani silk saree come from?
Handloom weaving in Arani and the villages around it is old. Inscriptions at Vadamanadamangalam and Devikapuram, both nearby, record it. The industry's roots go back to the Vijayanagara Empire, and it carried on through the years when Arani was a jagir and later under British rule. Thambanna Chettiar is credited with starting the earliest silk weaving workshop in the town. Kannaiya Naidu brought block printing there, and V. Vijayaraghava Naidu introduced dyeing in several colours. The numbers of weavers and traders grew steadily. Arani silk sarees were granted Geographical Indication status, registered in 2008.
How is Arani silk saree made?
These are handloom sarees. Silk is the fibre, and zari thread carries the pattern, worked in as the cloth is woven. Few places in Tamil Nadu produce handloom silk sarees on the scale Arani does; the town holds a large cluster of such units. Silver zari is a speciality of that cluster. Over 35,000 weavers earn a living in and around Arani. Block printing and multi-colour dyeing, introduced early on, also belong to the town's working tradition.
Arani silk saree, drawn
Colours, motifs and borders
The look of an Arani saree comes mainly from its zari, the gold thread woven into the silk to form the pattern. The detail of this thread work is what the cloth is noted for. Silk gives the saree its smooth body. Colour enters the tradition through dyeing in several shades, a method brought to the town early in its weaving history, and through block printing, which arrived at the same time.
How Arani silk saree is worn
A saree is one unstitched piece of cloth, most often between four and nine yards, and it is draped over the body rather than sewn. The word sari comes from the Sanskrit sāḍī, and Tamil writing mentions sarees from the fifth and sixth centuries CE. No drape particular to Arani is described in the sources.
What Arani silk saree means
The trade gives Arani its other name, the Silk City of Arani, and it is the town's main source of income. Arani silk sarees carry Geographical Indication status, registered in 2008, which ties the cloth to the town and protects its name. In 2018 a national award came to the town for the silk made there and for the trade built on it. Thousands of families depend on weaving and selling these sarees.
Questions people ask about Arani silk saree
Where do Arani silk sarees come from?
They are made in Arani, a town in Tamil Nadu, India. Arani is often called the Silk City of Arani. Among the silk saree centres of the state it is the best known after Kanchipuram.
How is an Arani silk saree made?
Silk yarn is woven on handlooms, with zari thread worked in to form the pattern. The Arani cluster is known for silver zari. Block printing and dyeing in several colours were brought to the town's trade by named craftsmen.
Does an Arani silk saree have official recognition?
Yes. The sarees hold Geographical Indication status, registered in 2008, which ties the cloth to Arani. In 2018 a national award also came to the town for the silk produced there and the trade around it.
How long has silk been woven in Arani?
The industry's roots go back to the Vijayanagara Empire, and it carried on through the jagir years and the British period. Inscriptions in nearby villages record handloom weaving, and Thambanna Chettiar is credited with the town's earliest silk weaving workshop.
Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Arani Silk Sarees", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryPallu rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. Traditions, weaves and prices differ from one weaver, town or shop to the next, and it is not buying advice. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-14.
More from India
All the sarees of India
🇮🇳 IndiaUttariya
Ancient Indian upper garment of loose cloth draped over shoulders and armsCotton
🇮🇳 IndiaDorea
A striped or checked cloth of the Indian subcontinent, first cotton then silkCotton · Checks and stripes
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreAgrun
A shuttle-woven Hajong shawl with big, symmetrical brocaded patternsSilk · Brocade · Zari work
🇮🇳 IndiaBhagalpuri silk
A wild tussar silk saree crafted from forest silkworms native to IndiaTussar
Its cousins elsewhere
All silk sarees
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreSariसाड़ी
An unstitched cloth draped over the body, worn across the Indian subcontinentCotton · Brocade · Ikat
🇮🇳 IndiaChanderi sari
A fine silk or cotton sari woven in Chanderi, Madhya Pradesh, with zari motifsSilk · Brocade · Zari work
🇵🇰 Pakistan and 1 moreAjrakاجرڪ (Sindhi), اجرک (Saraiki)
A Sindhi block-printed cloth in indigo and crimson, worn as a shawl or wrapCotton · Block print
🇮🇳 IndiaChikankariچِکن کاری (Urdu) / चिकनकारी (Hindi)
A hand embroidery from Lucknow, usually white thread on light fabric.Cotton · Embroidery · Block print